Apey Kade

Open mostly during daylight hours, Tarzana’s Apey Kade is one of the only restaurants serving Sri Lankan cuisine in all of Los Angeles. Luckily, it’s also extremely delicious. Run by husband-and-wife team Niza Hashim and Lalith Rodrigo, the no-frills strip mall joint offers a detailed bird’s eye view of the South Asian island country’s staple dishes, from string hoppers (rice flour noodle discs) to lamprais (a portable banana leaf packet of rice, meat, sambal and curried vegetables). Most items let you choose your own protein, including an option for vegetarians, and there’s a hot case of pastries if you’re interested in trying Sri Lankan-style patties, including one stuffed with curried fish, that bear more than a passing similarity in taste and texture to the varieties made across the Caribbean.