Downtown Los Angeles Food Guide: Markets and Little Tokyo

A downtown Los Angeles food guide covers a part of the city that rewards a walk. Within a few miles you can graze in a market eat at newer restaurants in the Arts District and finish with noodles or mochi in Little Tokyo. Downtown now holds some of the most varied eating in the region.

What is Grand Central Market?

Grand Central Market is the landmark most visitors begin with. Dozens of vendors share one roof, from long-running lunch counters to newer stalls, so there is something for every appetite.

Go with a plan. Walk the aisles once, then choose two or three stalls and share. Seating is first come, first served, and the market gets crowded at midday. Check the current hours before you go.

Which Arts District Los Angeles restaurants are worth the trip?

The Arts District sits east of Little Tokyo and is the hippest part of downtown, a former industrial area of warehouses, murals and galleries. Arts District Los Angeles restaurants fill converted warehouses with farm-to-table dining rooms, Middle Eastern dinner tables and Italian spots that book up, so reserve for dinner if you can.

The district is spread out, so a short ride between stops may be easier than walking. Come in the evening for dinner or on a weekend for a coffee and a pastry.

What is Little Tokyo food like?

Little Tokyo food ranges from ramen and sushi to mochi, shaved ice and Japanese bakery items. Plazas and shopping centers hold small restaurants, grocers and tea shops.

Walk the plazas and read the signs. A bowl of noodles at lunch and a sweet from a mochi shop makes a satisfying afternoon. The district is a historic Japanese American neighborhood, so a little time at its museum or its gardens adds context to the meal. Look for the shops that sell tea, snacks and ceramics, because they often carry things you will not find elsewhere in the city.

Where can you find a DTLA lunch?

A DTLA lunch is easy to find, and the market is the first choice for many people. Office workers also fill sandwich counters, Mexican lunch spots and food stalls in the plazas. If you are visiting on a weekday, lunch crowds peak around noon, so arrive early.

For something quiet, look for a counter in the Historic Core or in Little Tokyo and take your food to a small park. A plan that includes both a stall and a sit-down restaurant is a good way to compare. Snack-sized meals suit a market, while a long lunch suits a restaurant with tablecloths, and mixing the two keeps you from tiring of either.

How do you use a downtown Los Angeles food guide on foot?

Begin with coffee and a pastry in the Arts District, walk or ride to Grand Central Market for a late breakfast or early lunch, and end in Little Tokyo for tea and a sweet. Between stops, look at the architecture, the murals and the shops.

Downtown streets can be quiet at night in some areas. After dark, a rideshare between stops is the easy choice. Pay attention to your surroundings, as in any large city.

What else is worth eating in Los Angeles?

Pastrami sits at the center of a debate that runs through the whole city, and you can read about it in the best pastrami in Los Angeles guide. Food halls beyond downtown are listed in the Los Angeles food halls guide. For a calm evening, the date night restaurants in Los Angeles guide has ideas, and the Los Angeles farmers markets guide explains the weekly markets.

What should you know before you go?

Parking downtown is available in garages and lots, but prices and rules vary. The Metro rail system connects several downtown neighborhoods, and rideshares are an easy option. Wear comfortable shoes, because the best way to see downtown is on foot.

Lines at popular spots can be long on weekends. Be flexible, try something unexpected and ask a vendor what they would eat. Most people enjoy talking about their food.

Allow time for the unexpected. A mural may stop you, a bakery window may pull you in and a street musician may keep you for ten minutes. Downtown is a place where the walk between meals is part of the pleasure, so do not schedule every minute.

Where can you read more?

The US guides page lists every city in this set.

How do you remember a day of eating downtown?

By the end of a day in the Arts District, Little Tokyo and the market, the plates run together, so write each one down while it is fresh.

Tags in the Mosey app record what a visit was like, a quick lunch or a long dinner with the family, for instance. Add one when you rate a meal downtown, and the people you follow can find the same kind of meal later.

By the third stop of the day, the first one has already faded. The Mosey app lets you rate each bite from the market, the Arts District and Little Tokyo as you go, and the downtown list you build is easy to hand to the next visitor.