You can’t live in LA without eating Mexican food every once in a while. If you have to have Mexican, then you need to opt for a place that’s been around for a while, and that’s El Tepeyac Café, located at 812 N Evergreen Ave. With 55 years of experience and awards such as being listed on the Travel Channel’s list of America’s 101 Tastiest Places to Chowdown, you know that you’ll be getting authentic Mexican food and wonderful service when you come here.

The burritos are easily a meal stuffed with meat, cheese and all the trimmings. Hungry? Try the 5 pound burrito. The burrito is so packed with ingredients that the chefs can’t even properly wrap it and if that’s not enough, you’ll get some extra meat on the side. Make sure you go there hungry, otherwise you’ll be asking for a doggie bag to bring back all the leftovers. The 5 lbs burrito can easily be a meal for a couple people. The guacamole is fantastic, piled high, and made fresh daily with tons of avocados. Don’t forget to try other fantastic Mexican dishes, such as their quesadillas and enchiladas.

Being famous and popular has a downside though, the parking lot is usually full and you’ll have to stand in line, but on the upside, the service is quick, so there’s fast turnaround. Faster service can be had at the outside window and then chow down on the outdoor patio and take a quick time out to relax and people watch before going back to your busy schedule.

El Tepeyac Cafe – Manuel’s Original
812 N Evergreen Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 268-1960
Mon-Tues 6am to 8pm
Wed-Thurs, Sun 6am to 10pm
Fri-Sat 6am to 11pm

Ok, so we all know that hotdogs aren’t the healthiest food in the world, that being said Brats Brothers have wonderful hotdogs, brats, and sausages. So when the craving hits, be sure to go to 13456½ Ventura Blvd and try what they have to offer. German style through and through, the owners are German, you’ll find some great classics such as smoked sausages, sauerkraut, and best of all German Cheesecake.

The variety they have to offer is amazing, you’ll find choices ranging from new Zealand, Aussie, Cajun, and Swiss style sausages available. Ingredients range from the norm to the exotic – you can find buffalo, ostrich, alligator and even wild boar sausages.

The sides and desserts are fantastic as well. Freshly baked pretzels and German cheesecake can be had as well as a tried and true recipe of Grandma’s Sauerkraut. And boy do they love their sauerkraut, you’ll get a nice big portion of it, so you might want to order one portion and share it between two people.
Something has to be said about the owners. Germans, Peter and Roland, take pride in their homeland and their food making sure that it’s authentic German food and of high quality. All their sausages are naturally made and by European trained butchers to boot; you can’t go wrong when you go to Brats Brothers.

Brats Brothers
www.bratsbrothers.com
13456 1/2 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(818) 986-4020
Mon-Sat 11.30am to 9pm
Sun 12pm to 4pm

Located at 15500 S Broadway St in Gardena, this little café has a lot going for it.   It’s located near warehouse, but this hidden gem will have you going back for more.  The food is delicious and the prices are fantastic.  Their pizza is famous and rightly so.  While there are many Italian places out there, Eatalian is one of the best. Try the thin crust version and you won’t be disappointed.  There’s more than just pizza to be found at Eatalian, you can also get fresh, made-to-order salads, pasta dishes, and honest-to-goodness Italian desserts such as gelato.  The owner Antonio puts as much love into his food as he does his customer service.

The décor mixes the old and the new and because of this you’ll see many cheeses along one wall, an old fashioned espresso machine, and a huge overhead projector set up to watch the games.  Due to rave reviews it got in the LA Times, the place has been packed and as such, don’t expect a quiet dinner.  You’ll hear the friendly chatter of other customers and the staff preparing the food.  The hustle and bustle of Rome is right here in LA.

The owner and staff work hard on their customer service skills and honestly want to listen to suggestions on how they can improve things.  The restaurant is new and as such has some kinks in it.  While the service is slow, the food more than makes up for the wait.  If you’re going to go to Eatalian, make sure you’re not pressed for time and can enjoy a leisurely meal, Italian style, complete with cappuccino at the end.

Eatalian Cafe
15500 S Broadway St
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 532-8880
Mon-Sat 7am to 9pm

Second location:
14842 Crenshaw Blvd
Gardena, CA 90249
(310) 516-0121