Molcajete lovers are well served by this shrimp-themed ceviche trailer that specializes in aguachiles (spicy shrimp) and callo de hacha (pen shell clams) prepared in mortar and pestles, swimming in a citrusy mixture of lime juice, salsa negra, and chiles ground in the vessel. Another top seller is the clamachile, a shrimp and octopus cocktail in a Clamato, lime juice, and salsa negra that recalls a spicy, Sinaloan maleficio cocktail. The botanas here, like the callo de hacha, are simply cooked with lime and dressed with salsa like on a sunny afternoon on Mazatlán’s malecon.

Come here for an early cena (supper) of antojitos sinaloenses like asado, meat and potatoes covered in fresh shredded lettuce, carrots, pickled red onions, Mexican cream, and a sprinkling of dry, salty cheese. Tacos dorados, or deep fried tacos, come dressed the same, with a choice of meat. For a unique take on a Mexican classic, try the enchiladas del suelo, a trio of open-faced enchiladas filled with beans and chorizo. And don’t miss owner Bernabé Martinez’s daily specials, such as sopa de frijol con hueso, a hearty bean stew with a meaty, pork shank bone, for a robust taste of Culiacán.  

Culichis show up on weekends for soulful bowls of menudo blanco (white menudo) chock-full of beef tripe, stomach, and silky tendon, just like back home, and one of the best bowls of menudo in town. For others it’s spicy chilorio (braised pork in red salsa), or fibrous strands of juicy machaca (beef jerky), accompanied by pale, creamy frijoles puercos (refried beans in lard and chorizo).

The number of Sinaloa-style sushi restaurants that have opened up in under a decade in LA, appealing to the young Sinaloan (as well as other Mexican) crowd in Orange County, and Inland Empire is innumerable, a testament to second, and third generation Sinaloenses embracing their roots. One of the newer entrees is this Los Mochis-style ocean blue-wrapped food truck making beautiful, precise trays of tuna, salmon, and inside out rolls stuffed with Tampico paste, plus jalapenos rolls capped with breaded seafood, and a thin jalapeño ring. The ceviches are outstanding, as are the spicy Cajun seafood boils in a bag.

What started as a cevichería for chef Misael Guerrero’s friends and followers inside his Fontana garage in 2010 is on a course to become a 28-branch chain franchise in eight states, spreading Culiacán-style sushi, seafood, and culture nationwide. These restaurants are no doubt inspired by his brief stint as a cook at Sinaloa sushi giant Sushi Factory in Culiacán prior to coming to the Fontana. At Culichitown, it’s a sports bar, banda show, Sinaloa sushi and seafood hotspot, and bottle service club all rolled into one with mass appeal to the Mexican community. Saturday night means corridos, chicken cordon bleu rolls on rectangular plates as long as your arm, and bottles of Don Julio 70 on ice.

Like many cevicheros in LA, Felipe Murrieta started in his garage back in 2010, later rolling out a food truck, and finally his first storefront in 2018 with a full menu of barra fría (cold bar), and barra caliente (hot bar) delights from Los Mochis, Sinaloa. Go for the fresh, meaty callo de hacha, and oyster shots with Clamato, chamoy, and a salty Tajín rim — perfect with a bucket of Barrilito beers. The hidden gem on this sizable menu is the hefty langostinos al mojo de ajo, or langoustines sauteed in garlic and butter, a delicacy from Murrieta’s hometown.  

Taquero Jose Morales is part of the small band of vendors from Mazatlán that introduced LA to the joys of chorreadas — buttery tacos smeared with asiento (unrefined lard), and melted cheese on a thick corn tortilla topped with carne asada, finely diced vegetables, and mild salsas. Whether in a taco, chorreada, or vampiro (a corn tortilla crisped, and blackened on the comal and topped with carne asada), this truck is one of the best places in LA for quality carne asada cooked over mesquite. Try their torito de harina, a fire-roasted chile poblano, split open and filled with melted cheese and smoky carne asada in a flour tortilla.

Cool off with refreshing juices, sapados, and fruit cocktails inside a colorful, verdant little juice and sandwich bar in this Paramount mini shopping plaza. Sip on icy, tropical papaya shakes with a pork leg torta, and a tostielote, which is a savory snack of grilled corn, cream, melted cheese, and lime in a split open Tostitos bag topped with grated dry cheese. Try the mother of all fruit salads, the sandia tropical, which is a halved watermelon rind filled with cubed watermelon, lime-dressed mixed fruit, and chamoy garnished with a banderilla (tamarind candy straw).

There exists no rival for trendy Culiacán-style mariscos in LA than El Paradero, featuring slender, baroque ceviche towers flaunting high-quality seafood, tostadas heaped with callo de hacha, raw shrimp, and octopus, and overdressed cut rolls of Sinaloa-style sushi. The tostada mitotero is a mix of seafood, seasoned with umami-rich salsa negra, and either of the ceviches dishes made with Tostitos are a fun, spicy way add some crunch to your seafood at the only USA branch of an Alhuey, Sinaloa cevichería. 

Though often overshadowed by tortas chilangas and tapatias here in LA, our own local Sinaloa-style torta chain has its own tradition of sandwiches made with wide, puffy rolls grilled on the outside. Combinations of fire-roasted carne asada, thin, rumpled milanesa, or pierna (pork leg) with sliced avocado are just like typical of sandwich shops in Culiacan, and special tortas tailored to the diaspora like the Fontana, made with carne asada, refried beans, panela cheese, and avocado. It’s the perfect meal while you sit in traffic on the 10 East.

This may be the most welcoming tamaleria in the greater Los Angeles area with its well-lit dining room, chalkboard menu, and corn field sticker that runs the length of one wall reminding you it’s all about the masa. All tamales are moist tender corn husk tamales of stewed, shredded pork in a bright red sauce, their most popular, of thick strands of shredded beef, in the same guiso. Chicken with diced potatoes in a tangy, green salsa is another popular filling in Sinaloa. If you show up near closing, end the evening with a pineapple tamal — a sweet bean paired with a hot cup of cinnamon spiced, champurrado. 

The pandemic closed taquero Joshi Coronel’s physical location, but the embers still burn bright at his Mazatlán-style carne asada trailer in Fontana, ablaze in flame graphics. Chorreadas come on sopes (thick tortillas) liberally brushed with asiento (unrefined lard), and gooey, melted cheese to adhere fat chunks of mesquite-grilled top sirloin to the base. Treat yourself to a side of papa loca, a dish of twice-roasted potatoes layered with carne asada, chopped vegetables, melted cheese salsa, and cream for a classic steakhouse side dish, street-style. 

Weekend mornings in the cities and towns of Sinaloa are for mariscos, if you’re close enough to a beach, menudo blanco at the local fondas, and juicy, steamed beef head tacos of cheeks, tongue, eyes, and head meats. On the corner of Santa Ana and Cedar in Bloomington is where Inland Empire Sinaloense get their fix of paper plates armed with a half dozen beef cheek tacos covered in chopped white onion and cilantro, and a tart, spicy green salsa.