Cheap Eats in Los Angeles

Republique Bakery ★ 4.8

624 South La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Margarita Manzke's pastry counter inside Republique, Los Angeles bakes the city's reference kouign-amann, plus laminated croissants from a 1928 commissary.

Mariscos Jalisco ★ 4.8

3040 E Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90023

Raul Ortega's Mariscos Jalisco in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles has fried the LA shrimp taco dorado from the same Olympic Boulevard truck since 2001.

Carnitas El Momo ★ 4.8

2411 Fairmount St, Los Angeles, CA 90033

Romulo Acosta's Carnitas El Momo in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles cooks Michoacan-style carnitas in a copper pot. Weekend lunch only, sells out by 14:00.

Langer's Delicatessen ★ 4.8

704 S. Alvarado St, Los Angeles, CA 90057

Langer's Delicatessen on Alvarado, Westlake, Los Angeles has hand-sliced pastrami since 1947. The #19 with Russian dressing, coleslaw and Swiss is the order.

Bub and Grandma's ★ 4.7

3507 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90065

Andrew Bernstein's Bub and Grandma's in Glassell Park, Los Angeles bakes the bread for half the city's chef restaurants and runs a Wednesday-Sunday counter.

Friends and Family ★ 4.7

5150 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Roxana Jullapat and Daniel Mattern's Friends and Family in East Hollywood, Los Angeles bakes ancient-grain pastry from California-milled flours.

Leo's Tacos Truck ★ 4.7

1515 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90019

Leo's Tacos Truck on La Brea, Los Angeles has carved al pastor off a trompo since 2010, with three permanent truck locations and a 02:00 closing time.

Tire Shop Taqueria ★ 4.7

4077 S Avalon Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90011

Tire Shop Taqueria in South LA, Los Angeles operates from the lot of an actual tire shop on Avalon. Suadero and al pastor tacos until 01:30, cash only.

Sarita's Pupuseria ★ 4.7

317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Sarita's Pupuseria inside Grand Central Market, Los Angeles griddles Salvadoran pupusas to order from the same family-run counter since 2003. Cash and card.

Guisados ★ 4.6

boyle-heights · 2100 E Cesar E Chavez Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033

Guisados in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles serves mini braised-meat tacos from a tortilleria a block away. Six locations across the city, this is the original.

Tip: The original Boyle Heights branch is the strongest; salsas are made every morning. Closes by 21:00.

Kogi BBQ Truck ★ 4.6

boyle-heights · Mobile, schedule on kogibbq.com

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.

Tip: Follow the truck's daily schedule on the website or Twitter; usually four stops a day across LA.

Burritos La Palma ★ 4.6

highland-park · 5200 Monte Vista St, Los Angeles, CA 90042

Burritos La Palma in East LA, Los Angeles wraps birria de res in handmade flour tortillas from Jerez, Zacatecas. James Beard finalist since 2018.

Tip: Open 09:00-17:00; the burritos sell out by 14:00 on weekends. Eat in the car.

Porto's Bakery ★ 4.6

315 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203

Porto's Bakery in Glendale, Los Angeles has baked Cuban pastries (potato balls, cheese rolls, guava strudels) since 1976, family-run across five locations.

Cognoscenti Coffee ★ 4.6

6114 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

Yeekai Lim's Cognoscenti Coffee in Culver City, Los Angeles pours single-origin espresso since 2010 from a 50-square-foot bar. A reference cafe in LA.

Maru Coffee ★ 4.6

1936 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Joonmo Kim and Jacob Park's Maru Coffee in Los Feliz, Los Angeles pulls a five-shot cortado from Korean-Californian roasts in a 12-seat minimalist room.

Tacos y Birria La Unica ★ 4.6

2840 E Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90023

Tacos y Birria La Unica in East LA, Los Angeles cooks Jalisco-style beef birria for the late-night queue. Weekend night truck only, closes by 02:00.

El Chato Taco Truck ★ 4.6

5300 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019

El Chato Taco Truck on Olympic and La Brea, Los Angeles has been parked at the same corner since 1972, slow-cooking cabeza and lengua tacos to order.

Kogi BBQ Truck ★ 4.6

Mobile, schedule on kogibbq.com

Roy Choi's Kogi BBQ Truck has rolled around Los Angeles since 2008, pairing Korean short rib with Mexican tortillas. Schedule posted online daily.

Banh Mi My Tho ★ 4.6

304 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91803

Banh Mi My Tho in Alhambra, Los Angeles County bakes baguettes daily and presses Vietnamese sandwiches to order. The pate cha lua is the order, cash only.

Broken Mouth - Lee's Homestyle ★ 4.5

downtown-la · 718 S Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

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.

Tip: Lunch counter, downtown business district; closed Sundays. Cash and card both.

Gjusta ★ 4.5

320 Sunset Ave, Venice, CA 90291

Travis Lett's Gjusta in Venice, Los Angeles is a 24-hour deli and bakery in a warehouse, baking bagels and curing lox from a 90-foot counter.

Go Get Em Tiger ★ 4.5

230 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004

Go Get Em Tiger on Larchmont, Los Angeles is one of the original LA third-wave cafes, popularised the almond-macadamia latte and a clean Probat roast.

Stereoscope Coffee Company ★ 4.5

1501 W Sunset Blvd, Suite B, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Stereoscope Coffee in Echo Park, Los Angeles is a Fullerton roaster's Sunset Boulevard outpost in a tall-ceiling warehouse, with the city's best workspace.

Menotti's Coffee Stop ★ 4.5

56 Windward Ave, Venice, CA 90291

Menotti's Coffee Stop on Windward Avenue, Venice, Los Angeles is the Westside's tightest pour, a five-stool counter half a block from Venice Beach.

Destroyer ★ 4.5

3578 Hayden Ave, Culver City, CA 90232

Jordan Kahn's Destroyer in Culver City, Los Angeles plates Nordic-influenced breakfast and lunch. A morning cafe by the chef behind Vespertine.

Tacos Tamix ★ 4.5

1940 S Hoover St, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Tacos Tamix runs five LA trucks shaving al pastor off a wood-fire trompo since 2006, the Pico Union truck the most consistent for the late-night order.

Chichen Itza Restaurant ★ 4.5

3655 S Grand Ave, Mercado la Paloma, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Chichen Itza inside Mercado La Paloma, Los Angeles plates Yucatecan dishes including the city's reference cochinita pibil. At 3655 S Grand Ave.

In-N-Out Burger Sunset ★ 4.4

hollywood · 7009 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

In-N-Out Burger on Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, is the chain landmark closest to the Walk of Fame, with late-night drive-through service until 1:30.

Tip: Late-night Friday and Saturday closes at 1:30, the queue spills around the block by midnight.

Clark Street Bread ★ 4.4

139 1/2 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004

Zach Hall's Clark Street Bread on Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles bakes a naturally leavened miche and serves morning sandwiches from a fast counter.

Fugetsu-Do ★ 4.4

315 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Fugetsu-Do in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles has hand-pounded mochi since 1903 from the same family. Strawberry daifuku from the morning batch is the order.

Civil Coffee ★ 4.4

5629 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042

Civil Coffee in Highland Park, Los Angeles pours a daily filter and serves baked goods from Friends and Family next door. A Northeast LA neighbourhood cafe.

Document Coffee Bar ★ 4.4

3850 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010

Document Coffee Bar on Wilshire, Koreatown, Los Angeles roasts in-house and pulls a clean espresso flight. A weekday workspace for the Mid-Wilshire offices.

Lucky Boy ★ 4.4

640 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena, CA 91105

Lucky Boy in Pasadena, Los Angeles serves a foil-wrapped breakfast burrito that locals queue for from 06:00. At 640 S. Arroyo Parkway. Booking recommended.

Al & Bea's Mexican Food ★ 4.4

2025 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033

Al & Bea's in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles has wrapped bean and cheese burritos since 1966 from the same walk-up window. Closes by 17:00 daily.

In-N-Out Burger LAX ★ 4.3

westchester · 9149 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045

In-N-Out Burger near LAX on Sepulveda sits at the end of runway 24R, making it the chain branch that doubles as a plane-spotting picnic spot.

Tip: The patio is the move; aircraft pass directly overhead on approach to runway 24R every two minutes.

Tartine Bakery ★ 4.3

911 N Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Chad Robertson's Tartine on Sycamore Avenue in Hollywood, Los Angeles is the LA outpost of the San Francisco country-bread reference. Bake fresh out at 11:00.

Blue Bottle Coffee ★ 4.3

8301 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Blue Bottle Coffee in West Hollywood, Los Angeles is the largest cafe in the Oakland roaster's LA cluster, with a roastery-spec La Marzocco bar setup.

Coffee for Sasquatch ★ 4.3

7020 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Coffee for Sasquatch on Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles roasts in-house, runs a strong lavender latte, and the patio is the Hancock Park meeting spot.

LAMILL Coffee ★ 4.3

1636 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

LAMILL Coffee on Silver Lake Boulevard, Los Angeles set the third-wave template in 2008 with siphon brews and a full breakfast menu. At 1636 Silver Lake Blvd.

Intelligentsia Venice ★ 4.3

1331 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

Intelligentsia Coffee on Abbot Kinney, Venice, Los Angeles set the LA aesthetic for high-design third-wave cafes when it opened in 2009. Booking recommended.