The Brief

Picture this: You're with a group of friends, or out-of-town guests, and have spent the morning exploring downtown Los Angeles. You're all now having severe hunger pangs. You've heard about the iconic Grand Central Market (or maybe you've been a bunch of times), so you head over. But when you get there, you look at its overwhelming offerings and think "where do we start?"

So, we ask — why not try it all?

This is our guide to hacking Grand Central Market, the grand dame of downtown dining — what to skip, what you can't miss — so you can try as many delicious things as possible.

(We're serious about this. Think of it like a military operation. If you have time to plan ahead, consider bringing a cooler and some ice packs for the journey back home.)

Start small

It’s easy to experience sensory overload when you first start walking through the various stalls, and you’ll immediately start to see things you like. But remember — you're in for the long haul. Pick some shareable dishes to keep things light. For now.

Here's where you should start:

The shrimp cocktail at Broad Street Oyster Co.

Get ready to squeeze and dip.

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Brian Feinzimer

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Sure, you can go for lobster rolls or a seafood tower, but if you want to go the distance at GCM, the shrimp cocktail from Broad Street Oyster Co. is the way to go. Four plump shrimp arrive over crushed ice with a side of cocktail sauce and a slice of lemon. Having a shrimp cocktail is always a good idea. There’s something about dipping shrimp spritzed with a bit of citrus into quality cocktail sauce that stirs the soul. It’s enough to share with others and won’t fill you up on the long food journey to come.

The currywurst platter at Berlin Currywurst

You can choose to have your bread on the side at Berlin Currywurst, or go all in and have your sausage delivered in a roll.

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Brian Feinzimer

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Next up: The currywurst from Berlin Currywurst. The dish consists of sliced sausage, with a choice of pork, chicken, veal, beef, or tofu kielbasa, topped with a sweet currywurst sauce containing hints of tomato, vinegar, and spices accompanied by a nice round bun. It makes for a lovely snack to share with others. Dip the sausage into the curry sauce and place it on a torn piece of bread, and you'll feel like you’ve reached some kind of culinary nirvana.

The Korean fried chicken at Shiku

The perfect app: The Korean fried chicken from Shiku.

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Head to the Korean fried chicken at Shiku. The shareable, sizable chunks of fried chicken are made with a quality batter that’s equally crunchy and flavorful with each bite, especially when it comes topped with either their aji verde or srirachujang aioli providing just the right kick. The vegan option, made with pyogo mushrooms, is also a solid choice. Pyogo is the Korean word for shitake and makes for a great non-meat option to try.

The Cali fries at Maple Block Meat Co.

These fries are loaded up!

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Brian Feinzimer

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Mosey on over to Maple Block Meat Co., located on the outdoor patio section of the market, known for its delicious barbecue. However, our favorite option is their Cali fries. No doubt a play of the popular secret menu option Animal Style fries at In-N-Out, but dare we say we like the ones at Maple Block a tad more? The combination of cheese sauce, housemade thousand island dressing, grilled onions, and chopped chiles always seems to hit perfectly. Not to mention, the fries themselves will pair exceptionally with the cheeseburger from For The Win... which is coming right up.

Main Event: Entrees

Yes, that's entrees with an s.

The cheeseburger at For The Win

If you're sharing, why not add on an order of fries?

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Smash burgers are the gift that keeps on giving. You could throw a dart at a map of the greater Los Angeles area, and there’s a chance you’ll hit a place where you can find a good one. Here at the Grand Central Market, For The Win is where it’s at. The local chain, which has other locations in Hollywood, Glendale, and Whittier, should be on the list for anyone who loves an excellent smashed patty on a soft bun. What differentiates it from other burger joints is that For the Win goes the extra mile regarding the crucial details. The lacy edges on the burger patty tend to be slightly more crispy than most, with just the right amount of fatty flavor. The same goes for the creamy, slightly spicy fry sauce slathered on every burger. While the burger itself isn’t huge, you can cut it into fourths and share, especially if you are still saving room for a few other bites.

The mixed carnitas taco at Tacos Tumbos A Tomas

Those extra tortillas in the back make for convenient sharing: Everyone gets their own taco!

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For those looking for the most bang for your buck, the mixed carnitas taco from Tacos Tumbos A Tomas is the winner. It contains various pig parts, including pork shoulder, stomach, skin, and cheeks. It is piled high with meat, along with diced onion, cilantro, and your choice of red and green salsa. They include extra tortillas to assemble leftover makeshift tacos with taco dregs. Your taco cup will run over, and that’s a good thing. One taco can feed four or maybe even five people, depending on the hunger level, which is perfect as we’re only about halfway through our food crawl of GCM.

The loroco con queso at Saraitas Pupuseria

If you have room in your belly, don't skip the fried plantains and beans from this iconic GCM stall.

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A favorite of ours since writing the DTLA edition of Cheap Fast Eats, the iconic Saraitas Pupuseria always seems to deliver: The loroco con queso, a personal favorite, is made with an edible flower that looks like a vegetable, similar to asparagus. Go ahead and try it. Its flavors meld perfectly into the cheese griddled stunningly into the fresh-tasting masa outside the pupusa. Top the pupusa off with the pickled slaw known as curtido and salsa roja. Don’t forget to add a side of sweet fried plantains, some black refried beans and crema Salvadoreña. It’s a feast that is perfect for sharing — or for taking home.

The LA Galbi BBQ rice bowl at Shiku

This is a favorite on the menu at Shiku.

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Next up, we're heading back for more at Shiku, but this time for a rice bowl: The LA Galbi. The story goes that when Korean immigrants started moving to Los Angeles and frequenting the various carnicerias searching for meat to grill, they discovered flanken-style short ribs thinly cut across the bone. They decided to marinate it in their galbi sauce, containing sweet and savory flavors with hints of garlic and sesame. The result is tender and saucy and pairs well over a bed of short-grained white rice. To add brightness to the plate, two sides of banchan, traditional Korean side dishes, accompany all rice bowls, making it enough to share. It's a dish celebrating two Los Angeles cultures coming together and Grand Central feels like a fitting location to experience it.

Save some room for dessert?

That's right. We're not done yet.

A tiger tail (and more!) from The Donut Man

Donuts are the right choice, no matter what time of day it is. You can also take these to go and enjoy later.

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We've been fans of The Donut Man since visiting their original location in Glendora. But no more do we need to make the long trip on the 210 Freeway in order to get our tiger tail fix and their signature seasonal fruit donut options. If you aren't familiar with it, the tiger tail is like an elongated cinnamon twist donut, roughly a foot-long, so it's perfect for sharing. Not to be outdone, the strawberry donut is a glazed donut cut open and then stuffed to the gills with strawberries until it resembles some kind of explosion. They're a little hard to bite into directly, so it's best to cut them up and share them with others who want to join in on the donut fun. When strawberries are not available, choose from donuts filled with diced apples, slices peaches.

Cookies from Fat + Flour

Why choose just one?

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If you still have room left, (there's always room for more dessert) it's recommended that you make a stop at pastry chef Nicole Rucker’s bakery, Fat + Flour. There’s much to choose from regarding the various baked sweets, but we’ve found the best way to sample Rucker’s skills is to try some of her five to six cookie options, with even a few vegan variations to boot. With selections like chocolate chip oatmeal, lemon lavender, and bourbon chocolate pecan, it’s best to grab a few. They’re that good. The genius in the flavor of each cookie is worth mentioning, but the construction of the cookie itself is something special. Rucker and her team developed a cookie recipe that contains the perfect balance of crispy edges and soft-chewy centers. Grab at least three to share or to take home cause you’ll no doubt still be thinking about those cookies long afterward.

A scoop from McConnell's Ice Cream

And this is why we suggested you bring a cooler. Purchase a scoop or a pint to go.

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You did it! You completed your food journey through Grand Central Market. Why not reward yourself with a scoop of ice cream from McConnell’s Ice Cream at one of the few places you can find this beloved brand in person, outside of its Santa Barbara homestead. There are favorites like coffee, vanilla bean and triple chocolate, but also flavor combos such as honey and cornbread. It will go great with your cookies from Fat + Flour, a perfect combination if there ever was one. Although you might be pretty full right now, maybe grab that scoop or pint to go — did you bring that cooler? — and relish in the victory of everything you accomplished.

Raul Malo, the leader of the country band The Mavericks and one of the most recognizable voices in roots music, died Monday night, according to a representative of the band. The guitarist and singer had been battling cancer.

He was hospitalized last week, forcing him to miss tribute shows staged in his honor at the Ryman Auditorium over the weekend. He was 60 years old.

"No one embodied life and love, joy and passion, family, friends, music and adventure the way our beloved Raul did," read a statement released by his family.

Malo's group, The Mavericks, mourned the loss of their leader in a social post.

"Anyone with the pleasure of being in Raul's orbit knew that he was a force of human nature, with an infectious energy," the statement read. "Over a career of more than three decades entertaining millions around the globe, his towering creative contributions and unrivaled, generational talent created the kind of multicultural American music reaching far beyond America itself."

Over a career that lasted four decades, The Mavericks lived up to the band's name, challenging expectations and following a roadmap crafted by Malo's expansive musical upbringing as the son of Cuban immigrants in Miami.

"I grew up in a very musical household. There was all kinds of music around always," he told WHYY's Fresh Air in 1995. "We listened to everything from Hank Williams to Celia Cruz to Sam Cooke to Bobby Darin. It didn't matter."

In 1992, Malo told NPR that his widespread influences weren't always understood or appreciated in his South Florida hometown, but he said that his struggle to fit in taught him to trust his instincts. Malo had become the guitarist and lead singer for The Mavericks in 1989, alongside co-founders Robert Reynolds and Paul Deakin, and his roaring, sentimental voice defined the band's sound and remained its constant as the group's catalog moved from slow, tender ballads to full-throttle rock songs. In 1995, the band released its biggest hit with "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down," a swinging country song featuring an assist from Tex-Mex accordion legend Flaco Jimenez.

As the band grew in members and devoted listeners, The Mavericks continued to push the boundaries of American music, weaving a richly layered tapestry of textures and stories. With more than a dozen studio albums, The Mavericks collected praise and recognition from the Academy of Country Music, the Country Music Association and the Recording Academy. Although they took a hiatus for several years, Malo never stopped making music — and returned to his bandmates with renewed inspiration.

Following its 30th anniversary, the group released its first full-length Spanish album in 2020, aptly titled En Español. The record reimagined Latin standards and folklore-tinged popular tunes; it also made an implicit political statement about Latin music's contributions to American culture.

"In our own little way, if we could get somebody that perhaps is on the fence on issues and hears us singing in Spanish and perhaps reminds them of the beautiful cultures that make up what this country is trying to be and what it should be, so be it," Malo told NPR at the time. "Yeah, I'm OK with that."

The following year, the Americana Music Association recognized The Mavericks with the Trailblazer Award. In 2024, the band released its last studio album, Moon & Stars. The release coincided with news of Malo's cancer diagnosis, which he discussed openly with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe.

Before being hospitalized last week, Malo had been scheduled to perform with The Mavericks at a pair of tribute concerts held this past weekend at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Over 30 artists, including Patty Griffin, Jim Lauderdale and Steve Earle, still gathered to pay tribute to Malo, with some of the proceeds of the night going to the cancer prevention organization Stand Up To Cancer.

According to his spokesperson, though Malo was too ill to attend, the concert was streamed to his hospital room Friday night.

Copyright 2025 NPR

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has mostly blocked efforts to investigate misconduct within its ranks, according to the county inspector general, who announced his retirement Tuesday after 12 years on the job.

In an open letter, Max Huntsman cited examples of how the county has thwarted his efforts to watchdog the department, which in the past has been plagued with accusations that deputies use excessive force and lie on the job.

Huntsman said one example is former Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s misuse of criminal enforcement powers to discredit critics, such as opening an investigation into former County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl.

Villanueva was sheriff from 2018 to 2022.

“My requests for investigation were rejected,” Huntsman’s letter reads. “Even after receiving an official subpoena, the Sheriff’s Department has failed to turn over records regarding the improper surveillance.”

He added: “Sometimes members of the public wonder if frightening new surveillance techniques will be used for improper purposes under the guise of criminal investigation. Sadly, the answer is yes.”

Before becoming inspector general in 2013, Huntsman, 60, was a deputy district attorney who specialized in public corruption. He told LAist on Tuesday that the inspector general job wasn’t something he wanted initially.

“I didn’t want to go work for politicians,” he said. “But the need to provide some kind of independent reporting and analysis was significant.”

The Sheriff’s Department issued a statement saying it valued the Office of the Inspector General and all county oversight bodies and that it wished Huntsman and his family well in his retirement.

The department said it “continues to make great strides in advancing the department in a transparent manner.”

LAist also reached out to the county CEO and county counsel for comment, but they declined.

After George Floyd

In the letter, Huntsman says the state of California has come a long way in strengthening the power of local law enforcement oversight bodies, in part because of the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

After widespread protests — and lobbying by Huntsman — the state provided authority to inspectors general to enforce subpoenas requiring law enforcement agencies to hand over documents and authorized external investigation of police misconduct, including deputy gang conduct.

The Sheriff’s Department — backed by county lawyers — has resisted.

“Los Angeles County may not follow those laws, but it will not be able to avoid them forever,” Huntsman wrote. “The county refuses to require the photographing of suspected gang tattoos in secretive groups that the undersheriff has identified as violating state law.”

“Just a few weeks ago, we requested some information regarding an investigation, and a pair of commanders refused to give it to us,” Huntsman said in an interview with LAist.

Origin of the office 

The Inspector General’s Office was created by the county Board of Supervisors in 2013 in response to a scandal that included former Sheriff Lee Baca covering up the abuses of jail inmates.

Baca went to federal prison.

Since then, the office has issued dozens of reports with recommendations for improving living conditions inside jails that some have described as “filthy,” stopping abuses of juveniles inside juvenile halls and providing shower privacy for inmates as part of the requirements under the Prison Rape Elimination Act.

“All of these abuses were reported by the Office of Inspector General and recommendations were ignored,” Huntsman wrote. Often, it took court orders to enact change.

“When we first blew the whistle on the torturous chaining of mentally ill prisoners to benches for 36 hours at a time, it was only a court order that ended the practice,” he wrote. “Time and time again, this pattern repeated itself.”

Huntsman wrote the county has permitted the Sheriff’s Department to block oversight and defunded the Office of Inspector General by removing a third of its staff.

“It's not surprising the county has driven out two successive chairs of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission,” he wrote.

“Government always claims to value transparency and accountability, but shooting the messenger is still the most common response to criticism,” Huntsman wrote.

Despite setbacks, Huntsman values work 

Huntsman told LAist on Tuesday that he was proud of his career as a public servant.

“I’ve really enjoyed the work and I’m sad to have it end,” he said.

It’s a sentiment he echoed in his letter, adding that despite the setbacks and roadblocks, he was proud of the people with whom he shared the office.

“It has been my honor to work with a talented, brave and tireless group of public servants to ensure that the public knows what its government is doing,” he wrote.

He noted the inspector general’s reports are fact-checked by the office and public.

“When government abuses occur, they are sometimes kept secret, but that is no longer the case for much of what is happening in Los Angeles County,” Huntsman wrote. “What you do about it is up to you.,”

Huntsman’s last day is Friday.

Topline:

The backstory: Last month, the council's Transportation Committee voted to bring a proposal forward to implement a policy change that allows the city to impound and immediately destroy abandoned or inoperable RVs worth less than $4,000. The change is inspired by new state law AB 630, which was created to prevent previously impounded RVs from ending back up on the street.

The motion, authored by Councilmember Traci Park, reports that abandoned RVs pose as public and safety hazards.

What's next: Councilmember Nithya Raman requested that an implementation plan be presented to the council's public safety and housing and homelessness committees.

Go deeper: L.A. pushes policy to make it easier to remove RVs from city streets.