Imperial Tacos, tequila, bourbon, repeat

While there won't be anybody there who changes sweaters twice in a half-hour and has model-train access to a bizarre puppet kingdom, Baja-style comida-ery Imperial is aiming to be as neighborly as possible, thanks to glass garage doors opening up to Woodward, locally made oak communal tables, and a welcoming, above-bar painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe that the staff can fold back to reveal Johnny Cash mid bird-flip, just like they have in most nicer churches.

The owners fix up "LA working class" tacos like the also-not-in-churches al pastor (marinated pork/grilled pineapple/jalapeno onion pickle), and adobado de pollo (chili lime grilled chicken w/ salsa verde), plus tortas stuffed w/ slow-roasted pork, stewed beans, slaw, guac & a poblano lime cream sauce.

Because only huge losers eat just two tacos and a sandwich, Sonoran hot dogs come wrapped in bacon & topped w/ beans/ salsa verde/ poblano lime cream, or you can grab smaller dishes like lime & queso fresco-topped grilled jalapenos, or frijoles charros, a stewed bean dish named after a Mexican horseman, so definitely caballo one of those.

Because Our Lady Guadalupe didn't have any hit songs, the cocktail menu's highlighted by the Ring of Fire w/ habanero orange-infused tequila & grapefruit juice, plus the Negra Modelo, anejo, cilantro, lime, demerara One Night in Mexico, during which Mr. Rogers put on new shoes 37 times, mostly because they kept getting stolen.

Photo by Angela Wisniewski