The street food caters to the working population as well as to those craving for a burst of diverse flavours in their food at an affordable price. With LA making its street food game strong and established, we have got you covered with the specific food items that you can seek in the Streets of Los Angeles.
8 Delicious Choices of Street Food in Los Angeles
1. Tacos: Each Tortilla Are Wrapped with Discretely Flavoured Stories
A traditional Mexican dish consisting of wheat or corn tortilla wrap beat with delicious stuffing gets recreated on the streets of LA in a multitude of ways. Infusing the fillings with shrimps, oysters and ceviche, the tacos at LA harbour the flavour of seafood along with the traditional tacos seasoned with salsa, beans, chipotle, guacamole, beef and other Tijuana flavours. You can also turn to find Korean tacos for a zesty twist produced by carefully balancing the caramelized Korean barbecue with red salsa and flavours of cilantro, lime and onion inside the grilled corn tortillas. Tacos with their diverse flavours remain a go-to option in Los Angeles and rightly be called as the king of LA street foods. So, head out to many of the food trucks and street vendors offering Tacos at their shop to enjoy a delicious and juicy salsa filling inside homemade tortilla wraps.
Look out for these Taco favourites:
‘Fried-shrimp taco’ at Mariscos Jalisco, 3040 E. Olympic Boulevard, Boyle Heights‘
Flame-kissed pork’ at Tacos Leo – Seven Trucks at different locations Tacos Arizas, Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA 90026
‘Queso tacos’ at Pablitos Tacos 5600 Vineland Ave North Hollywood
‘Chicken Chorizo Taco’ at Villas Tacos, Highland Park
‘Korean Tacos’ at Kogi Taqueria Truck, 3434 Overland Ave, LA CA 90034
2. Skewered food: Relish Skewed Pork Ears and Chicken feet among many others at $1 each
Los Angeles Street food culture is a budding one and yet it manages to host culinary trends of countries like the Philippines and Mexico with such authenticity. Skewered food remains an integral part of Pinoy Street food culture and boulevards of Los Angeles provides its delicious recreation in form of pork ears, chicken feet, chicken liver, pork intestines, gizzards and quail eggs skewed on sticks for the crowd of street food lovers in LA. The soy and garlic glazed skewers are further cooked on coal grills to be served with vinegar flavoured sauces.
Where to find these Skewers:
Dollar Hits, 2422 W. Temple St., Historic Filipino Town
Grand central market, 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013
3. Burritos: Los Angeles trusted Street food wrapping zesty flavours inside it.
Mexican culinary practices have surely influenced a large chunk of Los Angeles street food culture. It dominates LA’s street food market with items like Tacos, Elotes and Burritos among many others. Burrito is a Mexican dish consisting of delicious and juicy fillings of various spices, meats and veggies enveloped inside flour tortilla rolls. The traditional Mexican burrito gets diverse makeovers at different LA street food corners to create a new and twisted blend of authentic flavours with eccentric ingredients. Try the carne asada burrito which originates from San Diego to experience a soothing blend of grilled meat with guacamole and Pico de Gallo. California Burrito is another of its type with hints of French fries and guacamole in the filling to defuse the strong flavours of Mexican spices. While you are looking for the best of Burritos in Los Angeles, you may also like the Mission Burrito which is served with a tin foil wrapped on the outside of the roll.
Where to look for Burritos:
Burrito Bomba, 8024 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91605
Pablitos Tacos 5600 Vineland Ave North Hollywood All Flavour, No Grease, 728 E 108th St, Los Angeles, CA 90059
Grand central market, 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013
4. Burgers: America’s Classic on the Streets of LA
No list for Street foods in the entire world ever gets completed without the mention of burgers. So, for the list pertaining to LA’s street foods, burgers are bound to leave their significant presence. With meat and veggies stuffed inside the burger bun and different sauces and cheese infusing the luxurious burst of flavours, Burgers remain one of the most popular food on the streets of Los Angeles. Enjoy the varieties of hamburgers offered at different food trucks and by street food vendors with seared patties made up of meat. Chilly burgers and cheeseburgers are two of the most popular types of burgers among street food lovers in LA
Where to Find these:
Grand central market, 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Meat Me Los Angeles, 5553 Tujunga Ave, Los Angeles, CA 91601
Blazin Burgers, 2320 W Victory Blvd, Burbank, CA 91506
Baby’s Badass Burger, 433 Bolivar St, New Orleans, LA 70112,
5. Elotes: Corn on the Cob
Boiled or husked corn recipe which is smeared with mayonnaise, cheese, margarine and lime juice originates from the Mexican street culinary practices and has established itself as popular street food of Los Angeles. This vegetable treat can be found on many corners of LA like bus stops, railway stations, neighbourhoods and shopping complexes. Follow the jingles from the vendor’s truck to reach this simple yet delicious snack.
Famous Spot for Elotes: Corn Man, 2338 Workman St., Lincoln Heights
6. Pupusas: A treat from El Salvador
The national dish of El Salvador, Pupusas are pancakes stuffed with various meats, loroco-vegetable coleslaw and cheese. It has found a great audience on the streets of LA by its inclusion in the Los Angeles street food menu. Cooked over burning coal, the dish brings back the nostalgia of Salvadoran beaches through its rich flavours of meat seasoned with cheesy sauces and spices. The meat charred on the grill gives a rich and textured taste when combined with the juicy and cheesy stuffing of the cake. Head out to many of the pupuseria that LA has to offer to soothe your cravings.
Best Place to eat Pupusas: Don Lencho, 6119 S Normandie Ave, South L.A
7. French Dip style Sandwiches: to hit the hot spots of your taste buds.
Tortas ahogadas Guadalajara, a restaurant which serves an amazing sandwich dipped in salsa, makes its way to the list because of its comparison with the French dip among the street food lovers of Los Angeles. A special and hard roll of bread is filled with carnitas and pickled vegetables which is then dipped in the hot salsa for serving promises the zesty outburst of salsa flavours and pickled vegetables along with the juicy encounter with the meat. Visit the place to experience this unique street food in Los Angeles.
Location: 6042 Santa Fe Ave, Huntington Park
8. Bagels: served with cheesy delicacies
German bagels get a remake in the street food markets of Los Angeles in the form of added cream cheese, scrambled eggs, peppered bacon, jalapenos, sliced tomatoes to the traditionally baked bread. This creamy and cheesy new dish blends the yeast goodness of the bagels with a spicy burst of jalapenos and other fillings. Make sure to try this LA recreation of the traditional German bagels.
Where to find these bagels: Yeastie Boys Bagels, 3900 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029Treat yourself with the range of other notable street foods apart from the listed delicacies like the churros, hot dogs, Quesadillas and Ceviche as Los Angeles promises a blend of different culinary practices along with authentic cuisines. Explore the streets of the city to discover many more hidden street food items that need special recognition.