In a city like Los Angeles, where at any given time a seemingly overwhelming number of events are going on, it can be hard to uncover the hidden gems that somehow escape one’s notice. When so many shows, festivals, exhibitions, and restaurant openings are all vying for our limited attention, it’s all too easy to miss out on the small, weekly neighborhood staples that rely solely on local traffic and don’t advertise more broadly. For anyone who is visiting the city and looking for a fun activity away from the tourist crowds — or for LA locals who want to get away from their usual day-off haunts and explore an under-the-radar street food market — we’ve found the perfect weekend option: DS Night Market.
If you happen to find yourself driving along North Broadway through Chinatown, Los Angeles, on a weekend night, it will be hard not to notice the light, music, and commotion coming from the narrow alleyways illuminated by red Chinese lanterns. Upon closer inspection, the smell of fried chicken, sweet potato, sizzling beef, and spicy curries wafts up as steam rises above grill tops, with happily fed diners tucking into their meals while others dance to music coming from a well-lit mobile stage.
Just outside of Downtown Los Angeles and south of Dodger Stadium is this weekend street food and music event series. The DS Night Market consists of a bunch of street food vendors — mostly serving Thai cuisine but also with sushi and Korean fried chicken on offer — all spread around narrow streets in the vicinity of 932 Mei Ling Way. The market runs every weekend from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Fridays feature EDM performers, Saturdays see live musicians, and Sunday nights are reserved specially for karaoke.
What to eat at DS Night Market, Chinatown
Strolling the alleys of Chinatown during the weekend DS Night Market, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed with the stimuli hitting every one of your senses. With live music or karaoke coming from the central stage and a whole chorus of smells assaulting you as smoke rises from the grills, you would be forgiven for not knowing where to start. You can’t miss Pad Pad, a Thai noodle and stir-fry place that serves macaroni pad, pad kee mao, pad see ew, as well as stir-fried glass noodles and deep-fried garlic shrimp. And then there’s Fried Me to the Moon, offering up deep-fried favorites like chicken skins, torpedo shrimp, coconut and tempura shrimp, egg rolls, and french fries to boot. If that somehow doesn’t satisfy your craving for fried food, be sure to check out this authentic food court in Koreatown that serves up some delicious Korean fried chicken…