First off, why is this shopping center called Lincoln *Station*?! It sounds more like a train or…read moresubway station in a metropolitan part of town, and there isn't anything that reminds me of the 16th President of the United States unlike the namesake park in DTLB (Downtown Long Beach). Not that I'm factoring this into my rating, but I thought I'd point those out as a preface to my review.
So I wasn't really planning to pen this review honestly, but my Yelp friend, Lilah J, continues to encourage me to add another FTR (First to Review) to my collection, so here goes!
Lincoln Station is not a station, but rather, a shopping center. They're on the south side of South between Pioneer and Norwalk, right by the Artesia/Cerritos city border. Artesia Park is just on the other side of that border from this shopping center.
Sprouts Farmers Market in the anchor store here, located where Sports Authority used to be on the eastern end of Lincoln Station. From there, you can circumnavigate the shopping center in a clockwise direction on foot, but don't forget to visit Smoking Tiger Bread Factory where Chase Bank used to be! Every time I stop at this plaza, I usually swing by Smoking Tiger to see the selection of pastries they have in the patisserie. Most of the time, I'll see customers sitting at the tables with their laptops, indicative of a great place to get some work or studying done.
Businesses seem to come and go in this plaza quite a bit. The donut shop is just one example. Shortly after Smoking Tiger opened, Chubby Seoul Donuts followed suit, and from what I recall, Chubby Seoul would source their donuts from Smoking Tiger. Unfortunately, Chubby Seoul didn't find much success here, but Old Ferry Donut, who took over that spot, seems to be doing better to the point where one of my Yelp friends went there several times shortly after opening.
Between the donuts and the farmers market, there's one eatery named Vita Cane, which specializes in sugarcane juices and acai bowls. All the other eateries in this plaza are west of the donut shop, and I've unfortunately not tried any of those, so I can't make any further comment other than the decent variety of eats available here.
And drinks too, as in the case of Sharetea, a boba shop recommended by some Yelp friends of mine. Actually, I did have a Honey Milk Tea from Pot on Fire, a hot pot spot that also served cold drinks, though the one I got was somewhere along the lines of meh and whatever. The hot pots looked pretty good, but Pot on Fire unfortunately closed late last year. Today, it's still a hot pot spot, but it's now called Jomaru Korean Hot Pot. You can find them next to Meet Fresh.
To the west of Sharetea are some other businesses that are also worth checking out, especially 8th Symphony Coffee, another good study spot of the likes of Smoking Tiger. However, please note these businesses are *not* a part of Lincoln Station.
Parking is plentiful in this plaza, but it's also a crapshoot that I can never predict how far I'd have to walk to Sprouts from my car at any given time. You're more likely to find open spots in the middle of the lot, which would be ideal if you're visiting businesses on opposite ends of the plaza. And if for some reason, the lot is entirely full, there's actually a parking garage between East West Bank and Sharetea! I was surprised to hear of this parking garage when one of my Yelp friends mentioned it in a review of hers, and when I asked her, I thought to myself, "How did I not realize this was there the whole time?!" Probably because I'm usually on the east end of the plaza, but this parking garage is more westerly.
A few years ago, a Yelp OCA (Online Community Ambassador) from our chapter, Orange County at the time believe it or not, once called this part of town "Foodie Lane". On South St heading east from the 605 freeway, you'll find a plethora of eateries that cater to a wide variety of different cuisines. You name it, they'll have it, or at least something reasonably within ballpark range! Lincoln Station is essentially the east end of this "Foodie Lane", though that's not to say there aren't any good restaurants east of Lincoln Station. There still are, but more scattered about and not as concentrated as the businesses on "Foodie Lane".
Whenever I'm here, it's usually a stop at Sprouts Farmers Market, which may have some samples at the self-checkout lane from time to time!
Overall, it's a decent shopping center worth visiting. Can you do all of your one-stop shopping here? Possibly, unless it involves electronics or furniture; otherwise, your next closest option would be Cerritos Towne Center. You also won't necessarily get the best food here, but there is a wide variety of businesses that you can certainly hit up more than one on a single stop here. You can definitely get a lot of steps in just by walking around this plaza, and did I mention how you could walk to Artesia Park from there?
