📍 Added in September: I’m here because it’s the weekend, and I want to eat like I just arrived as a guest at someone’s castle and they’re throwing a feast for my friends and me. Imagine a tray full of seasoned shrimp, sausages, fried red snapper, and some garlic bread—you must get the garlic bread. Or be like me, and also get tortillas so that you can make endless amounts of tacos from the seafood cornucopia in front of you.

📍 Added in September: I love pastrami so much that I’ve found myself in heated debates about who makes it best. We’re not discussing the navel-cut classic on rye that you get from Jewish delis; we’re talking about thinly sliced, juicy, French dip–ready pastrami, for which Johnnie's is my go-to. My mouth begins to water the moment I see the cook pulling streams of pastrami ribbons out of a steaming pot and stuffing them into plush rolls. My kids love it too, along with the tableside jukeboxes.

📍 Added in September: I walk into this place like a kid seeing Disneyland for the first time—every time. There’s more to see, eat, and try than your brain can process in one visit. It’s like a candy store, if candy were made of sashimi, katsu, or ramen. Maybe I’ll have a rice bowl with unagi, pair it with tempura, and walk out with some sweet dango dumplings or sakura mochi. Or how about some ramen, or better yet, some Japanese curry? It’s one of my favorite places to be indecisive.

📍 Added in September: When I’m in the mood for a particular style of regional Mexican food from the state of Jalisco, there are only a handful of options in L.A. that I find extremely satisfying. This restaurant is a patio perched on a hillside with a vibe that reminds me of a Mexican roadside stop. I always get the carne en su jugo, a meaty soup with beans stewed in tomatillo broth. I like to dip a freshly made corn tortilla in the bowl with every spoonful I eat, just like my mom taught me.

📍 Added in September: When you think of a typical Mexican restaurant, you envision sombreros, murals, and margaritas. But Sol 626 is anything but typical. It specializes in southern Mexican cuisine with ornate dishes from areas like Puebla, Oaxaca, and Veracruz. From juicy cochinita pibil served on black bean–filled panucho to velvety moles like the pipian made from toasted pumpkin seeds, everything is prepared with intention and care. The pulpo jarocho (marinated octopus) is my favorite.

You know my love for street food. So imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon a new sign in Eagle Rock that promised “Lebanese Street Food” at A la Beirut. Mom, dad, son, and daughters work together to take grandma’s marinades and dad’s sandwich techniques and create toasted vessels of new flavors in either a pita wrap or a flaky French baguette. The beef or chicken shawarma is magnificent, but go for the beef tongue with garlic spread and pickles—it’s a sprightly bite.

For a flavor rush of psychedelic proportions, the tikka masala at this South Bay strip mall will have you forgetting your woes—your full concentration will be on slowly tackling this vigorous dish. Order fresh garlic naan to dip into the rich, sweet, and spicy sauce as you eat or to use as a swab to comfort your taste buds between spoonfuls. If there’s room, finish off this roller coaster of flavor with a samosa served with a sweet and tangy sauce.

All Time has become a favorite spot for a lunch date with my lady: It has class and comfort without being presumptuous or showy. The chef’s offerings always seem to include a touch of genuine L.A. while feeling fresh, healthy, and filling. I’ve enjoyed tender carnitas tacos on blue corn tortillas, crispy rice breakfast bowls, and a Good Ass Salad that’s very popular. This little gem keeps it fresh with a changing menu, adding some excitement each time I return.

One of my favorite things about L.A. is that it’s a place where you can grow to love the world’s diverse ethnic foods, but it’s also a place where they find each other, marry, and find ways for their spices to work together to create new dishes. Almaya is the perfect example of how Middle Eastern dishes get a subtle Mexican sazón! I can never decide between the shakshuka or chilaquiles for breakfast, and then the asada kebab or the creamy chicken with spicy hummus for lunch.

Do I like cheeseburgers? Yes. Do I like cheeseburgers with a chunky 10 ounces of dry-aged beef cooked to a meat snob’s standards, a puffy sesame seed bun, American cheese, and a humble sauce that enhances but doesn’t overpower the burger flavor? Of course. Ask for the DH (the dry-aged patty); you can get it in different styles, but the Amboy is the best introduction. I would expect nothing less from The Burger Show’s Alvin Cailan, a true burger intellectual.