Table at Third & Fairfax is a weekly dining column in 2023 where Food and Drink editor Patricia Kelly Yeo will eat her way through the Original Farmers Market. Each column will drop on Thursday for a week-by-week recap of her journey through the classic L.A. tourist attraction. Last week, Kelly revisited Singapore’s Banana Leaf.
There are a couple of decades-old stalls at the market I'd recommend visiting, but Charlie’s Coffee Shop (est. 1976) sadly isn’t one of them. With just six food vendors left to visit, plus a couple I’ve visited more than once, I’ve finally made up my mind about exactly which old-school spots are worth the time and money in today’s Original Farmers Market: Magee’s Kitchen, Du-Par’s, Bennett’s Ice Cream and Phil’s Deli and Grill. Head to any of these places and you’ll enjoy a delicious meal infused with gauzy L.A. nostalgia, even if the prices are decidedly 2023.
On Monday, I walk through the entrance closest to Pasta Corner, ready to finally try Charlie’s. Located in a shady, darker area within the West Patio, the bright orange stand was founded by its late namesake, Charlie Sue Gilbert, and is still run by her daughter Katie today. Open from 9am, the stall serves all-day breakfast plus sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs. The stall’s attempted to keep up with the times, as a tiny vegan section on the peg letter board across the counter makes clear. Today, I’m not in the mood for breakfast food or yet another cheeseburger, so I spring for a classic hot dog ($7), a small housemade lemonade ($5.75) and the chicken nuggets and fries combo ($8.25).
My last hot dog at the market came from Magee’s and left much to be desired; my last chicken nuggets, which came from Phil’s Deli, were “warm, crunchy and processed beyond recognition.” The classic hot dog I devour within minutes from Charlie’s has a pleasantly soft sesame seed bun, unlike the rock-hard one offered at Magee’s, but the housemade lemonade tastes slightly artificial. Hot dogs are hard to mess up, but the frankfurter inside the one at Charlie’s is rather small, comparable to the grocery store ones you’ll probably be grilling quite soon over the holiday weekend. For about the same price, you can get a better one at Tail o’ the Pup over in West Hollywood, or head over to the iconic Pink’s for a more juicy, substantial sausage.
Resembling large pebbles, the five chicken nuggets are tinier than the ones at Phil’s. While biting into one produces a satisfying crunch, they’re a little more tasteless, and not filling in the least. The generously portioned, freshly made fries are supposed to make up for this, I think, but they leave a chemical-y aftertaste in my mouth, and I ended up tossing the rest of them in the trash after I finish the nuggets. Despite being made to order, the fries aren’t compelling enough for me to power through eating more than just a few of them.
Meals from Table at Third & Fairfax fall into three categories: Skip It, Worth Trying and Must Have.
Vendor: Charlie’s Coffee Shop
Order: A classic hot dog with diced onions, an order of chicken nuggets and fries and a housemade lemonade
Verdict: Skip It. I’ll revisit Charlie’s one more time to try the burger and breakfast items before year’s end, but I can honestly say I’m not looking forward to it.