Why Come Here? Eat almost any type of food imaginable with the East River and Manhattan Skyline as your backdrop
When it comes to New York food markets, Smorgasburg is King. Thousands of people travel to Brooklyn every warm weather weekend to sample food from close to 100 vendors. Saturdays you’ll find it at East River State Park in Williamsburg while Sundays they now move to Prospect Park. Both locales offer a feast for both the stomach and eyes with stunning views of the East River and Manhattan skyline in Williamsburg and a lakeside setting in the park. It’s hard to imagine a better place to stuff your face with any type of cuisine imaginable. Seriously, there’s everything from Indian Tacos to Bolivian Sandwiches to Vegan Burgers. Getting a chance to sell your grub here is a highly competitive process which means while some things are better than others, everything is at least pretty good. Gather a bunch of friends and try as much as you can.
Fortunately I live a short walk from the Williamsburg location which means pretty much every Saturday you’ll find me food-in-hand strolling the stalls, looking for my next bite. So yeah, I’ve eaten a lot of things there. And I will now rank them for your reading pleasure.
Note: As I continue going I’ll keep this list up to date. So you’ll want to bookmark this page. Not that you wouldn’t anyway.
Raindrop Cake 
This 2016 newcomer has taken the internet by storm so I’ll put it up top for now even if it’s not actually the best tasting thing at the ‘burg. The center is made of only water and agar (an algae based gelatin) and has the look and consistency of, well, watch the video and see for yourself. The flavor comes from soybean flour and brown sugar syrup which essentially gives it that taste of a flan jello. It’s also vegan.
BBQ Pulled Pork Slider 
& Brisket Sandwich @ Mighty Quinn’s* A Smogasburg legend that’s led to several brick-and-mortar locations but graciously continues serving here. You can also expect a long wait for this one if you’re not there early. The pulled pork is tender and well spiced with a great sweet tangy BBQ sauce pickles and chilis. It’s just a very well done BBQ sandwich. The brisket has a great spice rub, but can be a little salty if there’s too much end in it, hence the deduction.
Maine Style Lobster Roll & Connecticut Style Lobster Roll 
@ Red Hook Lobster Pound* Some of NYC’s best lobster rolls. The Maine Style comes on a buttery bun with a touch of mayo while the Connecticut is served warm with lemon. Both are covered in paprika and scallions.
Mocha w/ Almonds , Hibiscus & Dulce de Leche w/ Almonds Doughnuts @ Dough* Dough may be the closest we have to doughnut perfection in NYC. Their massive glazed doughnuts are airy enough they would almost work as a pillow if it weren’t for the fact they won’t last more than a few seconds near your face. If you want choclatey, the dark chocolate mocha w/ almonds nails it down perfectly. For the fruit lover, hibiscus topped with dried cherries is their signature with good reason. The dulce de leche did not having quite enough of that South American caramel flavor coming through but its still pretty damn tasty.
The Original Ramen Burger @ Ramen Burger* Last year’s hottest burger still draws the longest lines at Smorgasburg. The original is an angus beef patty covered with arugula, scallions and secret shoyu sauce on a bun constructed of ramen noodles. It’s a really good burger, but novelty more than taste has elevated it to legendary status. Click the name above for my full review.
BLT @ Landhaus Landhaus has discovered the secret to the BLT. Replace the flimsy slabs of bacon with a big fat juicy slice of pork belly. Winner.
Short Rib @ Carnal You’ll likely notice people walking around with this massive hunk of beef rib topped with tomato and wonder how to get your hands on it. Find them being smoked before your eyes in the far back corner by the beach. And prepare for the meat sweats.
Channa Masala Sandwich @ Bombay Sandwich Co.* Indian style chickpeas with chutney on a fresh ciabatta it’s packed with a lot of flavor and probably my favorite vegan sandwich in town. Check out their store on W 27th street for a wider selection of excellent vegetarian sandwiches.
Spicy Tuna and Short Rib Tacos @ Takumi Taco* The taco fusion craze takes on Japan with excellent results. What’s not to love about big hunks of tuna in spicy mayo and avocado? Nothing. The crispy gyoza taco shell makes it a little more Japanese and is perfect wrapper. The short rib is meaty and tender and great with wasabi crema. They’re also excellent topping nachos.
Salted Chocolate Chip Vanilla Sandwich @ Ovenly* I’m not a big sweets guy but this cookie is amazing, even though it was a little dry from being out all day. Fresh out of the oven I’m guessing this is an easy 3. And I was shocked to recently learn it’s vegan.
Banh Cuon w/ Tofu, Mushroom & Carrots @ Bep Wrapped in a thicker rice paper than summer rolls and loaded with flavor this is one of the best Vietnamese rolls I’ve had. Add some hoison sauce for optimal eating pleasure.
Mozz Pops @ Big Mozz NYC You can watch these guys just making fresh mozz all day. But you should try some too. Cause it’s delicious.
Brisket Slider @ Lone Star Empire Moist, meaty and well spiced. It’s a strong alternative if you want barbecue but don’t want to wait in the Mighty Quinn’s line.
Spring Rolls @ Lumpia Shack* They offer Pork, Peking Duck and Mushroom filling in crispy, Filipino style spring rolls. They’ll give you all three for $8. Take the deal.
Chicken Roti @ Mamak Rendang Sweet and spicy chicken in a buttery roti. You’re about to realize you can sell my anything in an ethnic wrap, but this is the best of the bunch.
Chicken Satay Stick Rice @ Bamboo Bites Spiced chicken, cucumber, cilanto over sticky rice. This is a solid snack I think could rate it higher if not for the peanut sauce.
Mungbean Pancake @ Kimchi Cooks Consisting of mung beans, kimchi and scallions (and no eggs!) it makes for a spicy, tangy and reasonably healthy Smorgasburg snack.
Toro Arepa @ Palenque One of the first places I’ve seen to offer “healthy” apreas – this is a multigrain arepa topped with beef, cheese and of course avocado. They also offer traditional and quinoa based arepas. This 4″ size is perfect for a few bites when coming doing a Smorgasburg tasting.
Season Sandwich @ Duck Season Duck confit topped with pickled cabbage, XO sauce and spicy chickpea spread on a brioche sounds like a recipe for an incredible sandwich. It’s good, but unfortunately was also a little dried out. The perils of mass production.
Kim’s Chi Banh Mi @ Monk’s Meats In the battle of soy based meat substitutes, seitan always beats tofu. Hear it’s seared and covered in enough Vietnamese spices you really don’t miss the meat. The kim chi is also damn good and belongs on more sandwiches.
Carne Asada Burrito @ Best Buds Burritos I’ve gotta give these guys credit for being the first in NY to execute on the stoner fantasy of french fry filled burrito. Otherwise it’s a pretty standard California style burrito with crema, cheese and cilantro.
Mushrooms w/ Faux Gras @ The Regal Vegan My other top vegan pick comes with truffle oil covered mushrooms over a nutty faux gras spread on bakery fresh bread. If you like those things, this is a great bruschetta-type start to your day at the ‘borg.
Shrimp Ceviche Tosatado @ El Super A refreshingly somewhat lighter bite than most here, it makes a great option on a hot summer day.
Beef in Scallion Pancake @ Outer Borough 
I love the idea of using scallion pancakes to make a wrap. A good sauce could take it to the next level.
Slow Cooked Red Chile Chicken Sopapilla @ Zia Green Chile Company The stewed chicken has a good tangy chili flavor but paired with an empanada-like dough is a little hearty for the warmer months that Smorgasburg primarily entails. I did really enjoy the hatch green chile sauce and will give it another go come Fall.
Slow Roasted Pork Belly Paratha Taco @ Goa Taco I like the paratha and the pork belly, but I would have liked something a little more Indian than the somewhat uninspired cilantro / chipotle mayo combo.
Jamon Bite @ Lolitas Fact: Jamon iberico is one of the world’s greatest hams. And I’ve had some amazing sandwiches made from it in Spain. Unfortunately here it’s undone by a substandard soft white bread. This should be an easy upgrade and I look forward to trying it again if they do.
Goodwich @ The Good Batch I’m a longtime fan of the chipwich and my ability to turn down ice cream stuffed between two cookies is severely limited. This one uses a oat chocolate chunk cookie with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of fudge. While it tastes good, it lost points for the hardness of the cookie.
Thai Style Issan Sausage @ Queen Cobra Thai I ate these sausages off the street all the time in Thailand and loved them. These are a decent rendition, but don’t pack quite the same punch.
Phatty Melt @ Chickpea & Olive A beet based burger with a few different topping options. It’s meant as a vegan substitute to a burger and it’s suitable if you want just that.
* Indicates vendor also has a permanent location
Smorgasburg (April-November)
Saturdays at East River State Park
Sundays at Pier 5 at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Brooklyn, NY
