The best Filipino restaurants in Los Angeles

From a La Cañada garage to an East Hollywood storefront, Lord Maynard Llera’s fast-casual concept has quickly become one of  the (if not the) city’s best Filipino restaurants. Here, the Bestia alum adds a chef’s twists to classics. Lechon is served in not one, but two forms: a soft, luscious pork belly version of lechon kawali and a must-order lucenachon, which uses Italian porchetta. Other highlights include the buttery hiramasa collar and garlicky prawns that will leave seafood lovers on cloud nine. Whether you’re ordering off the specials menu or sticking to the signature trays (which easily feed two), Kuya Lord knocks it out of the park with gourmet flourishes like housemade pickled veggie and flavorful house-aged palm vinegar. Note that prices run somewhat high for a fast-casual meal, but the quality and flavor of every dish makes sure a trip to Kuya Lord is worth every penny.

This new-school Filipino restaurant in Chinatown’s Far East Plaza has found its groove as a reservation-free fast-casual spot with excellent natural wine. Focused on two staple dishes, chicken inasal and pork belly lechon (the latter being the standard by which most Filipino restaurants are judged), Lasita is a showcase in why, oftentimes, simpler is just better. Its spectacular atchara (pickled vegetables) pairs beautifully with either the flavorful, moist inasal and crispy, crackly pork belly, available by the half-pound or in a combo plate. Each of Lasita’s well-made dipping sauces are so delicious and distinctive you’ll likely want to order a trio, and the kitchen specials—typically announced on Instagram—are always worth a gander as well.

For generations, the Concordia family has been mastering the art of barbecue—and the Park’s Finest is the happy result. At this casual eatery in Historic Filipinotown, chef and co-owner Johneric Concordia spices up Southern barbecue with Filipino flavors. The smoky-sweet barbecue sauce mixes cane sugar, pineapple, soy sauce, chili peppers and spices atop traditional cuts like pork ribs, hot links, pulled pork and tri-tip. While the fare here is by no means traditional, the flavors of the Philippines shine true here in dishes like the coconut beef adobo, which combines cubes of 16-hour smoked chuck in a stew made of coconut cream, vinegar, chili and fish sauce and the must-order cornbread bibingka.

Once featured for its crispy pata (deep-fried pork shank) on the Cooking Channel’s Best Thing I Ever Ate, Salo Salo Kitchen is a family-run casual restaurant out in West Covina. The textbook preparation of many traditional, more homey Filipino recipes, including escabeche isda (fish escabeche) and bagoong fried rice make this a solid destination, especially if you happen to find yourself in the greater San Gabriel Valley. Making the drive out just for Salo-Salo? Bring a group and order one of the restaurant’s family-style platters, which come with all manner of meat and seafood items, including crispy fried chicken and grilled jumbo squid.