While Holbox has recently gained top food critic attention, another Mercado La Paloma marketplace standout, Komal, has excited us as well, with its fresh and delicious take on Mexican street food.
When we stopped by the Mercado, located in downtown Los Angeles near Grand and W. 37th Street and the 110 Freeway, the line for Holbox snaked out the door and through the parking lot with an approximate 90 minute wait. Conversely, the other restaurants and shops in the indoor swapmeet did not have crazy lines.
Komal has been on our list to try for a while now. The restaurant focuses on traditional Mexican ingredients and flavors such as squash, cactus, potato, ayocote beans, corn, plantain, mole and more.
We ordered at the counter and found an open table. Runners brought us the plates as they were ready.
Everything was absolutely delicious but perhaps our favorites were the Tlacoyos and the Flor de Calabaza quesadilla. The Tlacoyos, oval-shaped thick corn tortilla filled with ayocote beans and topped with cactus, queso fresco and homemade salsa, were an explosion of flavors and textures.
The Flor de Calabaza quesadilla was a delightful amalgam of squash blossoms, sweet corn sofrito and quesillo (Oaxacan) cheese.
We heartily enjoyed the Molotes de Platano (fried plantain balls with quesillo and topped with black mole and cilantro), the Taco Sonia (beef rib, pork and mashed potato topped with cactus and red salsa) and the Papa quesadilla with its creamy cheesy potato filling.
The salsas are complex and a little spicy but not overwhelming with heat. Tortillas are freshly made.
After eating, we then checked out the rest of Mercado la Paloma.
There’s several tasty looking restaurants – Chichen Itza, Oaxacalifornia restaurant, cafe and juice bar, Taqueria Vista Hermosa and Thai Food Express – and a few shops such as Donaji Oaxacan Crafts, Gloria’s Alterations, Joe’s Sports World and Quest Taxes and Insurance.
Mecado La Paloma also hosts art exhibitions and performances on a regular schedule that can be found on their website.
Plenty of parking is available on site, particularly in the evening after the adjacent DMV closes.
So for Burbankers who want to check out some incredible Mexican food and a different shopping/entertainment experience than is typically found in Burbank – we highly recommend Komal and Mercado La Paloma. It’s a great way to Get Out of Town!
