The new Metro regional connector allows you to zip from one end of L.A. to another, seamlessly connecting the L (Gold), A (Blue) and E (Expo) lines in one fluid movement.
To celebrate, (and celebrate our liberation from back-to-back traffic on the 10), we thought we’d make a gastronomic journey from ocean to mountain, highlighting our favorite Cheap Fast Eats stops along the way.
So let’s grab our TAP cards and hop on board the Cheap Fast Eats express!
Holé Molé - Long Beach
5th St. station, A Line
We begin by the ocean at Long Beach. If there were ever a dish synonymous with this fine city, it would be the fish taco at Holé Molé. On any given Taco Tuesday, you’ll see swaths of people throughout the day, dutifully forming a line as it stretches out the door. Maybe they’re stopping for a quick bite during their lunch break or seeking to channel some serious Playa Larga vibes for a leisurely lunch.
You can run the gamut as far as the menu is concerned, with a fish taco at $1.29 a pop, and shrimp at $1.95. Then there's a personal favorite, the carnitas taco. Stuffed with a combo of finely sheared cheese and a healthy helping of spicy chipotle sauce, atop a delightful serving of pork with just the right amount of crunch, it comes two to an order and will make any hard shell taco haters eat their words. If you are with a group of three or four people, you could easily all eat for $25-$30, which seems unheard of these days, but that's part of what makes the people of the 908 keep coming back.
421 Obispo Ave., Long Beach, CA, 90814
5109 CA-1, Long Beach, CA, 90815
1200 E. Wardlow Rd., Long Beach, CA, 90807
The Jerk Spot Jamaican Restaurant
Culver City Stop, E Line
You could also start your trek farther north in Culver City, on the Expo line, and visit The Jerk Spot. What is it about a good takeout spot that always seems to capture our attention? The no-nonsense appeal of walking up to a counter and placing an order feels partly nostalgic for those takeaway pizza parlors that I would skateboard to after school on minimum days, free from the middle school confines.
The Jerk Spot offers a similar experience for my adult self. It’s situated in an older strip mall near the Culver City Metro stop and the 405, next to Tom’s No. 5 Chili Burgers and US Donut. The small restaurant space features a large, detailed map of Jamaica and reggae music.
The menu features various Jamaican cuisine offerings, from oxtails to fish, prepared in multiple ways. But we are here to do the jerk. Jerk flavoring can arrive in a sauce or dry rub made with a combination of allspice and scotch bonnet peppers.
At the Jerk Spot, you choose chicken (white or dark meat) or fish. I go for jerk chicken with dark meat, which comes with an order of reggae bread, made with cornmeal flour and sugar with a hint of vanilla. It’s perfectly balanced with the heavy spice flavor, the chopped-up chicken bits, and its caramelized edges. Douse it with some of the extra jerk sauce they give you and a couple of sips of lemonade or pineapple juice, and you’re pretty close to flavorful heaven.
9006 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA, 90232
Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Moderno Cocina
7th St./Metro Center, Lines B, D, E, L
Get off at 7th St./Metro Center, and stroll five minutes to Las Perlas, a mezcal bar, which opens at 5 p.m. for happy hour. Inside is Moderno Cocina, the work of Denice Mendez and Chef Pablo Ricardo.
Ricardo cut his teeth alongside Chef Ricardo Zarate (of Picca Peruvian Cantina back in the day). These days their permanent pop-up can be found at both Las Perlas locations, in DTLA and West Hollywood. Here in downtown, you’ll find their taco cart on the patio, where you can sample some marvelous creations.
Vegan, vegetarian and meat eaters can all find something to nosh on while sipping their mezcal and beer. A couple of stellar standouts were the cochinita pibil, with its succulent flavors of perfectly cooked pork with divine red pickled onions, providing just the right amount of acidity to cut through the fattiness.
As for the vegan option, their tinga option made with hibiscus flowers is some of the best we’ve ever sampled. Ricardo and Mendez have unlocked a new level of flavor and texture that we didn’t even know was possible, stewing the flower in the perfect amount of spices and other flavors. It makes for a bite that is equal parts umami with a hint of sourness that will make anyone — despite virtuous dietary decisions — come back for more.
107 E. 6th St., Los Angeles, CA, 90014, Open daily, 5:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sonoratown
7th St./Metro Center, Lines B, D, E and L
Slightly buzzed from the mezcal, venture down the road towards the Fashion District, where you’ll find a little slice of flour tortilla heaven at Sonoratown. The taqueria on 8th Street, between Los Angeles and Santee, has been slowly chipping away at the notion that not all Mexican food is a monolith since 2016. Owned by Teodoro “Teo” Diaz Rodriguez Jr. and Jennifer Feltham, they’ve created a menu representing Rodriguez's northern Mexican town of San Luis Río Colorado, in the state of Sonora, across the border from Arizona.
Before the pandemic, Feltham would make trips to Mexico every two weeks, bringing back sacks of Sonoran flour that they would use to make their tortillas. However, given the lockdown meant closed borders, the pair were left to get more creative.
They sent the Sonoran flour they used out to a lab to determine what makes it special to determine its genetic makeup, then sent it to different mills to create a blend that properly captured the essence of what they would previously get from Mexico.
Tortilla genealogy aside, Sonoratown serves some of the best tacos in Los Angeles. The tortilla in all its glory is only part of it. Another distinguishing factor is the presence of the smoke flavor, which is absorbed from the mesquite they used when grilling their meats, serving as a signature ingredient. When you take a bite, it feels nothing short of alchemy, with a touch of their fiery chiltepin salsa making for a unique taste you won’t find anywhere else.
All their menu items fit under $10 and will fill you up. Some of our favorites include the costilla taco made with grilled beef rib meat and chicken chivichanga, the Sonoran equivalent to chimichanga and a gourmet dish served throughout Mexico. The mini burrito served with the taco makes for the perfect amount of food. You honestly can’t go wrong when you take a trip to Sonoratown.
208 E. 8th St., Los Angeles, CA, 90014
Sunday - Thursday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sarita's Pupuseria
Grand Central Market
Civic Center/Grand Park Station, Lines B and D
Start trekking northeast a bunch of blocks and in about 15 minutes, you’ll hit the historic Grand Central Market. Smack dab in the middle, and you’ll find there’s a good chance you have already sampled, or at least passed by, the iconic Sarita's Pupuseria. Look for the luminous blue neon in the shape of the country of El Salvador, and you’ll know that you are in the right place.
If you manage to grab a stool at the counter, it feels as if you are in a timeless classic movie with downtown as your backdrop. You wouldn’t be alone; the 2016 film La La Land did precisely that in its love letter to Los Angeles.
We’ve always been impressed by the sheer volume of menu items available at any given time, which are always made to order by hand (and may take a little longer to arrive than one might be accustomed to).
While it’s hard to go wrong with anything on the menu, the nopal (cactus) pupusa is an excellent choice and not one that you often see, a Salvadoran dish executed with an ingredient that's commonly found in Mexican cuisine (a perfect dish for this area, which many people from Mexico and South America call home).
There’s something tantalizing about the textures of the cool slivers of cactus layered immaculately with the melted cheese. There’s also a more traditional favorite, queso con loroco, an edible flower that grows in Central and South America, known for its vegetal flavor on par with artichoke or chard. There’s nothing quite like it, and it's an excellent form of sustenance to send you on your way.
317 S. Broadway, stall E5, Los Angeles, CA, 90013
Open daily, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Mediterranean Cafe
Del Mar Station, L Line
Walk another 10 minutes and you'll hit Civic Center/Grand Park. Jump on a train (B or D Line), change at Union Station to the L line, and head north to the mountains. It’s time for the final stop — get off at Del Mar station and walk 15 minutes (or bike, or Uber) and you’ll arrive at some tasty falafel from one of our favorite Pasadena spots.
Mediterranean Cafe carries a certain amount of history in its three decades. Yet, if you don’t know where to look, you might just miss it — located in a small storefront on the backside of Lake Ave., facing a parking lot. You have a few affordable options to consider; our go-to is the falafel pita wrap that comes with two falafels, lettuce and tomatoes, dressed to impress in tahini sauce, all wrapped in a warm pita.
If you want something more protein-heavy, one of their kabobs — beef, chicken, or kafta (ground beef made with various seasonings) — is a good move. Take advantage of some of their house-made harissa, which provides a solid flavor kick. The line that stretches out the storefront to the large patio is a testament to its popularity, attracting a diverse group of people, usually on their lunch break.
273 Shoppers Lane, Pasadena, CA, 91101
Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Closed Sunday
