It is a maxim of Los Angeles food culture that you'll find some of the best meals in the oddest places, in run-down strip malls or seemingly abandoned building complexes. Pollo a la Brasa looks less like a restaurant than like a folklorist's dream of one: a Peruvian chicken shack wedged into a well-trafficked Koreatown intersection, pungent smoke rising from the rotisserie chimney and a huge jigsaw of firewood leaning against the outside wall, improbably close to the metered street parking. If you're lost, just look for the distinctive sign reading “Western” spelled backward, a signpost worthy of Lewis Carroll. Once inside, order one of the chickens: a whole one, or a half if you feel you must, the burnished skin painted with garlic and pepper and wood smoke. Rolled up in warm tortillas, sauced with as much of the bright green aji as you can stand, this chicken is the sort of thing some of us dream about, fairy tale or not. 764 S. Western Ave., Koreatown; (213) 387-1531. Mon., Wed.-Sun., 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Entrees $3.25-$18. No alcohol.

 

Besha Rodell's Introduction

Anne Fishbein's Photography

The Google Map

 

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Bäco Mercat
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The Bazaar
Bestia
BierBeisl
Bludso's
Cacao Mexicatessen
Canelé
La Casita Mexicana
Cemitas Poblanas Elviritas
Chichen Itza
Chung King
Cole's
Coni'Seafood
Cube Cafe & Marketplace
Din Tai Fung
Eva
Father's Office
Fred 62
Gjelina
Golden Deli
Go's Mart
Il Grano
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Guisados
Hatfield's
Ha Tien Quan
Hawkins House of Burgers
Hayat's Kitchen
El Huarache Azteca
Huckleberry
The Hungry Cat
ink.
Jar
Jitlada
JTYH Heavy Noodle II
Kang Ho Dong Baekjong
Kiriko
Kiyokawa
Kogi Truck
Krua Siri
L&E Oyster Bar
Langer's
Little Dom's
Lucques
Ludo Truck
Lukshon
Mariscos Jalisco
Matsuhisa
Meals by Genet
Mélisse
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Mo-Chica
Musso & Frank
Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa
Nickel Diner
Night + Market
Oinkster
Osteria Mozza
Pann's
Pa-Ord Noodle
El Parian
Park's BBQ
Philippe the Original
Picca
Pink's
Pizzeria Mozza
Playa
Pollo a la Brasa
Providence
R&R Soul Food
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Red Medicine
Ricky's Fish Tacos
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