DTLA Night Market

I had to complaint a little, the traffic sucks! Parking for me was $ 15 dollar OMG!!! Entrance fee $ 10 OMG！okay, I am done, here comes the good part…
After oc night market, I keep telling my friends to go to the one in DTLA so I can tag along, hehehe… anyway, we got here Friday night (really late), hopping the lines at some popular place can be better and i was right!
So this time we tried more stuff
Food:
Hotato potato: the garlic parmesan one was delicious!!! A little burnt but it’s okay cuz everything else is perfect! And great service too!
Tropical island/​papas and dogs: be honest, nothing special, the carne asada cheese fries was alright, the pineapple thingy I throw it away after couple sip, there’s a lot more places out there taste better then this one and for a better price! ganna save some room for other good food
Mama mashbi: finally! Heard a lot of good things about this place, but it was always busy, not today! Yeah!!! Bought 24 hour belly masubi, the flavor was good and surprisingly it wasn’t as greasy as I think it would be, but the filling was too little compare to the rice portion… a bit pricy so I didn’t try other flavor, maybe next time when I bring more cash!
Drinks:
Tastes: organic tea? Hum… let me try, see if it taste different from others… and…NOP!!! Taste exactly the same except way too sweet!
Spike: surprisingly they weren’t busy! What happened? Anyway, I got the watermelon again, as usual, fresh!!! And for some reason it tasted even better than the one in OC, maybe because no wait???
A+ tea house: tried sample of fresh squeeze grapefruit and orange juice with green tea, peach green tea… they are all pretty good, but I still like strawberry rose green tea the most, so I ordered that… my friend ordered the peach green tea and asked for less sugar, they told my friend they don’t add any sugar, the sweetness was from peach purée, so if she wants less sugar then the peach flavor will also be less… so my friend ask for a regular drink, and it turn out to be just the right amount of sweetness and they added fresh peach chunks in the drink too!!! Awesome!
I can’t wait to go to the next 626 night market in arcadia already;)

Go with a very open stomach and early because the line gets long ($ 10 at door, 8 bucks online), there is good food and although the shopping is eh, there are some nice stalls. The concept is cool, something new, although lots of Asian twists to food, it all tastes so so good. There are no seats so you stand, walk and eat… Must try:
Craisans yum.
Japadog
Fillet on stick (awesome)
Chicken Cutlet was very good
Only beer: Asaki — 7 bucks a pint OR GET the sugar cane juice, its awesome!
Top it off with the waffle ice cream sandwich.
All together, very cool, overwhelming but in a good way… lotsa Food! :)

I thought this was really cool. The line to get in was super long by 6pm but it went really fast. There is a security check. There were all kinds of food booths. So many things to try. I thought the prices were pretty fair. Some people said it was expensive and the servings were small but I don’t agree. It’s LA! Everything is expensive. It is mostly Asian food though. By 9pm, the place was packed. I thought everything was good. Try lots of stuff! Bring cash!

I came here with my family last weekend on a Saturday and we pre purchased tickets online. The first turn off was the staff not knowing where to direct us to the entrance. We parked a ways away to save some money and as we approached the outer edge of the place, we were misdirected twice. Get it together!
Once we finally got in, I was overwhelmed (in a good, hungry way) by all the food options. Everything honestly looked so good! I’m not sure if there was a map/​vendor list available for this thing because the workers inside are high school volunteers (cute!) and a lot of them didn’t really know what was going on. While this isn’t really a big deal, I made a few rounds around the entire place to narrow down my options.
The food I tried from about 5 – 6 different places was delicious and small enough to be able to enjoy multiple places. What was disappointing however, was the price. A small rice ball ran on average $ 5 a pop. A popcorn shrimp tuna hand roll was the same and I can understand that fish items should be a little more pricey. I blew through my cash pretty quick and wasn’t entirely full at that point. There was literally no place to sit and eat or chill in between food stops which was another big disappointment. Eating and standing up is not my thing. Because there were so many different trucks/​companies that had the same thing to eat, it was too hard to figure out which had the better boba or shaved ice, etc…
Finally, I’m still not understanding this whole concept of paying to get in somewhere just to buy more stuff… I don’t think the entrance fee is justified in any way. I can only think that maybe it’s a way to track how many people will come so the food places know whether it’s worth their while to show up or not… and I also thought it could be a deterrent for homeless people wandering around so much food (which is a really sad thought for me). Bottom line is I won’t be returning. But I did appreciate the places I tried and hope to visit them and eat a full meal there.

This event definitely exceeded my expectations! I’ve been to the 626 night market before, but this event was definitely way better and well organized.
Boba Bear Hookah Lounge — $ 5 for unlimited hookah flavor sampling. Left with a goodie bag with a pumpkin spice shisha sample!
The gaming area was decent (won two items: D).
Food was good! The high prices were expected, though there were new and interesting vendors to choose from. Lines weren’t ridiculous, and I was able to try everything I wanted to try.
Best food — Black Mabo Ramen from a ramen stand claiming to have won 3 ramen awards from Japan. I believe it. Sadly, they don’t have a store front.
The Biergarten was cool too. Very strategically placed in front of the live music ;)

I bought tickets to this event thinking there would be plenty of choices to choose from. I came in and it was mostly Asian-​inspired food. I didn’t know the event was centered on bridging Asian culture with American culture. I figured there would be Mexican food, Mediterranean food (there was 1), Indian food, Persian food, etc. There was definitely a lot of choices… of the same food. Of the food I did have, it wasn’t very good. There was one that did stick out and I forgot the name of it –_​_​_​-​, but it was fried chicken and it was delish!
I did enjoy the atmosphere the event provided. AMP Radio 97.1 was there to play music until 10pm. OC Fair was there giving out free prizes. Vendors were selling jewelry, clothes, etc.
There’s an entrance fee of $ 7 (if you buy online) or $ 10 (if you buy there).

My first night market experience and it was amazing! There were tons of food trucks there but we covered only 4 total before we got full :(
The first one we tried was the corn station (4 $). It was okay. Will probably not be getting this again next time.
Then we moved over to the Tokyo hot dogs. We got the yakisoba dog (6 $) which was average. However, we tried our friend’s Spicy dog and it was amazing! We will be getting that one next time!
Next stop was a must since you are in the 626 night market — boba stop! We got an almond milk tea (4 $) to share. It was good but nothing special.
The last stop was the best stop of the night! Umaya Ramen. We ordered both their pork belly sliders (5 $) as well as their spicy miso ramen (5 $). When we got the pork sliders, they were already cold so although the meat was flavorful, the slider was mediocre. The ramen came in these small paper cups very much like the ones you get at froyo. It was the highlight of the night! So delish! So much yum in one cup! We definately wished we had purchased this earlier in the night! Next time!
Also find the 10 $ parking lots instead of the next door 20 $ parking lots. They are only an extra block or two away. You’re going to need the walk afterwards anyways when you finish stuffing your face ;)

In principle, this should be the most awesome thing ever for people who enjoy Asian culture whatsoever. It’s a plethora of Asian everything — food trucks, food stands, jewelry and clothing vendors, and even tricked out cars and scooters. But in all honesty, it was a bit poorly executed. Allow me to explain.
My friend and I got there at a peak hour — around 7 something. The market is directly across from Staples center, and it was Saturday night. The location wasn’t an issue as much as the parking situation was. Expect to pay a good 25 $ or walk a bit (we chose the latter). We found a 10 dollar self-​park lot a few blocks away.
What really got to me, though, was the line. It was extremely long, wrapping around the block and winding through a bell-​rope-​esque maze inside. It took us about an hour and a half of waiting to get in. They should’ve had way more cashiers at the front. We bought our tickets at the door, but the will-​call line was just as bad. So unorganized. Not to mention that there was a 10 $ cover charge to begin with — you think they’d at least have a decent setup.
Once we got in, though, the market itself was pretty solid. It was a bit repetitive, and I wish they had more food trucks, but I did try Tokyo Doggie Style which was an awesome food truck find, and reunited with an old favorite, The Mighty Boba Truck. The actual market was slim pickings — lots of trashy jewelry and cheapy t-​shirts. But as a sushi addict, I was delighted at the food stands offering 3 $ spicy tuna hand rolls and also really enjoyed the Vietnamese drink stand that not only poured me coconut water fresh from the actual coconut, but also chopped said coconut in half and scooped out all the meat for me too. I just wish there were places to sit. I had to stand or walk while eating the majority of my food.
So overall, it was a fun experience, but it’s the kind of thing I’d try once and not feel compelled to return to. I’d rather just track down a good food truck on my own or spend time in one of L.A.‘s many Asian districts if I was itching to buy some quality imports.

Erm, I don’t know. This is my first night market experience and I was kind of bummed. Maybe I really miss Taiwan because those night markets are THE BEST. I sort of thought that it’d be like that here but ehh not really. I had fun though, and I ate alot (but my wallet was bleeding at the end of it).
I had the chinburger: Which is this bun with pork and peppers and cilantro. I enjoyed it. ⁵⁄₅!
Some craisians type of thing, which if I really think about it, is like the chinburger, but with kalbi beef, sriracha and this secret sauce made by the guy’s mom, hahaha. Wrapped in this crunchy deep fried bun. I loved it. It was so good. But $ 6.00 for that? I didn’t like that, haha. ³⁄₅ (⁵⁄₅ food taste, ¹⁄₅ price)
Sugar cane juice with citrus tasted like a healthy orange julius. I didn’t even know you can get sugar can juice to be so creamy. Price was a bit much, but the guy was working hard hacking at the sugar cane so I think it was well deserved. ⁵⁄₅
Pepperoni Ramen Pizza: Pricey — but I honestly got it for the experience of eating pizza ingredients on ramen. $ 9.00! Was it good? Was it bad? I don’t know, I thought it was weirdddd. 3.8÷5
Mr. Potato potato swirl thing: I got garlic butter but there wasn’t much of a flavor to it :/​but I did enjoy peeling the potato from the stick! ⁴⁄₅
Boba bear mango pineapple peach tea was very green tea flavor, not enough fruit flavor, but the BOBA was ¹⁰⁄₁₀ boba. It was the right hardness, the right Q-​ness, the right chewiness, the right sweetness – I was pleasantly surprised by the boba and wish I got more boba in my drink. :(4/​5.
Rode the metro so I didn’t have to pay for parking. Yay! :) I’ll definitely arm myself with more cash at the 626 night market – I think that one’s bigger (possibly more crowded and nightmarket-​y too… cause this one was sort of empty.)

Came here late Saturday night and parking wasn’t too bad.
If you’ve been to the original 626 one it’s pretty much like that though it seems a tiny bit smaller? I’m not sure. Also, a bit more expensive for entry. You also get a more thorough security check which I don’t remember from 626.
Regardless, the usual suspects were here. It wasn’t too crowded or hot when I went at 9. Saw a few new things that I didn’t get to try. That or didn’t want to try. The Ramen Burger, for one. That was… interesting. Did eat the pork belly sliders (good, threw away the bun) and the cold noodles (can never go wrong with that). Of course the okonomiyaki and takoyaki. Staples of 626.

Very similar to the ktown night market but more american stands… i wasnt surprised by any of the food stands. parking was horrendus $ 20.00, plus a $ 10.00 entrance fee = $ 30.00 to park and get in… i dont think it was worth it.

My belly felt just as it feels every Thanksgiving: overstuffed. We tried several asian-​inspired meals, but our favorite dishes were the phở tacos, ramen burger, and Top Chef contender, Brian Husky’s fried chicken sandwich.
I suggest you buy your tickets online, bring cash, come hungry, and carpool with your favorite foodie friends.
Happy Thanksgiving yo.

Go ahead, call me a snooty patooty. I was not impressed with Night Market at all!
The night bazaar is said to be inspired by night bazaars of Asia; let me tell you first hand, it is nothing close to the bazaars that I have been to.
Buy your ticket online because the event sells out; it was fairly empty when we arrived at 5 pm and stayed pretty empty until we left at around 9 pm. At one point I did walk near the two entrance points, 11^th and 12^th, and the lines appeared to be fairly long. Tickets online are about $ 8.50 (includes a convenience fee) and $ 10 at the door.
Parking. If you park near the night market, expect to pay $ 20. If you walk down 2 blocks and park beyond 12^th and Hope in any direction, parking drastically decreases to $ 5-​$ 10.
My overall thoughts on the food:
If you are dying to spend a lot of money on miniaturize food then by all means come over! I literally felt like I was shelling out an arm and a leg for something an infant can devour within seconds. How wonderful would it have been it if were infant priced.
For example:
Hugo Foods (I hope I am talking about the right vendor). These people are working off their notoriety of being on the Top Chef. $ 8 for a fried chicken slider? Nah. I am sure it was delicious but I just couldn’t get past the price.
Nitro Pop. Popcorn made with nitrogen. $ 2.50 for a few kernels in a 4 oz cup. I am NOT exaggerating.
What I did try:
Craisian Kalbi Taco Buns. A little bit of Kalbi meat on a small bun (supposedly a special bun with a secret ingredient). The kalbi was on the salty side and the overall size was tiny! Picture a bun the size of your palm and fold it in half. $ 6 for that bun.
Mama Musubi was pretty good. I had the mama’s special which was $ 3.75 I believe. These are about half the size of your palm. There was shrimp, crab, jicama, and yuzu aioli. It tasted like a california roll to be honest. Nothing memorable.
Balls of fire food truck. $ 8 for 3 tacos. It was okay.
Aunty Merry Indonesian Satay — small little skewer for $ 2-​$ 3. The meat was well flavored and tender.
T&R Thai Chinese Cuisine — Chicken skewer for $ 3, okay. Papaya Salad $ 5-​$ 6, okay.
They also have a beer garden where I was most happy spending my money. They only serve Asahi beer for $ 7. Tons of free swag. Got my stunners shades on.
I didn’t get a chance to check out the carnival area and the art area, which I’m really bummed about.
The entertainment was great. They had some really good musicians on stage.
Overall, I would not go back. The cost was too much for the quality and portion size.

Even though it’s by the same exact organizers, DTLA Night Market was better than 626. Hands down.
While it’s a matter of preference, DTLA Night Market definitely catered to it’s audience and location. There was definitely more of a «hip» and more modern feel to the night market than the one they organized in 626, which definitely caters to the residents of the San Gabriel Valley and has a more «family-​friendly» atmosphere.
Down side? DTLA Night Market has a higher entrance fee at $ 7-​$ 10/​pop in comparison to $ 2 – 3, but I enjoyed my time more. Despite there being an initial line, it moved fast and it helped a little with the crowd control. Once we came in, my friends and I scoured toward the food stands. Unlike 626, the lines aren’t nearly as long and there’s far more space to walk around. While I was already familiar will some of the food stands present from 626, there were plenty of new food stands that I’ve never experienced before and let me say, they were fa more interested and tastier– O My Bun, Japadog, Fefe’s Fruits were some of the highlights for me.
For me I was able to enjoy my food more and have a more enjoyable time. Entertainment was more interesting and there was the addition of an art exhibition area. I think my only issue was some of the food stands/​trucks were hidden in the art exhibit (and I don’t think I was the only one too.) I would have got a ramen burger or a jar of Spiked Juices if I had known! But I was too full!
Anyway, good job guys!
TIP: Unlike 626 they are more strict regarding security and will check your bag. Don’t bring any outside food/​drinks, lighters (for you smokes out there), pocket knives, etc – THEY WILL GET CONFISCATED. I think people who are used to attending 626’s more slack rules didn’t realize it and so a lot of their items got confiscated. The organizers should have done a better job to inform folks about that.
Also bring CASH. There were plenty of ATM’s there – but there’s a surcharge of almost $ 4 FYI. But if you have Wells Fargo, there are plenty of their ATMs near by (one at the Staples Center!)

The DTLA Night Market was my first 626 night market event experience and had a surprisingly pleasant evening. Originally, I was going to go on Saturday, but switched it to Friday (the first day of the event). That was probably a very wise decision.
I HIGHLY recommend taking the metro to the event if possible. The metro drops you off literally right across the street from the event. If you want to drive there, you can pay $ 20 for parking right across the street. My husband and I arrived at the DTLA Night Market around 6pm and guess what? There wasn’t a line to get in! Also, we waited at most 5 minutes to order food at the booths! Honestly, it wasn’t crowded it all and it was very comfortable walking around without it being a fire hazard.
The Food: About 85% of the food here is Asian or Asian fusion vendors. Some of the vendors served very similar food — Boba, skewers, ramen, corn, etc. We tried a bunch of different vendors and not many stood out. Just for kicks, I tried the Ramen Burger since there was a very short line. It definitely was too salty. I tried it once and will never eat it again. We also tried Mama Musubi as there was a line so thought that it would probably be great. It was okay. The highlight of the evening was visiting Top Chef’s Brian Huskey booth and he was there too! What a nice guy!
Aside from the food, DTLA Night Market had other miscellaneous vendors. I liked the OC Fair booth for a chance to win prizes and even a pair of free tickets to the fair. Also, the CA Lottery booth was pretty cool. They had a deal that if you purchased $ 20 worth of scratchers, you have a chance to spin a wheel for prizes. We won $ 20 worth of scratchers and an additional 2 freebie scratchers for coming earlier that evening! A couple booths were also giving away free reusable bags which are a hot commodity due to the plastic bags ban.
On our way out, the line to get in wrapped around the block! Tip: Get there early to avoid crowds and get booth freebies!
–1 stars for the lack of tables/​chairs and the public porta potties.

For the uninitiated, these are tributes to the Asian night markets: a collection of food vendors, shopping, carnival games, and even some live entertainment… and some random booths by BMW, OC fair, and Wells Fargo. It’s not the same feel as the Asian markets — but a fun time nonetheless.
So what is it like? A lot of «street food» items like the ramen burger, Japadog (from Vancouver), exclusive szechuan ramen, lamb skewers, boba drinks. There’s also indochine, malaysian, and indian food stands as well. Items are relatively pricey at $ 3 – 6 per food item, but it’s a premium for getting access to everything in one spot.
The problems that plagued the 626 night market early on – long lines and limited supply of food, over-​crowding — have all been improved dramatically (perhaps by making people wait outside longer… so getting there early is still key).
Still some small issues… despite the 4pm opening time, everyone was still made to wait outside until 430pm… same thing that happened at KTown night market. Also, compared to the KTown night market (the best organized IMHO), this was smaller in scale. Needed more shaded areas and tables as the sun was just pummeling everyone until 6−7pm.
So, if you’ve never been, you should go to the next night market — show up early, bring an umbrella (for sun). If you’ve been to several, it may start to feel a bit recycled.

My first time at DTLA, and the family joined. I had fun sampling and trying a little bit of many places. A lot of vendors in a relatively small lot. I am not too keen on the entrance being $ 7 – 10 on top if the supposed discount prices that the vendors listed their menus at. But I get it. It’s an «event». But if you’re a good eater, you end up spending a lot of money. You also have to shell out for parking, which is more expensive, the closer you get to the Staples Center lot 7. If you don’t mind walking more than two blocks, there are lots as low as $ 5.
I don’t think I will be a regular at this annual event because I already eat at a lot of the places that were in attendance. The highlight of my evening was getting to try the original Ramen Burger and Japadog. They didn’t disappoint at all. But I don’t need to be a regular. And I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked Gottsui’s okinomiyaki. The beef was not bad at all! Mama Musubi was a nice treat, too:) The Bad Pickle Tees booth was cool, too. They have quite a bit of t-​shirts that have Asian quotes… hilarious!
Had a great time just walking around with the family.

Better than 626. Why? Because there’s room to walk around and if there’s a fire you can escape safely. You know how at 626, you have to rub against other people when you walk around, that isn’t the case here. Plenty of room, maybe because they didn’t reach capacity?
Anyway, I came at 7 and the line to get in took 10 minutes. At 9 the line looked like it was an hour wait. Yikes!
There’s a bunch of $ 10 parking lots around so don’t bother parking right next to the venue for $ 20. We parked on pico where the blue line gets off.
How they orient the place is a bit confusing. I guess they spread everything out so it’d be nice to get a map ahead of time. We ran around trying to look for Ramen Burger and it was hidden in a corner (C19, to be exact). NO LINE! JESUS, I thought I was going to cry because I was too excited. Of course, this line got longer later in the night so if you come at 7 like me, you should still be good. The other line that got crazy was Crasian. Go to these two lines first if you’re here before most of the crowd!
Needless to say, ramen burger was good. I felt like the bun was too oily but the noodles were perfectly chewy like you’d find in an authentic ramen restaurant. Didn’t meet my (extremely high) expectation but I’m satisfied! $ 8 plain burger. Bacon, egg and something else (probably not impressive because I don’t remember LOL) topping is $ 2 each additional.
Also had bulgogi roll from Let’s Roll It truck and it was sooooooo good! Basically a sushirrito. I’ve never had one before and this was the perfect first try. $ 9
Gaja Okinomiyaki. Not a fan of the fried pancake but the fried squid was the bombbbbbb. So good. $ 8 for okonomiyaki + squid
Boba bear– Honey, dew me. Peach, passion fruit and honey dew green tea boba. Good but I wanted more sugar in it! If you like the tea taste then you’ll like this. Boba is extra chewy and bouncy… is this boba made of tires? $ 3
Boba 7– Always has my HEART! Perfectly cooked boba even at 930 PM. Kudos! Got my classic bobafete and loved it. $ 4
Fluff Ice– Poor Fluff Ice truck was placed in the back behind the Benz exhibition so they weren’t getting any business. We got a very generous portion for $ 5. Taro snow and it was delicious. Highly recommend.
Tokyo Doggie Style truck– philly cheese steak sandwich and those octopus balls. It was good, from what I heard from my friend. LOL
There were so many booths offering food but then I didn’t know what to eat next so I went home… LOL How stupid was that?(Well, I went to a desserts restaurant in Ktown but I left the night market premises, is what I meant) hahahha I suggest you look at the vendors ahead of time, Unilocal them and get excited about specific items so you enter with a mission! After eating at the few places where I wanted to eat, I just ended up walking around wondering what to eat next… and now my legs hurt. Hhahahahha

Got here early at around 6pm cause I heard the lines for food was a nightmare at the ktown night market. No line getting in and hardly any long lines for food which was perfect!
Wish the beer garden served more than just Asahi but I did love that they were giving away tons of free Asahi swag!
Food vendors were really delicious but the event lacked variety. There was boba offered nearly every booth, which normally I would love. Lots of booths offered the same stuff and I couldn’t find a great booth for dessert. I didn’t check out the merchandise vendors or the art walk.
By the time we left, the line wrapped around 2 barricades. Thank God for being early. Would it be worth the wait? Unfortunately not. I left thinking «whatevs».

My first Night Market event and it did not disappoint.
Parking on 12^th and Figueroa is $ 20. I’m sure you can find cheaper lots but they’ll require more of a walk which might actually be good after eating all that food.
Come early. We arrived at 430 and they still hadn’t let people in. Once it opened though, the line moved fast.
Bring shade and sunblock if you come before the sun sets– no shade hardly any seating.
Hardly any lines near opening time! In less than 2 hours.
We hit the OG Ramen Burger first located in the Art Walk section. $ 8 for OG, $ 9 for special with sriracha — both were delicious! Good texture not soggy at all and a good size. Not sure if I would’ve ever waited 2 hours for it.
Longest line was for Mama Musubi (bout 15). Worth the weight (pun intended)! The 24 hour belly was better than any musubi I’ve ever had. $ 4
Mahalo Shaved Ice was phenomenol! Lychee, matcha, and Kona flavors were right on and so refreshing. Ice cream surprise in the center if you order the special.
Waffle Boss was the bomb! Order the Cookie Butter Lover — just do it!
LotzaTots have a uni cream that is so good.
We also had Belly Bombz and pork steam
Buns– both of which i wrapped in the foil I brought from home.
Many other booths but was way to stuffed to continue. Wish I saved room for the Japadog and the Ice Cream Garden.
As we were leaving at 730, more and more people were arriving. Glad I missed the lines, but kinda sad I missed the night.
Glad to say I experienced it. That was fun.