The Latin influence in Pig Floyd’s quality barbecue comes courtesy of owner Thomas Ward’s Puerto Rican heritage – maduros, fried yuca, and rice and beans go along faultlessly with everything from luscious brisket to succulent St. Louis-style ribs to flavorful pulled pork. Even juicy spiced-rubbed chicken is worth coming back for. Those meats can also be enjoyed inside sweet rolls, flour tortillas, or bento boxes. Sauces are just as diverse. Tikka masala with ribs anyone? 

John and Juliana Calloway met in L.A. opening restaurants for renowned chef/restaurateur Richard Sandoval, so no surprise that the taqueria they opened here in Juliana’s hometown took on an unmistakable SoCal vibe. BRT has shades of Trejo’s Tacos and Ray Garcia’s B.S. Taqueria, but it’s the housemade, corn tortillas, enveloping everything from smoked lengua to pork fat to Angus brisket, that really impress. Pozole verde and beef achiote bowls shouldn’t be overlooked either.

They were the first to sling Singaporean-style hawker fare in this town nearly a decade ago, and now Hawkers’ signature roti canai, char siu, and Singapore mei fun noodles can be enjoyed in outposts from Dallas to Charlotte. The original on Mills Avenue, with its raucous atmo, tight dining quarters, and outdoor patio is still an intergenerational pleaser.

Yes, it’s technically a bar, but it’s a bar that just so happens to serve some of the best Japanese pub grub around. There are bites like whole binchotan-grilled Japanese flying squid and plush blue crab and corn croquettes that dazzle, but it’s with the yakitori where Tori Tori’s kitchen really struts its stuff. Chicken skin tare and chicken oyster can’t possibly be done any better than it is here, and lamb karubi lollipops offer a red meat alternative to prime-grade beef from Revier Cattle Co. Plus, there’s a stellar okonomiyaki for purists and some top-notch cocktails for the bibulous.

Bialys, not bagels, are the focus at this Colonialtown breakfast and lunch spot run by Hannah Jaffe and Nathan Sloan. The pair worked for some big names in L.A. — Jessica Koslow (Sqirl), Michael Voltaggio (ink), and Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (Son of a Gun) — so no surprise their humble little deli is on the regular rotation of many in-the-know eaters. Bialys come in caramelized onion or smoked jalapeno and muenster varieties with fillings ranging from gravlax to labneh to scrapple (this is not a kosher deli). The corned beef “big mac” layered with lettuce, American cheese, pickles, onions, and special sauce served on a Martin’s sesame bun explains the lines Deli Desires draws.

Sandwiches reign supreme for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Andres Corton’s comfort-food spot housed inside a mid-century gem on East Colonial Drive. Media mananas, media noches, and perfectly porcine Cuban sandwiches are perennial go-to (and to-go) faves, though more substantial fare can be had in filling plates of shredded Havana pork and picadillo served with rice, black beans, sweet plantains, and salad. The coffee game here is strong.

This popular Mills 50 restaurant isn’t shy about displaying the full spectrum of flavors of Laotian cuisine with the sweet, the spicy, the fishy and the fermented all presented in street snack form. Scooping wee balls of sticky rice in one hand then dipping it into jaew mak len (a charred tomato paste) or jaew bong (sweet chili paste with pork skin) is digital dining at its finest. Lemongrass pork sausage, sesame beef jerky, and pork tapioca dumplings shouldn’t be overlooked. The fearless can test their fortitude with the funky, fermented, fishy quintessence of thum maak thang, a spicy cucumber salad.

There’s no shortage of brazen Sichuan peppercorns in the tongue-tingling dishes at this Mills 50 stalwart, be it Chongqing-style la zi chicken, cumin lamb, or twice-cooked pork. The extensive menu is conducive to sharing, especially among those who like it hot. And that includes hot pots and hot-stone dishes.

This one-stop shop for baguettes, sandwiches, and pastries is notable for owner Hien Tran who possesses serious baking creds having graduated from Paris’s École de Boulangerie et de Pâtisserie and earning certificates of distinction at the École Gastronomique Bellouet Conseil pastry school. His wife, Doan Nguyen, ran a trio of banh mi shops in Vietnam and, together, the duo makes some mighty fine banh mis and sweet treats out of their sprawling Mills 50 bakery.

The neon signage is its visual calling card, but what’s made this Vietnamese restaurant a Mills 50 pillar is its no. 13 (banh xeo), no. 17 (banh mi thit nuong), and no. 75 (bun bo hue) — classics that folks have been indulging in for more than a quarter century. There’s no shortage of beverages offered either — sugar cane juice is a favorite; the durian smoothie not as much.

After a fire destroyed much of the restaurant, Shin Jung rose from the ashes in 2021 with modern new digs and the same brand of DIY barbecue flair that’s made it a popular stop for nearly three decades. Kalbi, LA galbi and bulgogi are fixtures, but there are plenty of grilling proteins to pick from including pork belly, pork jowl, and beef tongue. Non-DYI offerings run the gamut from japchae to dolsot bibimbap. The rebuild also made room for a small outdoor patio.