Since 1969, Harold & Belle’s has served gumbo, fried catfish, étouffée, po’boys, and other Creole staples in Jefferson Park. Now run by the founders’ grandson and his wife, the restaurant remains one of the clearest links to Los Angeles’s historic Creole community.

A Little Tokyo institution where handmade imagawayaki and other Japanese festival snacks have drawn crowds to the window since 1968.

At Fuegos L.A., an Argentine couple has turned a South L.A. storefront into a warm gathering place for empanadas, grilled meats, and neighborhood celebrations.