Scallop agauchile was fresh and light, not too spicy. The scallops melted in the mouth. The ceviche mixta was good, but for my taste, could have used more citrus and spice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
A. Alvarez
I had very high expectations for Holbox but I left quite disappointed. The Branzino seabass was mediocre at best, it lacked flavor and texture. The taco de pescado al carbon was a bit dry and the Baja shrimp taco was sadly overcooked and bland. Shrimp cannot be overcooked on any dish at a Michelin star hyped restaurant. We also tried the kanpachi uni tostada which was pretty good and worth a try but not the most memorable tostada I’ve ever had. The atmosphere was typical of a Mercado which is fine but the food did not impress or warrant the time invested in its wait.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Kanpachi & Uni Tostada
Juan Leonel Alvarez
Extremely disappointed in the Holbox experience. The food was decent at best with no one dish truly standing out. I had the cóctel mixto, the pecado a las brasas (sea bass), tostada de Kanpachi & Uni, taco de pescado al carbón, baja shrimp taco, and a lemonade.
The standout dish among those was the kanpachi & uni tostada but that not saying much considering all the dishes were of average quality. I expected more from the hype and was disappointed. As I looked around the Mercado I realized that people had exceptional dishes from the other restaurants in the market. The atmosphere was typical of a Mercado, busy and loud, which is fine. However, the food left a lot to be desired given the Michelin acclaim and hype. I honestly believe the star isn’t justified and it was likely awarded because of where the restaurant is located (South L.A) and let’s face it, someone in the hood had to get a star.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Bob Guila
Food great. Not worth the hour and a half line to order then 30 mins to get food. Sorry but they have outgrown this place. Shut it down, do sit down and reservations only.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 3
Maria Cataluna-Dulnuan
I think I may have ordered the wrong things or maybe overhyped this place because of all the reviews I read and its Michelin star status. I’ve had better seafood tacos from a truck (ie. Mariscos Jalisco) and also better food of similar cuisine in Toronto. It was fine, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here. On a positive note, the food comes pretty quickly despite being perpetually busy but it is easy to get forgotten due to the busyness (eg. we got our chips and salsa way after we got our main dishes).
Food: 4
Service: 4
Hana Kim
holbox is a stall in a food hall in downtown Los Angeles so there is a queue to order food and they give you a number for self-seating. I arrived at 12pm on a Friday and waited in line for about an hour before ordering my food. I probably would not go there again as I wasn't that wowed with the flavors and dishes (though I know they do offer tasting menu reservations only on Wednesdays and Thursdays which I haven't tried) but the appeal really is that they are accessible and a low cost ($ one dollar sign) Michelin in LA.
+ Octopus is well cooked + Raw scallop dishes yummy + Price!!! + Seafood tastes fresh
- Avoid lunch and dinner rush hours, not necessarily worth the wait - parking in DTLA is a nightmare
Food: 4
Tony Amaro
Excellent food. We love the ceviche in all of its varieties. Since it's an open area, we get items from other vendors as well, like refried beans side and watermelon juice
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Jay Huang
Ordered sea urchin, Scallop and shrimp aguachile and a few tacos. Food taste just okay, but overpriced and does not worth the wait. Aguachiles is extremely sour like the pure lime juice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Elvi Thio
Love their ceviche and uni! Fresh, zesty, and yummy with their tostada chips.
The line was long when we went on a Sunday afternoon but it moved fast. After ordering, they provide a number that you place on the table.
Located in a food market type warehouse with many other vendors, with indoor and outdoor seats. Limited parking but they open up spots from DMV next door after 5pm on some days to help with that.
Fresh seafood cooked in rich Mexican flavors! We got here at 11:40 on a Sunday (opens at 11:30?), and waited in line outside the market for 30 mins. The wait is quite worth it! The portion is generous. The octopus is just cooked just right, not too soft and still flavorful. The seafood stew is rich and not fishy, just a blast of Mexican flavors with sweetness from fish and seafood. And don't miss out on the house made hot sauces!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
nelsy 8a
Food is really good, fresh etc. Michelin start blablabla. Though, they should have proper cleaning skills. That people working at the bar make so many mistakes while preparing the food. There's innumerable of them like at first sight, those rags they keep on using over & over to wipe down everything, super dirty, food on it which temperature had been abused, not to mention aprons & hats. They should be hidden instead, if not thought how to do it properly.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Sam
Great upscale innovative fresh seafood tacos. A must try if you are visiting out of town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fresh Seafood
Riley Fleck
Went with my wife
Phil Allison
The food was worth the wait. The plating and the flavor blend were spot on. Blue corn taco shells really completed the food.
Scallop agauchile was fresh and light, not too spicy. The scallops melted in the mouth. The ceviche mixta was good, but for my taste, could have used more citrus and spice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
I had very high expectations for Holbox but I left quite disappointed. The Branzino seabass was mediocre at best, it lacked flavor and texture. The taco de pescado al carbon was a bit dry and the Baja shrimp taco was sadly overcooked and bland. Shrimp cannot be overcooked on any dish at a Michelin star hyped restaurant. We also tried the kanpachi uni tostada which was pretty good and worth a try but not the most memorable tostada I’ve ever had. The atmosphere was typical of a Mercado which is fine but the food did not impress or warrant the time invested in its wait.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Kanpachi & Uni Tostada
Extremely disappointed in the Holbox experience. The food was decent at best with no one dish truly standing out. I had the cóctel mixto, the pecado a las brasas (sea bass), tostada de Kanpachi & Uni, taco de pescado al carbón, baja shrimp taco, and a lemonade.
The standout dish among those was the kanpachi & uni tostada but that not saying much considering all the dishes were of average quality. I expected more from the hype and was disappointed. As I looked around the Mercado I realized that people had exceptional dishes from the other restaurants in the market. The atmosphere was typical of a Mercado, busy and loud, which is fine. However, the food left a lot to be desired given the Michelin acclaim and hype. I honestly believe the star isn’t justified and it was likely awarded because of where the restaurant is located (South L.A) and let’s face it, someone in the hood had to get a star.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Food great. Not worth the hour and a half line to order then 30 mins to get food. Sorry but they have outgrown this place. Shut it down, do sit down and reservations only.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 3
I think I may have ordered the wrong things or maybe overhyped this place because of all the reviews I read and its Michelin star status. I’ve had better seafood tacos from a truck (ie. Mariscos Jalisco) and also better food of similar cuisine in Toronto. It was fine, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here. On a positive note, the food comes pretty quickly despite being perpetually busy but it is easy to get forgotten due to the busyness (eg. we got our chips and salsa way after we got our main dishes).
Food: 4
Service: 4
holbox is a stall in a food hall in downtown Los Angeles so there is a queue to order food and they give you a number for self-seating. I arrived at 12pm on a Friday and waited in line for about an hour before ordering my food. I probably would not go there again as I wasn't that wowed with the flavors and dishes (though I know they do offer tasting menu reservations only on Wednesdays and Thursdays which I haven't tried) but the appeal really is that they are accessible and a low cost ($ one dollar sign) Michelin in LA.
+ Octopus is well cooked
+ Raw scallop dishes yummy
+ Price!!!
+ Seafood tastes fresh
- Avoid lunch and dinner rush hours, not necessarily worth the wait
- parking in DTLA is a nightmare
Food: 4
Excellent food. We love the ceviche in all of its varieties. Since it's an open area, we get items from other vendors as well, like refried beans side and watermelon juice
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Ordered sea urchin, Scallop and shrimp aguachile and a few tacos. Food taste just okay, but overpriced and does not worth the wait. Aguachiles is extremely sour like the pure lime juice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Love their ceviche and uni! Fresh, zesty, and yummy with their tostada chips.
The line was long when we went on a Sunday afternoon but it moved fast. After ordering, they provide a number that you place on the table.
Located in a food market type warehouse with many other vendors, with indoor and outdoor seats. Limited parking but they open up spots from DMV next door after 5pm on some days to help with that.
The tacos were just Ok - lacked flavor.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Squid, octopus and sea urchin? Yuck!
Restaurantji Recommends
Fresh seafood cooked in rich Mexican flavors! We got here at 11:40 on a Sunday (opens at 11:30?), and waited in line outside the market for 30 mins. The wait is quite worth it! The portion is generous. The octopus is just cooked just right, not too soft and still flavorful. The seafood stew is rich and not fishy, just a blast of Mexican flavors with sweetness from fish and seafood. And don't miss out on the house made hot sauces!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Food is really good, fresh etc. Michelin start blablabla. Though, they should have proper cleaning skills. That people working at the bar make so many mistakes while preparing the food. There's innumerable of them like at first sight, those rags they keep on using over & over to wipe down everything, super dirty, food on it which temperature had been abused, not to mention aprons & hats. They should be hidden instead, if not thought how to do it properly.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Great upscale innovative fresh seafood tacos. A must try if you are visiting out of town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fresh Seafood
Went with my wife
The food was worth the wait. The plating and the flavor blend were spot on. Blue corn taco shells really completed the food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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