Grand Central Market
Come early and come hungry: This landmark downtown market is the perfect place to graze. Some locals debate how gentrified the formerly gritty 99-year-old market has become, but there’s no arguing that it has completely revitalized the space. (Just ask BA’s Andrew Knowlton, who added it to his Hot 10 list in 2014.) Start by getting in line at Eggslut, where kids in Supreme skate gear wait an hour for the ultimate egg sandwich (bacon, over-medium egg, and cheddar on a warm brioche bun). At Belcampo Meat Co., you can chomp into one of the country’s best burgers (grass-fed beef, no less). Or you can just grab a stool at Sticky Rice and tuck into the made-to-order Thai papaya salad. So many options! Yet it’s not just these new ventures that make GCM the most compelling of all the food halls popping up around the country. Long-standing Latino vendors like Ana Maria, with its cartoonishly overstuffed gorditas, are crucial to the appeal; it’s that rich and varied diversity that makes the market—and Los Angeles as a whole—unique.
PRO TIP: Click through this slideshow for (more than) a few of our favorite vendors—plus a video documentary on the history of the place.
THE DETAILS: Sunday to Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
