La Esperanza Restaurant & Bakery

Since 1994 this Western Avenue address has served Guatemalan and Salvadoran cooking, with a bakery counter turning out breads and pastries in the same room. Pupusas are the order to make, especially the revuelta stuffed with tender chicharron, though the rest of the menu runs long: chunky beef stew, sweet corn tamales, carne adobada, pepian, hilachas, and chilaquiles for the morning crowd. A second location opened later in Long Beach, but this is the original room where the restaurant and bakery share space.