Westwood Farmer’s Market

This place sucks. MOST of the fruit is from Guatemala, and other countries. NOTHING Local except the candy, and the Greek food. Waste of time!!! Never again!

I love (d) this farmers’ market. My husband and I have been regulars during the past year and have gotten to know a few of the merchants. But alas, my husband just went today and was told that due to lack of demand, this market has CLOSED. Is this true??? Does anyone have information. We have truly come to rely on the wonderful selection of produce, tasty salsa, and beautiful flowers. Yes, it is small, and we supplement with another nearby market for eggs, olive oil, fish, etc., but it was always pleasant to come here, walk around, visit with the birds, check out the VA’s native plant nursery, have a bit of lunch, chat with the vendors, and come home with our bags filled with deliciousness. I hope the market will be back. So sad.

I love this Farmer’s market — probably because I work at the VA! It has great picnic tables by the bird sanctuary (rehab for abused birds — super sweet that these vets take care of them!) and I really like the papusas. They had a great japanese place for a while, but they must have stopped coming a few months ago. There aren’t a ton of booths for vegetables/​fruits, but the ones they have are serviceable. The vegetable booth always has fresh herbs, including interesting ones like pineapple sage, purple basil, along with your typical rosemary, etc.
I like that this is on the VA campus. Besides easy parking, it is nice to have an opportunity to have fresh food offered — much better than the canteen.

I enjoyed my time spent at this quaint, precious farmer’s market. Be aware that it is not a large, bustling farmer’s market but it still offers great food and samples. I enjoyed delicious pupusas and fresh strawberry lemonade here. I loved the strawberry lemonade. It is refreshing, sweet and had a lot of pulp. I love having pulp in my lemonade — it just adds to the refreshing feel of it! I cannot remember which vendor it was from but I saw several people walking around with it and just tried to figure out where they were coming from. Besides, the market is small and it wasn’t that difficult.
I would definitely return if I was in the area. I appreciate the charm and relaxing experience of sampling food, walking around with friends, and enjoying great food while sitting down at a picnic table in a small garden. You will probably have to share tables with strangers but everyone is friendly there! Parking is also really abundant here.

#171 of 365 Things to do in LA (
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Neatly tucked into a corner of the Vets Garden in Westwood every Thursday from 12 – 6 pm lies a small, one-​of-​a-​kind Farmer’s Market. There were hardly any shoppers when I went, but the lack of people worked out for me – more samples! I walked from table to table, sampling the usual bakery sweets, hummus, and salsa. There were about three tents selling produce, three or four hot food stands, a fresh seafood stand, and the delicious Dave’s Korean Food stand that I also see at other Farmer’s Markets. My favorite find was Smart Simple Gourmet. I bought a canning jar of their curried leek and potato soup and ended up eating it all in one day. The menu changes daily, so check out their website before you go.
There is a small area near the hot food vendors where you can sit and eat. Parking is free. Check it out if you’re in the neighborhood – just know that this is no Hollywood Farmer’s Market — this one is tiny!

I get overwhelmed at the bigger farmers’ markets, so I appreciate the smaller ones like this Thursday Vet’s Garden one and the Sunday farmers’ market behind the public library on Santa Monica Blvd and Purdue.
This one is great for so many reasons:
* SUPER plentiful parking in the lot
* Late hours (Thursdays 12 – 6)
* Never crowded
* Yummy food booths (pupusas, tamales, Grill Masters chicken and roasted potatoes, roasted corn with toppings)
My fave vendors are:
* the Korean family with apples/​avocados/​fresh and DRIED persimmons (yum — like natural gumdrops!)
* the Japanese lady with a multitude of produce (corn, heirloom tomatoes, zucchini with the blossoms still on, onions, yams, kohlrabi, green onions, carrots, lettuces, herbs, cucumbers — really anything I need!)
* the berries and dried fruits and nuts vendor — strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, and dried fruits and nuts by the pound
* the citrus guy — grapefruits, lemons, sweet lemons, oranges, etc.
The French vendor has some DELISH looking pastries and fresh made pastas, but since I’m watching the carbs — I sadly stay away: (.
The Greek lady has GREAT moussaka, olives, baklava, and other yummies.
There’s always interesting stuff to browse too — jewelry, clothing, vases, etc.
One of my fave things to do after I get my awesome produce is to visit the BIRD SANCTUARY that’s accessible by walking through the Vet’s Garden!
The bird sanctuary is a GINORMOUS haven for dozens of cockatoos, red and blue macaws, african greys, and other smaller birds like ring-​necked parakeets.
Cover your ears, because they can be raucous!
The birds are HILARIOUS with their differing personalities:
* the african grey that loves to sing songs (happy birthday, take me out to the ballgame, etc.)
* Lola, the blue macaw who LOVES women with long, dark hair but HATES men. Lola coos googly-​eyed at me and lunges and hisses at bf, LOL!
So get some of the yummy food from one of the booths, sit under the big tree at one of the picnic tables, walk through the Vet’s Garden, visit the birdies, and bring some farm-​fresh produce home this Thursday!

Okay so this is not to be confused with the Westwood Farmers Market in the village on Broxton… anyways I live on Veteran Ave and have been frequenting this place every week for several months now. It’s a lot smaller than what other people may be used to and it’s tucked away pretty good so I feel like a lot of people don’t know it is even there.
I have developed great relationships with my go to vendors though and rely heavily on them to provide me with good quality fruits and vegetables (and Dave’s Korean food!). The vegetables are really cheap and you can get great citrus at the Polito Farms stand. I have tried some of the little food stands and always end up feeling like I would rather have kept my cash and spent it later on other things or save it for buying more oranges.
Overall though I feel like this place has served me very well, although my irresponsible purchasing of Dave’s Korean food left me regretting a lot. He has some good quality items and I still purchase stuff from that stand but only one maybe two items at a time now. However, it did bring me to start playing around with fermenting my own vegetables and trying my hand at making kimchi (which turned out okay).
Final thoughts: I have been through the Westwood Village Farmers’ Market once but wasn’t able to fully explore it or really try out many of the foods offered. This place is super convient for me because it’s so close and I really enjoy the relationships I have formed as well as the produce I get. Sure it may not be the best in town but it works great for me. If you are free from 12pm-​6pm on Thursday and it’s not too far out of your way check this place out!

This tiny farmer’s market definitely has some charm. The location is cute, the setup is adorable and most of the vendors sell quality products. It’s much better for buying fresh fruits and vegetables than for buying lunch.
The raspberry croissant I purchased from the «French Bakery» guy was divine. It would have to rank in the top 3 croissants I’ve ever eaten.
Contrast that with the pupusas at Rita’s Pupusas. Let’s just say that they are a total disaster. The only reason that Rita’s Pupusas is still in business is because they sell to people who have never eaten a pupusa at a pupuseria before. Since when did you start pouring salty Mexican salsa on your pupusa? And since when was it ok to serve curtido that tastes like there’s no vinegar? The pupusa itself was already cold and the filling to masa ratio to off by a lot as well. It’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s a shame because if this had been my first pupusa experience, I would have written off Salvadoran food altogether.

This is definately the easiest Farmer’s Market to park at. Not alot of people know about it because it’s hidden from the street. There were 21 vendors when I was there. There were flowers, pies, strawberries, handmade glassware, fruits/​vegetables, women’s clothing, pastries, plants, jewelry, soap, massage, fresh fish, corn on the cob, Greek food, tamales/​tacos, and nuts. You can eat lunch at the picnic tables in a beautiful garden setting and visit Parrots, Cockatiels, etc. for free in the Avairy. You can go to
for more info.

this farmers market was perfect for me… we didnt have to fight traffic or deal with parking, crowds or the regular fm douche bags.
after being in bed for a week, i pulled myself out today, prodded the bf into going with me and he even suggested we walk. at first i was weary since like i said, i have been in bed for a week but im glad we did it. even if you want to drive though, there is a little «secret» parking lot right by the back entrance that had more than enough spots.
we found the dandelion greens we always look for and we also got some peaches, nectarines, asparagus, baby artichokes, a HUGE artichoke, pita bread, an orzo salad and a strawberry limeade. then we walked through the garden, which was also awesome.
this place is just a great place to spend a sunny thursday afternoon with the boy and the dog. especially when i am about to go clog my arteries to their max capacity at Unilocal’s sizzlin’ bacon event that very evening!
the only thing is the prices arent awesome since there isnt much competition, but the environment and ambiance more than made up for it.
also, sorry i described this place as «awesome» so much. pitchmen is on in the background and they are talking about the awesome auger. a lot.

This farmers’ market is kind of difficult for me to rate. And I’m giving it 3.5 Stars based more on the quaint location and the opportunity to see parrots and beautiful gardens, rather than the actual market itself.
I usually go to the Saturday «organic farmers’ market» in Santa Monica on Arizona & 3^rd. So, I’m used to a good selection of vendors, with many of them having organic produce. Unfortunately, the Westwood farmers’ market is quite small with not too may booths, and they only had one organic vendor. And, I just felt kind of bad for the farmers, because there was barely anybody there to by their stuff. Which in my mind is not a good thing. I’m into supporting farmers, and locally grown, sustainable foods, etc. However, if farmers can’t sell their wares, then they can’t ultimately support themselves and the work they do. This would be bad news for us, because then we would have less access to nutritious food, and be reduced to buying produce from large scale non-​organic unsustainable farming, which is both really bad for us and the environment.
Anyway, the Westwood market seemed to have more booths containing prepared foods than produce booths. However, we tried many things from those booths, and they were really good. So, this would be a great place to stop by to pick up some lunch, or to bring home some dinner. We tried the roasted chicken booth, which had excellent chicken and some tasty garlic potatoes; a greek food booth where I had the greek salad and the feta in that was the best I’d ever had!; there was a gourmet tamale booth, and we had the spinach and artichokes tamale, which was pretty good; and finally, we got a chicken apple sausage from the «Candy Sausage» booth, which was excellent. On our way out, we bought two cobblers, one sweet potato and the other a strawberry-​mango. Those cobblers are so good! The woman who makes them uses organic agave syrup to bake them, which is a lot better for you than sugar as it has a lower glycemic index. They also had booths selling other stuff like kettle corn, roasted corn on the cob, etc., and a booth with beautiful hand made glass vases, decorations, and jewelry.
The best part of this farmers market was sitting at the picnic benches to enjoy our food, which is right next to the VA gardens. Once we were done, we took a walk through those gardens, which were so well kept and beautiful. We also got to walk through their parrot sanctuary, which was really cool. Toward the back end, there is a cage of macaw parrots, and one of them started talking to us. It was saying «hello», «Hi!» «How are you?» Which was really neat :-) I’ve never had the opportunity to hear a parrot talk, and my four-​year old son just thought it was so amazing that this bird was talking to him.
So, all in all, a great experience at this market. However, not something that I would add to my regular shopping route for fruits & veggies.

well i am going to be bias because i started selling at the market March 12^th, 2009 (which was yesterday). i visited the market in Feb and fell in love with the place. this place is probably the best kept secret. it took me awhile to find it.
it is located at the «Getty» parking lot on the grounds of the VA (Veterans Affairs). .. the nearest large intersection is Wilshire Blvd, and Sepulveda Blvd. so if you drive on Sepulveda Blvd going north, you will make a left turn on Constitution Ave.
the address given to me by the manager of that area is
11 010 Constitution Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90 073
the fruits are fresh fresh fresh … never tasted strawberries that great until i came to this market and bought me 3 little basket full of them. and those strawberries kept up longer too than the ones i bought at the supermarket.
the vendors are super nice that is why i decided to sell jewelries and promote my jewelries here. i like to be in company of nice people … it just makes the day go by faster.
live music starts at around 230−300pm
great food. my gosh the grill chicken at grill master is so good. my table was just across from that place so i smell the roasting … i have to try it. ronald was so nice to take 2 bucks off cause i was a vendor =D
i met joy an elder lady selling a bunch of cutest turtles with bobbing heads all handcrafted from san phillippe (sp?) northern part of baja california. and she was so nice to give me one cause i helped her sell 4 turtles awhile she was on potty break.
aroma jems! sorry i forgot your name … they are for aromatherapy … natural, no chemical sea salt … you have to smell the vanilla ones so good!
well i am definitely going back and i do wish people would come by to this place more. we need more people here to make it fun and alive again!
so i hope you come by to visit my jewelry booth and also the many other vendors. okay that is my little pitch. but you have to see for yourself.
hope to see you there (every second thursday of the month i will be there)
i think this market opens all thursdays from noon — 6PM … and for the art and craft, it is every 2^nd and 4^th thursdays of each month. i will probably re post again to make sure these info are correct.

This is an excellent farmer’s market. from the produce to everything else. it is wonderful.
only problem is that this thursday market was moved from Westwood Village to the Veterans center, so less people attend.
The vendors are terrific and it is a wonderful place to shop and stock up.
Highly recommend this gem. much better than the sunday farmers market in westwood.
I also enjoy sunday’s market in Beverly Hills.

This farmer’s market is on the grounds of the VA hospital — just west of the National Cemetary and right next to UCLA’s baseball practice field. I think a small portion of the proceeds benefits the vets and the VA garden has a booth as well, selling flowers and such. Plenty of free parking and open Thursdays from noon to 6pm, weather permitting. Sometimes they have a performer or two playing music. The first section has about three vegetable booths with limited fruits. One booth with citrus. Flowers. Dried fruits and nuts. Fresh fish guy. Someone selling cheese. Sometimes there’s a cobbler lady. Coffee and ice cream truck. Roasted corn booth. Rotisserie chicken. Then you venture into the garden (you can go all the way into the garden to look around). There, they have more prepared foods. French bakery (a little overpriced but great danishes and baguettes and decent frozen ravioli). Hummus and pita. Papusas (about 3 bucks each and they have great strawberry juice). Italian sausages (about 5 bucks but pretty tasty). Gourmet tamales (outstanding — they sound a little artsy but the sweet chicken barbeque, the wild mushroom, the goat cheese — all outstanding and $ 3.50 each). Gyros. And a booth that fries stuff (Belgian fries, fish and chips, fried shrimp, fried twinkies — all are tasty but obviously evil).
I like this place for a nice lunch outside. I like that it benefits the vets. For produce though, I think the other markets are a better bet.

I think there’s some confusion about the Westwood Farmer’s Markets. There are 2 — the Westwood Farmer’s Market and the Westwood Village Farmer’s Market. The former is in the Vet’s Garden across from the National Cemetery, the latter is in Westwood Village.
In my latest farmer’s market excursion, I decided to see this garden market, the only one of its kind in LA. The parking is so super easy and FREE, which, as we all know, is a HUGE deal in this town. Another perk are the hours 1 – 7 pm. How cool is that? You could go during your lunch hour or after work if you happen to be nearby.
This is quite a small market and at first I missed the whole garden bit. I nearly walked right by the garden! Don’t miss it! Look off to the west and you’ll see that the market continues into the trees. What a beautiful haven! This is where they serve the prepared food — the tamales, the gyros, the sausages, and the strange, but yummy tasting green alfalfa drink. A beguiling lady in a straw hat was giving samples of her flax cookies and saying something about having sustained energy throughout the morning… i passed on by while munching on the delish cookie. I bought a BBQ chicken tamale combo plate for $ 5 and sat down at one of the picnic tables that they had set up under the trees. I had a view of the greenhouse and tried to take a picture on my crappy cell phone, but that was a lost cause. So i settled for talking to 4 ladies also enjoying the afternoon. One of them sat at my table because she was trying to avoid the smell of her friends’ food, avoiding the temptation of spoiling her diet. It’s only a bite and we’re sharing, sure you don’t want some? No, it’s fried! she said. so funny. I bid them a good afternoon and went back to find the lady and her flax cookies. Oh i would go back just to chat with her again. We had something in the common which was the South where she said food actually tastes good! And she’s right. She told me that she started getting into making healthy yummy tasting food after she’d been told her cholesterol was a little high and then saw the lovely side effects of Lipitor. NO thanks! and good for her! Her partners were a little embarrassed by her tirade, but i thought she was something special.
So the point is, I had a wonderful time, however I was disappointed with the variety of produce available. I came away with 2 nectarines and of course the flax cookie. But you know what’s funny? Off to the side I noticed tents with a bunch of shampoos, colognes, sun tan lotion, that kind of thing lined up on tables. I asked one of the vendors if she knew anything about it and all she said was that they were discounted items. If anyone knows the story behind this, please let me know. It was quite curious.