I’m a writer for the award-winning publication L.A. Taco and appeared on Netflix’s Taco Chronicles. Follow me to find gems all across the city as I guide you through the real L.A. with a curated journey of my favorite spots, updated monthly.
Less🦀 Peak-Season Pick: The Redondo Beach Pier is a true local destination with something for everyone. It’s a great place to spend a hot day with family or friends. Bar hop past the boats to Quality Seafood, where you can pick fresh crabs, uni, and oysters from the water tanks or order hot items like fried shrimp or fish tacos. If the line is too long, plenty of eateries are at the pier, all with fish and chips and clam chowders, but look for the crawfish platters.
🕶️ Peak-Season Pick: With all its quirky characters and street vendors, Venice Beach is where I go for therapy. Walking with the ocean at your toes, catching a basketball game, or watching acrobatic skateboarders, it’s the perfect place to disconnect. I like to pop into this old beachfront dive bar, drink a beer, and enjoy bites on the boardwalk, especially, surprisingly, their takes on tacos, as street performers rip through Jimmy Hendrix classics or live bands play inside.
🍺 Peak-Season Pick: Give me a michelada from I Love Micheladas, made with one of L.A.’s finest craft beers, surround me with the most talented food pop-ups this city produces, and I’m in gluttony heaven. I think it’s safe to say that micheladas have become the unofficial drink of L.A., perfect for a hot day or a hangover as you walk around eating everything from award-winning tacos to fan-favorite lobster rolls. This is one of my favorite ways to spend a Sunday.
🐠 Peak-Season Pick: I crave nothing more on a hot day than cold mariscos, especially Coni’s ceviche with fish, shrimp, pulpo, cucumber, and onion drenched in cold lime juice with added chiles. If I go with a group, I order ahead for a pescado zarandeado, a large marinated and butterflied fish grilled over an open flame. Everyone goes to Coni’s in Inglewood, but I recommend their lesser-known Del Rey location.
You know my love for street food. So imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon a new sign in Eagle Rock that promised “Lebanese Street Food” at A la Beirut. Mom, dad, son, and daughters work together to take grandma’s marinades and dad’s sandwich techniques and create toasted vessels of new flavors in either a pita wrap or a flaky French baguette. The beef or chicken shawarma is magnificent, but go for the beef tongue with garlic spread and pickles—it’s a sprightly bite.
For a flavor rush of psychedelic proportions, the tikka masala at this South Bay strip mall will have you forgetting your woes—your full concentration will be on slowly tackling this vigorous dish. Order fresh garlic naan to dip into the rich, sweet, and spicy sauce as you eat or to use as a swab to comfort your taste buds between spoonfuls. If there’s room, finish off this roller coaster of flavor with a samosa served with a sweet and tangy sauce.
All Time has become a favorite spot for a lunch date with my lady: It has class and comfort without being presumptuous or showy. The chef’s offerings always seem to include a touch of genuine L.A. while feeling fresh, healthy, and filling. I’ve enjoyed tender carnitas tacos on blue corn tortillas, crispy rice breakfast bowls, and a Good Ass Salad that’s very popular. This little gem keeps it fresh with a changing menu, adding some excitement each time I return.
BaBoys is fusion Filipino food with flavors so euphoric, they will be burned into a new core memory. This tiny, take-out-only, mom-pop-and-son shop is known for their lumpia burger: a crispy lumpia split open, Asian slaw, pickled onions, and garlic aioli on a sweet Hawaiian bun. I’ll also stuff myself with a sweet pork tocino breakfast burrito with garlic fried rice and all the fixings. Oh, and the sisig quesadilla! The pan de sal sandwiches! It’s all so good! I need it all!
One of the things I relish about L.A. is walking into a Mexican deli and finding outstanding traditional Sri Lankan food instead. That’s what I stumbled on at Baja Subs, where rice and curry topped with a medley of stewed veggies is the specialty. The flavors are so robust I usually require a minute to recover from the rush. The “short eats,” especially the buttery stuffed rolls, are a must. The Friday night through Saturday buffet is the best way to try it all.
This kitchen in Lynwood is a powerhouse of taco innovation and a celebration of L.A.’s diverse flavors. These are tacos that embrace shared tastes on handmade tortillas. There’s lots to try here, but the nutty almond mole, the vibrant chicken tinga masala, and the savory Korean asada taco are my automatic recommendations. Perhaps the most innovative item is the Tropical T taco—the hibiscus-infused jicama root tortillas with crunchy coconut shrimp are a delicious curiosity.