MyTastr

Local finds · City guide no. 01

Los Angeleslocal finds

The salsas, loaves and boxes Angelenos actually line up for — each one named by a chef, critic, food writer or cookbook author, with the source linked.

  • 33local finds
  • 41named sources
  • 29neighborhoods & towns
  • 9ship nationwide

The icons

Four things every Angeleno should have in the kitchen

If you only try four, start here: a farmers-market salsa, the city’s best bread, Oaxacan mole from Koreatown and a box from Porto’s.

El Machete 1924 salsas & Manifesto hot sauce

Hollywood & Mar Vista farmers markets

El Machete 1924 salsas & Manifesto hot sauce

El Machete 1924 (Oscar Ochoa)

Small-batch salsas — San Marzano roja, almond-guajillo, pasilla-tomato — from the stand with the longest line at the market.

“All of them are brilliant… The amazing San Marzano salsa roja is now a staple in my fridge.”

Picked by Bill Esparza (Eater; LA taco and street-food writer) Eater (opens source)

+2 more cites
  • Chef Mitch Austin (Four Seasons): “longest line in the market. Totally worth the wait.” InsideHook ↗
  • LA Weekly farmers market watch LA Weekly ↗

Where: Hollywood (Sun) and Mar Vista farmers markets; McCall’s Meat & Fish, LA Grocer, Farmshop

elmachete.com

Glassell Park

Bub & Grandma’s country loaf & baguette

Bub & Grandma’s (Andy Kadin)

The wholesale bread behind Mozza, Konbi, Kismet and half the city’s best menus — now with its own restaurant on Eagle Rock Blvd.

Picked by Laurel Randolph (Los Angeles Magazine), on where to find LA’s best bread LA Mag (opens source)

+4 more cites

Where: Bub & Grandma’s, 3507 Eagle Rock Blvd; Hollywood Farmers Market (Sun)

bubandgrandmas.com
Guelaguetza mole (rojo, negro, coloradito)

KoreatownShips

Guelaguetza mole (rojo, negro, coloradito)

Guelaguetza (the Lopez family)

The Oaxacan institution’s mole pastes, bagged to go. Thin it with stock, add chicken, and you have Sunday dinner.

“The most balanced and complex of any we tried.”

Picked by Jarrett Melendez (Epicurious blind tasting winner) Epicurious (opens source)

+1 more cite
  • Stephanie Breijo: “Silken, rich and fragrant with spices… a gold-star gift year-round.” LA Times ↗

Where: Guelaguetza, 3014 W Olympic Blvd; ships nationwide

ilovemole.com
Porto’s potato balls, cheese rolls & refugiados

Glendale (flagship)Ships

Porto’s potato balls, cheese rolls & refugiados

Porto’s Bakery & Cafe

The Cuban bakery every Angeleno brings to the party. Bake-at-home boxes ship frozen nationwide.

“The potato balls need no introduction… the refugiados and cheese rolls remain excellent.”

Picked by Lucas Kwan Peterson (Los Angeles Times) LA Times (opens source)

Where: 315 N Brand Blvd, Glendale + Burbank, Downey, Buena Park, West Covina, Northridge; Bake at Home ships

portosbakery.com

01 · 4 finds

Salsas & heat

A Yucatecan habanero sauce, a chef’s salsa macha and the bottles on every taquería table.

Westlake

Chichen Itza Chile Kut habanero sauce

Chichen Itza (Gilberto Cetina)

A Yucatecan habanero sauce from the restaurant that taught LA cochinita pibil.

“The sauce tastes elemental but not simple.”

Picked by Ben Mesirow (LAist) LAist (opens source)

Where: Chichen Itza, 2501 W 6th St

Find it on the map

Santa Monica

Socalo salsa macha

Susan Feniger & Mary Sue Milliken

The Border Grill chefs’ crunchy chile oil, sold by the jar at their Santa Monica cantina.

“Is magic… like passing along a wonder condiment.”

Picked by Jenn Harris (Los Angeles Times) LA Times (opens source)

Where: Socalo, Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica

Find it on the map

02 · 8 finds

Bread & bakery

Jyan Isaac’s Westside sourdough, a pop-up loaf the LA Times critic calls a new bellwether, Courage’s bagels, Long Beach conchas and the flour tortilla to judge all others by.

Santa Monica (Ocean Park)

Jyan Isaac sourdough (country, seeded & marbled rye)

Jyan Isaac Bread (Jyan Isaac Horwitz)

A Gjusta-trained baker whose pandemic-era loaves grew into an Ocean Park bakery that also supplies many of LA’s best restaurants.

“Some of the freshest, best-tasting bread on the Westside.”

Picked by Patricia Kelly Yeo (Time Out Los Angeles) Time Out LA (opens source)

+2 more cites
  • Bill Addison (Los Angeles Times restaurant critic), naming Jyan Isaac with Bub and Grandma’s as leaders among LA’s bread bakeries LA Times ↗
  • Sylvio Martins (The Infatuation): “pick up a loaf of sourdough on the way out” The Infatuation ↗

Where: Jyan Isaac Bread, 1620 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica; loaves also at Ghisallo next door and Westside farmers markets (sells out early)

jyanisaacbread.com

Downtown & Mid-City

Sonoratown flour tortillas (by the dozen)

Sonoratown (Teodoro Diaz-Rodriguez Jr. & Jennifer Feltham)

Thin, stretchy, lard-scented Sonoran tortillas, sold by the dozen to take home.

“It is the flour tortilla against which to judge all others in Los Angeles.”

Picked by Bill Addison (Los Angeles Times restaurant critic) LA Times 101 (opens source)

Where: Sonoratown, 208 E 8th St (DTLA) and Mid-City

sonoratown.com

Venice

Gjusta country loaf

Gjusta (Travis Lett)

A deep-crusted sourdough from the Gjelina team’s bakery-deli.

“One of the best in town.”

Picked by Amy Scattergood (Los Angeles Times) LA Times (opens source)

Where: Gjusta, 320 Sunset Ave, Venice

gjusta.com

Echo Park & across LA

Clark Street Bread

Clark Street (Zack Hall)

Zack Hall’s naturally leavened loaves, from a farmers-market stall to cafés across the city.

Picked by Amy Scattergood (Los Angeles Times) LA Times (opens source)

Where: Clark Street bakeries and cafés across LA, incl. Grand Central Market

clarkstreetbread.com

Pop-ups: Atwater Village & Echo Park

Two Rose country loaf

Two Rose (David Wilcox, ex–Hail Mary Pizza)

A tiny-batch, levain-only pop-up from a former pizza chef — the rare find on this list. Follow his Instagram for where he’ll be.

“A new Los Angeles bellwether for rustic-style bread.”

Picked by Bill Addison (Los Angeles Times restaurant critic) LA Times (opens source)

Where: Pop-ups, including Proof Bakery (Atwater Village) and Granada (Echo Park); schedule on Instagram

Find it on the map

Virgil Village / East Hollywood

Courage Bagels

Courage Bagels (Arielle Skye & Chris Moss)

Compact, smoky-crisp, Montreal-inspired bagels that Arielle Skye first sold off the back of a bicycle. Expect a line (shortest around 9:15 a.m. on weekdays, per Addison).

“They really are worth the wait, no matter when you show up.”

Picked by Bill Addison (Los Angeles Times restaurant critic) LA Times 101 (opens source)

+1 more cite
  • Los Angeles Times staff, 25 best bagel shops in L.A. LA Times ↗

Where: Courage Bagels, 777 N Virgil Ave

Find it on the map

East Hollywood

Friends & Family whole-grain loaves & pastries

Friends & Family (Roxana Jullapat, author of Mother Grains)

Heirloom- and whole-grain baking from a Campanile and Lucques veteran: Sonora wheat croissants, rye chocolate chip cookies and loaves sold all over town.

“Perhaps the biggest and best non-chain-restaurant pastry case anywhere in LA.”

Picked by Farley Elliott (Eater LA) Eater LA (opens source)

Where: Friends & Family, 5150 Hollywood Blvd (go early on weekends)

Find it on the map

Long Beach (Retro Row)

Gusto Bread conchas, alfajores & sourdough

Gusto Bread (Arturo Enciso)

A heritage-grain panadería that began as a home bakery; a 2024 James Beard finalist for outstanding bakery.

Picked by Danielle Dorsey (Los Angeles Times) LA Times (opens source)

Where: Gusto Bread, 2710 E 4th St, Long Beach

Find it on the map

03 · 3 finds

Butcher counter

The specialty-shop finds: McCall’s burger blend, the Pico Rivera carne asada people cross the county for, and farmers-market pork.

Atwater Village & Santa Monica

McCall’s house burger blend

McCall’s Meat & Fish Co. (chefs Nathan McCall & Karen Yoo)

A chef-run butcher and specialty market: house-ground burger blend, sustainably sourced meat and fish, cheese, and Karen Yoo’s breads and pastries.

“Do not leave without getting a pound or two of their burger blend ground beef.”

Picked by Brett Keating (The Infatuation) The Infatuation (opens source)

+1 more cite
  • Jonathan Gold (Los Angeles Times): “Listen to your butcher, especially if you’re at McCall’s” (and Karen Yoo’s “splendid sourdough loaves, pastries and kouign amman”) LA Times ↗

Where: McCall’s, 3141 Glendale Blvd (Atwater Village) and 1426 Montana Ave (Santa Monica)

mccallsmeatandfish.com

Pico Rivera

B&N Ranch Market carne asada

B&N Ranch Market

Marinated flap meat that draws people from across the county — plus house salsas and guacamole to make it a taco night.

“People come from across LA County to this Pico Rivera market for one thing: their carne asada.”

Picked by Brett Keating (The Infatuation) The Infatuation (opens source)

Where: B&N Ranch Market, 4560 Durfee Ave, Pico Rivera

Find it on the map

Santa Monica Farmers Market

Peads & Barnetts pork

Peads & Barnetts

Pasture-raised pork from the farmers market — pork toro, belly, porchetta and several kinds of bacon.

“If there’s a better place to get pork than Peads & Barnetts, we’re not sure we know about it.”

Picked by Brett Keating (The Infatuation) The Infatuation (opens source)

Where: Santa Monica farmers markets (Wed & Sat) and Hollywood (Sun); check their site for days

peadsandbarnetts.com

04 · 6 finds

Pantry

Pomona burrata, heirloom masa, tinned fish, a cult chicken salt and jerky from a 1929 downtown market.

Mar Vista

Electric Bleu chicken salt

Craig Hopson, Electric Bleu

The sweet-salty bouillon-turmeric dust from the bistro’s “electric fries,” now in jars.

“Pure poultry alchemy.”

Picked by Stephanie Breijo (Los Angeles Times) LA Times (opens source)

Where: Electric Bleu, Mar Vista

electricbleu.com
People’s Choice beef jerky

Downtown LA (since 1929)Ships

People’s Choice beef jerky

The Bianchetti family

A downtown market founded in 1929, making jerky since 1987 and now run by the fourth generation. Get the sampler box.

Picked by Jenn Harris (Los Angeles Times) LA Times (opens source)

Where: peopleschoicebeefjerky.com; ships

peopleschoicebeefjerky.com

05 · 3 finds

Sweets

Caramels David Lebovitz says rival Paris, and a Wirecutter-favorite chocolate box.

Little Flower sea salt caramels

PasadenaShips

Little Flower sea salt caramels

Little Flower Candy Co. (Christine Moore)

Soft, salty, hand-wrapped caramels from a Pasadena candy kitchen.

“They could rival anything in Paris.”

Picked by David Lebovitz (pastry chef, cookbook author) LA Times (Russ Parsons) (opens source)

Where: Little Flower, 1424 W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena; ships

littleflowercandyco.com
Valerie Confections Baby Grand assortment

Echo ParkShips

Valerie Confections Baby Grand assortment

Valerie Confections (Valerie Gordon)

Valerie Gordon’s toffees and truffles in the box Wirecutter has named its best for years.

“The best boxed chocolates… an American classic.”

Picked by Wirecutter (New York Times) Wirecutter (opens source)

Where: Valerie, 1665 Echo Park Ave; ships

valerieconfections.com

06 · 5 finds

Coffee, tea & sips

The roaster LA chefs pour, an Eagle Rock tea brand and a Caracas-style hot chocolate.

Flowerhead tea (the Deep Steep, Sunset Blvd)

Eagle RockShips

Flowerhead tea (the Deep Steep, Sunset Blvd)

Flowerhead

A roasted-corn hojicha blend, a vanilla English breakfast and an LA blend called Sunset Blvd.

“One of L.A.’s top tea companies.”

Picked by Stephanie Breijo (Los Angeles Times) LA Times (opens source)

Where: Flowers Finest, Eagle Rock; ships

flowerheadtea.com

Old Pasadena

Amara Gran Criollo hot chocolate

Chef Amara Barroeta, Amara Cafe

Venezuelan Criollo cacao, Caracas-style. Buy the 12-ounce bag at the café.

“Aggressively bitter with a wonderfully deep chocolate flavor.”

Picked by Jenn Harris (Los Angeles Times) LA Times (opens source)

Where: Amara Cafe, Old Pasadena

Find it on the map

Boyle Heights

Picaresca café de olla syrup & Cervantes blend

Picaresca Barra de Cafe

Cinnamon, anise, orange peel and piloncillo — the syrup behind the olla latte, bottled.

“A hub for the neighborhood and coffee lovers all over the city.”

Picked by Betty Hallock (Los Angeles Times) LA Times (opens source)

Where: Picaresca, E 4th St & Evergreen Ave, Boyle Heights

Find it on the map

How this list works

Every find is made in, or was born in, Greater Los Angeles, and every one links to a named, unpaid recommendation: a chef, a restaurant critic, a food writer or a cookbook author. This is a curated city list, not a ranking. When a local product also earns a spot in our national rankings, the card says so and pulls its cites straight from there. We left out anything we couldn’t source, and anything sold by the outlet that recommended it. How we pick · Disclosure

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