The Grand Central Market in downtown LA is foodie’s paradise and a great place to go if you’re hungry. It’s located on the first floor of the Homer Laughlin Building. Originally opened in 1917, the Grand Central Market has been in business for over 100 years. Pretty much making it as old as the pyramids (not true). Packed with close to three dozen restaurants, the Market has something for everyone.
Getting To Grand Central Market
Grand Central Market is Located right in the heart of downtown LA at:
317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Grand Central Market Parking
Parking is never fun in LA. Thankfully the Grand Central Market parking is easy.
They have their own parking structure located on the corner of Hill & 3rd. The exact address is 308 Hill St. According to parkopedia.com, the rate is about $3 an hour on a Sunday afternoon. You can also get the ticket validated for one hour of free parking with purchase.
Alternatively, the Broadway Spring Center adjacent to Grand Central offers a day rate of $5. If you’re planning to stay in the area longer, this could be a better option. The address to that structure is 333 S. Spring St.
Using The Metro
If you’re taking the Metro, you can use either the Purple or Red Line and exit at Pershing Square. From there, head northeast towards 3rd street for a block and a half. The Grand Central Market has entrances on both Broadway and Hill Street so you can’t miss it.
Our Visit to the Grand Central Market
We visited the Grand Central Market for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. So naturally, the place was packed. After a quick huddle, our group split up. Some of us grabbing seats, while others fanned out in search for food. The Market is just as appealing on the eyes as it is on your stomach. Every storefront’s uniquely designed with their own catchy signage to entice you to purchase. We enjoyed exploring the aisles in search for a tasty meal.
Most of us were able to order our food relatively fast. Our longest wait was at Eggslut which was about an hour. Regardless, we didn’t let the wait slow us down. We took turns waiting in line while others ate. With this method, we had downed food from five other restaurants before we even ordered from Eggslut.
Restaurants We Tried
Wexler’s Deli
We’ve eaten at Wexler’s before in Santa Monica so we already knew what we wanted. Wexler’s may be known for its fish, but we really love their Reuben sandwich. Served warm on toasted rye bread with fatty corned beef falling apart in your mouth. It was so good.
Ramen Hood
Being a ramen lover, I didn’t know what to think of vegan ramen. I had my doubts, but I ended up enjoying it more than I expected. I tried the OC Ramen. The sunflower seed broth was excellent, and the noodles were cooked well. I wasn’t a fan of the vegan egg, but overall it was an above average bowl of ramen. Better than some shio and shoyu broths that I’ve tried, but it’s still long way from my favorite broth, Tonkotsu.
Eggslut
One thing is for sure. Eggslut is popular. Word on the street is that their “slut” specialty (an egg on mash potatoes) is the bee’s knees. Sadly the only thing we tried was their Guacho burger. It tasted exactly like any other burger with an egg in it. We’ll have to go back sometime to try their more popular dishes.
Villa Moreliana
Two times Villa Moreliana offered free tacos to people in our group. Both times they ended up loving the samples so much that they bought a few tacos. Villa Moreliana specializes in carnitas. You’re going to love this place if you’ve ever complained about a taco joint being stingy on the meat. The tacos here are packed with juicy carnitas. There is so much meat that u could split the carnitas into two tacos. Like Pork? Eat here.
Valerie Confections Bakery & Cafe
One of our favorite items at the Grand Central Market was, “Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake” from Valerie Confections Bakery. It was delicious, something we ultimately stumbled upon. We would not have discovered this awesome cake if it wasn’t for the long line at Eggslut that brought us right next to the bakery. The cake was just perfect. Moist cake, light frosting, and full of flavor. The coffee-flavored honeycomb candy on the outside of the cake adds a whole other dimension to the cake. One slice had turned into five before we left Grand Central Market. Trang even found the recipe online and made it the next day!
McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream
We washed everything down with a nice milky ice cream cone from McConnell’s. Crunchy shell, soft granular ice cream made fresh. A tasty way to cap off a great lunch.
Store Directory (April 2017)
Ana Maria
Belcampo Meat Co.
Bento Ya Japanese Cuisine
Berlin Currywurst
Bombo
Chiles Secos
China Cafe
Clark Street Bread
Courage & Craft
District Market
DTLA Cheese And Kitchen
Eggslut
G&B CoffeeGolden Road Grand Central Market
Grand Central Discount Store
Grand Central Jewelry
Horse Thief BBQ
Jose Chiquito
Knead & Co. Pasta Bar + Market
La Huerta
La Tostaderia
Madcapra
McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream
Olio GCM Wood Fired Pizzeria
The Oyster Gourmet
Press Brothers JuiceryRamen Hood
Roast To Go
Sarita’s Pupuseria
Sticky Rice
Sticky Rice 2
Tacos Tumbras A Tomas
Torres Produce
Valeria’s
Valerie Confections Bakery & Cafe
Villa Moreliana
Wexler’s Deli
*We’ve tried the shops marked in BOLD. Need to go back and try more.
Check it out
If you’re planning a trip to Grand Central, we hope you find this article useful.
Trang and I are hoping to revisit the Grand Central Market soon to try other restaurants. If you’ve been to Market please let us know your recommendations. We would love to get some suggestions of what to get on our next visit.
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