Where can you enjoy an enormous, loaded potato and live jazz? Where can you find L.A.’s only floating restaurant for a bowl of chowder? Where can you eat in a historic streetcar where Hollywood legends and mobsters once dined?

Whether you’re just visiting or have lived in Los Angeles your entire life, in Unique Eats and Eateries of Los Angeles you’ll learn the surprising stories and fascinating people behind these and many more one-of-a-kind eateries. From historic delis, diners, and food halls to experimental innovators, multigenerational immigrant-founded businesses, and mission-driven restaurants helping to improve people’s lives, this book dives deep into the places that make Los Angeles special.

You’ll head to 27th Street Bakery for legendary sweet potato pies baked by a gold medal Olympian. Ignite your imagination where Walt Disney found inspiration at the Tam O’Shanter. Get served by a robot at Kouraku, the oldest ramen shop in the United States. And learn about the matriarch behind the Yucatán-style tacos at the James Beard Award–winning Yuca’s.

Local author Danny Jensen takes you on a guided tour of many of L.A.’s most unexpected and iconic restaurants. Along the way, you’ll uncover new places to eat and a fresh perspective and deeper appreciation for the ones you know.