For the vegans (and non-vegans alike): This ones packed with color and texture from tender potatoes and crisp vegetables: romaine lettuce, cucumbers and haricots verts. A sweet wasabi-inflected dressing (made with vegannaise) gives it a playful Asian twist.
M Café de Chaya, $6.50 per pint. 9343 Culver Blvd., Culver City, (310) 838-4300. Open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
A single scoop, please: Japanese mayonnaise (made with rice vinegar) and mashed potatoes are what distinguishes this creamy, simultaneously sweet and tangy, Japanese-style potato salad dotted with sliced carrots and cucumber. Its typically served à la mode-style (as in with an ice cream scoop).
Nijiya Market, $2.98 per serving. 124 Japanese Village Plaza, OK Mall, Los Angeles, (213) 680-3280. Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Thats amore: Our favorite, this house-made Italian-style potato salad is spiked with celery seed and heady, wonderful fennel pollen, which makes this a refined dish. The bright acidity of the vinaigrette is a nice counterpoint to the licorice-herbal undertones.
Porta Via, $5.95 per pound. 1 W. California Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 793-9000. Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
