Smorgasburg LA

For food lovers and adventurous eaters, this affordable weekly event in Los Angeles is a must-visit

Every Sunday at Smorgasburg LA, around 80 vendors get together for six hours (10AM to 4PM) to offer food, drinks, and art/merchandise with no entry fee and minimal parking fees. Prepare for an outstanding array of options, spanning numerous culinary categories. On one weekend, even though the official focus was on barbecue and wrapping up an annual ice cream event, there were tons of other choices ranging from Jamaican to Peruvian, Indonesian and Asian Fusion.

At a single event, we sampled:

  • Indonesian Kueh Lapis rainbow rice cake from Bungkus Bagus
  • Peruvian-inspired Pomegranate-Glazed Pork Belly tacos from Little Llama Tacos
  • Fully hype-worthy Char Siu Pork Belly and Brisket from Smoke Queen BBQ, plus Kaya (coconut jam) Bread Pudding
  • The Poseidon (octopus el pastor) taco from Evil Cooks
  • Pork, beef, and lamb jianbao fried buns from Mao’s Bao
  • Apple/Mango Croissant Taiyaki from Mumu Bakery Cafe
  • Strawberry Matcha Ice Cream Bar from Wanderlust Creamery
  • Iced Einspänner from Be Bright Coffee
  • Strawberry Matcha Milk Tea from Junbi Matcha

Retrospectively, attending this one event exposed us to two restaurants that were yet to open in Orange County (providing a nice preview of each), another that is now opening a highly anticipated brick-and-mortar location, as well as multiple items that we really enjoyed trying. One visit over two hours was barely enough to scratch Smorgasburg LA’s surface – and unlike ticketed food fairs, there was every incentive to keep coming back and exploring.

On our next visit, Kogi BBQ set up shop at the 6-hour event, in part to promote chef Roy Choi’s line of marinades and sauces. We kicked off our attendance with Kogi’s famous short rib and spicy pork tacos – still outstanding after all these years – and grabbed a bottle of his Korean BBQ marinade. Although a heat wave kept us from staying outdoors for too long, we also tried:

  • Outstanding raw and grilled Peruvian scallops from Anarchy Seafood – worth the prep time and prices
  • A tasty Korean fried chicken sandwich with gochujang on the side from Chimmelier
  • Plant Ranch vegan “Carne Asada” taco, guac and chips from Cena Vegan
  • Fantastically strong matcha and just right Thai iced tea gelatos served in a waffle bowl with sticky rice, from Moom Maam
  • A wonderful, smile-inspiring Argentinean dulce de leche and brown butter waffle cone Che Taco from Sad Girl Creamery
  • An even better than expected multi-fruit flavored water ice bowl from Happy Ice

Smorgasburg is held at ROW DTLA, which has a 4,000-car parking garage and plenty of room for guests, rain or shine. We’ve really enjoyed attending, and plan to visit again in the very near future.

Stats

Price: $-$$
Service: Counter
Open Since: 2016

Addresses

777 S. Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021

Instagram: @smorgasburgla