Los Angeles hides its best eating in strip malls and taco trucks, spread across neighborhoods you will drive between. The range is the entire point, with world-class Mexican, Korean, Thai, Persian, and Armenian cooking often within a few blocks. A polished dining room is no signal here, but a packed parking lot is.
The taco is the city's heartbeat. Al pastor shaved off the spit, birria dipped in consomme, and a morning breakfast burrito are all worth crossing town for. The truck and the stand are the main event, not a backup plan.
Korean barbecue in Koreatown, dumplings in the San Gabriel Valley, and a strip-mall sushi counter all sit a short drive apart. Build your day around one neighborhood, or accept the freeway between bites. LA rewards the patient explorer.
