Vivian Ku's Pine and Crane in Silver Lake, Los Angeles serves Taiwanese family recipes at a counter and a dozen tables on Griffith Park Boulevard.
Must order: Dan dan noodles and the three-cup chicken.
Tip: Counter service, fast turnover; this is the casual sibling of the more formal Joy in Highland Park.
Address: 1521 Griffith Park Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Roy Choi's Kogi BBQ truck has rolled around Los Angeles since 2008, inventing the Korean-Mexican taco and the modern American food-truck movement.
Order: Short rib taco and the kimchi quesadilla.
Tip: Follow the truck's daily schedule on the website or Twitter; usually four stops a day across LA.
Vivian Ku's Joy on York Boulevard, Highland Park, Los Angeles serves Taiwanese family-style on a covered patio. Sister room to Pine and Crane in Silver Lake.
Order: Beef noodle soup and the scallion pancakes.
Tip: Sister to Pine and Crane but takes bookings; ask the host for the back patio when you book.
Broken Mouth - Lee's Homestyle in Downtown Los Angeles serves Korean-Hawaiian rice bowls and spam musubi at lunch from a single counter on Hill Street.
Order: Spam musubi and the kalbi rice bowl.
Tip: Lunch counter, downtown business district; closed Sundays. Cash and card both.
Burritos La Palma in East LA, Los Angeles wraps birria de res in handmade flour tortillas from Jerez, Zacatecas. James Beard finalist since 2018.
Order: Birria de res burrito wrapped in Zacatecas flour tortilla.
Tip: Open 09:00 to 17:00; the burritos sell out by 14:00 on weekends. Eat in the car.
Tito's Tacos in Culver City, Los Angeles has fried hard-shell beef tacos at the same walk-up window on Washington Place since 1959. Cash only.
Order: Hard-shell beef taco and a chile relleno burrito.
Tip: Cash only at the original walk-up window; the picnic tables are 1959 vintage.
Cofax Coffee Shop on Fairfax, Los Angeles updated the LA breakfast burrito with chorizo verde and house-fermented hot sauces. A reliable Mid-City stop.
Order: Chorizo verde breakfast burrito and a flat white.
Tip: Counter and patio only; queue at 09:30 weekends, walk-in fine weekdays.
