Wexler’s Deli

Wexler’s Deli
317 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-620-0633

Wexler's Deli is a stand at the Grand Central Market.  I've been to other stands at the Grand Central Market like; Kismet Falafel,  Prawn, and Horse Thieves BBQ- which has a very large and loyal following!

There was a huge line when I go there, but the line was for the ice cream stand across the way.  When that line was redirected to another aisle, there were only 2-3 people ahead of me.  There are about ten seats along the v-shaped counter.  There are other seating throughout Grand Central Market.

Ruskie-$11 egg salad, pickle, and a kaiser roll.  The egg salad was great.  Well seasoned, with some green onions, and mustard and mayo.  But, the kaiser roll left a lot to be desired.  Not good at all.  A bit undercooked, and the onions on top didn't work well with the egg salad.  Cole slaw, you got a choice along with potato salad, was very good.  Not much mayo, which I really like, and just a light refreshing cole slaw!

Service was good.  We got our sandwiches quickly.

I would go back to Wexler's but I may ask for a different bun.  Maybe, even on a bagel!

Kismet Falafel-Closed

Kismet Falafel
317 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-357-2412

The last time I was at Grand Central Market, I went to a seafood place, Prawn.  I wasn't in the mood for something heavy, and found Kismet Falafel.  So I decided to give them a try.

They are located to the Hill entrance of Grand Central, and they are on the west side of the market.  They have a few seats at the counter, or you can find some tables that are spread around the market.

Classic falafel sandwich-$11. Tomato, tahini, cabbage, pickles, onion and basil.  This is stuffed with a ton of cabbage, pickles and onions.  Maybe two or three small sized falafel.  I would like to see more falafel-either bigger sized falafel, or another one inside the sandwich.  The falafel was fine.  Nothing special.  For what you get, it's a bit overpriced.

Service was good.

Kismet was ok. I won't return

Prawn- Closed

Prawn Grand Central Market
317 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013

After the disaster trying to go to Seasalt Fish Grill for fish and chips, I was at Grand Central Market and decided to give Prawn a try.  The only place I reviewed at Grand Central Market was the Grand Central Market Mongolian BBQ, which is now closed.  Grand Central Market has undergone a tremendous amount of change since 2007.  More high end places have opened, pushing long time markets and food stands out.  It is much different going to Grand Central Market today!!

Prawn is located towards the southern part of Grand Central Market.  They have a few chairs at the counter, otherwise, you'll have to find a place to sit nearby.

Fish and chips-$12- They use cod, which was very bland.  This lacked any type of seasoning.  It's also not fried to order, just sitting under heat lamps.  The batter was ok, not too thick, so there were good ratio of fish to batter.  But, since the batter was luke warm at best, it wasn't crunchy at all.

The chips are terrible.  Cold, bland, and flavorless.

Service was good.

I wouldn't go back to Prawn.  They need to cook items to order and season their food.  Who cares about the wait! 

Horse Thief BBQ

Horse Thief BBQ
324 S Hill St
Los Angeles
213-625-0341

Just as I was disappointed to find Corner BBQ in Glendale, was a kebobs restaurant, I go to Grand Central Market to find a real BBQ restaurant next door!  Horse Theif BBQ opened on July 4, 2013 and had a steady stream of customers when I went for lunch on a sunny Sunday.

Located outside Grand Central Market and right below Angel's Flight, Horse Thief BBQ is a Texas BBQ restaurant.  It's very casual- they serve your food on a tray lined with butcher block paper!  Yes, that mean no plates, paper or otherwise.  There is only outdoor seating on picnic tables.

Half rack of spare ribs, $13.  I think these ribs were smoked with red oak.  They were a bit dry, as if they had been leftover from yesterday or sitting too long in the warmer.  The meat was tender but the bark was just off, too much chili power.   The BBQ sauce is a tomato based sauce and also has too much chili powder.

Service is good.  The lady who took my order was very nice and friendly.  One thing, they leave out bottles of BBQ sauce at the pick up window, along with small containers to put the BBQ sauce in.  Too bad people take the damn bottle and leave no sauce at the pick up window.  Maybe they need to put in a pump bottle instead of the squeeze bottles. 

I wasn't too impressed with the ribs here.  I know this is a Texas BBQ, so you gotta order the brisket, but I'm not a brisket fan!  But, the people around me who ordered the brisket really liked it.  So I may come back for the brisket.