Republique Bakery ★ 4.8
Margarita Manzke's pastry counter inside Republique, Los Angeles bakes the city's reference kouign-amann, plus laminated croissants from a 1928 commissary.
40 cheap eats places in Los Angeles, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Los Angeles: the places editors actually return to. All Los Angeles food.
Mariscos Jalisco ★ 4.8
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.
OrderShrimp taco dorado
Carnitas El Momo ★ 4.8
Romulo Acosta's Carnitas El Momo slow-cooks Michoacan-style carnitas in a copper pot, now at 1470 Monterey Pass Rd in Monterey Park. Sells out early.
OrderCarnitas mixto taco
Langer's Delicatessen ★ 4.8
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.
OrderHand-sliced pastrami #19 sandwich
Bub and Grandma's ★ 4.7
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
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
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.
OrderAl pastor taco off the trompo
Tire Shop Taqueria ★ 4.7
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.
OrderAl pastor and suadero tacos
Sarita's Pupuseria ★ 4.7
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.
OrderSalvadoran pupusa with curtido
Guisados ★ 4.6
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.
OrderSampler plate of six mini tacos with chicharron in salsa verde.
TipThe original Boyle Heights branch is the strongest; salsas are made every morning. Closes by 21:00.
Kogi BBQ Truck ★ 4.6
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.
OrderShort rib taco and the kimchi quesadilla.
TipFollow the truck's daily schedule on the website or Twitter; usually four stops a day across LA.
Burritos La Palma ★ 4.6
Burritos La Palma in East LA, Los Angeles wraps birria de res in handmade flour tortillas from Jerez, Zacatecas. James Beard finalist since 2018.
OrderBirria de res burrito wrapped in Zacatecas flour tortilla.
TipOpen 09:00-17:00; the burritos sell out by 14:00 on weekends. Eat in the car.
Porto's Bakery ★ 4.6
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
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
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
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.
OrderBirria quesa taco
El Chato Taco Truck ★ 4.6
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.
OrderCabeza and lengua tacos
Kogi BBQ Truck ★ 4.6
Roy Choi's Kogi BBQ Truck has rolled around Los Angeles since 2008, pairing Korean short rib with Mexican tortillas. Schedule posted online daily.
OrderShort rib taco
Banh Mi My Tho ★ 4.6
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.
OrderVietnamese banh mi
Broken Mouth - Lee's Homestyle ★ 4.5
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.
OrderSpam musubi and the kalbi rice bowl.
TipLunch counter, downtown business district; closed Sundays. Cash and card both.
Gjusta ★ 4.5
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
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
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
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
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
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.
OrderAl pastor taco from the trompo
Chichen Itza Restaurant ★ 4.5
Chichen Itza inside Mercado La Paloma, Los Angeles plates Yucatecan dishes including the city's reference cochinita pibil. At 3655 S Grand Ave.
OrderCochinita pibil panucho
In-N-Out Burger Sunset ★ 4.4
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.
OrderA Double-Double Animal Style with grilled onions and extra spread, plus fries well done.
TipLate-night Friday and Saturday closes at 1:30, the queue spills around the block by midnight.
Clark Street Bread ★ 4.4
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
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
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
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
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.
OrderBreakfast burrito
Al & Bea's Mexican Food ★ 4.4
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.
OrderBean and cheese burrito
In-N-Out Burger LAX ★ 4.3
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.
OrderA Double-Double Animal Style and a chocolate shake to eat on the patio.
TipThe patio is the move; aircraft pass directly overhead on approach to runway 24R every two minutes.
Tartine Bakery ★ 4.3
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
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
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
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
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.
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