How to Get Into Holbox, L.A.’s Acclaimed Seafood Spot

When are you the busiest? 

Leo Moya: On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings, 30 minutes before open we’ll already have a line all the way out to the parking lot. In the evening, around 5 or 6 p.m., people start coming in, and by 6:30 or 7 p.m., there’s a big line. 

Would you say you’re busier for lunch or dinner?

LM: That’s a difficult one. I think honestly it’s both — both lines get really long, they’re both busy, but it’s also really fun. 

Are there any days of the week where it’s not as crowded?

LM: Right now, Thursday. It used to be Tuesday, but it changed on us.

Bri Ibrahim: We get this question all the time: ‘When’s the best time to come in? When is the line the shortest?’ And we’ve consistently said Tuesdays. But people listened, and now Tuesdays have become one of our busiest days. 

But the reality is that we open at 11:30 a.m. every day, we have guests that line up at 10:45, and the line just never stops. Every once in a while we might hit a weird lull as a one-off, but there are usually 45-50 people in line at any given time. 

How long is the line likely to take a person?

BI: About 45 minutes to an hour. 

And you don’t close between lunch and dinner, correct?

BI: We do not. It’s the same menu for lunch and dinner, and we’re open the entire time, from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Do you have any tips or tricks for getting in? What if we DM you?

BI: People try! But you know, it’s important to note that we’re inside of the Mercado La Paloma, which has a nonprofit component, and one of the things the Mercado offers is that all of the food stalls here are first-generation business. The whole ethos of the Mercado is to create business opportunities and financial literacy for underrepresented or marginalized communities. 

So within the Mercado, the only seats that ‘belong’ to us are the ones along the counter. We call that the ceviche counter, or the omakase counter. The rest of the seats are free rein for all of the other vendors. So there’s a policy in place where we aren’t allowed to reserve tables outside of our counter, because it’s space for everyone.

Do you seat the counter outside of the tasting menu?

BI: Yes! And actually this is a good tip. Outside of the tasting menu, we don’t reserve the 16 seats at the counter, so they are first come first serve. If you’re standing in the line and you see two seats open from the counter, you can beeline it to the counter and scoop them up. And there it’s more of a sit-down service. Once you sit down at the counter, we come over to you with the tablet, and we take your order and give you more of a full service experience.

What’s the mix of diners like who are coming in? Is it tourists, locals, regulars?

BI: It’s really a mix. It’s very community oriented. I just had two guests who were a retired couple from Switzerland, and they’re doing a U.S. tour of all the Michelin-starred restaurants. They flew in specifically to eat here, and directly next to them was a family of four South Central locals. They come in all the time. They have two small kids who absolutely love our lobster tank — they go over and whisper secrets to the lobsters. I got to witness this couple and this family of four sit right next to each other and strike up a conversation, and that’s really magical to see. 

I’m sure guests have tried to pull all sorts of things to try to get in earlier or jump the line — how do you deal with that?

BI: On weekends, people will try to place to-go orders while they’re in line so their food will be ready before they get up to the front, or so they don’t have to wait so long. Unfortunately, we typically don’t take to-go orders during our peak business hours. 

And then, of course, you know, it’s Los Angeles. I get the people that come over and they’re like, ‘What can I do to get to cut the line? How can I get special treatment?’ And I always say, part of our DNA is the experience of waiting in the line and getting to experience what the Mercado is. We’re a food stall inside of a community nonprofit, and you’d really be missing out if you don’t experience the full thing. 

And then I always say,  if you’d like to make a reservation for the tasting menu, they go live the first of every month, and you can book two months in advance.

Yes, let’s talk about the tasting menu, because that’s the only service you accept reservations for, correct? 

BI: Correct. So there’s two seatings of eight, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., on Wednesdays and Thursdays. And like I said, those reservations go live on the first of every month at 11 a.m. 

How many courses is the tasting menu?

BI: It’s $130 for nine courses — four cold, four hot, and a dessert course which is always a surprise and delight. 

How quickly do those seats get snapped up?

BI: It’s like a Taylor Swift concert. They are gone within two minutes. It’s insane. 

Any tips for snagging one of those coveted seats? 

BI: Just be ready on the first of every month, with your credit card information ready to go. [Ed. note: Be sure to follow Holbox on Instagram as well, as the restaurant posts monthly countdown reminders in the days leading up to new reservation releases!] 

Really, the only way to reserve a spot for the tasting menu is through Resy. 

Do you use the Notify function? And if so, how long is the typical waitlist?

BI: Yes. If I pull up tonight’s Notify list, it’s currently at 217 people. And we rarely get cancellations, though they do happen on occasion. I’ll literally look down at my notifications on Resy, see a cancellation, and by the time I’ve looked up, someone else has already scooped it up. So Notify does work!

Can you tell me how the tasting menu differs from the a la carte offerings?

BI: Essentially it’s going to be all of the same products that we use for our regular menu, but it gives Chef an opportunity to really flex his creativity and try different things that we don’t normally serve. He recently ordered, for example, some freeze-dried plankton for a plankton rice that he served along with our lobster tail and a fish sausage that’s wrapped inside a cabbage.

For people who aren’t doing the tasting menu and do brave the line, how do you recommend having the best experience possible? 

BI: I think if you’re coming with a group, ask one person to stay in line while the rest of you take turns going into the market. Oaxacalifornia is one of our neighboring vendors, and they have really great agua frescas and different coffees. So you can get something to nibble on while you’re in line.

I would also say, just come knowing that there’s probably going to be a wait, and build that in to the experience. It’s never fun showing up somewhere and being starving and having to wait in line, but if you plan for it ahead of time, it’s really not that bad, and the line does move fairly quickly. 

In terms of what to order, we have an amazing diver named Stephanie who gets all of our sea urchin, so I highly recommend the live urchin, served inside the shell with a little bit of scallop and topped with some avocado cream. It’s so fresh and a beautiful presentation, so delicious to enjoy. I also recommend all of our ceviches, especially the bluefin tuna ceviche, made from a 100-pound fish that you can typically see hanging in our fish case.

And I have to mention the pulpo [octopus] taco too, which is slow-cooked so it’s so tender and juicy, served on one our tortillas made from masa that we get from Komal, another neighboring stall, which is run by a couple that both worked for Chef Gilberto here at Holbox, which was actually named number 38 on the L.A. Times’ 101 Restaurants list.

Anything else people should know?

BI: We have received feedback that we’ve outgrown this model. Some people think we should just become a traditional sit-down restaurant. And I think what’s really important is knowing how passionate Chef is about being in the South L.A. community, and having a business where 90% of our team lives and works. Beyond that, we’re offering Michelin star-quality food at some of the most approachable prices. And a big reason we’re able to do that is because of the service model that we have. So yes, you might be waiting in line a little bit, but you’re also going to be able to try more food than a traditional Michelin sit-down experience, at better prices, and you’re going to be supporting a community. Overall, the benefits far outweigh the fact that there’s a wait. 

Jamie Feldmar is Resy’s Los Angeles editor and a five-time cookbook author. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.