La Castañeda

Before

Long walk · 0.5 mi · 11 min walk; 2 min ride - Boyle Heights

The Rojas family has been feeding this corner of Evergreen Avenue since 1942, when the place was called El Tupinamba. It is known for the Hollenbeck burrito, named for the LAPD division up the street, and for Manuel's Special, which weighs about five pounds and is ordered mostly as a dare. The dining area is small, covered in photographs of regulars, and the line outside moves at the pace of a counter, not a sit-down restaurant.

After

0.3 mi · 7 min walk - Boyle Heights

Raul Martinez started King Taco out of a converted ice cream truck in East Los Angeles in 1974, and this Cesar Chavez branch keeps the original format: a brightly lit counter with a salsa bar. Carnitas and lengua come by the taco. It is open past midnight every night and until three on weekends, which in this part of town is unusual. Cash moves fast and the line is rarely longer than five minutes.