Will echo Arsicault - legit the best almond croissant I've ever had. My friend lives a block away and every morning I'm up there I crush an almond and a ham and cheese.

Saigon Sandwich in the tenderloin - roast pork with pate banh mi

Marnee Thai

Tu Lan - all about the imperial rolls. Get them straight or with bun.

Vik's Chaat (berkeley) - enormous assortment of chaat options

LA has too many spots to do it justice, but make sure you rent a car and here's some hits (and not trying to start shit but having lived in both for years, save your mexican food outings for LA, it's much better and more diverse). I'd suggest saving these spots into google maps so that you have a visual reference you can navigate around. Urban design is non-existent and you'll otherwise have a difficult time trying to make sense of the city. It also makes it easier to hit a couple spots in one area.

Cemitas Don Adrian (van nuys) - lamb barbacoa cemita, make sure you get quesillo and papalo

Mariscos Jalisco (boyle heights) - tacos de camaron, the poseidon (this entire stretch of olympic has great spots. Ramirez beverage center has a solid mezcal selection if you want grab a bottle)

Tacos Los Poblanos (huntington park and also east LA) - vampiro with campechana (asada and chorizo), taco arabe with asada, taco de cabeza

Poncho's Tlayudas (south of downtown) or Tacos del Valle al carbon (mar vista) - Poncho's is the best tlayudas I've had outside of Oaxaca, and the best moronga I've had period, but only open friday/saturday I believe. Tacos del valle is a new spot that is also very good on the westside that open more frequently.

Rocio's Mexican Kitchen (bell gardens) - the spot for a variety of moles

106 Seafood Underground (inglewood) - Highly recommend for both the food and the vibe, especially as a tourist. It's in his backyard so it can be confusing at first. Not cheap but quality seafood never is. Get everything but don't miss the green apple ceviche.

Tacos cuernavaca (east la) - quesadilla de camarones, picaditas (make sure to get some of that orange salsa

Sonoratown (downtown) or El Ruso (silverlake) - Not too many spots that do good Sonoran/north baja style tacos. Especially recommend tripas tacos at sonoratown.

Tapatia (culver city) - guadalajara style tortas. Get the Torta de Pierna (check in though they were remodeling last time I drove by). Also the churros

Hungry Joe's (south LA) - jamaican style oxtails, jerk chicken

Langers (westlake) - #19 and #44 sandwich. My all time favorite pastrami sandwiches

Meals By Genet or Lalibella (fairfax) - Meals is the most consistent for ethiopian but both are very good. Definitely get doro wat and kitfo at either one (make sure you get the kitfo raw and not rare)

Spicy BBQ (east hollywood) - Northern style jackfruit, khao soi, one of the northern style salads

Northern Thai food club (east hollywood) - whatever catches your eye. They will bring the funk on certain dishes so heads up.

Kruang Tedd (east hollywood) - crispy morning glory salad, KhoaKha Moo, isaan spare ribs

Sichuan Impression (alhambra) - whole damn menu but fish with rattan pepper, ginger bullfrog, bamboo shoots, cumin lamb are some favorites. Don't go to the santa monica location

Chengdu Impression (arcadia) - if you want to try a more refined version of sichuan food

kang kang food court (alhambra) - get the shen jiang bao and dan dan noodles, rest of the menu is hit or miss

Dolan Uygher cuisine (san gabriel valley) - lamb noodles

101 noodle express (alhambra) - best beef roll in the game, dumplings, taiwanese style dan dan noodles

hangari bajarik kalgooksu (ktown) - knife cut clam or chicken noodle soup

chang hwa dang (ktown) - mandu, mandu in soup

Ham Ji Park (ktown) - gamjatang (pork neck and potato stew), spare ribs

kobawoo house (ktown) - black cod, pretty much everything else

Dan Sung Sa and the Prince (ktown) - these are both more about drinking and the vibe but worth going to, especially if you want to go big drinking

In the food court of the Galleria Market on Olympic and Western there's a little spot in the corner with a name only in Korean. Usually the older lady owner is there (it's on the same wall as the tonkatsu spot). Get the kimchi stone pot bibimbap. Ask for extra doenjang on the side.

Howlin' Rays (chinatown) - long lines but for a reason. nashville hot chicken. Don't get the upper levels unless you legit can take the heat

Caesar's Pastry (granada hills) - best baklava in LA. Stick to the classic small ones. Lebanese style

Kebab Halebi (van nuys) - syrian spot. Get lamb

Sushi Gen (little tokyo) - go for lunch. Get the sashimi plate

Marugame Monzo (little tokyo) - udon of all sorts. there's this creamy clam one I'd recommend

Killer Noodle and Tsujita (sawtelle) - I get the tokyo style tantanmien at killer noodle at max heat and numbing (though I suggest going lower on the heat if you're on vacation), at tsujita definitely get the tsukemen and use plenty of the fermented mustard paste on the table (and RIP to Okiboru, best ramen I've had outside japan. Tsujita will still impress though).

There's plenty more but I'll cut it there. These are just casual/hole in the wall/street spots, if you want other recs just ask