Either arrive early, or expect to wait during mealtimes at this North Hollywood spot, where the kitchen cranks out food from Jerez, Mexico. Salsa & Beer’s large plates hold traditional enchiladas, tacos, tortas, and burritos. And as expected with a name like Salsa & Beer, the beer selection is stellar, along with the salsa bar.

This Vancouver-based jianbing purveyor is a Pasadena gem that’s tucked away from the busy stretch of Colorado Boulevard in Old Town. Their incredible crepes can be customized, but trust the menu for some amazing flavor combinations. Me + Crepe’s Peking duck specialty is worth it with coriander, hoisin, cucumbers, and chopped duck.

Chef/owner Matthew Dickson’s daytime spot holds locations in Glassell Park and Hollywood, where biscuits are the specialty. The fried chicken biscuit with spices and honey is a key item, but don’t skip on Dickson’s coffee-braised brisket grilled cheese sandwich, a delicious remix on a classic dish.

Pho Ga District owner/chef Phan Tran learned everything by watching her parents during her childhood. The Rosemead restaurant opened in 2017, and its namesake recipe is one of many from her father, a slightly tweaked pho ga recipe with an incredibly clean broth that fills the soul.

Koreatown’s Olympic restaurant is a lesson in keeping the classics, well, classic. The old-school spot does homey Korean fare for throngs of local fans, all while flying under the radar of more prominent K-town spots. Try the panfried fish and spicy pork barbecue as well as the restaurant’s namesake (in its Korean name) cheonggukjang, or fermented soybean stew.

Brazilian born Natalia Pereira opened Wood Spoon on the edge of the Fashion District in 2007. In one of Downtown’s tiniest kitchens, she makes Brazilian croquettes, a traditional fish soup, and a pot pie with a twist from her home country, it’s full with chicken, hearts of palm, potatoes, olives and roasted corn.

Los Angeles is laced with Filipino spots, though many of them play directly to their immediate community. At Big Boi on Sawtelle, the idea is to make Filipino food for everyone by offering big, colorful (and highly photographable) plates and desserts.

ge portions, which means it’s best to land at Banadir Somali Restaurant with a group. Or opt for a to-go container while feasting on the traditional goat or lamb. It’s marinated, then slow oven-roasted for three hours before served with a side of basmati rice, a delightful and simple salad, and bas bas sauce with basil, jalapeño, and cilantro.

South Bay native and chef Ulises Pineda-Alfaro uses family recipes for Redondo Beach’s El Barrio Neighborhood Tacos. Everything on the menu is non-GMO, with meats free of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics, along with hand made corn tortillas for tacos and mulitas stuffed with choice of birria de res, nopales, and Baja-style fried fish.