LA Food Guide - 15 Must Hit Places to Eat in Los Angeles

Hey guys, it's Matt Owen. I'm here in Los Angeles, city of angels, city of unbearable traffic, city of Hollywood. What's your dream? But most importantly, city of some of the best damn grub in the country. For this vid, I brought along my best bud Chris to eat my way through what has probably become one of my three favorite food cities in the country. The others, of course, being Fargo, North Dakota and Dubuque, whatever state Dubuque is in. I separated the restaurants into three categories. Casual cheap eats, mid-range hipster attire recommended but not required, and Mr. Fancy Pants. All right La La Land, let's go eat some delicious food. Given that seemingly every street in this city has a Spanish name and even the name of the city itself comes from the tiny Mexican colonial town that turned into this sprawling metropolis, there's nowhere else to start this video than with the incredible Mexican food Los Angeles has to offer. First up, tacos. Our first stop on this culinary tour is Gorilla Tacos. Serving up some of the most creative and best tacos in town, this place puts a unique, innovative, and most importantly, delicious modern spin on the traditional taco. Their location changes daily, parked in front of a different coffee shop every time, and while coffee and tacos isn't exactly my perfect combo, it's a fun idea. Their menu changes every Wednesday and includes unexpected creations like the roasted sweet potato taco and a spicy creamy almond chili sauce with feta cheese, an outstanding soft shell shrimp taco, and a sausage taco with a perfectly fried egg and pickled onions. These tacos may not be the most traditional in town, but they are certainly some of the tastiest. It is a really nice twist on the taco. These are just, they're just delicious. Up next, the El Chato Taco Truck. This place is a late night institution in this town. Open only from 9pm to 1.30 or 3.30am depending on the night, located on the corner of Olympic and La Brea in Midtown, these tacos are some of the best in the city. Simple, perfectly cooked, and $1.25 each. You simply cannot go wrong here. Don't be afraid of the lengua and the cabeza tacos. I don't even really know what part of the head I'm eating right now, but this is so juicy and delicious, I don't care. Come to me my little tongue taco. Best tacos in LA, hands down. Now for something completely different in the world of Mexican cuisine, we head just outside of Koreatown to the magical restaurant of Guelaguetza. Serving up Oaxacan recipes, this place is phenomenal. And if you're thinking to yourself, yeah, I've had decent mole, tell me that after you've eaten this This is like better than Taco Bell, dude. Just a little. My two favorite dishes here are the mole black, a traditional, beyond silky, inky, creamy chocolate mole sauce, and anything smothered with the coloradito, a smoky, succulent tomato-based mole sauce that tastes nothing like its chocolatey friend. If there was a sauce that was just made out of sex, that would be it. I'm not sure that sounds appetizing, but it is really good. It's almost hard to put into words how creamy and delicious, it's just sounding worse and worse. Next up might just be one of my favorite eating experiences in the city, the Grand Central Market. In the middle of surprisingly cool downtown LA, the Grand Central Market has been an LA landmark since 1917, and it houses a huge and eclectic variety of some of the best food stands in the city. Nowhere else in Los Angeles is there such a density of amazing stuff from all over the world. Let's go eat. Pretty much everything I've had here is fantastic. You want some? It's really good. But some of my favorite spots are Belcampo Meat Company, Sarita's Papusaria, Roast to Go. Sometimes carnitas can be really dry, and this is not. I think she just gave me a pile of pork. Never in the history of the world is a pile of pork been a bad thing. Berlin Currywurst. Oh man, that's just like you get in Berlin. That's fantastic. Sausage-y, ketchup-y, curry-y. Sticky rice, and the very popular Egg Slut. Egg Slut's signature dish, surprisingly named the Slut. It's like a creamy poached egg on top of a potato puree, like mashed potatoes. It's just layered and rich. That is ultimate comfort food right there. About a 10 minute drive up the road from the Grand Central Market is Langer's Deli, another Los Angeles landmark for more than 70 years. Here they serve up one of my favorite sandwiches I've had, not only in Los Angeles, but anywhere in the world. The number 19 pastrami sandwich. Hot pastrami, coleslaw, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing on their incredible double baked rye bread. I know people love cats. I love cats. If you love cats and you've never had this, make the pilgrimage out west. I'd love to hear your thoughts. The best part about this sandwich versus cats is this one's in front of me. Why are you so good? Shame on you. Next up, Cuban food. Porto's in Burbank not only has the distinction of being one of the best places to eat in the city, it also cracked the very top of Yelp's top 100 list. The bakery is full of delectable treats, the Cuban marinated meat dishes are to die for, but the star of this place for me has got to be the life-changingly fried potato balls. It's perfectly seasoned ground meat, wrapped in mashed potatoes, and then deep fried. I'm just trying to think of anything that could be wrong with that. Next, another bakery, this time Portuguese. Nata's in Sherman Oaks. This little hole-in-the-wall Portuguese restaurant is an adorable spot to get some authentic Portuguese food. And while everything here is good, I come for, as fate would have it, the natas. Natas are little flaky pastry cups filled with a creamy custard and then baked to perfection. Words cannot begin to describe how delicious and addictive these little things are. And because I'm sure these magical little pastries are laced with crack, I don't have the willpower to wait at home to eat them, so I'm just gonna eat them in the parking lot. For the record, these things aren't actually laced with crack. I think. I don't know. They're really f***ing good. Moving along, the original farmer's market, a Los Angeles staple since 1931. The farmer's market may butt up against the Disneyland-esque outdoor mall, The Grove, but this place has been around since the first time my grandmother visited LA, and it's still going strong. Is it a little touristy? Yeah, but it's also awesome, historic, and just a plain great place to come and feed your face. Stall after stall of delicious stuff, my two favorite spots here are Singapore's Banana Leaf. Make sure to get the Mi Goreng Indo Style, and the Paratha, an incredibly flaky yet chewy bread reminiscent of naan, but different. Also, Loteria, for some more delicious Mexican food. My favorite things here are the tacos, the horchata, and the enchilada suizas in a tangy green tomatillo sauce. For our final restaurant of the casual cheap eats section, we head to Thailand, or more accurately, a Thai restaurant in Silver Lake, Night Market. This little joint in the heart of hipster Silver Lake is authentic, affordable, and just plain special. They just do it right. My favorite dishes are the pork toro, basically grilled fatty pig neck that tastes like amazing thick bacon, the absurdly good fried rice with umi and fish roe, and the tender beef penang curry. Much like banana leaf at the farmer's market, make sure to get the heavenly paratha. This is honestly the best paratha that I've ever had. Next up, Korean barbecue at Sotbolji. Interesting fact, Los Angeles has the largest Korean population in the states, and it shows. The food in this part of the city is plentiful, authentic, and just friggin awesome. Now, there are so many amazing places to eat here, to the sensational but quite expensive Park's BBQ, but if I had to pick a single spot, it would be Sotbolji. This is old school K-Town at its finest. The meat here is marinated to perfection and cooked over open charcoal flames, which makes all the difference. The bulgogi is a solid standby, but the real star here is the marinated short rib. You may leave this place smelling like a campfire, so maybe don't wear your Sunday best, but you will also leave with a stomach full of magical, otherworldly meat. Next, in the little area of East Hollywood known as Thai Town, we find the hole-in-the-wall gem, Jitlada. Here they serve up probably the best southern Thai food in the western hemisphere. The menu is dauntingly huge, so let me help you out. My favorite dishes are the crying tiger pork, a seemingly simple plate of little pieces of french fry shaped pork with a spicy dipping sauce. They are bursting with sensational flavor in a way you can't even imagine until you put one in your mouth. I don't know what is in that, I'm sure they would never tell me, but it is just stupid good. I also love the crispy morning glory salad, a deep fried salad of greens, onions, fresh shrimp, and the most incredible sweet, spicy, and citrusy dressing you'll ever have. I don't know why all salads aren't deep fried, that should just be a thing. Lastly, I love the soft shell crab in a rich curry sauce. The curry, which they slowly reduce all day, is thick, creamy, sweet, spicy, and perfect. Continuing our culinary tour of Asia and LA, we move to Japan, and what is, unfortunately, from my wallet, probably my most frequented restaurant in the city, Sugarfish. This sushi spot sets itself apart from most places if it's ilk with its insane attention to detail. The thing that makes this place really special is the rice. The rice is warm, it's like body temperature. If you ask any great sushi master in Japan, they will tell you that the most important aspect of sushi is actually the rice. Seems a little crazy to me, because the fish seems pretty important to me, but I gotta say, when the rice is on point, it elevates everything to an exceptional level. And for around $40 for the full omakase, or trust me tasting menu, it is a ridiculously good deal for the quality of sushi you get. I don't know as much about food as Matt does, but I do know sushi. This transcends ordinary sushi. I just want to go back there and slap the chef. Next up, meat. Animal is the first of a handful of amazing LA restaurants opened by the now celebrity status duo, John Shook and Vinnie DiTolo. The dishes are all meat-centric, beautifully prepared, and so, so, so, so damn good. My favorite dishes here are the chicken liver toast, an impossibly creamy pate on a grilled piece of bread, the insanely good bone marrow, and they change your entire worldview on what food can be pig-ier. Okay, so I know you're thinking, pig-ier? Really? But I am telling you, this is like the greatest eggs and bacon you never even knew existed. I'm pretty sure I just had an orgasm. Luckily, I'm not in a public place. And of course, we couldn't talk about meat without talking about burgers. And my personal favorite burger at the city has got to be at the tiny and charming little French cafe Petit Trois. Another John and Vinnie spot along with Chef Ludo Lefebvre, this place is just wonderful. Simply called the Big Mac, this double cheeseburger is decadent. No other word for it. Somewhere in between a casual thin patty and a super thick gourmet one, served on a soft brioche bun with melty cheese and smothered in a Bordelaise sauce made from the nectar of the gods, this thing is ridiculous. Is it messy? Yes. I think white might have been a bad idea. Is it one of the best burgers in the country? Also yes. Everything else on the menu is excellent too, like some of the best escargot I've had outside of Paris and the succulent, cheesy best omelet I've ever had. I just honestly don't usually get past the burger. And yeah, it's 25 bucks, which is why this place landed itself in the fancy pants category. But honestly, I don't care. That Bordelaise sauce alone is worth the price of admission. And finally, we end our food tour of the city of angels by saving one of the best for last. Pun intended, Bestia. This sexy Italian restaurant in the funky arts district of downtown is one of the best Italian restaurants in the country. Their ingredients are meticulously sourced, the preparation is artful, the pasta is divine, and the cavatelli and a creamy truffle sauce with sausage might just be the single best plate of food in the entire city. Los Angeles truly is a world class food destination. Come here for the beaches, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the stupid Hollywood star house tour thingies if you must, but stay for the food. With a city so massive in size, it's sometimes daunting to figure out what to even do in this town. But much like a lot of other cities in the world, the best way to get to know this place is to eat your way through it. And yes, a lot of these places I recommend require some driving that's kind of unavoidable here. But hop in a car or in my case on a bike, take in the sights, embrace the suffocating traffic and make a foodie pilgrimage through the city of angels. I promise you will not regret it. Thank you so much for watching. If you like the video, make sure to hit that like button and subscribe to the channel if you haven't already done so. It really helps me out. Also, I realize with a city as massive as Los Angeles is, this is just a tiny smattering of all the amazing places this town has to offer. So if I left off your favorite place, please throw it in the comment section below. I'd love to hear what you have to say. Look forward to seeing you soon from somewhere else in the world.