Tacos: The Los Angeles Sandwich | Los Angeles, CA

Our city has been culinarily synonymous with the taco for decades.

A Federal Writers' Project essay from the early 1940s even described the then-foreign food as "a Los Angeles sandwich called a taco."

What was then a stab at contextualization has increasingly become reality, as corn tortillas are now folded around any number of fillings. And while we adopted the original version, the post-Mexican taco was born of the city's polyglot sprawl. So when two new restaurants serve corn tortillas packed with Asian fillings, they aren't rehashing Kogi–they're serving L.A.'s sandwich.

Dos Chinos The Vietnamese-American owners have taken Orange County's various ethnic pockets as their muse, including Little Saigon's Bolsa Avenue, for their popular street truck. A carnitas-like taco full of Vietnamese-spiced Bolsa pork belly ($2.50) combines tender meat with crunchy seared edges. (841 Baker Street, Costa Mesa; doschinos.com)

Komida The beloved Japanese-inspired tacos from the seasonal Yamashiro Farmers Market come courtesy of chef Brock Kleweno. Now, Kleweno's tacos can be had year-round at this new Hollywood & Highland restaurant. The miso-glazed black-cod taco (pictured; $6) is a silky and subtly sweet departure from the legendary version served at Ricky's Fish Tacos. (1738 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood; 323-466-5124)