"More than a decade ago, chef “Tia” Ilonka Garcia was cooking at El Camaguey Market in Palms serving classic Dominican food in one of the city’s earliest documented appearances of the cuisine. In 2022, Tia opened a food truck just off La Cienega Boulevard, serving a hungry Dominican crowd with breakfast through the early evening. Her specialties are soulful stewed oxtails, fried chicken, and fritura (fried snacks), as well as a terrific tray called tres golpes: fried eggs, fried cheese, and sliced fried salami that should quell one’s morning hunger through half the day. Now Ilonka has taken over a full brick-and-mortar on the border between Culver City and Mid-City Los Angeles with an expanded menu and the same fantastic Dominican fare. In this part of town, there isn’t a better place for top-notch Caribbean food." - Rebecca Roland