Native Angeleno food columnist Jenn Harris shares her under-the-radar eats in Los Angeles, from garlicky chicken rice at Heng Heng to a 60-year-old panino at Roma Market.
Los Angeles' food scene is preceded by a litany of stereotypes, like a cultish devotion to avocado toasts and celebrities "inventing" their own superfood smoothies. But Angelenos know that this vast urban sprawl is really home to a rich cultural diversity, best explored through its cuisine. And while the City of Angels boasts iconic and noteworthy restaurants, from Nancy Silverton's Osteria Mozza to the famed Musso & Frank Grill, the city's culinary soul tends toward its small, neighbourhood spots more than its fine dining tables.
We asked Jenn Harris, the award-winning food columnist for the Los Angeles Times and native Angeleno, to pull back the curtain on this LA.
"I've been telling anyone who will listen that this is the best food city in the country since I've been able to talk," she says.
The SpeciaList
Jenn Harris grew up in Los Angeles, criss-crossing the city in the name of food. An award-winning food columnist, she previously served on the James Beard Awards committee and she currently writes a beloved weekly column for the Los Angeles Times about the best things she's eaten, which she also posts to her Instagram.
Beyond her ties to Los Angeles' food scene, Jenn Harris grew up with her own diverse culinary roots. "My mom's family is Chinese and my dad's is Jewish," she says. "Growing up, I ate dim sum and attended grand Chinese banquets with one grandmother. I learned to make matzo ball soup and latkes with the other… I spent weekends driving around town as a kid eating everything from tacos to tahdig (crispy Persian rice)."
So, Harris certainly knows how and where to find LA's culinary heart. "What's unique about LA's food scene is that you can find just about any cuisine and culture represented in the city," she says. "And it's not just one restaurant here or there. Because of our vibrant neighbourhoods and plurality, you can really immerse yourself in a specific cuisine." But it's LA's layout that has the biggest impact on the discovery process. "Because it's hard to get around and you need a car, many people stay confined to one area," Harris says. "You just need to know where to look. And you need to venture outside of Hollywood."
For an introduction to the multicultural fabric of LA's food scene, here are Jenn Harris's five favourite under-the-radar eats across Los Angeles.
1. Best for casual lunch: Heng Heng Chicken Rice
Heng Heng Chicken Rice is a low-key eatery next to a motel in LA's Thai Town, a micro-neighbourhood in East Hollywood. "The poultry-intensive menu centre on Hainan chicken and rice, chef Eve Ramasoot's favourite childhood comfort food," Harris says. "But it's also a favourite because of the punchy flavours of the crispy pork. It's spicy, sour, pungent and a tad sweet in every bite."
Jenn Harris's tips for discovering hidden gems:
Harris recommends Heng Heng for a casual solo lunch, lunch with a friend or with a group because the whole menu is so easy to share. "[The chicken] is sliced and arranged on top of rice or noodles, both of which are fragrant with garlic," says Harris. Beyond the namesake dish, Chef Ramasoot also makes a much-loved Zaab crispy pork marinated in soy sauce and deep fried, served with lime and dried chilli, as well as red onion, coriander and green onion.
Website: https://henghengchickenrice.com/
Address: 5420 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Phone: (323) 380-7875
Instagram: @hengheng_chickenrice
2. Best for a dumpling crawl: Kang Kang Food Court
Sheng jian bao are "part yeasted bun, part potsticker, and a soup dumpling all in one," says Harris. "And Kang Kang's sheng jian bao are the best I've tried in LA. The bottoms are crisp and golden, and the tops are fluffy like a bao. Inside, the filling is juicy with a mild pork flavour."
Kang Kang Food Court is found in the San Gabriel Valley, a part of Los Angeles made famous for its incredible culinary scene by the late food journalist Jonathan Gold; it's wealth of options makes Harris "feel lucky to live in Southern California". The cafeteria-esque and cash-only Kang Kang Food Court has been a shining star in a neighbourhood filled to the brim with noteworthy restaurants for more than 20 years. Harris suggests bringing a group, in the interest of ordering more and sharing.
Website: https://kangkangfoodcourtca.com/
Address: 27 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801
Phone: (626) 308-3898
Instagram: @kangkangfoodcourt
3. Best for Mexicali tacos: Asadero Chikali
"Often, our most beloved restaurants aren't big, splashy openings," says Harris. "They're small businesses in shopping centres across the city, or they might not even have four walls at all. Some of the best places to eat in Los Angeles are trucks and stands."
Asadero Chikali is the perfect example, according to Harris. It's one of [her] favourite taco stands because of their fresh flour tortillas. "They're textbook perfect with a mottled surface that's wonderfully chewy," she says. And atop their perfect tortillas, clients have a choice of various long-simmered guisados (typically a messy, stewed filling), from a breakfast taco with a spicy chorizo and scrambled egg mixture to their excellent meats like rich barbacoa and a smoky carne asada.
Address: 1321 S Atlantic Blvd, East Los Angeles, CA 90022
Phone: (323) 396-1563
Instagram: @asaderochikali
4. Best for lunch on the go: Roma Market
Some of LA's under-the-radar eats are, counterintuitively, also iconic. Enter Roma Market, the Italian grocer that's been in business since 1946 and recently honoured with a "Pasadena Legacy Business" plaque to hang on their wall. The eatery is most famous for its pre-made sandwich, which absolutely flies off of their shelves and sells for $6 [£4.75].
"[It's] capocollo, mortadella, salami and provolone on good crusty bread with a drizzle of olive oil," says Harris. And while Roma Market makes hundreds per day, all wrapped in sheets of their signature pink wax paper, this sandwich is an icon only to those in the know.
Address: 918 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104
Phone: (626) 797-7748
Instagram: @romamarket
5. Best for a frozen treat : Moom Maam
Sun Valley's Wat Thai Temple hosts a weekend market with, according to Harris, some of the best Thai food in the city. Each week, the parking lot of the temple turns into an outdoor cafeteria, with stalls and tables on either end. The vendors and menus remain largely the same each week, and while they're all popular and incredibly delicious, it's Thai gelateria Moom Maam that has outgrown its one stall.
This beloved ice cream stand now also has a permanent spot at the wildly busy weekly Smorgasburg food market in Downtown LA; a second location for its bright, bold flavours to shine. Visitors may sample blue corn with caramel, uji matcha (green tea), Thai tea, piña colada, fior di cocco (coconut blossom sugar) and The Special, which is what Harris calls her favourite frozen treat in Los Angeles. It's got "mango and coconut gelato with sticky rice in a crunchy bowl cone," she says.
Website: https://www.moommaamfood.com/
Address: 7333 Fulton Ave Unit 5, North Hollywood, CA 91605
Phone: (818) 636-4532
Instagram: @moommaamfood
BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.
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