ETI list the Top Quality Fast Food Spots in Los Angeles

Bill Elwell might be one of the crankiest burger men in Los Angeles, but he sure knows how to grill a fantastic SoCal-style burger. Get a double burger loaded up with bacon for something that’ll make you (almost) forget about In-N-Out.

Dude, it’s In-N-Out.

This fast-casual Japanese chain does one thing, and it does it really well: udon. Order a bowl up front, then add on a bunch of toppings like fried tempura. The equation is deadly simple, and yet there’s so much variation, whether it’s the soup base or the toppings and sides. There are long waits during prime hours, but otherwise it’s a very quick meal.

This Westside market has what might be one of the most authentic Japanese food finds in LA: a food court. With four spots that offer reliable and cheap Japanese comfort fare, from ramen and tempura tendon to soba and curry tonkatsu, it’s a veritable heaven of fast food.

3760 S Centinela Ave

It’s quality forever at this Westwood burger shack. The hickory and steak burgers are imported from Ohio, but Angelenos have adopted the burgers and pies here like their own.

This Westside taco spot makes tasty crunchy tacos and gut-busting bean burritos. Sure the wait can get long during prime hours, but otherwise, it’s an affordable meal on the go with a heavy dose of nostalgia.

Roy Choi’s Korean-Mexican taco fusion has a permanent spot in Palms, which means locals can finally get a taste without having to chase down a truck. Try the dirt-cheap burritos or some of the more innovative dishes like kimchi quesadillas.

Josef Centeno has unleashed an easy-going fast casual restaurant in Culver City serving his popular foldover sandwiches he calls bäcos. They’re served as burritos or bowls as well, and they’re all priced under $10, which works great for studio lunch crowds and locals looking for a quick, delicious, and relatively healthy lunch or dinner. Don’t skip the soft serve for dessert.

Culver City’s high end taqueria tucked into the stylish Platform project continues to serve standout Rosarito-style tacos and plates all under or around $15 per person. While that might not quality for “cheap” these days, it’s still quite affordable and the dishes are served quickly. The mushroom tacos with cheese in flour tortillas are an excellent pick.

Doner kebab is on the rise in Los Angeles, and this West Third Street spot now has a location on the Venice Boardwalk. With a traditional Turkish-style doner with a bit more vegetables mixed in to balance it out, Berlin’s serves a notably German take on the specialty.

This burger chain born in 1969 in Santa Barbara got some serious street cred when Consumer Reports ranked its burger as the best tasting burger from a chain in America. Sample the char-grilled burgers for yourself at one of the nearly 50 locations in the greater LA area.

Salads are a way of life, at least according to Sweetgreen, which incorporates smartly tossed salads with chic environs in key locations around town. Check for the chef collaborations for something you can Instagram with abandon.

With fantastic lunchtime deals on single slices (usually available with a can of soda), Prime has become a perfect landing spot for kids in the neighborhood. For the adults, it’s also open late — and delivers.

Now with big expansion plans in the works, this original roast beef sandwich shop on La Brea still turns out quick, delicious, and affordable East Coast style favorites — complete with curly fries.

This humble burger stand in Mid City is a community hub, and a place for cheap, well-grilled burgers that are pure L.A.

With locations in Eagle Rock and Hollywood, Andre Guerrero’s Filipino-leaning menu of burgers and sandwiches has developed a sort of cult-following, largely thanks to the restaurant’s annual Burger Week. The Royale burger, topped with pastrami and chili, is something of a legend in and of itself.

New York’s finest fast food burger has arrived in Los Angeles, with a Glendale and West Holllywood location, plus Hollywood opening in mid-October. Using a smashed burger technique, crinkle cut fries, and hand-made shakes, this roadside style shop makes affordable fare in stylish locales.

This Southern California institution has been slinging high quality Mediterranean food sans freezers and microwaves for over 50 years. There are few more reliable spots that offer falafel sandwiches for south of six bucks.

The Halal Guys have landed in a prime location in Koreatown, with expansion plans in other nightlife-heavy spots. The street meat concept blends chopped lamb and chicken over a neon orange base of rice, plus spicy and white sauce for the perfect post-drinking munchie.

Things don’t get much more efficient than at this Pico Blvd. takeaway grilled chicken spot, where styrofoam platters of scorched, marinated birds over thin-cut fries stack up faster than the customers waiting outside can snatch them.

There’s not much else to do but take away your meal at this South LA fried chicken institution, where some of the city’s best bird gets crisped up alongside hushpuppies and other Southern-style favorites.

Not to be confused with Bibibop, the fast-casual chain that absorbed all the former ShopHouse locations in Los Angeles, Bibigo has long been serving up build-your-own hot stone rice bowls to those looking to get their Korean food fix.

Fine dining chef Charles Olalia went back to his roots with Ricebar, a Filipino bowl spot that serves sub-$10 options from inside a 275 square foot cabinet-sized storefront Downtown.

Roy Choi’s pan-Asian rice bowl spot Chego has become one of his most enduring legacies, even after moving from the Westside to Chinatown (well before the area blew up). With curbside service and rush orders for Dodgers games, these cheap options keep getting more popular.

Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson have a fast food concept for the future, with affordable but health-forward dishes that’ll be better than anything the large corporations can put out. With a community-focused hiring strategy and placement in neighborhoods like Watts and Oakland, Locol is the burger spot that thinks beyond the standard fast food joint.

An East LA carnitas institution, Los Cinco Puntos has been turning out tacos and meats by the pound for decades. With no indoor seating, you’ll have to perch on the ledge outside, or better yet buy a bag of to-go tortillas and enjoy at home.