Avenue 26 Market
DETAILS:
Location: On Artesian Street in-between Avenue 33 and Humboldt Street. (If you enter Ave 26 Taco Stand into your navigation, it should take you directly there)
Hours of Operation:
There aren’t really any “set hours”, but the majority of the vendors operate Thursday thru Sunday from approximately 5PM until they decide to close shop late at night. Some vendors are open daily.
While some vendors are open daily, I recommend going over the weekend to get the full experience. Also, if you don’t like large crowds, definitely go earlier. I arrived around 5PM on a Friday and found parking easily. Ordering from various vendors was also a breeze due to the light crowd at opening. Each gets progressively harder the later into the evening you get.
Parking: Free street & metered parking available. Please observe posted parking signs.
Cost: TBD based on food purchase. As a reference point, as of this posting, tacos at Ave 26 Taco Stand are $1.25 each. Please be aware that many vendors are cash only, but others do accept credit cards. There is an ATM available, if needed.
Time Commitment: 30 minutes to 1 hour.
On most days, there’s not too much to look at on Artesian Street; an industrial alley nestled in-between the Gold Line and a bunch of warehouses in the neighborhood of Lincoln Heights near Dodger Stadium. But on weekends, it bursts alive with the buzz of people, loud music, and fragrant aromas emanating from the armada of food vendors that hang their shingle on Artesian Street from Thursday thru Sunday. When you visit, you swear you must’ve stumbled upon some gigantic street festival, but the Avenue 26 Market is a weekly occurrence for those in the know. And knowing, my friends, is half the battle.
Anchored by the underground success of Ave 26 Taco Stand, the market is one of the rare ventures that has actually grown since the Covid lockdown began. When talking to an LA Times reporter covering the Market that same night, she conveyed that it’s at least 3x as big now as it was a year ago. Judging from the number of vendors I counted during my visit (over 50 at least), I can believe it! Strength & safety in numbers which beckons a crowd of hungry acolytes.
The working man’s version of Smorgasburg LA, the food at Ave 26 Market is certainly latin-centric with a bevy of taco, pupusa, michelada, and aqua fresca stands there to satiate your appetite. But there’s certainly something here for everybody that extends to other cuisines as well including; bbq, wood-fire pizza, Thai food, pasta, and even deep-fried sushi rolls just to name a few! And your sweet-tooth won’t go unsatisfied either with numerous churro, mini-pancakes, and other sweet confections available that would make even Willy Wonka jealous. To be frank, I’m not sure how much longer the city will allow the Ave 26 Market to go unregulated, so I suggest you visit posthaste. You and your stomach can thank me afterwards.
