Fill your belly at some of Los Angeles County’s best food halls

Los Angeles may be filled with award-winning and fancy fine-dining restaurants, but in this sprawling city some of the best eateries have teamed up inside vibrant food halls where they serve some of the city’s most exciting and innovative dishes.

So for those looking to eat well at places that offer several options under one roof, and don’t mind eating at a counter or communal tables, here is a list of Los Angeles’s food halls that are home to some of the best restaurants in the city.

Go Go Bird, serving LA style fried chicken, and many other vendors are part of the Citizen Public Market food hall in Culver City, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

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Citizen Public Market

9355 Culver Blvd., Culver City; citizenpublicmarket.com

If you want a rooftop view while dining on dishes that can range from noodles to fried chicken to classic style pizza, plus poke bowls and even fancy mixed drinks, then check out Citizen Public Market. The food hall was created out of a revamped Beaux-Arts-slash-Art Deco building that dates back to the 1920s. With its brick walls, hardwood and checkered-tile mixed floors it feels like a cool loft space but with some of the best kitchens around.

Eats: One of the most popular countertop spots here is the highly respected Bang Bang Noodles, which started as a street food concept making hand-pulled noodles that are so thick they look like a belt — a delicious filling belt that requires some expertise with chopsticks in order to dig them out from all the stuff they top them with, like pork, chilis and vegetables. Order the Szechuan Garlic Noodles, then walk up the stairs and get a drink at Bar Bohemien, we recommend the mezcal-based Nomadic Sour, then stumble up one more flight of stairs and eat your noodles on the rooftop patio.

ALSO SEE: A guide to the best food halls in Orange County

Grand Central Market

317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles; grandcentralmarket.com

If Los Angeles has a culinary soul it lives inside Grand Central Market. The Market is located on the ground floor of the 1917 Homer Laughlin Building, so it has a historic feel that adds to the experience of walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the packed crowds of people who frequent it daily.

Eats: The food options here reflect the city, with Mexican and Salvadoran restaurants, seafood spots, sushi, sandwich and barbecue vendors, trendy new places like Egg Slut and gems like China Cafe, a 22-seat counter spot that has been there since 1959. But another old-school spot that has been there for years and is a can’t miss for anyone who loves Mexican food is Villa Morelina. The spot serves authentic Michoacan-style carnitas and you’ll know you’re at the right spot because the cooks often hand out samplers of tacos filled with their delicious carnitas. Order the surtido taco, which is a mixture of carnitas from all parts of the pig, so you’ll get crispy, juicy, salty, chewy flavors and textures all in one bite.

Mercado La Paloma is a food hall in Los Angeles, featuring Michelin-starred Holbox Restaurant, and many other vendors on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

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Mercado La Paloma is a food hall in Los Angeles, featuring Michelin-starred Holbox Restaurant, and many other vendors on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

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Mercado La Paloma

3655 S Grand Ave., Los Angeles; mercadolapaloma.com

This is a bustling lunch and dinner spot for the downtown L.A. crowd so parking can be a little bit difficult but it’s really worth it because once inside diners will find some of the best food in the city. The Mercado is located it what was once an old garment factory by the Esperanza Community Housing Corporation as a place for small entrepreneurs and artisans, and now it houses countertop restaurants.

Eats: Mercado features the fabulous Taqueria Vista Hermosa, which serves some of the best al pastor tacos in Los Angeles. It’s also home to the Food Network-recognized Chichen Itza, which serves Yucatan dishes and is known for its Cochinita Pibil, pork cooked in banana leaves. But the star among the all-stars at the moment is the Michelin-rated Holbox. Yes, there is a Michelin Star-rated restaurant at this food hall. It’s run by chef Gilbert Cetina who previously cooked alongside his father at Chichen Itza. Not surprisingly lines can go out the door for this spot but it’s worth it for Yucatan dishes like Live Urchin and Scallop Ceviche, the Taco de Pulpo en su Tinta, which is a braised and fried gulf of Mexico octopus in calamari ink sofrito, and the Langosta al Carbon, a local spiny lobster live from their own tank served with cilantro rice, black beans and house-made tortillas.

The Original Farmer’s Market

6333 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles; farmersmarketla.com

Local farmers started selling vegetables here back in the 1930s and now the Original Farmer’s Market is home to a vibrant collection of restaurants serving food from all over the world, including Asian, South American, French, Greek and American comfort dishes.

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Eats: Some of the best comfort food here comes from a Cajun spot named The Gumbo Pot. Diners here will not only grub on some classic and filling meals but they’ll also feel like adventurous grubbers because the restaurant serves dishes like gator gumbo, yes, made from a real alligator, (it’s tail actually) frog legs and more common dishes like fried chicken and catfish.

ALSO SEE: Inland Empire food halls provide unique dining in memorable settings

Spring Arcade Building

541 S. Spring St., Los Angeles; thespringarcade.com

Years ago, the ground floor of the Spring Arcade Building housed discount electronic, clothing stores and toy shops. Today it’s home to a roster of respected restaurants that include Asian, barbecue and comfort food spots.

Eats: The best place is the insanely popular Guisados, which serves braised and stewed meats on tacos in house-made thick tortillas. There are a lot of options here so save some time and order the sampler plate. It comes with steak picado, bistek roja, tinga, mole, chicharron and cochinita pibil tacos. It’s basically a sample of culinary heaven on a plate. And for an added dessert bonus, loosen your belt and go next door to Uli’s Gelato. The building is the gelato shop’s headquarters where they make the gelato that can be purchased at various grocery stores. And while you can’t order from a counter, they have a gelato vending machine there where you can get some of their cold treats like the Fresh Mint Stracciatella gelato. It’s made with real mint leaves, not extracts, so technically it probably counts as a salad.

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Citizen Public Market

Grand Central Market

Mercado La Paloma

The Original Farmer’s Market

Spring Arcade Building

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