Owned and operated by Nashville hot chicken royalty Kim Prince, Hotville Chicken opened its doors in late 2019 and immediately became one of the best places to eat hot chicken in LA. And don’t get us wrong, the chicken is fantastic and absolutely what you should come here for, but if you leave without getting one of the hot fish sandwiches, you need to turn around and go back. Crispy on the outside, the whitefish itself basically melts in your mouth.

South LA's food scene is arguably the oldest in the city, but it was Post & Beam that got a new generation of diners hooked on updated versions of traditional soul food dishes like jerk catfish, shrimp and grits, and more. Gift cards are also available for purchase.

This Culver City spot has been cranking out supremely crunchy fried chicken for nearly 20 years. You can’t go wrong with any of their chicken combos, but we love the spicy wing basket—the skin is beyond crispy, the meat is moist, and they’re coated in a sweet and spicy sauce you’ll be licking off your fingers until halftime. Purchase their buttermilk biscuit, pancake, and waffle mixes.

The Downtown neighborhood spot has fantastic Brazilian food across-the-board (including the best chicken pot pie we’ve ever eaten) and a colorful space that looks like the Parisian flat everybody dreams about during recruiting meetings.

If you’re a fan of crab, you’re going to be a fan of the gumbo at My Two Cents. There’s basically an ocean’s worth of meat in this Pico Blvd. spot’s version of the dish, and you get excellent, fatty shreds of crustacean in every single bite. There’s also fresh scallop, giant hunks of okra, and tasty bits of shrimp to balance out the crab. And while this soul food spot’s roux is on the thin side, it’s packed with seafood flavor, and the French bread on the side soaks up the broth beautifully.

Bludso’s is one of the most well-known restaurants in LA and a place that sits firmly in our city’s pantheon of great BBQ. Originating in Compton, Bludso’s now resides in a large, shiny space on La Brea in Hollywood that’s become one of the most dependable (and affordable) big group dinner spots in the area. Their party tray feeds up to 12 people and comes with brisket, pulled pork, ribs, half chicken, hot links, and a heap of sides for only $230 (or about $19 per person).

A revered soul food spot with two locations in Inglewood (and one in Crenshaw), Dulan’s is an LA institution. Nothing can compare to the uninhibited joy that comes from digging into their plates of pork chops, fried chicken, and incredible mac and cheese. There’s truly no wrong way to order here, though our go-to is the chicken, which tastes like it’s been marinated for days and then gets fried until it’s golden brown.

From the bright violet accents to the glowing neon sign out front, this Historic Filipinotown coffee shop feels like someone pumped saturation straight into its walls. Run by the incredible Maurice Harris (who also owns the neighboring floral studio of the same name), Bloom & Plume is more than just a place for caffeine—it’s a form of magic and resistance.

Banadir Somali is a family-run restaurant and community institution just south of downtown Inglewood. The bare-bones space feels like you’re in the basement of a neighborhood rec center, and everybody inside treats it as such. Big groups gather around large tables, eating massive platters of tremendous Somali food. Goat is the house specialty here, and it’s so packed with flavor it’ll ruin most other versions you’ve ever had.

Located directly across the street from the new SoFi Stadium, Blessed Tropical is a family-run Jamaican restaurant that serves jerk chicken worth driving long distances for. The portions are massive, prices are affordable ($12-14 for combo plates), and even if you order several different things, you can be in-and-out in under 20 minutes. Whether it’s marinated oxtail that falls off the bone or a spicy goat curry, this is some of the best food in Inglewood.