Los Angeles eats better than any city in the US because it eats everyone's food: Oaxacan tlayudas in Koreatown, Sichuan in the San Gabriel Valley, sushi on Sawtelle. Three days of markets, loncheras and strip-mall greatness.
Downtown's 1917 market hall on Broadway, open daily 08:00–21:00. Eggs Slut's Slut (coddled egg on potato purée, ~$11) draws the queue; Villa Moreliana carnitas tacos ~$4.50 and Sarita's pupusas ~$5 are the locals' order.
Daikokuya (327 E 1st St) has been serving tonkotsu ramen since 2002 — the Daikoku Ramen with kurobuta pork belly runs ~$16 and the wait is 30–45 minutes. Nearby Fugetsu-Do (1903) sells mochi and manju from ~$2.
Open since 1934 under green-and-white stalls at 6333 W 3rd St, Mon–Fri 09:00–21:00. Magee's Kitchen (an original 1934 tenant) carves corned beef; Loteria Grill's chilaquiles and Bob's Coffee & Doughnuts anchor the rest.
The Oaxacan institution at 3014 W Olympic Blvd, run by the Lopez family since 1994 and a James Beard America's Classic. Mole negro plates ~$24, tlayudas ~$22, and house mezcal flights; live música on weekend evenings.
Breakfast in Charlie Chaplin's 1928 Spanish Gothic office building at 624 S La Brea Ave. Margarita Manzke's kouign-amann (~$6) and brioche feuilletée sit beside a full brunch menu; counter service 08:00–14:00, expect a line by 10:00.
The benchmark for LA galbi at 955 S Vermont Ave, open since 2003. Marinated short rib and prime beef combos run $60–$90; the staff grill at the table and the banchan spread arrives before you order.
Four blocks of Sawtelle Boulevard packed with Japanese and Taiwanese counters: Tsujita LA's tsukemen (~$17), Nijiya Market's bento, Hui Tou Xiang's pork dumplings and Rocket Coffeebar. Most kitchens run 11:00–22:00.
Michael Cimarusti's two-Michelin-star seafood room at 5955 Melrose Ave, open since 2005. The tasting menu runs roughly $295 per person plus pairings; sourcing is line-caught California fish and day-boat New England shellfish.
Raul Ortega's truck at 3040 E Olympic Blvd has parked here since 2001, serving tacos dorados de camarón — fried shrimp tacos topped with avocado and salsa roja, ~$4.50 each. Open daily around 09:00–18:00, cash preferred.
The Westfield Santa Anita branch at 400 S Baldwin Ave pleats xiao long bao behind glass; ten soup dumplings ~$16 and waits hit 90 minutes at weekends. Nearby Sichuan Impression and 101 Noodle Express widen the crawl.
Open since 1947 at 704 S Alvarado St, home of the #19 — hot hand-cut pastrami, coleslaw, Swiss and Russian dressing on double-baked rye, around $24. Tue–Sat 08:00–16:00, closed Sundays and Mondays.
Cole's (118 E 6th St, 1908) claims the invention of the French dip sandwich, ~$16 with au jus. Behind an unmarked door at the back sits The Varnish, a 2009 cocktail bar with live jazz and a strict no-standing rule.