At the back of this unassuming supermercado, knowledgeable diners will find some of the best Mexican food in the city, with a buffet that changes daily. The classic chiles rellenos hold the perfect blend of cheese and oregano in the fried poblano pepper, and the chicken tamales never miss. And the whole mojarra dorada fish, lightly battered and fried, is a light and crispy delight.

Nestled into a strip mall between a beauty shop and a grocery store, Dalat Quan offers excellent Vietnamese comfort food. The velvety Thailand Noodle Soup with the tom kah coconut rice noodle warms the body, while more rice noodles can be found in the dry hu tieu, loaded with marinated pork belly, squid, and prawns, and served with a quail egg in a rich broth. Another crowd-pleaser is the tumeric noodle soup, mi quang, packed with pork hock, ribs, and shrimp.

Owner Hiep Ngo has been bringing a little bit of Cajun to White Center for over a decade. There’s plenty of fried goodness coming out of the kitchen — catfish, shrimp, oysters, and the eponymous crustacean. Get your fill in a heaping basket with chips, or between two chewy slices of French bread with a classic bo boy. Or roll up your sleeves for a seafood boil where on certain weekends you can score a three-pound crawfish special.

Canlis alum Brady Williams runs White Center’s fine dining standout. (The name Tomo means “friend” in Japanese and is also an homage to his grandmother, Tomoko Ishiwata Bristol.) There’s a five-course prix fixe menu but guests may be tempted by the relatively new a la carte menu, which can include dishes like scallops in miso beurre blanc and a dry-aged ribeye served with au poivre sauce, but with Japanese sansyo pepper instead of the typical black pepper. Either way, you should end your evening with kakigori, a.k.a. Japanese shaved ice.

With all of the changes taking place in White Center, Taqueria La Fondita is a comforting mainstay that serves excellent renditions of the classics: tacos, crunchy taquitos rancheros, generously packed burritos, and enchiladas smothered in sauce and oozing with cheese. The lengua tacos here also hit the spot. As a bonus, many of the orders come out with a piquant combination of a grilled onion and serrano peppers. The horchata offers the right soothing blend of cinnamon and sugar to cool down any overheated taste buds.

Buho is a neighborhood tequila bar where you can hear great music, play pinball, eat Oaxacan creamed corn, and drink excellent mezcal and tequila from top producers including Bozal, Del Maguey, and El Jolgorio. The cocktail includes innovations like the Mezcal Last Word, made with with Union mezcal and green Chartreuse; the horchata slushies are also delicious.

Although they serve their thick corn tortillas and tasty tlayuda out of a truck, the mother-daughter team at Alebrijes Oaxaca Kitchen swear their joint is “not a taco truck.” Who are we to argue? Setting up shop in a lot that sat vacant for several years, Alebrijes Oaxaca Kitchen has been the buzz in White Center since it opened. The tostada de tinga is a thing of beauty with imported tostada, chicken tinga, and just the right drizzle of cream, all topped with queso fresco.

At this casual restaurant, diners can eat a whole roasted chicken with rice, beans, and tortillas while catching the day’s soccer match on television. Tortas, sauced-up chiles rellenos, enchiladas, and pozole teeming with tender pork are all excellent options. The whole chicken, covered in red adobo sauce, is bound to make a mess no matter what, so forgo the napkins and tear off the chunks of tender meat with the chewy flour tortillas, dip it in sauce and enjoy.

Long before the neighborhood became a dining draw, Salvadorean Bakery was the place that had Seattleites making the trek to White Center. Here, diners can load up trays with excellent Mexican or Salvadorean pastries filled with guava, mango, or molasses, or head into the dining room where pupusas rule — those toothy tortillas stuffed with chicharron, chicken, or cheese and beans. For a larger meal, try the carne asada (tender and fresh off the grill), which is served with a deep-fried chorizo sausage.

Inside this nautical-themed neighborhood haunt, you’ll find 99 different cans of beer, from Pacific Northwest classics like Reuben’s Crikey IPA to the Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout from San Diego. The inside of the bar is adorned with rustic planks cut from an old yacht, but you can also grab some fresh air with your beer and sandwich on the back patio. And don’t miss the Land Whale sandwich — a carnivore’s dream with smoked pork shoulder, ham, and bacon.