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Home / Blog / Reviews & Roundups

The Coolest & Best Foods I’ve Eaten At Smorgasburg LA

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Jessica Pinney Avatar

Author

Jessica Pinney

Published

Jun. 12, 2017

Updated

Jan. 28, 2024

What is Smorgasburg?

Imagine a farmer’s market, except instead of selling organic fruits and veggies, all the vendors are slinging food porn.

It is seriously one of the most instagrammable (totally a word) places you can visit.

I am regularly in attendance and wanted to share some of my favorite dishes.

POPDUP+ Soda

PopdUp+ Soda at Smorgasburg LA - Best Things At Smorgasburg

POPDUP is a local premium syrup & beverage company.

They make awesome artisan soda & teas. The one pictured here is a lychee butterfly pea soda. It was equal parts beautiful and delicious!

The best $8 soda I’ve ever had…

Bubble Waffle Desserts from Yellow Business

Hong Kong Egg Puff Bubble Waffle S'mores at Smorgasburg LA

If you haven’t had a bubble waffle, you need to add it to your “to eat list” right now!

These bubble egg waffles are popular in Hong Kong, where they are generally served plain.

Yellow Business takes bubble waffles to the next level with a multitude of desserts. My two personal favorites are the S’mores (pictured above), and the Green Tea Ice Cream Sundae (below).

Green Tea Ice Cream Sundae with Bubble Waffle - Best Food Smorgasburg LA

Korean Fried Turkey Leg from Bukchae

Korean BBQ Fried Turkey Leg at Smorgasburg Los Angeles

Turkey legs are flipping awesome.

I’ve always loved getting them at Disney and the Ren Faire, but I never thought of how to make them better.

Thankfully, Bukchae did.

Their deep fried Turkey leg is served dakgangjeong style, like Korean wings. Genius!

Hawaiian Shrimp Pineapple Boat from Shrimp Daddy

Hawaiian Garlic Butter Shrimp Pineapple Boat from Shrimp Daddy at Smorgasburg LA

Everyone was excited when LA’s Instagram queen, Stir and Style, announced she was opening a booth at Smorgasburg.

Sometimes great expectation comes with great disappointment, but Shrimp Daddy delivered above and beyond! I love how the shrimp is just bursting with buttery garlic flavor. I dare say it’s better than some I’ve eaten right on the North Shore…

And if I were giving out awards, I would definitely have to give the shrimp pineapple boat “most ‘grammable’” dish at Smorgasburg.

The Ramen Burger

The Ramen Burger - Best Food at Smorgasburg LA

I feel like I’ve heard of the Ramen Burger for years, but never saw one in the wild until now.

Ramen Burger is normally posted up at NYC’s Smorgasburg but they made the trip out to LA for National Burger Day.

The burger has a nice flavor and both Janette and our friend really liked it. It was a little hard for me to get past the strange texture.

Donut FriendDonut Friend Polar Berry Club Donut at Smorgasburg LA

With so many donut shops in LA, it can be hard to pick a favorite.

Except it’s not hard because Donut Friend exists and reigns supreme.

I almost always grab a donut on my way out, usually, the Polar Berry Club (pictured above) or the cookie butter stuffed Speculoos (below).

Speculoos Donut from Donut Friend at Smorgasburg LA

The Chichidango

The Chichidango Hawaiian Shaved Ice with Mochi at Smorgasburg LA

Shrimp Daddy was such a hit that Stir and Style decided to hit us with another one, and I’m glad she did!

The Chichidango serves up Hawaiian Shaved Iced filled with organic ice cream and topped with handmade Japanese mochi, fruit boba, and fresh fruit purees.

Perfect for those hot LA summer days!

Amazebowls

Amazebowls Acai Bowl at Smorgasburg LA

Amazebowls whips up the prettiest acai bowls in all of Los Angeles.

If you opt to get yours in the coconut shell, the Instagram gods will bless your account with many likes.

Since I like to get to Smorgasburg early, I often start off with one of these for breakfast. It’s heaven. Every time.

Katsu Dog from AsiaDog

Katsu Corn Dog - Panko coated & fried corndog served with Katsu sauce.

I can’t tell you the last time I had a corndog, but I simply could not turn down the Katsu Dog.

You choose from a beef, chicken, or veggie dog (beef, obviously), then AsiaDog rolls it in panko and dunks it in the deep fryer.

That’s not enough for you? It is also served with a delicious Katsu dipping sauce. Bangarang.

Chicken Burgers at The Nomad Truck

Chicken Burgers at The Nomad Truck - Best Food at Smorgasburg LA

The Nomad is one of my most favorite restaurants in NYC.

I was super stoked when I heard they were bringing a truck out here.

They are known for their chicken burgers with truffle mayo, but they also do a chicken burger collab with a local chef every month.

The one pictured above is by Night+Market Chef Kris Yenbamroong. Fried chicken, pork toro, Isaan chili mayo, Thai basil, lettuce, and tomato.

If Postmates would deliver one to me right now, I’d smash that MF “order” button so fast.

Stand Coffee

Evergreen Latte at Stand Coffee - Smorgasburg Los Angeles

I think they named it Stand coffee because you should be prepared to stand in line.

It’s currently the only coffee place at Smorgasburg so it is quite popular.

The good news is that the coffee is worth the wait.

Every month they serve a seasonal latte. The one pictured above is an Evergreen Latte they were serving during the holiday season. It featured fresh pine syrup by PopdUp+, wildflower honey, espresso, and steamed milk.

Another wonderful drink they serve is “Stormy Weather”, a coffee with cardamom, molasses, and grass-fed butter. A great way to start the morning!

Raindrop Cake

Raindrop Cake - Coolest & Best Foods At Smorgasburg LA

The Raindrop Cake took the internet by storm a few years ago and was the first thing I ever ate at Smorgasburg.

What a weird dish! It is definitely more pleasing to the eye than the taste buds.

The problem with Raindrop Cake isn’t that it tastes bad…it just doesn’t taste at all. The blob itself is flavorless (it consists of only mineral water and vegan gelatin) so all the flavor comes from the matcha and nuts.

Looks great on the gram, but not too exciting for your mouth.

Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken

Hot Star Large Fried Chicken - Best Food at Smorgasburg LA

Large fried chicken?

I was intrigued and turned off all at the same time.

Supposedly they line up for hours in Hong Kong to get one, so I had to check it out.

After one bite I knew exactly why people are willing to wait hours for it. It is AMAZING!

The combination of spices they are using is on point and I’ve never tasted anything like it.

10/10 would eat again!

The Jolly Oyster

Jolly Oyster - Coolest & Best Foods at Smorgasburg

The Jolly Oyster has some of the best oysters around. I love that they have a booth at Smorgasburg so I don’t always have to drive up to Ventura.

Their accouterments are almost as good as the oysters. The one pictured above has a few drops of hoisin sauce and a caviar lime. Yummy!

Visiting Smorgasburg LA

There are soooo many delicious looking things at Smorgasburg that it’s nearly impossible to try all of them. There are tons of awesome looking food that I just haven’t been able to make my way around to yet. I will continually update this article as I do.

You should also know that not every vendor is there every week and some may have only been there for a limited time. I can promise that no matter which vendors are there, you will have many more delicious dishes than you could ever eat!

The lines can get pretty insane and vendors can run out of food near the end of the day. I highly recommend getting there early, especially if there’s a specific dish you’re going there for.

Have you visited Smorgasburg? What are your favorite dishes there? Let me know so I can try on my next visit!

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4 responses

  1. Lisa Cook
    June 12, 2017

    I’m so glad you took me there on my LA visit! You have posted my favorites from Amazebowls, Chichidango and Shrimp Daddy!! I can’t wait to come back!

    Reply
    1. Jessica Pinney
      June 12, 2017

      I am so glad we were able to go together! The Chichidango has a new Pineapple Dole Whip that looks amazing! We’ll definitely have to get it next visit.

      Reply
  2. Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
    June 12, 2017

    The next time I’m in LA.. I’m totally checking this out!

    Reply
  3. Elaine @ Dishes Delish
    June 12, 2017

    Oh my gosh! This all looks so delicious!!

    Reply

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