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LA munchies, sorted

Old-school spots that feed this city at 2am, plus the daytime legends worth setting an alarm for.

LA is a car town that eats late. Chili burgers at 3am, soft tofu stew after the bars, a giant donut glowing over Manchester Boulevard. Most of the places on this list have been doing it for decades, which matters. A spot that survived 50 years of hungry people at closing time knows what you want.

Everything here was checked as open in 2026. We left out hours and prices on purpose because they change. Call or check the place before a late run, especially on weeknights. And if the sesh was a big one, let somebody else drive. Every spot below is worth the rideshare.

Open late (or all night)

The 24 hour restaurants in Los Angeles that actually deliver. These are your 1am, 3am and 5am answers.

  • Fairfax

    Canter's Deli

    419 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

    Open since 1931 and run by the Canter family for three generations. It turned 95 in August 2026 and people lined up for hours for a 95 cent pastrami sandwich. That tells you everything. The room is big, the booths are worn in and the bakery counter up front is dangerous when you're stoned.

    Get the hot pastrami. Matzo ball soup and potato pancakes if you want to go full deli. The Kibitz Room next door is the attached bar, with live music some nights.

    TipIt runs all night on weekends but closes late on weeknights, so check before a Tuesday 3am mission.

  • West Hollywood border

    Norms La Cienega

    470 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

    The oldest Norms still standing, opened in 1957 in a building by Armet & Davis, the Googie architects. The angled roof and big sign got it named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2015. Inside it's a straight 24 hour coffee shop: counter, booths, waitresses who have seen everything.

    Steak and eggs is the classic. The big breakfast plates with hotcakes are built for people who skipped dinner and are now paying for it.

    TipIts future on this corner has been in the news more than once. Go now.

  • Lincoln Heights

    Carnitas Michoacan

    1901 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031

    A 24 hour taco and burrito spot that has been feeding the Eastside for around 45 years. It's where people go after last call, which means the line at 2am has its own energy. There's indoor seating, which is rare for this kind of place.

    Carnitas, obviously. Burrito if you're starving, tacos if you want to try a few things.

    TipPair it with a downtown night. It's a short ride north.

  • Inglewood

    Randy's Donuts

    805 W Manchester Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90301

    The giant donut on the roof, about 32 feet across, at Manchester and La Cienega since 1953. You've seen it in Iron Man 2 and a pile of other movies. The original location is a 24 hour drive-in, so donuts at 4am are a real option.

    The apple fritter is the signature. Maple long john and the powdered sugar cake are the backups. Get a dozen. You will not regret a dozen.

    TipIt's close to LAX. Good last stop before a red-eye pickup, with your sober friend at the wheel.

Burgers, dogs and chili

The best stoner food in LA leans heavy, greasy and drowned in something. These three are the backbone.

  • Westlake (Beverly and Rampart)

    Original Tommy's

    2575 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057

    Tom Koulax opened this stand in 1946 and the chain hit 80 in 2026. The original is still a 24 hour shack with a counter and a parking lot full of people eating off their hoods. The chili is the whole point. It goes on the burger, the fries, the dogs and you.

    Double chili cheeseburger and chili cheese fries. If chili at dawn is too much, the breakfast burrito is right there.

    TipGrab extra napkins. Then grab more.

  • Hollywood (La Brea at Melrose)

    Pink's Hot Dogs

    709 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

    Paul and Betty Pink started with a $50 pushcart in 1939 and moved into a permanent stand on La Brea in 1946. The family still runs it. The corner was officially named Pink's Square in 2018, and the brand is opening in Tokyo. The original is still a walk-up window with a line.

    The chili dog with mustard and onions is the top seller for a reason. The menu of celebrity-named dogs is fun to read while you wait. You'll be waiting.

    TipFriday and Saturday nights draw the longest lines. Go on a weeknight.

  • East Hollywood

    Zankou Chicken

    5065 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

    Not a burger, but it belongs in this club. Zankou started in Beirut in 1962 and the Iskenderian family brought it to LA in the 1980s, opening at Sunset and Normandie in Little Armenia. The garlic sauce is the legend: thick, white, sharp, a family recipe.

    Half chicken plate or the chicken tarna wrap. Dip everything in garlic sauce. Do not plan on kissing anyone.

    TipIt's a quick hop from Silver Lake, so it fits easily into an Eastside night.

Tacos and Mexican

The best late night tacos in LA come off trucks and trompos. Two of these are daytime only, but nobody who's had them complains.

  • Mid-City (La Brea and Venice)

    Leo's Tacos Truck

    The original truck parks in a gas station lot at the northwest corner of La Brea and Venice, and it grew into a fleet across the city. Look for the trompo out front: a spinning stack of pork, red with achiote, with a pineapple on top. Thin slices come off straight onto the tortilla, with pineapple.

    Al pastor. Then more al pastor. Order more than you think, because they're small and you're high.

    TipTrucks stay out late, but schedules move. Check their socials before you go.

  • Boyle Heights

    Mariscos Jalisco

    3040 E Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

    A seafood truck on an industrial stretch of Olympic, surrounded by warehouses, holding a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Cook Raul Ortega got his start making tacos de cabeza in San Juan de los Lagos. His face is on the habanero salsa bottles.

    The fried shrimp taco, crispy and drowned in salsa. That's the order. Get two minimum.

    TipDaytime only. Make it a late breakfast after a long night.

  • Boyle Heights

    Guisados

    2100 E Cesar E Chavez Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033

    Father and son Armando de La Torre and Armando Jr. built this into one of the most loved taquerias in town on stews, not grilled meat. The tacos are messy. Juice runs down your wrist. That's correct.

    Get the sampler of six mini tacos so you don't have to commit. Cochinita pibil with pickled onions, the mushroom, the steak picado over black beans.

    TipGo hungry and go during the day.

Koreatown after dark

The best answer to late night eats in LA is usually Koreatown. Bubbling stone pots after midnight hit different.

  • Koreatown

    BCD Tofu House

    3575 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010

    Hee Sook Lee opened the first BCD on Vermont in 1996 and named it for Buk Chang Dong, the Seoul neighborhood where she learned to cook. The Wilshire location stays open into the small hours most nights. It's bright, fast and full of people coming from karaoke.

    Soondubu, the soft tofu stew, arrives still boiling in a black pot. You crack the raw egg in yourself. Banchan refills are free and so is the little fried fish. Add dolsot bibimbap if you're sharing.

    TipLet the stew calm down before you go in. That pot stays lava hot.

  • Koreatown

    Sun Nong Dan

    710 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90005

    The Western Avenue location is open around the clock. The move here is galbi jjim, braised short rib with rice cakes and vegetables, and then a server takes a blowtorch to a layer of mozzarella right at your table. Stoned, this is a show.

    Always add the cheese. Medium spice is the sweet spot. If you're solo, the teuk galbi tang is a big rib soup that eats like a meal.

    TipBring a friend. The galbi jjim is built for at least two.

Daytime legends worth planning around

Some of LA's best munchies close before dinner. Plan a wake-and-eat around these.

  • Westlake

    Langer's Delicatessen

    704 S Alvarado St, Los Angeles, CA 90057

    Opened in 1947 across from MacArthur Park, still run by the Langer family. A lot of people say this is the best pastrami sandwich in America, and after one bite you stop arguing.

    The #19: pastrami, coleslaw, Swiss and Russian dressing on double-baked rye. The double-baked rye is the secret.

    TipDaytime only and closed Sundays. The Metro stop is a block away, and they do curbside pickup.

  • Chinatown

    Philippe the Original

    1001 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

    Open since 1908 and at this spot since 1951. It claims it invented the French dip, and its old rival Cole's closed in March 2026, so Philippe's pretty much wins by default. You order at the counter, carry a tray to long communal tables and feel like it's 1955. The sawdust floors are getting swept away for insurance reasons, but the room is the same.

    French dip, beef, on the soft roll soaked in jus. Hit it with the house mustard, carefully at first. Fresh lemonade on the side.

    TipHowlin' Ray's is a few blocks away. Do both and nap after.

  • Chinatown

    Howlin' Ray's

    727 N Broadway #128, Los Angeles, CA 90012

    Johnny Ray Zone and Amanda Chapman started this as a truck in 2015 and opened in Far East Plaza in 2016. Nashville hot chicken, and the line became its own legend. Heat runs from country, with no heat, up to howlin'. The levels above that make you sign a waiver.

    The sandwich with slaw, pickles and comeback sauce. Hot is plenty hot. Being stoned does not make you tougher.

    TipThe Pasadena location has more seats and a shorter wait.

  • Downtown LA

    Grand Central Market

    317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

    Open since 1917 on the ground floor of an 1897 building, with old neon signs over dozens of stalls. Perfect for a group that can't agree. Everyone wanders off and comes back with something different.

    Old-timers: Tacos Tumbras a Tomas for meaty tacos, China Cafe for wonton soup, Sarita's Pupuseria for cheese and loroco pupusas. Newer: The Donut Man, Eggslut, Wexler's Deli for pastrami and McConnell's for ice cream.

    TipGo on a weekday afternoon to skip the weekend crush.

How to plan a munchies run

LA is huge and traffic doesn't care how hungry you are. Pick one neighborhood and stack it. Chinatown and downtown give you Philippe's, Howlin' Ray's and Grand Central Market within a couple of miles. Koreatown puts BCD and Sun Nong Dan a few minutes apart, and Tommy's and Langer's are right next door in Westlake. Fairfax and La Brea cover Canter's, Pink's and the Leo's truck. Boyle Heights is a Mariscos Jalisco and Guisados day.

Do the daytime legends early, then save the 24 hour spots for after. Pick a driver who isn't high or grab a ride, and bring cash just in case. If you're new in town, start with our first-timer guide, then hit something to watch while you eat.

Questions people ask

What restaurants are open 24 hours in LA?

Original Tommy's on Beverly Blvd, Norms on La Cienega, Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, Carnitas Michoacan on North Broadway and Sun Nong Dan on Western in Koreatown all run around the clock. Canter's on Fairfax goes all night on weekends. Hours change, so check before you go.

Where can I get late night food in Koreatown?

Sun Nong Dan on Western is open 24 hours and known for galbi jjim covered in torched cheese. BCD Tofu House on Wilshire serves soft tofu stew into the small hours most nights. Both are a few minutes from each other.

What are the best late night tacos in LA?

Leo's Tacos Truck at La Brea and Venice is the al pastor standard, shaved right off the trompo. Carnitas Michoacan in Lincoln Heights does tacos and burritos 24 hours. For daytime, Mariscos Jalisco's fried shrimp taco and Guisados' stews are worth the trip.

What is the best stoner food in LA?

Our picks: a Tommy's double chili cheeseburger, a Pink's chili dog, Zankou chicken drowned in garlic sauce and an apple fritter from Randy's. If you can make it during the day, Langer's #19 pastrami sandwich is the top of the list.

Where is the best pastrami in LA?

Langer's in Westlake, especially the #19 with coleslaw, Swiss and Russian dressing on rye. It's daytime only. For late pastrami, Canter's on Fairfax has been slicing it since 1931.

Can I get donuts in LA in the middle of the night?

Yes. Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, the one with the giant donut on the roof, is a 24 hour drive-in. The apple fritter is the signature.

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