One of the joys of living in California is that you’re never too far away from a great meal.
And the variety of Mexican and Salvadoran cuisine throughout the Golden State is unsurpassed.
Once again, our friends on the LA Times Food team have released a well-researched and delicious list to confirm California’s status as a national food mecca.
Critic Bill Addison spent more than a year traveling throughout the state, tasting and compiling selections for the 101 Best Restaurants in California guide.
In his latest article, he’s highlighted 15 of the best Mexican and Salvadoran spots throughout the Golden State, highlighting popular haunts and hidden gems.
Look, this doesn’t have to be a tacos-versus-pupusas debate (sorry, Brad Pitt is correct). We can enjoy both and other plates on this list.
Here’s a few recommendations from Addison’s guide.
You’re reading the Essential California newsletter
Our reporters guide you through the most important news, features and recommendations of the day.
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy.
Enter email address
El Molino Central (Sonoma)
A molino is the specific mill used to grind nixtamalized corn into masa, which has been the focus of Karen Taylor’s businesses for decades.
In 1991, Taylor started Primavera, a Bay Area wholesale operation built around tamales and tortillas, and a name under which she sells life-giving chilaquiles for breakfast on Saturday mornings at San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza farmers market.
Nearly 20 years later, she translated what she’s learned about fresh masa into a tiny restaurant in the Boyes Hot Springs section of Sonoma County.
A portion of the menu flows with the seasons: in the summer, light-handed sopes filled with chicken tinga and chile rellenos filled with epazote-scented creamed corn arrive; winter is for butternut squash and caramelized onion enchiladas; and spring brings lamb barbacoa tacos over thick, fragrant tortillas.
Among perennials, look for the chicken tamale steamed in banana leaves and covered in chef Zoraida Juarez’s mother’s recipe for mole — hers is the color of red clay, hitting the palate sweet before its many toasted spices and chiles slowly reveal their flavors.
Popoca (Oakland)
At the most visionary Salvadoran restaurant in California, Anthony Salguero refashions his culture’s version of the beverage chicha, fermented with corn and pineapple, into a sticky, intricately sour-sweet glaze for grilled and braised chicken.
He shaves cured, smoked egg yolk over herbed guacamole as a play on the boiled eggs that often accompany Salvadoran-style guac. He serves a half Dungeness crab with tools to extract the meat and a side of alguashte, an earthy seasoning of toasted pepitas, to accentuate the crab’s sweetness.
Nicaraguan chancho con yuca, a slow-cooked pork stew, is the inspiration for a walloping pork chop marinated in achiote, grilled above glowing almond logs and poised at an angle, like a rakishly worn hat, over braised yuca and red cabbage.
Salguero ran the eatery Popoca as a pandemic-era pop-up in Oakland before finding a more permanent home (brick walls, pale wood floors, shadowed lighting) in the city’s downtown. While he focuses on reimagining the traditions and possibilities of Salvadoran cooking, he doesn’t abandon El Salvador’s national dish: The pupusas are exceptional, made from several versions of masa using corn he buys from Mexico City-based Tamoa.
Barbacoa Ramirez (Arleta)
Lamb barbacoa — when cooked properly for hours to buttery-ropy tenderness — is such a painstaking art that most practitioners in Southern California sell it only on the weekends.
In the Los Angeles area, conversations around sublime lamb barbacoa should start up in the north San Fernando Valley, at the stand that Gonzalo Ramirez sets up on Saturday and Sunday mornings near the Arleta DMV. You’ll see him and his family wearing red T-shirts that say “Atotonilco El Grande Hidalgo” to honor their hometown in central-eastern Mexico.
Ramirez tends and butchers lambs in the Central Valley. The meat slow-cooks in a pit overnight and, cradled in plush made-to-order tortillas, the tacos come in three forms: smoky, molten-textured barbacoa barely hinting of garlic; a pancita variation stained with chiles that goes fast; and incredible moronga, a nubbly, herbaceous sausage made with lamb’s blood.
Join the line (if it’s long, someone usually hands out samples to encourage patience) and then find a place at the communal outdoor table. Worried that options might run out, Addison said he tends to arrive before 9 a.m., an hour when Ramirez’s rare craftsmanship often inspires a mood where people sit quietly, holding their tacos as something sacred.
The week’s biggest stories
Trump administration, policies and reactions
Trump’s indictment of former FBI Director James Comey is a test of justice, legal experts say.
Some see Trump’s ‘domestic terrorism’ meme as a blueprint for vengeance that echoes history.
Cal State universities are now the target of antisemitism probe by Trump administration as personal info is requested.
Veteran U.S. attorney in California insisted Border Patrol follow a court order. Then she was fired.
Crime, courts and policing
Reputed Mexican Mafia figure accused of brokering drug cartel alliance strikes plea deal.
A car wash owner body-slammed by DHS agents has filed a $50-million claim.
California man-turned-vigilante killed a child sex offender. Now he’s charged with murder.
A ‘very mean squirrel’ is going nuts in San Rafael. Two victims sent to the ER.
Transportation and infrastructure
Shooting for the moon. How Elon Musk’s SpaceX is faring.
L.A. buyers scramble to snap up electric vehicles as tax breaks end.
Transportation Dept. pulls federal trail, bike grants it deems ‘hostile’ to cars.
More big stories
D4Vd’s Tesla was ticketed 11 days before Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s body found inside.
Thousands of lightning strikes light up Southern California skies. Could more rain be on the way?
A Hearst heiress’s estate in Los Feliz is asking for $21.5 million.
California TV station abruptly shutters news operation after 56 years on air.
Singer D4vd broke lease and moved out of Hollywood Hills home searched in 15-year-old girl’s death.
Miss the late Stan Lee? Might be time to chat with the comic book legend’s AI-fueled avatar.
This week’s must-reads
California
The iconic Beverly Hills palm tree streets have a tourist problem
In recent years, several Beverly Hills neighborhood streets have been clogged by tourists standing in the middle of the road for the perfect shot. City officials and neighbors warn of a glaring safety issue.
More great reads
Mt. Whitney hikers love this Chinese restaurant pitstop that looks like a merry-go-round.
A U.S. veteran spoke out against his wrongful arrest by ICE. Now he’s being accused of assault.
Opinion: ‘Have you considered helping boys?’ The other gender gap.
Opinion: Would a DiCaprio or a Del Toro by any other name be as successful?
Opinion: Nine months after the Eaton fire, ‘moments of wavering, or wanting to give up’ on ever returning.
For your weekend
Going out
Sunday Funday: Actor Jaleel White talks Mexican food and praying at Oasis Church on Wilshire Boulevard in his perfect Sunday.
Time for a slice: One of L.A.’s best bakeries launches a new pizzeria in Highland Park with lines out the door.
Halloween fun: Gather all your boos! These 31 things to do in L.A. will spook and charm you this October.
Hallowed spots: Three L.A. restaurants are on the World’s 50 Best in North America list.
Staying in
Television Review: In ‘The Lowdown,’ actor Ethan Hawke is a bruised and battered hero obsessed with the truth.
Television Review: ‘House of Guinness’ is loose on historical facts, but like a pint, you may cozy up to it.
Book review: Kamala Harris looks back with rancor in ‘107 Days,’ a postmortem short on hope.
🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for Gochujang Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread.
✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
L.A. Affairs
Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.
Lifestyle
L.A. Affairs: He roots for Trump and the Dodgers. Could we stay married?
He looked 20 years older than he did four years ago. In my head, I thought, ‘This makes sense. The ugliness within him has deteriorated his physical body.’
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff writer
Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
Diamy Wang, homepage intern
Izzy Nunes, audience intern
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.