20 of the most affordable picks from the 101 Best Restaurants in L.A. list
Los Angeles is a place where two tacos al pastor in hand can feel like as much of a culinary event as a two-hour tasting menu. Sometimes more. In a month of overt spending for many of us — and in a year when the entertainment industry’s slow recovery reverberated through the restaurant community, which saw dozens of closures in 2024 — we have suggestions for incredible, affordable meals.
Our recommendations draw from the recently released guide to the 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles, published annually by The Times and written this year by me and columnist Jenn Harris. Some of the new entrants on the list include a favorite San Gabriel Valley food court for dumplings, roti wraps filled with goat or shrimp curry in East Hollywood, and a gargantuan, pudding-like Nicaraguan-style tamale in Huntington Park. — Bill Addison, restaurant critic
Asadero Chikali
Azizam
Barbacoa Ramirez
Bridgetown Roti
Delmy’s Pupusas
El Bacano
Las Segovias
Locol
Kang Kang Food Court
Komal
Macheen
Mae Malai House of Noodles
Mario’s Butcher Shop
Perilla LA
Poncho’s Tlayudas
Sonoratown
Sincerely Syria
Tacos La Carreta
Tokyo Fried Chicken
Villa’s Tacos
Eat your way across L.A.
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