WHY You never know where it’ll pop up or what’s on the menu, and that’s the fun of it.

WHAT Good luck getting a reservation at L.A.’s (and now the nation’s) premiere pop-up restaurant. (So many people want in, the online reservation system usually crashes soon after it opens.) Ludovic Lefebvre is a classically trained French chef, but he doesn’t let that hinder him. Cornichon velouté, Thai choucroute, foie gras doughnuts as big as Humvees—anything and everything is in play. The food is wildly inventive, which is why fans flock to LudoBites wherever it pops up next.

WHO Culinary thrill seekers,Top Chef Masters fans, chef groupies, food bloggers and restaurant critics who have traveled all the way across the country for this one meal.