I am so happy I finally got to try Dama! I absolutely love Antonia LaFasso so I've been dying to…read moretry one of her restaurants. Now when you pull up originally you might think, "am I in the right place" but once you park and get into the courtyard, it is LOVELY! Amazing ambience! There is a bocce set up, string lights. It is a little slice of oasis in the middle of the fashion district. The restaurant itself - beautiful. I couldn't ask for more. Absolutely perfect in my book. Beautiful plants hanging, perfect Spanish music in the background (any place playing Natalia LaFourcade is a win). The drinks were great! I had the jungle bird which was fun. Food was so good too. The whipped beans are the star! We had the guacamole which was tasty, great tostadas with it. The arepas were good but the pork belly was a little too fatty (I know pork belly is always fatty) to the point the fat muted the flavored for the arepa a bit, but still delicious. The empanadas were great and as someone who lived in South America and ate empanadas every day, these really took me back to my Paraguay days. The squash blossoms were light and perfectly fried. Unfortunately my friends had gone to Funke the night before so they were comparing the squash blossoms and Funke won out, but they still liked Dama's! Small plates were enough for the 3 of us. The service was quick and attentive. Parking was easy for us. I will definitely be back!

We've probably been to Dama two dozen times. It's one of our regular spots and we love it…read more First of all the service is always great. The staff are lovely humans who really seem to care about their customers. We have some faves on the menu. The bean dip is fabulous and I'm addicted to the baby gem salad. They have recently amped up the filling in the delicious crispy squash blossoms and I love the acidity and heat. The fish is also a hit in my books. One dish that doesn't work for me is the lamb chops, which is a shame since it's my favorite protein. I've ordered them multiple times with clear instructions on temperature and have found them overcooked and tough. The beef tostada was just ok. Whilst I loved the pickled veg on the side, the beef was underseasoned. It wasn't bad - just not up to the standard of other dishes. The vibe in the place is welcoming and the restaurant is nicely appointed. We will continue to be regulars and it's really worth trying if you haven't been yet.

A neighborhood street vendor with fresh empanadas. We tried a few different ones and thought…read moreeverything was great, my fave was the papa carne empanadas (note that these are fried, not baked). I look forward to trying their arepas soon. You can check out their Instagram page for current info & more pictures/videos. They are located outside a laundromat and there are a few other street vendors next to them. They do have a few seats to sit and eat if you want it super fresh & crispy.

If you are looking for authentic Colombian fried foods or street food, this is the place! It is in…read morea corner of a street with few chairs and tables. It gives you the whole experience lol! They fried the food to order, so it is delicious and fresh. The service is nice, the owners are very attentive. They also have a lot of sauces, which is a plus! I ate arepa de huevo, empanadas, papas! Really yummy recommend

Mercado La Paloma Mission Statement: Mercado La Paloma is located in the Figueroa Corridor of South…read moreLos Angeles a neighborhood that is full of creative and hard working entrepreneurs, community spirit, artists, musicians and cultural traditions. The area has historically suffered from disinvestment - including a lack of quality jobs and business opportunities, quality gathering spaces, quality food, and art and cultural opportunities. The investment that has occurred in the area has often not been designed for the benefit of those living in our community. In 1999 in response to the suggestion of some residents in Esperanza's housing developments for a local version of the bustling markets that they had left behind in their home countries, the idea for Mercado La Paloma was born. Mercado La Paloma Offerings: Offering a unique blend of local retail, cuisine, and cultural experiences. Developed by Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, it provides affordable business opportunities and living-wage jobs for local residents. 1st Floor Community Room Rental Fees: - $25/hour for current Mercado tenants, vendors, and local community groups - $60/hour for external nonprofits - $100/hour for external for-profits - $55 per day for day table rentals For Room Reservations and more information, email: daniel@mercadolapaloma.com Shop Vendor Stalls Inside Mercado La Paloma: 1) Gloria's Alterations 2) Joe's Sports World 3) Donaji Oaxacan Crafts 4) Paloma Cutlery ========= Food Vendor Stalls Inside Mercado La Paloma: 1) Holbox 2) Taqueria Vista Hermosa 3) Thai Corner Food Express 4) Chichen Itza 5) Komal 6) Oaxacalifornia ======== Wait Time: Wait time doesn't seem like an issue with 5 of the 6 food vendors. The one food vendor that you might have to wait for is Holbox (Michelin 1 Star). I went over the weekend and the food vendor stall had a separate line dedicated to the shop. Took about 40 minutes get to the front of the line to order. Parking: Paid parking can be found in their private parking lot and free parking on Grand and surrounding neighboring streets. Ambiance/Decor: Pretty cool ambiance with plenty of tables and chairs inside outside for your dining pleasure. Shops/Food Vendor Of Choice: I haven't visit any of the shop vendors stalls, but I've visited 3 (Holbox, Taqueria Vista Hermosa, and Thai Corner Food Express) out of 6 food vendors stalls. All the food vendors that I've tried were very good. Mercado La Paloma For Thought: I would mind coming back to try other food vendors.

I love this food hall. Holbox is the most popular choice, but there's also excellent food at other…read moreplaces too. Chichen Itza is the older restaurant of the chef Gilberto (holbox) family. Komal has delicious food and is the expert with masa and tortillas. Oaxacalifornia has the best selection of agua frescas. There's Thai Corner that I have not yet tried but want to check out. Taqueria Vista Hermosa is great. There's something for everyone and the ambiance is always bustling. Parking can be difficult if you're visiting during busy hours on the weekend.

Stopped by Que Bárbaro on a Saturday night while visiting LA from Texas & somehow managed to grab…read morea couple seats at the bar. The place was busy, but in the best way. You could tell people were actually having a good time instead of everyone just trying to get in & out. Great music, the smell from the live-fire grill, people laughing... just a really fun atmosphere. Jasmine was the first one to greet us & made us feel welcome right away. She introduced us to the other bartender, Kevin, & watching the two of them work together was honestly impressive. They were slammed but somehow still managed to be friendly, check in with everyone, make great drinks, & keep things moving without looking stressed. A little later some friends met up with us, & a few of them only speak Spanish. Jasmine immediately grabbed us a server , Angie, who came over & explained the menu in Spanish, answered all their questions, & made sure they were just as comfortable as everyone else. That stood out because a lot of places would've just pointed at the menu & moved on. While we were hanging out, Jasmine started telling us about the different areas of the venue, what each space is like, & how the vibe changes depending on where you're sitting. It never felt like she was trying to sell us on anything. She just seemed genuinely proud of the place, & it made us want to come back to check out the rest of it. Between the cocktails, the food, & how genuinely taken care of we felt, this ended up being one of those nights where you look at the time & realize you've been there way longer than you planned. That's usually a pretty good sign. We'll definitely be back.

A very expensive place for what they serve Food: #5…read moreService # 8 Ambiance# 5 Other than that a It's a nice place to eat

Service and food, 5 Star! Great variety and very tasty…read more Staff is professional and efficient

Review is based on my reservation at Escala for 4 people on Thursday, Jun 18th, 2026 at 4:00 PM…read more I had made my reservation on the 1st of June in anticipation of the World Cup match between South Korea and Mexico. Knowing that the vibe is always great there, I was looking forward to watching the game there with friends. On the day of the game, I got the following message: Due to the high demand of the Mexico vs Korea game, we are limiting our earlier reservations to a duration of two hours in order for us to accommodate our later reservations. If you agree, please reply to this email, otherwise your reservation will not be confirmed. Thank you in advance for your understanding, Escala Team I had reservations at 4PM, the game started at 6PM. I did not appreciate this last minute change to my reservation. It was extremely inconvenient. I had to scramble to find a place where I could hangout and watch the game. I was very disappointed by this poor display of customer service. Just thought you should know this.

We drove from Long Beach to check it out, and we will continue to make the drive, as the food is…read moreincredible.

Food was okay. Tequenos were not fried but more like baked. Location and environment including…read morelocal's space are not the best.

Ordered three pupusas thinking they would be small, but was surprised at the size of them! Super…read moreinexpensive as well. Very homey vibes. The service is quick. Parking may be challenging. They have karaoke at night which looks super cool.

El servicio fue muy amable y considerado con nuestra experiencia. Ordené unas pupusas revueltas y…read moreunas aguas frescas. Las pupusas estaban ricas, aunque sí tardaron en salir. También pedí un tamal de elote, pero tardó demasiado y mejor les dijimos que ya no lo trajeran. Los meseros se disculparon muchas veces y nos explicaron que no tenían a todos los cocineros presentes. Quiero creer que fue una situación incontrolable. ¡Quizás sí regresaría por el buen ambiente y las pupusas deliciosas!

Cash only. I can't believe I didnt take a picture of my…read morepupusas. They were delicious. My friend go a breakfast plate. It was good and had a great variety. Service was fast and friendly. My first time at a Salvadorian restaurant and I was not disappointed. Definitely want to try more of the typical food.

Ridiculous that this place does not accept debit or credit cards as a form of payment. Their cash…read moreregisters have the ability this form of payment. Yet they have an ATM that rakes up fees from the use of a credit card. Keep up with the times! I will be posting this everywhere! Avoid this place at all costs! Es ridículo que este lugar no acepte tarjetas de débito o crédito como forma de pago. Sus cajas registradoras tienen la capacidad de esta forma de pago. Sin embargo, tienen un cajero automático que cobra tarifas por el uso de una tarjeta de crédito. ¡Manténgase al día con los tiempos! ¡Publicaré esto en todas partes! ¡Evita este lugar a toda costa!