Olivia Bria

Correction and editor's note: This story originally stated La Usuluteca is in West Adams. It is in Mid-City, not West Adams. We regret the error.  A good hole-in-the-wall eatery isn’t hard to find—if you just know where to look. Mid-City is the historically Black, centrally located L.A. neighborhood that is home to Salvadoran panadería La Usuluteca. The establishment, located just west of Arlington Heights, first opened in 2013 and celebrated its 10-year anniversary just last year. Founder and co-owner Juan Torres migrated from El Salvador to California in 2008 to first work in his family-owned business—an ethnic grocery store that focused on Salvadoran goods.  “When he came to work with his brothers, he found that the quality of sweets they sold [that they bought from third parties] was not great,” says Maria Antonieta Suárez, his wife and co-owner. “So when we started tasting them, Juan saw an opportunity to improve the quality of those sweets.” With the Salvadoran immigrant community well-represented in L.A.’s Central American circles—just take a look at Panaderia El Salvador in East Hollywood or Panaderia Cuscatleca in Pico-Union—it’s a wonder that these delicious Latin American pastries have largely been overlooked by other Angelenos.  Photograph: Jesse Hsu for Time OutMaria Antonieta Suárez and Juan Torres behind the counter at La Usuluteca. Suárez says that La Usuluteca goes “by the book with everything [they] do,” taking pride in their authentic Salvadoran recipes,