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On a cloudy Saturday afternoon, I found myself in an area of  Los Angeles known as the “Pinata District.” Which as it sounds, had hundreds if not thousands of pinatas for sale, but the pinatas were just a small part of what the market had to offer. An authentic experience of street food from multiple Latin America countries made that 45 minute trip from my home worthwhile.

Walking down Olympic Boulevard in south central LA, with music blasting from vendors, the streets were crowded with tons of people looking for bargains on party supplies, spices, candy, and of course pinatas. Everywhere you looked colorful pinatas ranging in all colors and sizes were always in sight giving the Pinata District its rightful name.

Aaron Tan / Courier
One of the street food tours you can take in Los Angeles happens every Saturday and Sunday at the Piñata District near downtown LA. They have food from all over Mexico, Central America, Peru and Columbia.

“ My family and I always come down here (Pinata District) when we need party supplies,” Sarah Carrera said. “We have a big family and we have a lot of parties and everything is really cheap and affordable.”

After spending a considerable amount of time walking through warehouses looking at all the unique party supplies and candy that I have never heard of, my appetite started to become a factor. There were many vendors making Latin American street food that made my choice of what I wanted to eat for lunch a difficult decision.

Aaron Tan / Courier
One of the street food tours you can take in Los Angeles happens every Saturday and Sunday at the Piñata District near downtown LA. They have food from all over Mexico, Central America, Peru, and Columbia.

I asked a few of the locals what they recommend and two items stuck out which were the pupusas, a Salvadoran dish which is a thick and doughy corn tortilla stuffed with cheese and refried beans and topped with a cabbage relish, and the classic mexican quesadilla, which had fresh cheese and beef on a homemade corn tortilla. I couldn’t go wrong with the quesadilla at only $5. I was  not disappointed by my choice, as the beef quesadilla tasted as fresh as any quesadilla that I have had before.The cheese was fresh and a nice complement to the beef and overall tasted great.

“All the food here is really good,” local vendor Alexa Lucia said. Everything is different here, it’s not the same that you’ll find at a regular mexican restaurant.”

Aaron Tan / Courier
One of the street food tours you can take in Los Angeles happens every Saturday and Sunday at the Piñata District near downtown LA. They have food from all over Mexico, Central America, Peru, and Columbia.

Even though the Pinata District was crowded, and at times loud with the blaring music, and vendors shouting at customers to buy their products, the Pinata District was completely different than any other street market I had ever been to. Though I left the event without buying anything, the unique experience and the incredible food options were definitely worth the trip if you are in the Downtown Los Angeles area and are looking for something to do on weekends.

 

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