Farmers Market - Wednesday/Saturday Downtown Santa Monica - Santa Monica, California

David M.

Wonderful market for vegetables, flowers and other delights. Fell upon this while visiting the area on a Saturday. Was busy, but easy to navigate and look and shop.

Dude

In A Nutshell:

-I really like the Santa Monica Farmer's Market in downtown on Saturday's.
-The prices aren't too crazy which is what makes it attractive.
-The veggies are very bright in color & plentiful.
-When you buy produce in a California farmer's market you are definitely getting a fresh product.
-I really liked the seafood stand, where you can purchase Santa Barbara uni for $16.

Overall, this is one of my favorite farmer's markets I've ever been to, truly farm-to-your table every weekend!

Savvy B.

Visiting from Australia and just love all the fresh produce, organic and amazing citrus.
We have so many farmers markets in Melbourne and great to visit in Santa Monica.
Worth the visit to meet local growers and sample the amazing quality of produce.

Célia

One of the best farmer’s markets in LA. A large selection of produce and you can even find rare gems.

P R.

My review is for the Wednesday farmer’s market from 8 am to 1 pm. This market is one of the best in Los Angeles because 1) it features a few vendors that you won’t see at other LA markets; 2) it’s in downtown Santa Monica just a couple blocks from the ocean; 3) it’s easy to find metered street parking nearby (2-3 hours); 4) it’s far less crowded than, say, the Sunday Hollywood farmer’s market, at least before noon (but the Hollywood market is great, too); 5) walking up and down the rows of vendors, you’re likely to see at least one or two vegetables and herbs you’ve never seen in your life, or at least only read about; and special varieties of fruits and vegetables you’ve never heard of.

It’s always said that this is where many top restaurant chefs come to buy their produce. I believe this, but since I know few living top chefs by sight, I can’t be certain. I’m sure they probably come as early as possible to have the best selection.

It is fun to take pictures here, but I was quickly told “No pictures, please” last week by a well-known vendor as I was about to snap a photo of some particularly appealing dusky-skinned grapes. First time that’s happened to me.

Note: unlike most markets, there are few to no prepared-food vendors at the Wed market, but you can buy raw meat and poultry, cheeses, bread, dried fruits, nuts, olive oil, and flower. In March and April you can get lilacs brought in by farms far enough north, though beware some of the pricing (actually, for beautiful lilacs at a less dear price, go to Ha’s Apple Farm’s stand at the Sunday Hollywood market).

The earlier you can go the better. At certain times of year, popular vendors can sell out of things well before closing. It’s also more peaceful. As it gets towards noon, particularly in the summer, there are not only more people but also more street corner musical performances of the bad-karaoke variety and the effects can get cacophonous.

Kamila K.

Such a cool experience in Santa Monica! So many wonderful and kind vendors; a lot of citrus samples everywhere- definitely left with some bags of delicious oranges!

Jeff T.

For Wednesday. Possibly the best Farmer's Market in the area. It spans across 7 blocks in the Santa Monica area. Although there were no prepared food vendors, it had a wide variety of produce as well as flower and meat vendors. The items here are extremely fresh and there are many organic choices

Leah K.

Amazing market with so much fresh goods!!