Baba Sweets

If you know where to look, the San Fernando Valley has a handful of standout South Asian restaurants, including Sri Lankan specialists like Apey Kade and this no-frills vegetarian sweet shop and eatery in Canoga Park. On the desserts side of the equation, the gulab jamun and jalebi here are top-notch, as are the various sweets like flavored burfi (evaporated milk fudge), kaju katli and sooji halwa (a type of crumbly treat common to both South Asia and the Middle East—this one being made with jaggery sugar, raisins and almonds). For budget-friendly diners, however, the real prize is the cafeteria-style spread of delicious curries and stews; the chole bhature—a combination of a deep-fried, puffy flatbread and chickpea curry; and other chaat (street food snacks) items like pani puri (hollowed balls of dough filled with chickpeas, potato and onion and flavored with chutney and spiced water). If you order correctly and play your cards right, you can walk out of here satisfied for under $20.