LA Times Restaurant of the Year in a food court — Gilberto Cetina Jr.'s Michelin-starred Yucatecan seafood at Mercado La Paloma
Must-try: Ceviche mixto, Kanpachi & uni tostada, Baja fish taco
📍 3655 S Grand Ave, Unit C9, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Boyle Heights taco truck institution — the deep-fried shrimp tacos on a red tortilla are essential LA street food
Must-try: Taco de camarón (shrimp taco), Caldo de camarón, Campechana cocktail
📍 3040 E Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90023
DTLA's essential northern Mexican taqueria making flour-tortilla tacos the Sonoran way — simple, precise, and impossible to stop eating
Must-try: Flour tortilla taco with carne asada, Taco de guisado, Agua fresca
📍 208 E 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Tijuana-style tacos in DTLA — wood-fire-grilled arachera and the best al pastor this side of the border
Must-try: Arachera taco, Al pastor taco, Vampiro (crispy cheese tortilla)
📍 Multiple DTLA locations — check @tacos1986 for nearest
Highland Park's Italian-Mexican neighborhood gem — pasta, wine, and natural vibes
Must-try: Mole pasta, Tacos al pastor, Natural wine selection
📍 5668 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Boyle Heights' braised taco original — slow-cooked guisados on handmade masa tortillas, served the way East LA families cook at home
Must-try: Tinga de pollo taco, Chiles toreados, Sampler of six tacos
📍 2100 E César E Chávez Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Culver City's beloved fast-casual Mexican window serving Oaxacan-inspired burritos and bowls that punch well above their format
Must-try: Burrito with Oaxacan black beans, Bowl with pasilla negro salsa, Horchata
📍 8830 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Enrique Olvera's Michelin-recognized modern Mexican in the Arts District — the LA outpost of the Cosme and Pujol team
Must-try: Tostadas with seasonal fish, Mole negro, Wood-roasted lamb
📍 2132 E 7th Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Boyle Heights burrito legend since 1966 — Jonathan Gold's greatest Eastside burrito palace
Must-try: Bean and cheese burrito, Chile verde burrito, Breakfast burrito
📍 2025 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Inglewood's Nayarit-style seafood institution — zarandeado whole fish, shrimp cocktails, and the kind of caldo that fixes everything
Must-try: Zarandeado whole fish, Caldo de camarón, Shrimp tacos
📍 3544 W Imperial Hwy, Inglewood, CA 90303
Koreatown's Oaxacan institution — three generations of the López family keeping mole negro, tlayudas, and mezcal culture alive in LA
Must-try: Mole negro with chicken or duck, Tlayuda, Braised chicken enmoladas
📍 3014 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006
Boyle Heights institution since 1952 — Manuel's Special burrito is a 5-pound behemoth of carnitas and beans that defines East LA eating
Must-try: Manuel's Special burrito, Huevos rancheros, Chiles rellenos
📍 812 N Evergreen Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033