Best Holiday Eating & Gift Giving in Los Angeles

Food always seems to take center stage during the holiday season. Luckily, Los Angeles has a select list of best food markets and restaurants where discovering special ingredients and flavors for holiday feasting as well as shopping imported foods and treats, kitchen gifts for any home cook or hostess is easy peasy.

The Original Farmers Market, which is an LA staple for over 85 years, introduces new shops to its directory of small business food stalls. The Farmers Market already has a diverse lineup of family owned produce and poultry vendors, unique candy makers and specialty bakers, gourmet grocers and coffee and tea connoisseurs. Just in time for Christmas, the market recently added Green Maya (organic specialty coffee toaster from Panama City), Itty’s Cheese (a hub for California cheeses and locally sourced artisan goods), Temecula Olive Oil Company (pure olive oil made from Temecula-grown olives), Kaylin and Hobbs Pickles (deli-style counter with every kind of pickle), and WildFlora (an ecologically-friendly flower and plant shop for gift giving made easy). The Market is super festive this time of year hosting strolling carolers, a Nutcracker Marionette Show and a Mariachi Fiesta December 20 through December 24.

One of the best Italian markets is Eataly’s Holiday Market in Century City. This pop-up mercato features authentic Italian foods including everything from pasta and olive oil, caviar and truffles to the traditional holiday panettone, Italian biscotti and rich chocolates. Foodies will find specialized cooking tools, kitchen essentials, and cookbooks, as well as holiday themed ready-to-give gift boxes. Stroll beyond the holiday market where shoppers are enticed by regional Italian wines, freshly baked breads, organic produce, and pizza, paninis, housemade pasta, cannoli, gelato and caffè. Eataly Holiday Market is located on the third floor of Eataly and will be open through Christmas Eve. Check website for holiday hours.

Not a mall. Not a food hall. ROW DTLA is an outdoor eclectic grouping of culinary experiences, interactive pop-ups and galleries, and a curated mix of chic shopping. This Downtown Los Angeles retail district gives the classic holiday market tradition a new vibe (perfectly Instagrammable). Shoppers definitely will want to visit the exclusive “Shopify LA Holiday Gift Shop” open through December 31st. The store features some of the coolest merchandise from Belief, Blind Barber, Donni, Ember, Equal Parts, Fleur Marché, Hipdot, Modernica, Paper Chase Press, The Hundreds, and Theragun. Other must-stops include: Rappahannock Oyster Bar for a variety of oysters, chowder and lobster rolls, and a naughty list of spirited holiday sips including the Golden (Un)Milk Punch and Chesapeake Bay Waterman’s Punch; Paramount Coffee Project (PCP) is open for breakfast through dinner, serving its signature specialty coffee, CalAussie cuisine (OMG, the Adobo braised beef!), and wine selections.Need catering? They have your back. For other gift ideas check Hawkins New York for beautiful home goods, Dandelion Chocolate by San Francisco chocolatier (samples offered), Flask & Field for wine, spirits and interactive events. And, if you don’t know, the largest open-air market Smorgasborg Los Angeles takes place year-round on Sundays at ROW DTLA, now you know.