Placita Cafe

Torta de Jamon from Placita is proof that basic food done right trumps an expensive lunch any day. The Torta consist of fresh toasted bolio, sliced avocado, queso fresco, pickled jalapeños, and of course deli ham. All the ingredients are fresh and delicious. I work in LA and I make an effort to make it here at least once a week. You have to check it out.

My wife and I tried the $ 2.50 Burritos. She got a Carne Asada Burrito and I got the Carnitas Burrito. Though the size of the burritos were similar to Taco Bell’s Grillers, the taste was amazing. I decided to buy a second one. I can’t wait to return, everyone was so polite.

30 Minutes for a carne asade Buritto!!! Slow, inefficient… no AC! Dirty tables for a generic burrito! I went here on Sunday, it wasn’t busy at all… They were just slow. And I mean Slow… Forget the quality of the food, or price… (good at least)… but why does it take 30 minutes to make a freakin buritto? A basic, off the menu, no special request Buritto!!! I checked 2 times to make sure they didn’t forget me. Did I mention SLOW SERVICE?! Never again.

Their smoothies are the best I’ve had in LA, and that’s saying something. You can also try their raspadas (Mexican version of snow cone drinks). A+.
The place is small and in a divey area of downtown (hard to find parking), but I go everytime I am downtown. It is that great.

Working at union station, my lunch options are somewhat becoming monotonous. So I decided to try Placita Café for some Mexican food instead of something from Olvera St. Better than I expected! I tried the wet burrito with asada and they gave me a side of avocado and pico de gallo with it. Burrito was not greasy at all and tasted great. It might be a tad dry on the inside for some but I actually like it that way I washed it down with one of their lemon cucumber drinks and it was very refreshing. I’m glad I tried this place. I was starting to get tired of some of the places to eat in this area but I think I just found another go to spot for lunch!

Anytime I’m even remotely in the area, I come here! Excellent, fresh food, fruits, and juices. Parking can be difficult, but it’s well worth it!

Great wet burritos for 6.50 with tons of guacamole.
Chicken in grilled then tossed into a burrito.
Will be back

Great place!!! The Mexican is good. The prices are reasonable. Best part is the fruit they have the most delicious mixed fruit with strawberries, melon, coconut, raisins and granola. In addition, you can get delicious cream on it. The size of the serving is also quite large.

Poor customer service. Does not follow what order, won’t come to assist you even though you are standing right in front of them. Never coming again.

Bang for your buck! Great prices for yummy tasting food. I highly recommend their tortas — Carne Asada is my fave. They’re humungous and have avocado in them! And actual queso!
I also love their juice. I don’t think the fruit they use is organic, but it’s no nonsense and there are so many options to choose from.
Only downside is that this place can get HECTIC when there are a lot of people. Which, I can’t blame since this is a really small restaurant with only a handful of workers. I don’t get angry about it, but for those on a time crunch or who are impatient… beware!

This place was a great Unilocal find as I was looking for a place to hang out and grub on some healthy food while I waited to meet up with my friend in LA. They’ve got a ton of different juice/​smoothie combinations and all more than reasonably priced too. I was in need of something fresh and healthy without breaking the bank (something very rare in LA) and Placita Café was the perfect find. I tried their chicken wrap which came with a side of fruit for just about ~$ 5! The chicken was tasty and the wrap was stuffed with greens and a yummy dressing. The side of fruit was fresh and was a nice variety of melons/​pineapple. I’m convinced they use the good stuff and can imagine their smoothies taste great.

I gotta admit, on a dirty stretch of main street between a bail bonds place and a Subway sits this café. I probably wouldn’t have come if a co-​worker hadn’t taken me.
Delicious, fresh, reasonably priced food. I got the tostada de camaron ($ 4.50) which is huge and loaded with shrimp, and topped with sliced avocado.
The juices and aguas frescas are great! Easy to have a good meal here for about $ 8. And they’re super quick to boot!

Carne asada tacos were very good. Service was excellent, very friendly.
The also offer all kinds of juices as well as standard Mexican fare. Not a lot of room but perfect for Togo orders.

$ 2.50 burritos?! Sure beats going to Taco Bell! They aren’t quite that big, and are called «small» burritos, but do the job well. Filled with beans, cheese, onions and cilantro, and meat– they mighty savory. Great find when you want a burrito, but don’t want a giant one that will ruin the rest of your day, or give you immediate food-​coma.
They also have over 30 kinds of juices made fresh to order. I question the organic-​ness of the ingredients tho. I did get a strawberry smoothie and it was delish.
I feel like this is a place concerned about providing healthier and good food. Glad I finally tried it.

This is in the my category for affordable/​cheap, yummy food. $ 5 will get you enough to make you have food coma! Those kinds of places around this area are hard to find! So if you’re on a budget and feigning for some Mexican food, I highly recommend this place.
Luckily, for me it’s walking distance so it might be hard for someone to come here just to eat. Great for people who work nearby or walking over from Union Station as it is pretty close by. Otherwise, you’ll have to find street parking.
Food is really good. I wouldn’t consider it to be too authentic but it’s «regular». They have mini burritos for $ 2.50/ea and $ 1 tacos all day every day. They have a huge 32 oz cup of juice for $ 3.50. Their green one is my favorite! They also have other desserts and menu items offered, too. All fairly priced and yummy.
Friendly staff always.
Small limited seating inside.
highly recommend! :)

I love this small neighborhood healthy café in Chinatown area LA. The staff is friendly and sweet here. The foods are healthy for the most part and the prices are amazing!
I got a huge 32oz green juice for less than $ 6! The chicken wrap is pretty tasty for $ 6.
Great place to stock up a cheap and quick healthy meal or drink if you’re in the area!
They’re open from 8am-8:30pm every day.

Placita Café changed their bread last year for their tortas and they’re really yummy to me. Both the previous torta and the current torta breads are great with fresh ingredients — onions, jalapenos, lettuce, tomato, mayo. The torta is my number one pick every time I eat there but they also have some simple snacky things like nachos and tacos and stuff if you just want to nosh.
Carnitas torta is my favorite, but honestly I could order it veggie and the it’s still hearty enough for a meal.
Juices and smoothies are also a favorite here. I’ve been particularly digging their green juice by the cash register — great for washing down my food or when I need a thirst quencher.
The service has always been good and pretty fast considering it’s a small mom and pop type operation and I like stopping by when I’m in the area.
Still a great meal and deal for locals and tourists around Chinatown, Olvera Street, Union Station, & DTLA. The Metro Hotel which is also directly above Placita Café if you’re staying there and need a place to grab a quick meal.
P. S. Tip: They also got punch cards for those who frequent Placita often. Call in the morning if you want to try and beat the rush!

Great place! Not too small, not too big. It wasn’t a busy day I must say.
Decided to come here for a bionico. It was an «okay“snack. The fruit is fresh. Nothing yucky and brown. It contained banana, strawberry, mango, papaya, and watermelon for what I can remember. With all that said, it was too much different favors going on in my mouth already. My least favorite part was the watermelon. I would prefer sticking with lemon, salt, and chili with my watermelons. Maybe next time I’ll opt out of all the fruit combinations and stick to maybe 2 or 3.
What really stood out to me and why I’m giving it a 5 star is because of the cashier’s hygiene ethical standards. After having to deal with money in her hands, she goes and washes them at the sink behind the counter. Not only that, she washes them enough time with soap and not just a simple little rinse before she goes to help out in the back with orders. I don’t care how long I need to wait for my food, as long as the ones preparing it have cleanliness. That did it for me.
I’ll surely be back. Great alternative to placita olvera’s inclined prices.

LOVE their spinach, orange and pineapple juice!
I first tried it on a hot 5 de Mayo weekend when they had set a table outside of their store and were selling it along with other aguas frescas. It was so good that after walking on Olvera Street, I went back for another one. Hubby got the cantaloupe one and didn’t like it as much as mine.
Since then, I’ve been to other Mexican stores and have ordered it but this one is definitely the best.
Went back yesterday and it was just as good as the first time!!!
They also advertise $.99 tacos which I didn’t try.

Despite being right near the busy and critical intersection of Alameda and Cesar Chavez, this cozy little restaurant has somehow always escaped my attention, up until now …
For me, it serves as a fairly convenient place to grab some ice cream (I like their Pistachio and Cookies & Cream flavored options) if I am merely craving a sweet snack. If I’m craving a savory snack instead, I’ve found I can’t go too wrong with their beef nachos — served with sour cream, avocado, jalapenos, cheese, and diced tomatoes.
Their horchata is decent, and appears to be «home-​made» — not industrially produced.
Their tacos are not particularly massive, but they *are* still only 99 cents.
Seating inside is fairly limited — but since I tend to come during slower hours, it hasn’t proven to be a problem for me yet.