La Plaza at Olvera Street

See me and my boyfriend wander thru Olvera Street and then La Plaza for 11 min here:
Came upon this area by accident during free museum Saturday as we were at the Japanese American National Museum. We heard music wafting thru the air and saw a crowd of people so we stopped by to take a rest and enjoy the music/​dancing. I’m not sure what the ocassion or celebration was, unless there is always something in the plaza on weekends, but it was nice to watch and listen. Girls and women in traditional Mexican festive/​costume attire were twirling and dancing! I had never seen anything like it, and it was free, which was great! I think parking is more nearby paid lots or may be street parking if you can find it. We had parked a mile away for lunch and walked to the museum and this was the half way point.

This place is awesome! I immediately hit Celito Lindo and ordered up some of their world famous tacos in avocado sauce. This was the perfect hangover food for new years days. After this I hit a bar and had a beer with lime juice and then went and watched an Aztec dance troupe perform in the street. Great day. I am not fluent in Spanish after spending a day here!
Salud!

If you’re here on a weekend, expect it to get loud!
I love the sound of live music here on the weekends but the crowd can get a little overwhelming for little ones. There are several vendors selling Mexican knick Knacks which are usually a little overpriced but part of the experience. I love the food around Olvera Street best. Great place to get authentic dishes. It’s defiantly a great spot to take good pictures of Mexican culture in Los Angeles.

I’ve lived in LA a few years and never new this place existed. It’s a piece of frozen time. Preserved old streets & buildings before Los Angeles was taken over. Nice for souvenirs from Mexico. There’s a couple of restaurants & museums as well. Little piece of culture.

Local people do use this plaza, just chilling. There are also homeless people taking naps there as well. Sometimes, you will see school buses or tourist buses stop by because Olvera Street is one of the tourist attraction spots.
There is a Tour Office right near the plaza, right next to the Fire House. They give FREE tour about the historic sites in this neighborhood. It is very informative.
Besides shopping and dinning at Olvera Street, there are a few museums near by as well. The Tour Office has all the information.

First time going here and it was perfect. Spent too much money, I wanted to buy everything lol

Three stars because when I was arriving there was a really bad stench. I wanted to gag, but I didn’t want the vendors to feel bad. There was a lot of homeless people sleeping and hanging out by the entrance.
There was no where to sit because they were all there doing something. I heard so many good comments about this place and I had never been here.
I had the opportunity to come because I was nearby and I had payed for an all day parking already.
I finally found a spot to sit on a bench, but once I got up a homeless man pushed the bench and laid on it.
Once I went in the part where there was restaurants and little stores it wasn’t too bad. Everything was very pricey and my mom was like don’t by anything just look. I’m going to Tijuana in a few days and I’ll bring you whatever you like 3x cheaper.
Oh Lord, I thought that was funny. They have to make there profit right? She just didn’t want me spending too much.
They have cute Mexican stuff for the whole family. My mom is from El Salvador, but we do enjoy the Mexican culture.
It was nice to see everything they were selling and it did remind me of Tijuana when I use to visit a lot.
I thought it was going to be a lot bigger, but it was pretty small. We walked through really fast and a lot of people sold the same merchandise.
It was okay I guess I was just expecting too much because of all my friend’s comments.

Sigh…
Came on a beautiful, warm, Friday evening and there was a singer with a dj smack in the middle of the plaza. She sang really good and the beat was awesome… there were people dancing and enjoying themselves.
It was a very chill vibe and it reminded me of the plazas in Mexico… love it.

I hope that I go back again one day. I can’t explain how beautiful this plaza is. The food, the art, the people, all the cute little vendors, the face painting, the fresh fruit stands, the music, the Aztec performances, the papel picado as decorations, all the cool costumes, the museums, the church, it’s endless. I appreciate that this plaza is in great condition even when it is filled with people. If you want to eat great food and have a good time with family and friends this is the place to be.

I remember the first time that I came across Olvera Street as I started exploring LA. I had taken the train up from San Diego and as I walked out of Union Station to start looking for some food, I kind of got this feeling that Olvera Street would be a good place to start. I ended up walking the market to find Cielito Lindo, which I continue loving to this day.
I don’t even know why I love this place so much. I have been to some small concerts here and a taco truck festival. I don’t really have any great recommendations about what to do once you are here, except maybe to walk around.
I like the feeling this place gives me after getting off of the train and starting my walk about LA. Through Olvera St to DTLA. Through Japantown and maybe hop on the metro to East LA, or back to Culver City, depending on how much time I have. You could walk in the other direction and check out Chinatown or get a french dip at Philippe’s place. I like Olvera Street because this is where I started discovering LA, and I know how many other people also share that experience of stepping off the train and hearing someone say, «Bienvenido».

The oldest street in LA but the one street that had the best vibe and life to it. I really enjoyed walking and seeing all the awesome things that people hand made. We bought our son his 1^st piggy bank soccer ball loved the fact it says made in Mexico in the bottom and the only way to ever get the money out is to break it.
— I really enjoyed the corn in a cup… amazing
— I loved the fact that they were also up to date and took credit/​debit cards.
— I can’t wait to go back.

There was a guy playing a flute and had a pan flute hanging from his neck in La Plaza. He was playing a solo to pre-​recorded music. We watched for a few minutes. There were a couple of vending carts there, too.
There wasn’t a whole lot going on here, other than people just hanging out, so went to the nearby museums.

How is it that the oldest street in Los Angeles is the one that seems the most vibrant and alive? Olvera Street has always seemed a little magical to me.
If you get the opportunity, go visit. The live Mariachi music makes the whole plaza feel like it’s dancing, and it’s worth the time just to wander around and read a bit about the history of the city.

We came here for the Los Angeles Seafood Festival, which was far from a festival. So we wandered down Olvera St. It’s a good get away for a few hours. The street is crowded and filled with vendors selling over priced knick knacks. Take a moment and go in the stores, there you will find more interesting things. It is of course a tourist attraction, so expect the buses of people. There are a few small free museums that you can check out.

My wife and I, along with another couple jumped on the Gold Line for a visit to Union Station and Olvera Street on a warm SoCal Sunday, and we were not disappointed! We cris-​crossed the area enjoying lunch at the Spring Street Smokehouse and visited the local museums, but La Plaza was the highlight of the day! Why? The cultural performers throughout the afternoon were excellent! Watching colorful performances of a Mexican hat dance and Latin Indian drum dances transported you to another time and place. Truly magical!

I have only been here 2 – 3 times and I wish there was always a docent there to really tell you all the wonderful history that took place there. There are a few museums there if you get a chance to check them out! I believe they are free and simply just ask for tips/​donations. The art work is amazing and there are pieces that struggled to see the light of day because it was covered up for political reasons! There is a deep rooted connection with culture that is there with the people, shops, and the food! Make sure if you like something it might be worth it to look around a bit more because a lot of the shops sometimes carry the same thing, but for a cheaper price. I have not gotten to try any of the restaurants there, but I did get to try Mr. Churro and it was so scrumptious! It was very fresh. It came out warm, soft, and yet still had some crunch to it! I came to the Dia de Los Muertos event and they had Native American dancers dancing in the middle. They had different elaborate alters, but I wish some of them had more descriptions to let us know what the alters were. They have face painting, food, but I came towards the end and wish I saw what they had earlier.
Be aware the parking is awful! And some places really jack up the prices!

Mi Dulce Amor!!! Best Mexican candy stand ever!!! The lady who runs the store explained all the different candies there and let us sample different items. She gets items that are not available at other stands or at the candy stand we saw at the Grand Central Market. We ended up purchasing cactus, yam and guava candies as well as an assortment of fruit lollipops.
My favorite thing about this place is how it brings back childhood memories of eating Mexican candies from Dave (my part Mexican boyfriend).

Lived in Los Angeles all my life, and I just came here 3 years ago. I took a sick day, and my now-​husband decided to do an «all day date». We started here at Plaza Olvera, I was immediately taken aback at how small it was, a tiny but quaint little street in the midst of downtown L.A., chinatown area. Its more like a little alley. But within those confined quarters are the quaint charms of the Hispanic culture that are prevalent in Los Angeles, heck in most of Southern California.
We ate at the restaurant that is south of the plaza near the stage, the carnitas were so good! I bought a few things, but mostly just looked around at the trinkets and Mexican-​style clothing. Next we went on to the shops in china town that are down the street, and on to our other destination.
This year was my first experience at their Dia de los muertos celebration that takes place the first week of November. It was such a lively atmosphere, all kinds of people, faces painted as skulls to represent the day of the dead, and all kinds of memorablia, we left with some sage which we used to cleanse our new house, I forgot the price but it was less than 5 bucks for a big bunch that was tied and ready to burn. While it was really crowded, it was worth seeing.

When one thinks about Dia de los Muertos celebrations in Los Angeles, inevitably Olvera Street crosses one’s mind. It’s the oldest part of L.A., rooted deeply in a California that was still a part of Mexico.
Dia de los Muertos at Olvera Street, which is primarily held in the plaza, is minimalistic and traditional. The altars are small and simple, lots of marigold and pan de muerto. Each year someone leaves a Philippe’s sandwich for the spirits to enjoy.
Along with many of the little shops and vendors remaining open into the night, which they often don’t any other night of the year, the event itself promises pre-​Columbian blessing (someone with a pot of burning herbs waves the smoke over and around your body). It’s a sort of cleansing ceremony with sage.
When the people are performing the blessings, which they do without asking for anything, it’s asked that you not take pictures. It’s out of respect, but you’ll still hear the ignorant whispers of people offended they can’t pull out their camera, going, «It’s because they’re afraid I’m going to steal their souls.»
The people carrying the smoking urns, along with Aztec and folklorico dancers and others dressed in skeleton costumes fashioned after Catrina and other themes, all take part in the procession leading from Olvera Street and into the plaza. Throughout the evening different dance groups take turns performing around the stage, whilst a woman dressed as La Llorona runs about screaming about her children.

Olvera Street is the birthplace of the City of Los Angeles, otherwise known as El Pueblo Historic Monument. The colorful village features 27 historic buildings with a traditional Mexican style plaza area. Wander around the marketplace and shop for souvenirs including handcrafted Mexican wares typical of old Mexico. There are also free docent tours by Las Angelitas.
Stroll through this beautiful street and stop for the popular taquitos or tacos at the outdoor cafes. Olvera Street also offers a variety of traditional authentic Mexican cuisine, with delicious enchiladas, mole and other native dishes.
On weekends you can enjoy outdoor entertainment by strolling bollero musicians, Mariachis music and performances by Aztec Indians and folkloric dancing.
The original pueblo was built by the 44 settlers of Los Angeles in 1781. Today Olvera Street is one of the most famous tourist attractions in the City of Angels, located right across the street from Union Station, La Placita Church and one block from Chinatown.