Food History of Los Angeles

Key eras

1781-1850, the rancho and pueblo years

Los Angeles was founded as a Spanish-Mexican pueblo in 1781 and food culture grew from rancho cattle and Native Tongva foodways. Carne asada, beans, and corn tortillas defined the era. The Olvera Street area, settled 1781, still holds the city's oldest continuous food traditions, mole and pan dulce sold from family-run stalls.

1908-1940, the French dip and the diner

Two LA inventions shaped American counter eating: the French dip sandwich (Cole's, 1908; Philippe's, 1918) and the drive-in restaurant (Pig Stand, 1921). Mid-century chains followed: Bob's Big Boy (1936), In-N-Out (1948). Eat-in-your-car culture became Southern California's defining food architecture, and the architecture itself influenced national fast-food design.

1965-1985, the immigration acts and the new LA palate

The 1965 Hart-Celler Immigration Act ended national-origin quotas and reshaped Los Angeles. Korean immigrants built Koreatown along Olympic. Vietnamese refugees moved into the San Gabriel Valley. Salvadoran families settled along Vermont and Pico. By 1985 LA had become the most-immigrant-dense major American city, and the food map fragmented into dozens of neighbourhood cuisines.

1982-2010, the LA chef era and the Mediterranean turn

Wolfgang Puck's Spago opened 1982. California cuisine, ingredient-led, market-driven, plate-conscious, became LA's contribution to American restaurant cooking. Joachim Splichal at Patina, Suzanne Goin at Lucques, Nancy Silverton at Campanile and Mozza built the next generation. The Westside Mediterranean palate took over from the old continental fine-dining template.

2008-present, food trucks, Korean tacos and chef immigrant kitchens

Roy Choi launched the Kogi BBQ truck in 2008 and invented the modern American food truck movement. The same decade brought a wave of chef-owned immigrant kitchens cooking the cuisines of home: n/naka kaiseki, Jitlada southern Thai, Kato Taiwanese, Anajak chef-driven Thai. LA's 2020s food map is the most immigrant-led of any US city.

Immigrant influences

• Mexican: The largest Mexican community outside Mexico. From rancho-era barbacoa to East LA al pastor trompos, Mexican food is LA's everyday base.
• Korean: Koreatown has the densest Korean dining cluster outside Seoul. LA invented the cross-cut galbi format (1980s) that is now standard in Korea.
• Japanese: Little Tokyo dates to 1885. Sushi crossed to the US through LA in the 1960s, and the handroll counter format was perfected here in the 2010s.
• Chinese: The San Gabriel Valley holds the largest Chinese-American population in the country, and is the only US region with restaurants representing all 23 Chinese provincial cuisines.
• Salvadoran: The largest Salvadoran community outside El Salvador. Pupusas, curtido and refried bean sandwiches anchor the Pico and Vermont corridors.
• Persian: Westwood Boulevard south of Wilshire is the largest Iranian community outside Iran (Tehrangeles). Saffron rice, kababs and Persian ice cream.
• Filipino: Historic Filipinotown was designated in 2002. Lechon, sisig and adobo from chef-driven kitchens including Kuya Lord and Lasita.
• Thai: Thai Town on Hollywood Boulevard, designated 1999, is the only one in the US. Jitlada brought regional southern Thai cooking to LA in the 1980s.

Signature innovations

• The French dip sandwich (Cole's 1908; Philippe's 1918)
• The drive-in restaurant (Pig Stand, 1921; Bob's Big Boy, 1936)
• California cuisine (Spago, 1982; Chez Panisse alumnae citywide)
• The Korean-Mexican taco (Kogi BBQ Truck, 2008)
• The LA-cut galbi (Koreatown Korean butchers, 1980s)
• The handroll-only counter (KazuNori, 2014)
• The modern food truck movement (Kogi and Twitter, 2008-2010)