Jaime Lechuga, his wife Virginia, and their friend Epi Osuna have been preparing Ensenada-style cocteles, tostadas, and tacos at Mariscos Los Lechugas for the past decade. This trailer hitched onto the back of a pickup truck can be found on a serene-enough stretch of El Sereno everyday from 11 a.m. until early evening; the trailer departs between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., depending on customer demand and staff fatigue.

There are few busier pound-for-pound taco stands anywhere in Los Angeles than Avenue 26, the massively busy nightly stand in Lincoln Heights. Head over late night for a seemingly endless culinary party with table after table of cooking meats, music playing, and happy crowds. Carne asada and al pastor remain perennial favorites here, but don’t sleep on the cheesy mulita either.

The Heights was among the first new restaurants to hit Lincoln Heights in recent years, and the place has continued to turn out popular takes on sandwiches and pizza, with takeaway craft beer to match.

El Momo is the people’s champ, a local and citywide favorite for some of the crispiest, juiciest pork carnitas tacos possible. The Aporkalypse behemoth is a gloriously gluttonous thing of carnal beauty that is so overwhelming, it’s hard to believe the thing comes from a truck daily.

Lebanese-Oaxacan flavors marry well at X’tiosu in Boyle Heights, where tacos and hummus take unfamiliar turns towards the extraordinary. While the tacos are a worthy start, there’s also something special about ordering a falafel or chicken shawarma plate and dining al fresco.

Milpa Grille in Boyle Heights focuses on the decidedly traditional, pulling its menu influences from the pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica timeline. The result is something modern, historic, and tasty at once, like the standard Milpa bowl with black beans, grilled corn, veggies, and meat. It’s a warming and satisfying (and timeless) meal.

The bean and cheese gods shine at Al & Bea’s, the diminutive walk-up stand known for its simple Mexican-American delights. Be prepared to wait in a short but speedy line for some of the biggest burritos in town.

在Otomisan空氣氣味的味噌醬,64 - year-old Japanese restaurant in Boyle Heights. Settle into a plush red booth and start with an order of the pan-fried gyozas before moving onto a sizable platter of curry with crispy pork.

There are few better carnitas stops to make in East LA than Los Cinco Puntos, the timeless grocery store and meat supplier known for long weekend lines and for serving up thick hand-patted tortillas with every order of hog maw, ribs, shoulder, and snout.

Primera Taza no longer occupies its cafe space in Boyle Heights proper. Now the setup has gone mobile in an industrial stretch of Anderson Street beneath the under-construction Sixth Street Bridge. Owner Chuy Tovar’s coffee is as good as ever, and now there are rotating weekly pop-ups from names like Evil Cooks, too.

Stop into Liliana’s Tamales for a hearty and satisfying start to the day. Savor a warm mug of cinnamon-laced champurrado while trying to decided between the house-special tamales or the equally fantastic machaca with eggs.

Tacos dorados de camarones, deep-fried shrimp parcels garnished with avocado and fresh salsa, are the specialty at this seafood truck in Boyle Heights. Run by Raul Ortega and his team of friends and family, the Mariscos Jalisco truck is parked on Olympic Boulevard just south of Soto everyday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

El Ruso may be the most popular young taco stand to hit Los Angeles in 2019, thanks to its impressively delicious handmade flour tortillas and weekend Sonoran-style sobaqueras. Be sure to opt for beans and cheese inside that next order of tacos.