Mercado La Paloma

This comes up as a restaurant, and its not. Its a plaza that has a number of restaurants in it with their own respective names. So came here looking all over the place for the Mercado restaurant and it took me some time before I ended up driving around and then finally asking someone.
The PLAZA is this name, NOT a restaurant! The owner should correct this!
AND not all the places to eat here are equal.
Once the catagory is corrected I will change my star rating.
For reviews of the 3 places I tried in here, see my reviews accordingly!
They would be the Thai place, the Chichin itsa, and the Azla Vegan

I always enjoy coming to this place. :) Its like giving your taste buds a mini vaction to distant and not so distant lands. My favorite thing to do is. get a little something from each restaurant. :) I usually get the beet quinoa salad from the Ethiopian place. Please excuse me, I’m not including names all the places. I had chicken at the place the dude from diners dives and drive thru visited. His autographed poster is on the wall next to it. It was a delicious meal. Although, on my try… certain parts weren’t completely cooked. The steak and bass were cooked to perfection tho, my friends ordered that. I had the chicken satay at the Thai place; usually get their sticky rice and mango for desert (all are good). They also make a nice Thai iced tea ^^ There is a taco place next to the itza place with pretty good flan. Lastly, if I want something fast and good, there’s a grill restaurant serving half chicken and burgers etc. On the way out I sometimes grab a fresh juice from the juicery there as well, which you can see when you walk in. I think it’s great that there’s an option to shop for gifts and collectibles too. Overall it’s a cool place to enjoy lunch. Not too noisy or quiet. A cultural delight for our wandering pallets. On a side note, would be cooler if there was some wine or IPA available. Just saying ;) Enjoy!

This small market place is okay. I walked around and there are a few small Mexican stores. They sell clothes, accessories, and many other Mexican products.
I was just looking around because I was curious. They have a place to make alterations on your clothes right in the entrance. Most of the stores sell the same merchandise.
It is all very colorful and reminds me of mexico. I’m not from mexico, but I have visited before. The reason I give them 3 stars is because most of the stores sell the same products for the same prices.
They are a little expensive, but you can see some products took a lot of effort. The first store I walked into was the one in front of the entrance and the cashier didn’t look very interested when I walked in.
They were selling some bracelets that said El Salvador which was the only thing that I saw from Central America. I was going to buy it, but when I looked at the cashier she wasn’t even looking at me.
She was looking at a magazine and the bracelet did not have a price tag. I didn’t want to disturb her so I just left to go buy food.
I went to another one and there was no one there or I just didn’t see them. The reason I do like this little Mercado is because of the food they sell here. Everything looks delicious, but I love coming to Chicken Itza for breakfast.
Especially when I get out of the DMV early with no hassle. If you do come to this Mercadito I recommend you come to eat. There isn’t much to look around. They do have a decent parking lot and just in case it is full there is a huge parking lot on the side of the DMV that you can use too.

Very good Mercado I must say. They have mostly all food stores with a few shopping stores to get little items. They are somewhat «hidden» though, they are located on Grand and Jefferson behind the DMV kind of. Its still worth the search and visit for sure. I have been coming to visit some of the food places here and there’s usually always seating and some type of small events going on. I enjoy the culture at this place because they have a good mixture. They have Mexican, Thai, and few other types of food. Stop by if you get a chance, it will be worth the visit.
They have parking plus street parking so don’t worry about that.

Nothing like home style cooking from the Yucatán minus the humidity! The Panuchos and salbutes are delicioso almost like my moms but larger with plenty of meat. You need a Jamaica drink to water down two of these ginormous Panuchos that require two hands and a wide open mouth. Go here on a starving stomach and visions of being in the Yucatán. Did I forget the plátanos fritos that follow your meal with cream then do it you will not regret it!

An absolute gem right next to USC (within walking/​biking/​boarding distance) in the Historic South Central neighborhood. Mercado La Paloma is a community center and food court with great prices and diverse, delicious offerings, including:
–Chichen Itza (Yucatan), featured by Jonathan Gold and Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives
–Azla (vegan Ethiopian)
–Thai Corner
There’s plenty of seating, so feel free to come here with large groups. You can get a meal here for sub-​$ 10 per person. Parking is free in the adjoined lot, but it is limited… if you’re from the USC area, you could definitely board/​bike here (but I might not late at night by myself).
Mercado definitely has a more unique, home-​y, community feel than your average food court. Check it out :)

Nice eating place near USC, with lots of unique food options. Parking in the lot was a bear but I was able to find street parking without a problem!

I’ve been here twice now, and I can’t say that I’m overly impressed. It’s sort of like a Mexican food court. The food is okay, the speciality drinks are nice (but surprisingly expensive)… I guess I’m just missing what everyone else is excited about… It is, though, convenient to USC, and an easy bike ride over to meet a large group of friends for a quick meal.

What a gem in South LA! I wish I came here more when I went to USC. It’s right near the DMV and I can’t believe I spent more time there…
I went to the Afro-​Latin Music Series which they have once a month on a Thursday from 6−9pm. I highly recommend going to this event! It’s free and all ages. There’s amazing performances and talented singers. While they perform, many people from the audience come and show off their skills in front — even the kids! There were a few songs in the end for social dancing where everyone joined :)
The food is super cheap here too! I’m obsessed with the chorizo tortas and they always include a half a plate of fruit. All for $ 6 :)

Nice mix of all kinds of foods, ethnicities, shops, etc. Plus they’re often having special events like taste testings or live bands. Ample parking and love the mural on the wall. Add to that one of the best Mexican restaurants in LA (Chichen Itza) at reasonable prices and you have a winner!

I came here as a visitor from the San Francisco Bay Area and I was blown away at the diversity of this food court and the amazing high quality food. I will definitely come back when I return to LA. Well done!

A hidden gem, no doubt!
Mercado La Paloma houses some of the best eats South Los Angeles has to offer. Chichen Itza, a Yucatanian restaurant of Jonathan Gold repute, is just one of them. Other joints include Taqueria Vista Hermosa, Oaxacalifornia (juices), Burger Plaza, Azla (Ethiopian) and Thai Plaza. The atmosphere is just like any food court, complete with indoor and some outdoor seating, but the quality and variety of food available is better than average. There are also vendor stalls offering goods ranging from central and South American nicknacks to LA sports team regalia to fine artwork from local artists. Overall, I might say that Mercado La Paloma is a much smaller, less chaotic, more artistic, more clean version of Grand Central Market. Don’t let the sketchy neighborhood deceive you. It’s worth the trip to this side of town!
Parking is FREE, but very limited. Come during off hours to get a spot, or take your chance with street parking and adjacent lots.

Strolling through a cool, rainy Los Angeles, taking a little break from the Museum of Natural History, I was very excited to find myself at Mercado La Paloma. It certainly doesn’t look like much from the outside, but inside one can find a food court with some great looking options throughout. Unfortunately I was only able to sample one dining establishment, but everything around the table looked great. I’m not an Angelino (and thank God for that every day), but if I were in the area again I’d certainly come back.

I love Mercado! This place has been a food, community and cultural staple for me since I came to LA.
I was first introduced to Mercado in 2011 for a Loaded Language open-​mic. The open-​mic was great and afterward, I grabbed some Thai food. And that was that.
Since Thai Corner very much feels like a fast-​food place, I’m not surprised that it doesn’t have the most positive of reviews, but I’ve always enjoyed going there and have never run into problems.
Thai Corner and Chichén Itzá quickly became favorites for me and my friends whenever we wanted to grab some pad won sen or yucatan-​style black beans, plantains and horchata. And the huevos motuleños are absolutely delicious at Itzá. I was thrilled when Mercado added Azla. There was finally an Ethiopian place close to USC! And it was delicious! The misir, kik, gomen, and gluten-​free injera are all amazing. Everything else is great too, but those are my personal favorites. Oh, and Azla is completely vegan for all you vegans out there.
The open seating situation in Mercado is great, so you don’t have to worry about one place running out of room or a shop owner pressuring you to finish up. The atmosphere is casual and comfortable – great for singles, couples, and groups.
Mercado has so much going on (including breakfast, burgers, and smoothies if you’re looking for just that), so be sure to check it out. There’s something for everyone.

The tea drink (sorrel and chia) and Food is so delicious, vegan vegetarian delicious food made with the cooks hand a golden love. Cooking with so much flavor. It almost feels as if the cook has invited you to their home to share a meal. Homemade food packed with flavor and grace. They also have a kids meal which is great! The cookies are a good pair with tea. The baked tofu with mild sauce is my favorite paired with collard green and kale, Tumeric potatoes and carrots. The lentil soup is packed with wholesome flavor. You can taste the ingredients clean eating packed with generous flavor.

I always loved coming here. Especially during hot summer days. Its an oasis in around this part of town. Its has food + Arts and Crafts
Eat at one of the restaurants then have a dessert at another then take something home for later.
Trust me. Check it out!

Great place that’s packed full of restaurants that serve delicious food. Thai, vegan, Mexican… the list goes on for a while. Whatever food craving you’re having, this place will definitely satisfy it. Parking is a breeze. They’re not open on Sundays, unfortunately!

This review is for the Esperanza 25^th Gala at Mercado La Paloma. Last Friday was a great night to meet and greet, dance and definitely eat your heart out to one of the best establishment around. I have been to Mercado on countless meetings and job walks but I never got the chance to tastes what it has to offer. I started off with my most logical choice… wine. No! Just kidding. I don’t drink much.
Since this was an event, all the foods were catered from within. I didn’t get the names of each restaurant that were involved in the event, but I can certainly say that they were ALL mouth-​watering satisfaction delights with every bite. You can tell that each vendor are extremely proud of their dishes that they’ve presented. My favorites would be the Thai Spring Rolls (I’m not being biased because I’m part Thai) and the Watermelon Greek Salad (not because I prefer tanned skin, curly haired, sea-​foam gorgeous Greek men), but the presentation intrigued me.
I love the décor as well! I say, go to Mercado if you’re ever in the area. The DMV is across the street and USC is near by. Grab a friend or two and enjoy what Mercado La Paloma has to offer!

Mercado La Paloma is such an awesome, understated hole-​in-​the-​wall type food court.
It’s located close to the USC main campus. It doesn’t seem to be too well-​known. But it should be!
There are a handful of restaurants — Mexican, Oaxacan, Thai, Ehtiopian, and more. They also have shops as well as a Market Place.
Mercado La Paloma is big enough to eat with large groups and diverse enough for different palates. And something about the place just makes it feel sort of homey.
Parking is also validated!

The mercado is home to several fast food restaurant choices and a few shops. One of the shops was selling a lot of things, especially chocolate skulls, for Dia de Muertos. This is the mercado that has Chichen Itza, the place where I hd a great Yucatan style Mexican dinner.
Some of the other restaurant choices are Thai and Mexican.
Parking is free on grounds and along Grand Avenue. I found a spot on the street.
This is a good place to come and get some good food and hang out for awhile.