Not far from downtown Los Angeles is the city of Artesia, where a stretch on Pioneer Boulevard is home to Southern California’s Little India. Fellow blogger Karen Bianchi from A Prima Vista and I decided to spend an afternoon exploring the Indian enclave that runs from 184th to 188th streets on Pioneer Boulevard.
Expecting to see women dressed in bright-colored saris, we found the streets and stores to be rather empty. But the lack of shoppers didn’t seem to get store owners down. Everywhere we went we were greeted with smiling faces. Unless we had a question, store owners left us on our own to browse – a nice change of pace from the pushy peddlers of Thailand.
The stores were filled with beautiful rainbows of color – a common theme of Indian decor. From tiny buddha statues to carefully hand-woven tapestries, we found ourselves lost in Little India.
To satisfy our hunger, we ducked into a vegetarian restaurant called Udupi Palace for lunch. We wanted to try as much as we could so we opted for the assorted hors d’ouerves which came with medhu vad, samosa, vegetable cutlet, mysore bonda and vege pakoras. With barely a clue as to what any of these were, we knew we wouldn’t have a weird animal part smacked on our plate since it was a vegetarian restaurant. We enjoyed everything expect the medhu vada which is lentil flour deep fried in the shape of donuts. It was tasteless and not worth the calories.
For our main entrée, we decided on a curry – the palak paneer – spinach and paneer (Indian cheese) cooked with onions, tomatoes and Indian spices. We asked for medium spicy and hindsight should have said mild. We both like spicy food but I had some flames coming out of my mouth. Overall the food was phenomenal and I would definitely go back. Highly recommend.
Having lived in Manhattan’s Curry Murray Hill, I know a thing or two about neighborhoods designated as a “Little India.” While California’s Little India doesn’t hold a hookah to the one in New York, it is worth a visit in to get your fix for authentic Indian food and goods proudly marked “Made in India.”
WHERE TO SHOP
Cottage Art
18619 S. Pioneer Blvd, | Ph: (562) 924-6268
Offering beautifully, hand-crafted pieced imported from India, Cottage Art is the place to go for home decor and accessories. From tapestries to scrapbooks to clothes, you will find authentic Indian pieces at this boutique shop.
Bombay Spices
18626 Pioneer Blvd | Ph: (562) 860-9949
Planning a party? In need of some cooking equipment? From spices to candles to pots and pans, Bombay Spices has a little bit of everything for planning to perfect Indian-themed party.
WHERE TO EAT
Udupi Palace INDIAN
18635 Pioneer Blvd | Ph: (562) 860-1950 | www.udupipalace.net
A vegetarian restaurant located in the middle of Little India. All menu items are served a la carte (no buffet) and are reasonably priced.
Ashoka the Great INDIAN
18614 Pioneer Blvd | Ph: (562) 809-4229 | ashokathegreat.com
Located directly across the street from Cottage Art, Ashoka the Great is a great choice for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Offering a daily lunch buffet for $8.95 per person, this is the place to go if you are really hungry or in the mood for a little bit of everything.
The India Restaurant INDIAN
17824 Pioneer Blvd | Ph: (562) 860-5621 | www.theindiarestaurant.net
Further North along Pioneer Boulevard is The India Restaurant. Compared to nearby eateries, the restaurant has a slightly fancier look with a marble bar, white linens on the tables and a more expensive price tag on their daily lunch buffet of $11.95 per person.
Love it and had a great time with you
This is awesome! I had no idea there was a Little India in L.A.! Recently discovered Thai Town and love Koreatown. That’s what I love about L.A. You can travel the world without leaving the city.
‘Little countries” scattered all over Southern California! Will definitely be visiting more soon!