carlsbad village farmers' market

We were fortunate to wander upon the food booth of an Egyptian woman and her son who had the most incredible items! We took home with us several things and among our favorites were the lentil soup (not like anything we have ever eaten), eggplant in lightly spiced tomato sauce, , and a chicken shwarma pita wrap (like a gyro, only Egyptian), and this was the mainstay of our dinner tonight.We've traveled in Turkey, Greece, and other European countries and had really good ethnic food and it totally delighted us to come across this family run food booth where "mom" makes all these incredible and delightfully flavored family favorites. We went home as happy campers and felt like we were gastronomically transported back across to other continents. Other great finds were marvelous mushrooms (a booth has an astounding variety) and we also bought a chocolate chip banana bread loaf, a homemade delight. I can hardly wait for morning! She gave us a taste (we were hooked) and it was all we could do not to buy one of everything she had to offer.In times past at the street market, we've seen a sushi maker and a crepe specialist. Although we did not see them this time around, we made new friends and found new ethnic delights.The market covered no more than 1block and it was located on State Street between Carlsbad Village Drive and Grand Avenue. The market advertises it is open between 3 and 6 pm but it seemed to be up and selling well before that.

Now Wed. aft. 3-6 in winter. Booths on both side of the street for one block. East side is mainly prepared foods. I had a great pretzel and was tempted by a gyro, but I had just eaten. West side has a lot of very good looking produce. Heirloom tomatoes, squash blossoms, miniature squash are just some of the non-traditional produce.

A good mix of vendors now on Wednesday afternoon and early evening, a big change from the earlier mid-day market. Located in the heart of the business district, you now have the ability to dine in a great Carlsbad restaurant, wander our quaint downtown village and buy some wonderful bread, fruit and homemade foods in one great setting. In fact, if you would like, you can even take the Coaster train to Carlsbad Station, within a block of the Farmers Market, so no need to worry about parking, although there is always a place available relatively close by.

Fruits, Veggies, Oils, Breads, Flowers, Honey, Pastas, Prepared food, and more all in a block of downtown Carlsbad, just a short walk to the beach. Several good restaurants and a wine bar right there.

Such a nice market, compact enough but with lots of variety and some good prepared foods to eat on the spot or take home.

We make it a point to visit the farmer's market in Carlsbad every year on vacation. The whole family enjoys selecting fresh fruit and vegetables to the hotel. If you like tamales, kettle corn and fudge those are great as well. I can't wait until next year when I am not going to fill up before grabbing some of the amazing looking artisian breads.

This was a wonderful market! The vendors were very friendly and helpful with ideas of how to use their products and there are tons of free samples!! The fresh strawberries and tomatoes were delicious!! If you are there on a Wednesday afternoon I highly recommend visiting!!

How nice to find a farmers market while on vacation walking distance from the resort, with all sorts of fun and friendly vendors. We had fresh supplies right form the farm - gotta love it!

emphasize NEW!! oh woo hoo, finally after all these years a real farmers market. stretching one long city block on State Street between Grand Ave and CV Drive. One entire side is farmers and flower vendors. oh my the produce is so fresh and lovely. parking isn't easy so come early. it starts at 3PM and lasts til 7PM winter hours will change but I don't know when. They have bakeries and hot food and spices and cheese cake and of course the Fudge Lady. Carlsbad has had a farmers market for nearly 20 years but this new one is finally what people will expect. This is a Wednesday only event and I plan to visit weekly.

2 weeks ago the market was moved to State St. between Carlsbad Village Dr. and Grand. It's a disaster! It's very inconvenient for all involved.The flow of the market is terrible. Patrons cannot walk down the middle of State St. to visit both sides of the street in one pass. The center of the street is a fire lane. To shop both sides you must walk the entire length cross at either Carlsbad Village Dr. or Grand to get to the other side. What a waste. Parking for both patrons, vendors and State St. businesses have been greatly effected. Farmers and vendors cannot park with their booth/tent therefore taking away patron parking. I asked why a dedicated parking situation for them was not arranged and was told "were working on it". Some vendors have refused to participate. It takes much longer for them to set up and break down and they have to find a parking place. I can't imagine what it's done to the State St. businesses. They no longer have street front parking for 8 hours one day out of every week. Traffic is also a problem. State St. is a main North/South artery and it's closed for 8 hours. The West bound flow of traffic on Grand (a main East/West artery) is backed up due to a lane closure. Carlsbad Village Dr. the largest East/West artery is also greatly effected by the State St. closure for 8 hours. My advice would be to avoid Carlsbad when the Farmers market is on. Getting there and finding parking is frustrating. Trying to view the produce and merchandise that's available is difficult. And if you want to patronize any business on State St. forget about it. Go to the Farmers market in Oceanside on Thursday. It's much better and most of the farmers that used to be at the old Carlsbad market are there. You can get in and out easily. It's a much more pleasurable experience.

Carlsbad Village is such a bustling, fun place to walk, eat, and shop BUT the farmer's market is disappointing. It is on Wed and Sat from 1-5pm, but there are only about 20-25 vendors and a lot of duplicate product (two hummus vendors, multiple produce vendors, etc.). Some of the booths consist of one person handing out brochures. There are some good vendors with organic produce, but it seems to be more expensive than just buying at a local grocery store. The organizers really need to recruit more vendors and step it up a bit. It isn't worth the 5 mile drive for us to go there...we walked the whole market in 15 minutes.

IF you are in staying in the Village or nearby, then you should go! The Farmers' Market is my favorite place to stock up on local treats! It is small but packed with goodies. I love the crepes. BUT not worth a trip if you are driving from another city with its own market.

This market has been going strong for decades. It is a very convenient place to get fresh organic and natural local produce at good prices. It is small, mellow and offered twice a week - this is what make it so convenient! They have added live music and include a mix of good food and sweets ready to eat. From here it is easy to walk anywhere in the Village and minutes to the amazing Village coastline!!

right in the heart of the village. and farmers markets twice a week. quaint, clean, neat exciting village area. lots of fresh flowers, vegies and fruit. and they have the Fudge Lady........omg. super.really worth an hour of your time. and walking in the Village is a great way to unwindpanda

We all enjoyed the fresh berries and avocado's from CA. The tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots were wonderful! The vendor's were friendly and helpful. I am still enjoying Granny's Granola. My grandson enjoyed "tasting" before buying so we also purchased some great hummus.