Magee’s Kitchen

Probably the oldest concession in the presently not so very farmers’ Farmers’ Market. An overhead sign states since 1917, but it must have made Farmers’ Market its home sometime after July 1934 since that was the start of Farmers’ Market on the corner of 3^rd & Fairfax when a few farmers & other merchants sold merchandise from their parked trucks.
Magee’s has large picture windows looking into its kitchen-​assembly area so customers can see how the sandwiches & dinners are constructed, and take a peek at what kinds of sides are offered. The open air portion is where customers can come up to give their orders & for pick up.
I ordered the Corned Beef Dinner which includes 2 sides:
1) Corned beef is leaner than the cheap point cut & probably is the flat cut. The herb/​spice seasoning was standard: cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger, sugar & maybe a touch of garlic. The spice mix flavours infused into the beef brisket were rather muted & mild, but still acceptable. Problem w/​the meat was that as much as it was braised in the spice mix broth, the meat tended to be dry & brittle instead of being moist & soft which did not give a very good mouthfeel.
2) Boiled cabbage may have been a bit too overcooked being in the warmed stainless steel bin, but it did have a bit of a buttery undertone that complemented the slight cooked cabbage funk.
3) Baked Beans were of the lima variety which to me was an improvement over the smaller standard red beans usually used. The flavours were basically right although extremely sweet so the addition of more caramelized onions & even a bit of Tobasco hot sauce to add gastrique & a touch of piquancy would have been a good foil to the excessive sweetness.
The corned beef at Magee’s may be a throw back to the days of the Great Depression when almost 25% of the work force was out of work. Any food was good since it was a matter of survival. Magee’s corned beef at that time may have been comparable to Foie Gras Grille au Truffe Noir or O-​toro layered w/​Uni & Ikura w/​grated fresh Wasabi root & sprinkling of gold leaf.
However, now in 2016, this corned beef is rather passé. It can be made by an amateur cook without much effort. The corned beef to-​die-​for was at Tom Bergin’s back a few years ago. The meat was succulent, moist, soft yet w/​a chaw. Seasoned strong enough to know it is there and yet be able to complement the meat flavours.
I believe what makes Magee’s special is that it is one of the oldest food sellers in LA in one of the most iconic commercial centers called Farmers’ Market. To eat at one of the tables nearby & people watch while you eat is what gives the corned beef at Magee’s an ineffable cache. However, 3– Unilocal stars for mediocre tasting food.
PS To give the corned beef a bit of a lift, you can pair a nice clean, bitter, herbal pale ale at the nearby Farmers’ Market Bar #326 which has a wide selection of alcohol, & you can drink it anywhere within the confines of the food court area.

Worth going for the corned beef, the rest is ok but nothing to rave about.

I had probably one of the best corned beef sandwiches I’ve ever had outside New York. The service was kind of slow and scatterbrained, and it’s a bit pricey, but they take their time carving thick, perfect slices for your sandwich. The term «melt in your mouth» is thrown around a lot, but here it’s absolutely true– the corned beef literally, truly melts in your mouth. So good!

Omg! Handsdown best cornbeef! Yum! Super soft and joy too salty. Just right. Baked Lima beans were good too on the sweet side.

Stopped in on St Pattys day for the corn beef and cabbage. It was delicious! Can’t believe I’ve never been to Magees before. Only issue was the service, the front counter staff were extremely disorganized and didn’t seem to have any system in place to help customers. I stood waiting for 10 min for them to bag my food and finally had to ask bc they got distracted. On a busy day like that you need to get your system in place to get your customers in/​out.

They say their corned beef is «world famous» so naturally I was skeptical when I tried it but I was so hungry and the line for Pampas was too long. My friend and I shared the Reuben. I gotta say… that was a pretty darn good Reuben. The corned beef was the «melts-​in-​your-​mouth» kind of tenderness. Not sure I would pay for it again though because it was $ 14, which is a splurge for such a small sandwich. The coleslaw was a very refreshing side dish but again 3 dollars for half a cup… but yes I know it’s the Farmer’s Market and you don’t go there to eat cheap food.

French dip was okay, not the best I’ve had but decent. Lots of choices here.

10 bomb. corn beef and roast beef. Just like my mama makes it! Best ever. Roast beef and corn beef was tender and tasty.

Old school restaurant in business since 1917. I ordered their original reuben sandwich on toasted rye, cole slaw and a water. The combo order came out to $ 17, not cheap but hey we are in the Farmers Market. The meat was very tender and flavorful with a bit of fat at the ends, I should have added cheese to make it like the ones they serve at Langer’s.

One of the best, if not the best ruben sandwich I’ve ever had. You order and the sandwich is carved fresh, bread is toasted with cheese, then sauerkraut and thousand island dressing makes this sandwich awesome… No fat either! Sooooooo yummy

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! No, i may be a little confused after eating my delicious dinner. Seriously I think this plate was better than the meal i ate at my in-​laws. Hahahaha… don’t tell anyone that I said that.
First thing you do is choose white type of bread you want. I chose white. Then they pile on freshly carved /​thick slices of turkey on it. Then they scoop a huge pile of mashed potatoes and make what I call a gravy bowl in the center. Then comes the drowning of turkey gravy… since I chose to make it a meal combo, it came with 1 side. That was a task in itself. They sale mac & cheese, macaroni & potatoe salad, pasta, and OMG, this amazing butternut squash. It’s perfectly baked & topped with just enough brown sugar/​butter that had me scrapping to it’s grind. I’ve NEVER tasted butternut squash better then their’s!
Ohhhh, and the cranberry sauce, it has huge/​whole cranberry in the sauce, that pops when you bite into them. I could of eaten just that as my entrée. I’m definitely going back to buy a portion to go next time. The entire meal was delicious.
Hubby ordered a beef dip sandwich with au jus for dipping later. Even after the hour half commute home, & warming the meat in the toaster oven and then reassembling it back into a sandwich, it was yummy! Their baguette is toasty on the outside and very chewy in the middle. They’re very generous with their portions so i recommend sharing a entrée or a sandwich.
The entire staff was so friendly and patient because I wasn’t sure which side I wanted that I think I may have to add him to our annual Christmas card list! Haha
I highly recommend them. If you want comfort food, then definitely go eat here! I’m coming back! ! ;)

I ordered the original with a meal and I have to say it was pretty unsatifying. Bread was stale, cornbeef was dry and the coleslaw was runny.

Horrible customer service. They won’t give you a cup of water and the reason the guy said was that they would lose money if they gave everyone water. This was after I spent money for lunch. And after he had a poor attitude. I asked for a manger. They said he was right upstairs but it still took him 7 minutes to talk to me.
Tasted the very average food and won’t go back even though I eat at farmers market at leafy once a week
I was at Jack in the box this past week and the staff was better than this place.

My first visit to Magee’s Kitchen at the Farmer’s Market. With so many kiosks, it will take time to sample them all.
Service was quick and the staff friendly at Magee’s. I see it has been in existence for almost a century which is no small feat. Wanting to know their secret, I decided to give them a try. My $ 13.25 Turkey Club was decent, but I felt the Turkey itself was a bit dry. I added a bottle of water and a side for $ 3.
So…it was A-​ok, but I think I would have felt better about the whole thing if I didn’t spend almost $ 18 (all in all when you include tax) on a sandwich I didn’t «love».
I might try something else next time if I go back…

Strike 2 for the Grove’s Farmer’s Market…
$ 14 for a Reuben sandwich that wasn’t even that great and $ 13 for a chicken enchilada plate… should’ve ate elsewhere. I guess when you’re starving, you’ll scarf down whatever you think looks good. We wouldn’t come back to Magee’s, and will perhaps do a little more research before dining at the Farmer’s Market if we decide to come to town.

The farmer’s market at the Grove is so cute! I only had time to grab a quick snack while passing through, so I decided to try the creamed corn at Magee’s. I haven’t had creamed corn in many places, but this was super addicting. The corn was perfectly sweet and creamy without being too heavy. Can’t wait to come back to try all the delicious looking meats, too!

Wow we can have something else with it up in the farmers market, and boy am I glad we did, because I found this place, this is absolutely some of the best corned beef I’ve ever put in my mouth. The selection of food here was really good and what we ordered we both have the same thing and it was absolutely perfect.

Tried Magee’s on a whim earlier in the year and the American style chicken enchiladas are pretty yummy! If you are a fan of the enchiladas at Cliftons before the recent horrid menu re-​vamp you will love em! The homemade creamed corn are mighty tasty and fresh too (also reminds me of old Cliftons)! Also had the mexican re-​fried beans which were like my grandma would make us at home. Glad I decided to check you guys out because the food is good and prices are appropriate and staff is very friendly (cute) and nice. Make sure to park in the Farmers Market lot to get free parking/​validation. My new Thursday after work place to eat well.

I’ve been going here for years. The roast beef dinner is great and I really love the cream corn.

I’ve been going to Magee’s Kitchen for corned beef & cabbage since the 60’s. The corned beef is pretty darn good. However, I’ve eaten in a lot of places throughout North America, Europe, and the Caribbean; and, I’ve yet to taste anyplace that cooks up tastier cabbage than Magee’s!

Best corn beef in LA. Been eating here for over 20 years Small portion for the price but worth it.

I crave their corned beef, cabbage & potatoes plate. A little pricey for some but let me tell you… it’s worth every penny! If you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out! See you guys soon Magees!

One of my favorite sandwiches is a fresh, hand carved turkey sandwich. The last decent one I had was on the other coast, the Reading Market in Philly. So here on the west coast at this Farmers Market is Maggies.
Once ordered, a thin layer of mayo and mustard was spread on two slices of onion rye bread. Then she proceeded to hand carve the turkey, nice thick slices, into a sizeable pile onto one of the rye. The sandwich included a kosher dill pickle slice. The price for the sandwich? $ 10.95.
The rye bread was fresh, soft with a crispy edge. The turkey, omg, all white meat, very tender, full of flavor.
Thank you Maggies, I don’t need to head to the east coast for a hand carved turkey sammich..

This was my first visit to the Original Farmer’s Market and our guide recommended Magee’s to our group. I had the Ruben sandwich and my Mom had the Turkey sandwich — both were very good and it came with very delicious slaw and average potato salad. Everyone just orders at the same time at the counter — you do not need to wait in line here — so don’t be shy!
There are community tables everywhere so just wait and one will open up.

Ok so I’m specifically talking about the corned beef and cabbage with a side of fresh buttered corn on the cob, really… the corn beef is so good it will convert some vegetarians! I never eat red meat, but I made an exception for Magee’s corned beef this time on a whim, and if you ask them to cut out the fat and make it lean with the streamed cabbage and buttered corn, we are talkin tummy heaven! I have been coming here for this dish since I was a boy growing up with my grandparents who loved this place. Many memories and good times here. I give this authentic Los Angeles place an enthusiastic 5 stars for this dish AND the wonderful friendly service.
Note: They will also let you sample before ordering.