"Bienvenidos al Mercadito" reads the sign above you as you walk into the three-story mercado in Boyle Heights, one of L.A.'s many vibrant Mexican communities. Walk inside and you are surrounded by a rainbow of technicolored aguas frescas (fruit waters), freshly handmade tortillas (you can watch them come off the oven belt!), moles from all over central America, dried ancho chili peppers, display cases filled with carnitas (meltingly-soft chunks of carmelized pork) and chicharrones (fried pork skin), tamales, sopes, gorditas, and an array of strange trinkets and electronics. Venture up to the third floor and you will even find a Mariachi band! It's like a Mexican food theme park! The suffix -ito is used in Spanish to denote affection, and I can see why El Mercadito is near and dear to the residents of East L.A.'s hearts.
Black mole from Oaxaca (Say it with me now: Wa-ha-ka). We brought some of the delicious, complex, smoky, sweet, chocolatey, nutty mole home, diluted the thick paste with chicken broth, and braised chicken in the sauce. SO GOOD.
*Fun Fact: The word Mole comes from Molino, which is Spanish for "mill"
3425 E 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90063
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