Top 5 Must-Try Ethnic Cuisines in Los Angeles

When it comes to food in Los Angeles, forget the Zagat-rated restaurants or the local pizzeria: to eat the best food in L.A. you must go native. And in a city with overwhelming immigrant populations, that means going ethnic.

5) Vietnamese

There's nothing like a hot steaming bowl of pho (pronounced "fuh") for breakfast. Filled with rice noodles and your choice of meat (get some type of beef or a combo of all of them), you can customize your own bowl with bean sprouts, hot sauce, basil, cilantro, and jalapenos.

Golden Deli Vietnamese Restaurant has some of the best pho and Vietnamese noodle soups in Los Angeles. Try their cha-gio (fried spring rolls) as well.

Golden Deli
815 W Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 308-0803

If you want something closer to central Los Angeles, you can try a Korean-Vietnamese pho place: Pho 2000 is a decent choice with many locations throughout Koreatown.

Link to Pho 2000 locations.

Banh mi is another Vietnamese favorite. A French-influenced Vietnamese sandwich (the best baguettes in Los Angeles are in Little Saigon, by the way), banh mi can be filled with your choice of meat, then topped with cilantro, carrots, daikon, jalapenos, onions, and a Vietnamese mayonnaise. Popular meat fillings are grilled pork, Vietnamese ham, and pate. Try a banh mi dac biet, which is a combination of meats.

The San Gabriel Valley abounds with banh-mi chains like Lee's Sandwiches or Mister Baguette. But two places not far from each other are Banh Mi My Tho and Banh Mi Che Cali. At costs ranging from $1.50-$2.50 a sandwich, you could hit all of them.

Banh Mi My Tho
304 W Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91803
(626) 289-4160

Banh Mi Che Cali
647 W Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91803
(626) 293-8396

4) Thai

Thai Town has many restaurants lining Hollywood Boulevard that will satisfy your cravings for pad kee mow or panang curry.

Sanamluang Café and Sapp Coffee Shop are known for their noodles, while Ruen Pair does basic dishes like papaya salad and curries very well.

If you eat Thai food regularly and are looking for something different, try Jitlada. Their menu of southern Thai dishes incorporates Muslim and Indian influences, and is extensive, authentic, and delicious.

Sanamluang Café
5170 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 660-8006

Sapp Coffee Shop
5183 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 665-1035

Ruen Pair
5257 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 466-0153

Jitlada
5233 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 663-3104

3) Shanghainese

Considering the wealth of Chinese food that is available in the San Gabriel Valley, it would be a crime to choose a few "Chinese" restaurants to represent them all, so I've decided to focus on Shanghai-style cuisine.

Mei Long Village and Jin Jian Restaurant (J&J) are located in the same strip mall and serve delicious xiao long bao (steamed dumplings) and Shanghai-style noodles.

Mei Long Village
301 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 284-4769

J&J Restaurant
301 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 308-9238

2) Mexican

There is also a wealth of Mexican cuisines in Los Angeles, from all regions, but the star is definitely your local taco truck. (Unless you live on the westside: there is no good food on the westside. Okay, maybe some Japanese food.)

That is not to imply that restaurant Mexican food is bad, but that taco truck Mexican is so good, it beats the best restaurants. If you can't find any taco trucks near you, then seek out El Matador: it can reliably be found on Western and Lexington in east Hollywood.

Taco stands are another good bet and can (usually) be found in the same places when you go searching for them again. El Taurino is a favorite among locals, Cactus has some of the best lengua in the city, while El Grullense is my local taco joint that I'm being kind enough to share the location of. It's an unassuming shack that serves up delicious asada, carnitas, and cabeza.

Just a tip if you're from out of town: tacos in L.A. should be on soft corn tortillas (not hard shell) and topped with onions, cilantro, and salsa roja or verde. You can add slices of avocado if you like, but don't even think about asking for cheese, lettuce, or sour cream on your tacos. Do, however, try some delicious cold horchata with your tacos: it's a sweet creamy rice drink.

El Matador (Taco Truck)
At Western Avenue and Lexington
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(No Phone #)

El Taurino
2306 W 11th St
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 738-9197

Cactus No. 1
950 Vine St
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 464-5865

Cactus No. 2
4370 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 662-0759

El Grullense
2274 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 487-9540

And because I don't know when to stop, Guelaguezta (Oaxacan) and Chichen Itza (Yucatan) are two very good restaurants, and they are both nice places you can take your parents to.

Guelaguezta
3014 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 427-0608

Chichen Itza
2501 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(213) 380-0051

1) Korean

Los Angeles's Koreatown has the largest population of Korean people outside of the South Korean capital, Seoul. This means that lucky folks like us get access to some of the most delicious and authentic food in Los Angeles.

Try Sa Rit Gol for down home Seoul food, Beverly Soon Tofu for spicy bubbling soon dubu gook (a soup with silky soon tofu), Soowon Galbi for Korean barbecue, and Dan Sung Sa for soju (rice liquor) and pub fare in a smoky dark atmosphere reminiscent of a military bunker. Dan Sung Sa has delicious fried chicken wings, hae-mul pajeon (seafood pancake) and lemon soju--a concoction that tastes like lemonade and will wipe out your memory of the night if you're not careful.

Sa Rit Gol
3189 W Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 387-0909

Beverly Soon Tofu
2717 W Olympic Blvd Ste 108
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 380-1113

Soowon Galbi
856 S Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 365-9292

Dan Sung Sa
3317 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 487-9100

This concludes your top 5 must-try cuisines (that happen to be ethnic) in Los Angeles. Remember I've only scratched the surface: use this list as your jumping off point for exploring on your own! There is more to try in each category, plus categories I didn't have room for mentioning like Japanese, Indian, Ethiopian, Peruvian-Japanese, Chinese-Islamic, Chinese-Korean, Korean-Mexican...

The possibilities are truly endless.