Mercado La Paloma Reviews

Love visiting this establishment. Chichen Itza restaurant is probably my favorite here. The chicharron tacos are amazing! Always consistently good flavorful and I’ve never found them like this anywhere else. Recommended to me by a friend and I’ll continue to keep coming back. The cool atmosphere is great and they sometimes have live music like they did on Sunday afternoon.

This "Mercado" is located across the street from the LA DMV and a freeway entrance. Therefore, the area was quite congested even before this place went up. I was at the DMV and decided to cross the street and see what this place was like. I was hoping it was like a small Mercadito (East LA on Lorena) or Central Market (Downtown off Hill). No such luck. The place had a couple vendor selling over-priced tacky Mexican stuff and a few food stands. Nothing special.

With TWO standout restaurants, we love this place on weekdays (weekends it can get loud). It's very informal (you order and pay at the counters and then they bring the food to your table), can get busy in the height of the lunch hour on fridays - and a bit hot and stuffy in the hottest weather, but generally is a great place to go. - Chichen Itza has amazing food from the yucatan. Cochinita Pibil is their signature dish and on fridays some amazing fish. Ask though, and they'll explain the food. Gilberto Cetina and his son are both there a lot. yum!!! - M0-chica is asian influenced Peruvian food - outstanding and sometimes a bit surprising. I love their slightly japanese-influenced Lomo Saltado. Everythign I've tried so far has been great. Other places that are good are the bakery (amazing cakes with fruit as well as tempting smaller deserts) and Oaxacalifornia for sandwiches and smoothies. Two different artisan shops make it a place you can pick up a quick gift when needed. BTW the Mercado rents out a motley meeting room for very reasonable prices and the restaurants will cater there.

Al Pastor has excellent Fish Tacos! They were made to order. Deep-fried fish, but it wasn't at all greasy. tortillas were fresh, not dried out, not filled with chemicals I wish I lived in Los Angeles and could try every food stall.

We went Sunday night and had fantastic authentic Mexican food at Chichen Itza. There was a wide range of differ foods on offer but Chichen Itza had the longest line - a good sign. Unfortunately several of the shops were shut being late in Sunday, but the Centre looks like a fun place to eat and wander around.

I currently live in Monterey Ca. and came down to Los Angeles on a business trip. I decided to stop by this Saturday a little before noon for some breakfast. However, this short Hispanic female cashier when asked a question by a daughter and mother in front of us. Was very arrogant and treated them poorly they went ahead and canceled their order and we did the same. We do not support that behavior or lack of customer service. If she is not happy with her job she should go find a new one.

Run as a community based cooperative space - this food market near the USC campus is a cornucopia of yumminess. With almost a dozen different ethnic flavor varieties, this is a great place to bring large groups of friends for a meal. I would highly recommend to both locals and visitors

This used to be a sweatship garment factory that was transformed by Esperanza Community Housing Organization, a community organization for economic, health and housing, as an economic hub for the local community. Downstairs are various family owned restaurants (no corporate franchises) like Holbox, Chichen Itza, Azla. Upstairs there are office for community and non-profit organizations. Theu have music several times a month and celebrations of central american cultural festivals. It is a great place to visit and eat lunch or dinner.

Went here before a concert - couldn't find another place that looked good in the area. The place is set up with a number of different counters for the different restaurants. All looked yummy. Not a ton of vegetarian options. We chose Vista Hermosa for some yummy Mexican.

Perfect place to stop for healthy juices, smoothies, aguas frescas, sandwiches, Oaxacan tortas and ice creams, coffee and cappuccino. One of our favorite sandwiches is their turkey club with avocado. Fun place for a traveling family to stop because there are so many food and store options in this inside food court. A step into Latin LA just a couple blocks from USC, the Natural History Museum, The California Science Center and the Californian African American Museum. Easy parking.

The location is not pretentious, few foods kiosks in a warehouse with shared tables. I tried Holbox and Chichen Itza, in the first try the grilled pulpo or the tacos pulpo in the second the lime sopa, both delicious. I go everytime I pass by L.A.

Had lunch with a friend in Chichen Itza. Both appetizer and main entry were delicious, at a decent price, and served in record time. It is a place to go for the food, not the ambiance or any other amenities. Will come back for sure

Met a friend near USC before taking a self guided walking tour. He suggested this place for ethnic food. Cheap, fun, excellent. It's a warehouse/community center with a variety of food stalls inside, picnic tables, etc. Don't be intimidated by the odd location.

Referred here by a friend and so happy we came. Sadly we got there around 8:30pm and only 2 places were open as they close at 9 but we were still able to at Chichen Itza and the food was delicious. My favorite was the fresh horchata. Prices were reasonable and the chicharron tacos were so good. Free parking in l.a. is nice and the place has several food choices, vegan included, should you make it earlier in the day. We are definitely going to come again.

Asla Ethiopian Vegan, very spicy but wonderful. Kids had quesadillas, tamales, steak plate. Huge pineapple drinks for $1.89. And the plates are reusable (like normal plates- not ones you chuck away).

My dreams of a Spanish inspired food court has become a reality! We decided to check this place out on a weekend after our workout, and there is nothing but great things to say. I would say they have about 5-7 restaurants inside of the indoor plaza along with some other vendors which sell clothes and small furnitures. The best part about the place is the price is reasonable for a lot of the restaurants that we saw. Also, who doesn't love a plaza with its own free parking lot in downtown LA. You don't see a lot of those anymore these days! We will definitely come back and try more of the restaurants here.

This is a great place to go for excellent international food at good prices! There is a great Thai place, regional Mexican and great Ethiopian. You can also get burgers, sandwiches and more. It is a fun and festive place with lots of space to meet friends! No reservations required! There is also a great little shop for Mexican gifts! We love to go there.

This gem of a space just south of downtown hosts a half dozen Mexican food stalls, one as good as the other. We had Oaxacan tacos, chile rellenos and a delicious soup all very modestly priced. The tables are roomy enough for families. There is ample parking.

Heard so much good reviews from my co workers regarding this place. It's located close to USC campus. It looks like an old bodega converted into a food court. There is a small parking lot in the premises and also free street parking. There are a few gift shops that sells Latin American stuff. I finally found the huaraches sandals I have been searching for a long time. This was an extra treat for me. I chose to order fish and shrimp tacos from Al Pastor and they were delicious. All freshness in the ingredients. One co worker had chicken from Chicken Itza and smelled divine. We will be back to try the Thai and Ethiopian dishes.

A great place to go if you just had a long day at the DMV. Walk here in 5 minutes!. The place is a big old building, I would guess an old warehouse. It has been re-purposed into the Mercado. Inside is a big open space with many different small restaurants. It all works like a fast food. You go up to the counter, order, and sit down. They bring your food to your table when it's ready. There is an amazing choice of cuisines here! Pick from Ethiopian, Thai, a burger place, " standard " Mexican, Yucatan Mexican, Oaxacan Mexican, and a place which makes really artistically crafted Mexican specialties with ceviche and other seafood. In addition, the are a few other shops selling crafts, and even a place which alters clothes and a place which can do your taxes.The Mercado is in a rough area, but they have their own parking lot, which is pretty secure. Parking is free with validation from one of the businesses.

Holbox restaurant in the market is the best ceviche I ever tried, they cut the tuna fish right in front of you to make your ceviche, the prices are cheap and you can eat in front of the ceviche bar while you see how they prepare the fresh food for you.