Embers from a roadside grill spits off a few gasps of smoke at around 10 p.m. on a chilly evening in Tujunga, a community located north of Glendale. Ruben Danielyan opens a brown bag containing mesquite charcoal, adding a few broken pieces to the barbecue where they immediately ignite. He spreads the coals evenly with a metal rake before threading pieces of marinated beef onto wide steel skewers lined up like medieval swords. When a dark SUV pulls over and a customer barks an order, Danielyan doesn’t flinch and stoically places khorovats — Armenian-style barbecue skewers — on the searing-hot grates, its fat dripping and sizzling as it hits the coals, spewing off more intoxicating aromas.

Danielyan’s khorovats stand, Kara Bala, is located in front of an auto repair shop and operates daily from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., a late-night street food dream in an otherwise quiet suburb. The grill is stationed on the sidewalk along Foothill Boulevard and illuminated by string lights as a beacon for hungry night owls. The only competition nearby is an In-N-Out that clogs the intersection at Lowell Avenue.

Just 18 months ago, Danielyan was living in Volnovakha, Ukraine, where he and his wife’s families owned several restaurants, cafes, and hotels for over three decades. Danielyan also previously owned two restaurants called Kara Bala (named after a famous flower vendor in Armenia) in the Donbas region of Ukraine that was illegally annexed by Russia after a 2014 military operation. The name Kara Bala was retained for this business as Danielyan’s wife is named Kara and bala means “baby” in conversational Armenian.

Danielyan opened Kara Bala in October 2022 when he and his wife relocated to Los Angeles, about six months after Russia invaded Ukraine in a war that continues to ravage the region. “I decided to do what I knew best — cooking khorovats,” Danielyan tells Eater through a translator. Khorovats stands are common in Volnovakha, which had a substantial Armenian population prior to the war.

There are only five meat options available at Kara Bala: lule (seasoned ground beef), chicken breast, lamb, cubed beef steak, and pork. After being grilled over charcoal, the meat is pulled off its skewer and into prepared lavash along with neat piles of chopped parsley and sliced onions. Danielyan adds a spicy red chile sauce and a creamy creation before rolling everything up and handing it to customers. The meats are juicy, heady with the smoky flavors of charcoal, and balanced by the crisp herbs and onions. The sauces bind the flavors further with equal hits of richness and heat. The whole package is an exercise in utter simplicity — something Los Angeles could use a lot more of. Sandwiches cost $15 and come with a choice of soda or water.

For the first year, Danielyan operated the business by himself but eventually brought on a friend, Karpis Bagdasaryan, to help cook. Danielyan hopes to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the future, but for now, he is content with firing up the grill every night. “My customers know that I’m open. I will keep cooking for them every day. I did the same in Ukraine, opening my restaurant for 24 hours for those who wanted to eat,” he said. “Everyone loves my food. They always come back after trying it for the first time.”

Kara Bala is open daily from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. at 6636 Foothill Boulevard, Tujunga, CA, 91042. Orders can be made on the phone by calling (318) 808-0008.

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Prices taken at time of publishing.

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