Topanga Farmers' Market
Photograph: Patricia Kelly Yeo for Time Out

The best farmers’ markets in Los Angeles

Take a leisurely stroll at one of L.A. County's best farmers' markets from the Westside to East L.A. and beyond.

Patricia Kelly Yeo
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Even in a city as expansive as Los Angeles, you get a small-town feel when you stroll through a farmers’ market. Over time, the freshly-baked-bread vendor might remember your name, and you’ll always find at least a few kids crowding by the berry stands, hoping for a taste of the sweet locally grown strawberries. There’s a sense of community that draws locals back every week—so much so that Angelenos actually make time to hit the ATM beforehand (thought plenty of vendors now take credit). Of course, there’s also bounds of freshly picked fruits and vegetables, delicious prepared food (tamales, crepes, pupusas) and artisan gourmet goods (olive oils, jams, honey) that keep people coming back for more. 

Without a doubt, Los Angeles has eternal bragging rights when it comes to phenomenal farmers’ markets. Oh, you think you’ve tried a good blood orange or heirloom tomato? Come back to us after visiting Santa Monica’s on a Wednesday morning, Silver Lake’s on a Saturday or Hollywood’s on a Sunday. These seasonal markets are where the best restaurants in L.A. buy their produce, where you can indulge in your love for cheap eats, and where cartons of avocados and farm fresh eggs seem to stretch as far as the eye can see. Beyond culinary fare, some of the farmers’ markets feature unique goods like vintage clothes and jewelry, used books and vinyl records. Check out our picks for the best farmers’ markets on the Westside, in Central L.A., toward the East and in the Valleys, then grab your reusable bag and start shopping. 

For ease of use, we’ve also detailed the best farmers’ markets by days of the week here:

  • Tuesday: Silver Lake, Culver City, Torrance
  • Wednesday: Santa Monica (Arizona Ave), Altadena, Larchmont
  • Thursday: LA River
  • Friday: Topanga 
  • Saturday: Santa Monica (Arizona Ave), Santa Monica (Pico), Torrance, Crenshaw, East L.A., Brentwood, North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Burbank, South Pasadena
  • Sunday: Santa Monica (Main Street), Mar Vista, Beverly Hills, Larchmont, Hollywood, Atwater Village, Studio City, Melrose Place, Alhambra

Westside

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  • Santa Monica
The next time you’re at a restaurant and tempted to ask the waiter where your astoundingly fresh beets came from, don’t. The beets, and probably the rest of the vegetables in the dish, probably came from the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market. While city hosts markets at different locations on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, the best time to go is on Wednesday morning along Arizona Avenue. This is when most high-profile L.A. chefs go to shop. After parking in one of Santa Monica's public parking structures (many of which are free for the first 90 minutes), head over to the market, where you’ll likely find kitchen staff picking up basil, 10-pound bags of leeks or jars of local honey. (It's also worth noting the Main Street market on Sundays is more geared towards prepared food vendors.) 
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  • Brentwood

Located just south of San Vicente Boulevard, the Brentwood Farmers' Market draws in crowds of locals every Saturday. Shop for seasonal fruit and veggies at this market, where you're bound to spot local celebs. The always jam-packed market has ample street parking, though you'll have to be patient. As you enter the market, you'll be greeted by beautiful, fresh flowers; stalls packed with apples, pears, plums and peaches (depending on the season) and packages of dried fruit; fresh-baked goods like croissants, loaves of bread and pistachio-crusted morning buns; while some serve up organic salad dressings and ready-made meals. 

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  • Mar Vista

At the Mar Vista Farmers' Market, the prepared-food stalls draw just as much of a crowd as the tables of fresh fruits and vegetables hauled here every Sunday by certified organic and local farmers. The popular Bakers Kneaded has a stall here for fresh pastries and loaves of crunchy-crusted bread, while others, like Kai Kai Dumplings and Laurent's Le Coffee Shop, offer filling meals of dumplings, quiche and beyond. It's also one of the few farmers markets to offer kitchen knife sharpening (Gary's)—a boon for your dull chef's knife at home. Fill up your bag with groceries and a few bites and head to the dining area, where you can people-watch and listen to the live DJs doing their thing.

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  • Culver City

This tiny, but mighty weekday market offers an even split of prepared food stalls and produce vendors. Every Tuesday (rain or shine), a mix of both fills up the entirety of Culver City's Main Street from 2 to 7pm—a boon for anyone passing by on Venice Boulevard hoping to snag some mid-week farm-fresh vegetables. Longtime local favorites like Dave's Korean and Zozo's Fresh Pressed Tea and Juice typically make an appearance, but the market's proximity to the rest of Downtown Culver City also make the Culver City farmers market a great excuse to dine out for those arriving on the later side.

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  • Beverly Hills
On any given Sunday at the Beverly Hills Farmers' Market (9am–1pm), you might encounter the following: a pop-band performance comprised of middle school kids; the smell of sizzling French crepes luring in passersby; and plenty of stalls hocking organic blueberries, cartons of tomatoes, delectable jams and silken olive oils. The market, which can be found along Civic Center Drive between Third Street and Santa Monica Boulevard, features more than 60 farmers and vendors. It's also a great spot for kids: At the Kid Zone, activities like pony rides and a petting zoo entertain fidgety children, while culinary-minded young’uns can enjoy special programming such as Cookin’ Kids. Drop your child off to learn about fruits and veggies in season, the farmers behind the produce and recipes to bring back home for tonight's dinner (they'll be doing the cooking, of course).

Central and Northeast L.A.

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  • Hollywood

The only reason we'd gladly visit Hollywood just might be the neighborhood's weekly farmers' market, held rain or shine every Sunday from 8am to 1pm. As one of the first farmers' markets ever in California, the strip of vendors that stretches along Ivar Boulevard and Selma Avenue has grown to over 70 farmers, producers and artisans, and also serves as a venue for live music, cookbook signing and mouth-watering chef demonstrations. Stock up on California-grown avocados, dates, seafood, honey, free-range poultry—or head to the stretch of prepared-foods vendors, where you’ll find whole chickens roasting over a spit; Thai food seared, fried and grilled before your very eyes; and loaves of Bub and Grandma’s bread: some of the best in the city. A gem of a community gathering space and the platonic ideal of locavore shopping, the Hollywood Farmers' Market is a true must-visit for both locals and tourists alike.

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  • Silver Lake

This neighborhood market—hosted Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings in Sunset Triangle, just east of Sunset Junction—is the place to see and be seen while you peruse produce. The shoppers here have style, as evidenced by the many (rather pricey) vintage clothing racks and jewelry stands dominating a corner of the market. You may also find used books and records for sale, fresh flowers, plus a lot of crystals, dried sage and other hip hippie wares. And there’s a ton of food, too: Grab a coffee or a fresh-squeezed OJ, pregame with a tamale or crêpe and stroll the stalls. There are also prepared foods such as hummus, guacamole and pupusas—so you've already got lunch figured out, little to no assembly required.

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  • Chinatown

One of the city's newer farmers' markets, LA River Farmers' Market pops up weekly in Chinatown's Los Angeles Historic State Park on Thursdays, 3–7:30pm. While there's fewer options in terms of produce, you'll find a host of prepared food vendors, including Gu Grocery, one of our favorite Chinese bakeries in the city. Plus, due to the location, parking is relatively painless—and if doing all that shopping has tired you out, you can always grab a beer afterward at the nearby Highland Park Brewery.

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  • Atwater Village

This little market—held in the parking lot behind Club Tee Gee every Sunday from 9am to 2pm—is a true neighbhorhood mainstay. It's small, but the patrons are regulars (and mostly locals) and the produce is top-notch. Aside from the normal fruit and veg stalls, the market offers vendors for pies, quiches, organic cheese curds, plant-based yogurt and cheese, and gourmet Carribean cuisine. You'll find all sorts of unique treats here like raw sugar cane juice. Grab a coffee if you’re an early morning market-goer, or get your knives sharpened if it's been a while (the perfect inspiration to head home and cook with your market groceries).

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  • West Hollywood

For a smaller Sunday farmers' market experience with a high fashion L.A. crowd, look no further than the one at Melrose Place, which doesn't start up until around 10am and goes until 2pm—the perfect market for late-risers. Fresh produce, floral stands and prepared food abounds here, but the plant vendors and small clothing and jewelry stands make the Melrose Place Farmers' Market more of a leisure destination than a market for hardcore cooking nerds. Plus, the market's proximity to Alfred Coffee and plenty of high-end designers mean a visit here is always great for people watching.

Valleys

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  • South Pasadena

There are a few farmers' markets scattered throughout Pasadena and its surrounding suburbs, but the South Pasadena Farmers' Market is by far the best. Held every Thursday from 4pm to 7pm, this weekday market hosts certified producers selling an array of goods, including wellness items like shots of wheatgrass from Bolanos Family Sprouts. Meat eaters can select cuts of beef from Ojai's Harvest Gathering Farm, and everything from artichokes to dried beans is up for sale at the Suncoast Farms booth. One of the most popular vendors, however, is Carmela Ice Cream: On hot summer days, shoppers line up for scoops of artisan ice cream and gelato, while those looking for a more savory snack head to Mama Musubi and Nana’s for gourmet musubi and pupusas—easy foods to eat and stroll. Remember to bring your own bags, and if you're one of the few Angelenos who've embraced public transportation, you're in luck—the market is right next to the Gold Line's South Pasadena Station.

Topanga Farmers Market

Tucked away in the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga Farmers Market is L.A.’s most scenic farmers’ market. Held most Fridays 9am to 1pm in the parking lot of the Topanga Community Center, the diverse selection of vendors includes prominent organic farms like Cuyama Orchards and Weiser Family Farmers, plus stalls selling kefir yogurt, mushrooms and freshly pressed corn tortillas. Note: Since Topanga Canyon Road is closed for repairs, the only way to access this farmers’ market is through the 101—so plan accordingly.

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  • San Fernando Valley

If the insanity of the Hollywood Farmers' Market on Sundays is too much for you, this quieter Valley farmers' market on Saturday mornings (9:30am–2:30pm) offers a diverse mix of produce, prepared food, clothing and jewelry stands. For the kiddos, there's usually a bounce house and other fun activities. Among prepared foods, you'll find a Brooklyn-style breakfast sandwiches, vegan burritos and freshly made tuna poke.

 

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  • Alhambra

Deep in the San Gabriel Valley, this growing farmers' market in downtown Alhambra offers locally grown flowers, certified organic produce and artisan food vendors on Sunday mornings from 8:30am to 1pm. You'll find your standard seasonal SoCal produce here, plus a few farms offering hard-to-find ingredients: think oyster, abalone and shiitake mushrooms from Riverside's Bih Shan Farms and Rancho Santo Cecilia's cherimoya, dragonfruit and persimmons grown in Carpinteria. A handful of prepared vendors pop up here as well, selling pupusas, scallion pancakes and other small brunch-friendly bites. 

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  • Studio City
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Lining Ventura Place each Sunday from 8am to 1pm, the Studio City Farmers' Market is a mecca for spirited home cooks in the San Fernando Valley. Stock up on blocks of cheddar, slices of margherita pizza from Olive Wood Pizza, and kombuchas. There's a gluten-free bakery, there's a stand for vegan yogurt, there are snacks and jams and jellies galore. Doing your market shopping with kids in tow? Market-goers with children can keep the young’uns entertained with activities such as a petting zoo and a bouncy castle—and, as an additional incentive for helping with the groceries, a train ride.

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  • Burbank
The Burbank farmers' market on Saturday mornings (8am–12pm) might be on the smaller side, but quality—and convenience for SFV residents—still thrives here. Held in a sizeable parking lot at the corner of Glenoaks Boulevard and Olive Avenue, all of the produce offered is certified California-grown. Visit Rancho Santa Cecilia's stall for avocados, Spring Hill Cheese for fresh cheese and butter, and Alex’s Fruit and Nuts to stock up on snacks. If you're looking for eggs, be prepared to wait: the line for Mike and Sons Egg Ranch is always one of the longest at the market, where eggs are sold by the dozen and worth the wait. Prepared foods are less common, but there is market-favorite Dave's Korean BBQ (get the seaweed salad), and you can always snag spoonfulls of Bill's Bees honey. No need to worry about parking—street parking is plentiful.
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  • Altadena

Dozens of booths normally set up in Loma Alta Park's parking lot every Wednesday from 4 to 7pm at the Altadena Farmers' Market, where market-goers can pick up local produce, dairy, eggs and more from some of L.A.’s most creative artisans. If you’ve got a date that night, this is the place to be for picking up gifts that make an impression: You can often find locally raised meats and handmade charcuterie; vegan confections; fresh flowers; and artisan cheeses and preserves. 

East L.A.

South Bay

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  • Torrance

With over 60 participating farms, the Torrance Farmers' Market is the best place in the South Bay to pick up high-quality organic local produce, floral arrangements and more. Chef favorites Harry's Berries and Thao Farms are typically available, as well as freshly caught seafood from Santa Barbara. The sprawling market sets up shop every week on Tuesdays and Saturdays, 8am to 1pm, so you can get your all your produce shopping for this week or the next. 

 

 

South L.A.

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  • South LA

Serving much of South L.A., the Crenshaw Farmers' Market runs every Saturday morning from 10am to 3pm in the parking lot of Fire Station 54. You'll find seasonal produce from California farmers, plus prepared food vendors selling tamales, kettle corn, baguettes and other goodies. On a weekly basis, the market also host cooking demonstrations, Zumba classes and other community activties. 

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