Los Angeles's most iconic culinary landmarks, historic delis, and legendary street eats
Founded in 1934 on historic Olvera Street by Aurora Peñasco, Cielito Lindo is world-famous as a pioneer of the American taquito, renowned for its crispy, hand-rolled beef taquitos smothered in a signature warm green avocado-chili sauce made from a closely guarded family secret recipe. Operating continuously at the same spot for over 90 years, the Depression-era stand that once sold them for a nickel has stayed in the same family through four generations.
Located on Olympic Boulevard in Boyle Heights, Raul Ortega's legendary lonchera has spent over two decades serving what many consider Los Angeles' most iconic taco. The signature tacos de camarón feature a secret-recipe mixture of spiced shrimp folded into a fresh corn tortilla, deep-fried until golden, and crowned with avocado and tangy salsa. The result is a masterclass in texture—crunchy and savory on the outside, cool and refreshing on top. Ortega has since added a small indoor dining space steps from the original truck, a second truck on La Cienega Boulevard, a Downtown outpost, and a sit-down restaurant in Pomona.
Founded in 1974 by Raúl and Lupe Martinez from a converted ice cream truck, King Taco revolutionized Los Angeles dining by introducing authentic Mexico City-style soft tortilla tacos to a region dominated by hard-shell chains. Their signature carne asada and al pastor tacos are piled high on fresh, double-layered corn tortillas, garnished with chopped cilantro and onions, and drenched in their notoriously fiery red or green salsas. Growing from a single mobile kitchen into a Southern California empire, King Taco laid the blueprint for modern taco truck culture.
Founded in 1959 by Benjamin Davidson in Culver City, Tito's Tacos is an enduring Los Angeles landmark famous for its nostalgic, Americanized fast-food style tacos. Their iconic hard-shell beef tacos feature seasoned ground beef nestled inside a freshly fried, crunchy tortilla, topped with a generous mound of shredded iceberg lettuce and a blanket of bright orange cheddar cheese. Paired with their thin, mild salsa and tortilla chips, Tito's long lines and retro, walk-up window aesthetic have remained virtually unchanged for over six decades.
Founded in 1923 by Alejandro and Rosa Borquez, El Cholo is widely recognized as the birth site of Los Angeles-style Sonoran Mexican dining. Celebrated for introducing the cheese enchilada to the region—and later popularizing nachos in 1959—El Cholo's menu serves a decade-by-decade timeline of vintage classics, from green corn tamales to hand-shaken top-shelf margaritas. Housed in its sprawling, Spanish tile-roofed hacienda in Mid-City, El Cholo has hosted generations of Angelenos for over a century.
Fernando Lopez and Maria Monterrubio opened Guelaguetza on Olympic Boulevard in 1994, and it became the center of Oaxacan life in Los Angeles—the setting for countless quinceañeras, weddings, and anniversaries, with live music on a bandstand most nights. The kitchen turns out tlayudas the size of pizzas, tamales steamed in banana leaves, bowls of goat stew, chapulines, and above all mole, in the deep reds and blacks of the family's home state. In 2015 it won a James Beard America's Classics award. The founders' children—Bricia, Fernando Jr., and Paulina—run it now, and have added a mezcal bar.
Founded in 1908 by Philippe Mathieu, Philippe The Original is a Chinatown institution renowned as the birthplace of the French Dip sandwich. As legend goes, Mathieu accidentally dropped a sliced French roll into a roasting pan of hot au jus, creating an instant LA classic. Served on soft rolls filled with slow-roasted beef, pork, lamb, ham, or turkey—or their cured pastrami—each sandwich is custom-dipped to order and paired with fiery house-made mustard. Sawdust still covers the floors, the tables are still communal, and the coffee is still famously cheap.
Founded in 1947 by Al Langer in Westlake, Langer's Delicatessen is a world-renowned Los Angeles institution legendary for its Jewish delicatessen classics. Famous for creating the #19 sandwich—a masterclass of hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing piled on warm, double-baked rye bread—Langer's has earned a James Beard Award and international acclaim. Still operating from its original vinyl booth storefront near MacArthur Park, it remains the gold standard for pastrami.
Originally opened in 1931 in Boyle Heights before relocating to the Fairfax District in 1953, Canter's Deli is a legendary Los Angeles institution. Famous for its towering hot pastrami on rye, comforting matzo ball soup, and freshly baked rugelach, this sprawling, retro-styled delicatessen has fueled generations of locals, late-night revelers, and Hollywood stars beneath its iconic autumn-leaf ceiling. Complete with mid-century vinyl booths, an in-house bakery, and its famous attached cocktail lounge—The Kibitz Room—Canter's serves around the clock, closing only for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Founded in 1925 in Santa Monica, Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery is a legendary Westside institution renowned as the home of "The Godmother." This iconic sandwich stacks prosciutto, ham, capicola, mortadella, salami, and provolone on a crusty, freshly baked Italian roll, topped with "the works"—a tangy mix of hot peppers, pickles, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and Italian dressing. It doubles as a sprawling Italian specialty market stocked with imported cheeses, wines, and fresh pastas, with a line that regularly spills into its cramped parking lot.
Founded in 1976 by the Porto family in Echo Park after emigrating from Cuba, and anchored in Glendale since 1982, Porto's Bakery & Cafe is an iconic Southern California institution famous for its Cuban pastries and savory bites. Best known for its crispy potato balls (papas rellenas), sweet guava-and-cheese pastries, and golden chicken croquettes, this bustling bakery draws massive crowds who queue up for fresh-baked goods and classic Cuban sandwiches. The family has since grown it into six Southern California locations, each with the same lines out the door.
Founded in 1924 in Downtown Los Angeles, The Original Pantry Cafe is a legendary diner that famously went more than a century without locks on its doors. Best known for its colossal portions of classic American comfort food—thick-cut French toast, massive sirloin steaks, and signature sourdough toast—this iconic greasy spoon has served politicians, celebrities, and late-night revelers around the clock, including 42 years under former LA Mayor Richard Riordan. Shuttered by a labor dispute in 2025, it returned in 2026 under the nonprofit Hope the Mission, which channels its proceeds to LA homeless shelters. Inside, the stainless-steel counter, the historic photos, and the long sidewalk queue are unchanged.
Founded in 1947 by Ellen and Alan Baker in West Los Angeles, The Apple Pan is a classic, red-brick burger counter virtually frozen in time. Best known for its legendary "Hickoryburger"—a juicy beef patty slathered in a smoky, sweet barbecue sauce—and its crisp, lattice-topped fresh apple pie served à la mode, this U-shaped counter dining spot operates with seamless efficiency. Paper-capped line cooks, paper-wrapped burgers, and Coca-Cola poured into paper cones nestled in metal holders complete the effect.
Founded in 1946 by Tom Koulax on the corner of Beverly and Rampart Boulevards, Original Tommy's is a legendary Los Angeles burger stand that pioneered the city's chili burger culture. Best known for its signature chili cheeseburger—a juicy beef patty buried under a generous ladle of their famous, heavy-spiced chili and layered with a thick slice of beefsteak tomato, chopped onions, pickles, and mustard—Tommy's delivers an unpretentious, late-night comfort food experience. The paper-wrapped burgers come around the clock from walk-up windows, with extra chili, onion, or tomato free for the asking.
Founded in 1939 by Paul and Betty Pink as a single pushcart on La Brea Avenue, Pink's Hot Dogs is an iconic Hollywood landmark legendary for its sprawling menu of inventive frankfurters. Best known for its famous chili dog—a snap-crusted all-beef frankfurter loaded with secret-recipe chili, mustard, and diced onions, often crowned with shredded cheddar—Pink's has attracted generations of locals, tourists, and A-list celebrities. Hundreds of autographed celebrity photos line the dining room, candy-striped awnings shade the walk-up counter, and the sidewalk queue rarely disappears.
Founded in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder in Baldwin Park, In-N-Out Burger is Southern California's ultimate fast-food institution and the birthplace of the drive-thru speaker box. Renowned for its uncompromising commitment to freshness, the family-owned chain serves classic, never-frozen beef burgers, hand-cut french fries, and real ice cream shakes. Its famous "Not-So-Secret Menu"—featuring iconic customizations like the "Double-Double Animal Style"—is matched by the neon yellow-arrow signage and the crossed palm trees planted outside its stores, a nod to the buried treasure in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Built in 1953 in Inglewood as the second Big Donut Drive-In and renamed in 1976, Randy's Donuts is a world-famous, mid-century modern icon best known for the colossal, 32-foot donut towering over its roof. Located near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), this drive-thru and walk-up stand has made countless cameo appearances in television, music videos, and Hollywood films like Iron Man 2. Underneath the donut, the shop turns out classic, fluffy glazed rings, jelly-filled pillows, and decadent specialty pastries made fresh daily.
Built in 1949 to a Wayne McAllister design, the Burbank Bob's Big Boy is the oldest surviving Big Boy in America, saved from demolition by the LA Conservancy and declared a California Point of Historical Interest in 1992. The building catches Streamline Moderne on its way to the freeform coffee-shop style that would define 1950s Los Angeles: long horizontal rooflines, wide canopies, curving walls of glass, and a 70-foot neon tower sign angled to be read from far down Riverside Drive. The original double-decker burger is still on the menu, carhops work Saturday and Sunday nights, and every Friday from four to ten the parking lot fills with a classic car show.
Al Cassell opened Cassell's in 1948 across from Bullocks Wilshire, grinding his beef fresh every day, making his own mayonnaise and lemonade, and refusing to serve French fries on the theory that "the more things you do, the less chance there is of reaching perfection." The counter closed in 2012 and reopened two years later inside the historic Hotel Normandie, still cooking on Cassell's original crossfire broiler and using his grinder and patty press. The menu has since grown to include malts, house-made pies, and a diner breakfast, but the burger remains a third- or two-thirds-pound slab of chuck and brisket ground in-house that morning.
The Hat opened in 1951 at the corner of Valley and Garfield in Alhambra, and the original stand still anchors the small chain that grew out of it across the San Gabriel Valley. The order is the pastrami dip: a towering mound of thin-sliced, steaming pastrami crammed into a French roll, dunked in jus, and handed over with yellow mustard and pickle chips. Chili cheese fries arrive in a portion sized for a table rather than a person. The sign with its floating chef's hat has been a Valley Boulevard landmark for seven decades.
Founded in 1975 by Harlem native Herb Hudson in Hollywood, Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles is an iconic Los Angeles soul food institution that popularized the ultimate sweet-and-savory comfort food pairing on the West Coast. Best known for its signature dish—crispy, well-seasoned fried chicken served alongside fluffy, buttered waffles and warm maple syrup—Roscoe's quickly became a cultural touchstone. Early word-of-mouth from Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, and Redd Foxx brought in the crowds, and the menu has since sprawled across seven locations and a long list of pop-culture cameos.
Founded in 1968 by Demetrios Pantazis on Pico Boulevard, Dino's Famous Chicken is a legendary Los Angeles institution famous for its addictively spiced, flame-broiled birds. Best known for the plate regulars call the Pollo Maniaco—a half chicken steeped in the secret, vibrant red marinade Pantazis created in 1980 by crossing Greek herbs and citrus with the Latin spice of the surrounding neighborhood, served over a bed of thin-cut French fries that soak up the rich, savory drippings—Dino's offers an unpretentious, high-flavor comfort meal. Orders still come through walk-up windows in no-frills takeout containers, with lines forming down the block around noon and again after six.
Founded in Beirut in 1962 by the Armenian couple Vartkes and Markrid Iskenderian and brought to East Hollywood's Little Armenia in 1984, Zankou Chicken is a legendary Los Angeles institution that revolutionized the city's Middle Eastern fast-casual dining scene. Famous for its golden-brown, spit-roasted rotisserie chicken and flatbread, Zankou's undeniable centerpiece is its secret-recipe garlic spread (toum)—a fiercely pungent, whipped sauce created by Markrid herself that has earned a cult following across Southern California. Tender shawarma and golden falafel joined the menu in Los Angeles, and that one Sunset Boulevard storefront has since multiplied across the region.
Harold Legaux Sr. and his wife Mary Belle opened Harold & Belle's in September 1969 as a place where New Orleans transplants along Jefferson Boulevard could gather over po' boys, red beans and rice, and filé gumbo served only on Fridays. That gumbo—dark roux, ground sassafras, shrimp, sausage, ham, blue crab, and chicken—is now on the menu every day, in portions that have become notorious. The room moved to linen tablecloths and candlelight under Harold Jr., who added the crawfish étouffée and shrimp scampi that anchor the menu today. Ryan Legaux, the third generation, has run it since 2009.
Opened in 1919 as Frank's Café and renamed a few years later, Musso & Frank Grill is the oldest restaurant in Hollywood and is still run by descendants of John Mosso, who bought in during the 1920s. The menu chef Jean Rue built in that decade survives largely intact—grilled lamb kidneys with bacon, Thursday chicken pot pie, steaks and chops over the original grill—delivered by waiters in the same red coats they have worn for generations. Orson Welles is said to have written at a back booth, and Faulkner, Fitzgerald, and Steinbeck treated the old Back Room as a second office. GQ once named its martini the best in America; the restaurant poured 55,272 of them in 2018, each served with the remaining half chilling in a sidecar on ice.
Opened in June 1922 as Montgomery's Country Inn and renamed three years later after the Robert Burns poem, the Tam is the oldest Los Angeles restaurant still run by the same family in its original location. Brothers-in-law Lawrence Frank and Walter Van de Kamp—who went on to create Lawry's—hired art director Harry Oliver to build it, and studio carpenters gave it a Storybook Style exterior of crooked timber and rolling roofline. Roasted prime rib with Yorkshire pudding has been the house dish ever since, alongside toad in the hole and more than 650 bottles on the Great Wall O' Scotch. Walt Disney's studio was down the road; he came so often that Table 31 now carries a plaque, and early animation ideas were worked out on cocktail napkins on the patio he asked to have covered.
When Lawrence Frank and Walter Van de Kamp opened Lawry's on La Cienega in 1938, mustard fields still grew along the street and the menu offered exactly one entrée: roasted prime rib, wheeled to the table on a gleaming silver cart and carved to order. Frank designed the carts himself, heated by charcoal pans underneath and weighing close to 900 pounds fully loaded—heavy enough that the original floor had to be reinforced to carry them. The Spinning Bowl salad, tossed in a bowl spun over crushed ice tableside, is still performed the same way, and this is where Lawry's Seasoned Salt was born. Dinner cost $1.25 the year it opened.
Seiichi Kito opened Fugetsu-Do on East First Street in 1903, making it the oldest business in Little Tokyo and one of the oldest Japanese American businesses in the country. The shop still makes mochi and manju by hand—pounded rice cakes and sweet bean-filled confections that families order by the boxful for New Year's, Girls' Day, and Boys' Day. It survived the wartime incarceration of its owners and reopened on Boys' Day, May 5, 1946, with help from the neighborhood, after the family had slept on the floor of Koyasan Temple while saving for the rent. Brian Kito, the founder's grandson, has run it since 1986.
Fung Chow "F.C." Chan and his wife Wai Hing opened Phoenix Bakery in 1938, selling almond cookies from family recipes that Chinatown could not buy anywhere else. What made it a citywide fixture was something far less traditional: the fresh strawberry whipped cream cake developed by F.C.'s brother Lun, and now the default birthday cake for generations of Angelenos well beyond the neighborhood. The Chan family moved into their custom-built shop on North Broadway in 1977 and still runs the counter.
Jitlada opened in a Sunset Boulevard strip mall in the late 1970s, part of the Thai immigration wave that built the only officially designated Thai Town in the country. It became a destination in 2006, when siblings Sarintip "Jazz" Singsanong and chef Suthiporn "Tui" Sungkamee took over and added a page of untranslated dishes from their native Nakhon Si Thammarat to the back of the takeout menu—fiery, sour, turmeric-heavy southern Thai cooking almost unheard of in Los Angeles at the time. Food bloggers cracked the code, Jonathan Gold championed it, and the reputation stuck. Tui died in 2017; Jazz still runs the room, under framed Matt Groening drawings and floral plastic tablecloths.
Open since 1983, Soot Bull Jip is one of the last Korean barbecue houses in Los Angeles still grilling over hardwood charcoal instead of gas. The name translates to "charcoal fire house," and the pits sunk into the middle of each table throw off a smoke so thorough that regulars plan their laundry around a meal here. The menu is deliberately short—no combination platters, just marinated galbi, pork ribs, bulgogi, beef tongue, and a few stews and cold noodles. Nancy Park took over her parents' restaurant in 2024 and finally changed the longtime spelling from "Jeep," after years of calls asking about cars.
Grand Central Market opened in October 1917 on the ground floor of the Homer Laughlin Building—the first fireproof, steel-reinforced structure in Los Angeles—and has run continuously ever since as the city's largest and oldest public market. It was billed as "the largest and finest public market on the Pacific Coast" and planned as an upscale bazaar for the wealthy of Bunker Hill, who rode Angels Flight down to shop; over a century it became a mirror of the immigrant city instead. Around forty stalls fill the hall under restored neon today, from legacy tenants like China Cafe, open since 1959, to the newer arrivals that drew two million visitors a year.
On July 14, 1934, a dozen farmers paid fifty cents a day to park their trucks on a vacant Gilmore family oil field at Third and Fairfax and sell produce off the tailgates. Blanche Magee sat on a wooden box carving a ham to feed them, and Magee's Kitchen has been there ever since; Du-par's arrived in 1938 and still runs its griddle around the clock. The clock tower that replaced the original windmill in 1948 carries the phrase "An Idea," a nod to the two Depression-era promoters and eighteen original tenants who started it. The open-air stalls, rickety metal chairs, and cash-only signs have outlasted the mall built next door.
