Katsu Sando redefines the Japanese comfort food experience, featuring a beautifully crunchy take on the eponymous sandwich: thick slices of honey-milk bread hug a fried cutlet of your choosing. Founded by native Angeleno chef Daniel Son, the restaurant blends Japanese grab-and-go culture (inspired by the konbini, or convenience store) with L.A.’s fusion and fast-food heritage. In Chinatown or SGV, you can grab anything from crunchy, panko-crusted katsu to Korean snacks and Japanese shaved ice.

Known for its homey Persian flavors, this Wes L.A. sandwich shop subs an array of traditional dishes for American deli classics: kuku sabzi (a vibrant herb frittata) served on baguette, hearty ash reshteh (an herb and bean stew with chewy noodles), and beef or chicken koobideh kabobs. The beef tongue sandwich, boiled for 12 hours for ultra tenderness, is locally renowned, and drinks like cardamom-infused tea and doogh, a fizzy yogurt soda, add to the authenticity.

This 19-year-old family-owned restaurant near LAX in Westchester, is known for its tasty Thai dishes. Its menu features a diverse range of classic Thai recipes, with favorites like khao soi, drunken noodles and pad thai, and the occasional offer of seasonal ingredients like lobster. Every few months, Ayara also turns a small part of quiet West 87th Street into a scene of nighttime street food action. The kancha boat noodle parties are not to be missed.

We love the wood-fired, thin-crust pie at this family-owned restaurant. It doesn’t get as much hype as other big-name Italian spots, but it’s been open for nearly two decades and has an hour-long wait every night – mostly by neighborhood Long Beach folks who walk over from home. The Italian American behind the dough goes back to Italy every year to keep learning his craft, and that first bite of the Sofia pizza with fresh burrata makes clear this is not your average neighborhood pizza joint.

This Cambodian-owned house-turned-restaurant makes excellent Thai and Lao-style noodles. Our go-to order is pad kee mao (spicy basil drunken noodles) with fried tofu, nam tok, panang curry and sticky rice. The Cambodian and Lao influence comes through with the addition of fermented bamboo in the noodles, the curries are thick, the nam tok beef is tender and ultra-flavorful (thanks to toasted rice powder and a perfectly fishy lime dressing).

Originating in a cozy two-story house, this bakery began as a cottage operation. Self-taught baker Arturo Enciso's approach to baking is deeply rooted in French and Mexican traditions, utilizing wild fermentation and masa madre (sourdough) to create breads and pan dulces​​. Not even throughout our travels in Mexico have we experienced a concha, Mexican sweet bread roll, like the sourdough ones at Gusto Bread. Just be sure to get there early before the goodies run out.

Founded by local fishermen in 1972, this fish market and restaurant is still a popular spot (especially on weekends!) in Malibu, even after all these years. The same fresh seafood that’s sold at the market can be ordered fried, grilled or steamed. All is prepared simply and comes with salad or fries. Prices can be quite affordable, depending on the order. Our go-to plate, the plump and crunchy deep-fried oysters, cost only $6.50 for 5 pieces (a steal in L.A.). We also rec the grilled scallops.

Detroit-style pizza has taken over – it’s hard to deny the power of crispy cheese crust – and Quarter Sheets in southeast Glendale lands in that tradition. The Red Top is a characteristic Detroit-style pie: marinara on top of the cheese. The crust is surprisingly airy, puffed up like focaccia so it eats lighter than it has any right to, the tomato sauce has just the right sweet-tart balance, and the crown of cheese on the edges is spot-on. But their special rotating pizzas are also not to miss.

This Chinatown bakery recently expanded, offering a tantalizing range of mostly vegan pastries, from flaky chocolate croissants to unique furikake ones, and seasonal specialties like mooncakes and pistachio frangipane-filled pithiviers. Unusual baked items come fresh out the oven studded with cherries topped with white sesame, or maybe sweet corn, garlic or daikon. San Gabriel-raised chef Jennifer Yee brings her Asian heritage and Michelin-starred background into each bite.