Anything comparable to Santa Monica’s?
Very nice farmers market every Saturday’s in Little Italy 8-2pm. 200 tents on five blocks of West Cedar Street from Kettner Boulevard to Front Street.
Little Italy (Saturday) and Hillcrest (Sunday) are nice
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Mercato is great but I wish there was more fresh produce and fruits.
Too many vendors selling tchotchkes. And too many food trucks.
Great people watching, however.
If you go make sure to get some fresh uni.
I’m looking for a real farmers’ market with superior produce.
I know your standards and am not sure the Mercato would live up to them.
Any thoughts on which of these are the best?
Hillcrest and LI have the most produce but you will always a lot of other stuff. If you want great produce go to Chino Farms - there is a reason why the best restaurants get their produce from them daily
The 2 best really are Little Italy on Saturday and Hillcrest on Sunday. Different market managers. OB on Wednesday is fun because it’s a little funky, but parking is awful. A lot of the markets listed are very small.
Both LI and Hillcrest are (more or less) set up the same way, famers/growers on one side, non-farmer/growers on the other. I don’t have a problem with the amount of quality of produce at LI, what I do have a problem with are the prices being charged. I think they are very high and some times the value for the price being charged just isn’t there. Both LI and Hillcrest have purveyors of local meats, seafood (including fresh uni to eat on the spot), nuts, honey and so forth.
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Although it’s probably not as big as Little Italy’s, I’m a big fan of Poway’s farmers market on Saturday mornings. Lots of fresh produce to choose from, super easy parking, organic meats, good fruit stands, and some very good food vendors.
La jolla on Sundays is fun to people watch. The have some very good produce, but too many prepared food vendors and craft vendors for me. Although I do love to look at the guys table who dives for treasure and has a table laid out with all of king neptunes property . . . From cannonballs and ancient daggers to cool seashells and wedding rings. He says he also dives sunken yachts and looks for slavage like “the safe”.
DD, I haven’t been to Hillcrest FM for a while. Is there any place to sit down there? Last time we were there, they had no sitting area to relax and enjoy food.
And where do you find parking for LI farmers market?
We rarely have problems finding metered parking in LI if you are willing to drive around for 5-10 minutes in the streets around the market (and willing to walking 4-5 blocks).
That’s a lot of “willing” for a simple trip to the market.
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Really ? There are no other markets with good parking
I haven’t been the Hillcrest for a while either. I was going to go last Sunday but had a plumbing leak that needed attention. There is limited seating, but parking is easy on University.
The best place to park at LI is in the Washington elementary school parking lot. Front St. exit off the 5 South. Take the first right onto Date go one block to Union and turn right again. Go 1 block and the entrance to the parking lot is right across Cedar. Go slow because you’re crossing the east end of the market and people don’t watch for cars. Parking is easiest early or late. It used to be free, not sure if it still is. I sometimes just hop on the trolley at Old Town and take it down to the County Center stop. Saves the car hassle and overpriced parking.
Lots, Poway and La Jolla have easy parking. Especially Poway. Hillcrest isn’t too bad either.
Thanks DD for the Washington Elementary tip! I haven’t tried there.
Seating is still almost non-existent at the Hillcrest market. I’ll say “almost” because it seems DD made a seating sighting sometime.
DD’s LI parking suggestion is a good one, but as she does frequently, I just take the trolley.
But Poway and La Jolla are pretty lame compared to LI. And we have normally much more problems with parking in Hillcrest than Li
HH, when was the last time you went to Poway’s farmers Market?