Have you ever dreamt of embarking on a culinary world tour without ever leaving the city? As the video above showcases, that dream becomes a delicious reality at Smorgasburg, the USA’s largest weekly outdoor food market, nestled within Brooklyn’s vibrant Prospect Park. This bustling hub, whose name fittingly translates to “big spread of food” in Swedish, gathers an incredible array of vendors, transforming a simple park visit into an unforgettable international food festival.
More than just a market, Smorgasburg is a testament to New York City’s unparalleled diversity, offering a global culinary journey that challenges even the most adventurous eaters. From classic comfort foods with an innovative twist to exotic dishes rarely found outside their country of origin, our mission was clear: to sample delectable delights from every continent except Antarctica. The penguins, for now, remain undisturbed as we dive headfirst into this epicurean adventure.
1. North American Delights: Red Hook Lobster Pound’s Innovative Crustacean Creations
Our global food quest began right here in North America, with a quintessential coastal classic reimagined. The Red Hook Lobster Pound, a beloved Smorgasburg institution, typically serves up classic Maine and Connecticut-style lobster rolls. For those unfamiliar, the Maine style offers cold lobster dressed in mayonnaise, while the Connecticut style features warm lobster bathed in hot butter—a personal favorite for many.
However, this vendor wasn’t content with tradition alone. They introduced intriguing innovations like the Lobster BLT, an elevated take on the familiar bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, and the audacious Lobster Crunchwrap. This culinary mashup, reminiscent of a popular fast-food item but starring succulent lobster, certainly raised an eyebrow. Priced at $21, the question wasn’t just about taste, but value.
The Lobster BLT impressed with its subtle innovation, where a single, perfectly crispy strip of bacon complemented the rich lobster and creamy mayonnaise, proving that sometimes, less truly is more. Next, the Lobster Crunchwrap proved to be a delightful, if unconventional, experience. Packed with cheese, a crunchy tortilla interior, and a generous portion of lobster, it offered a satisfyingly heavy, cheesy, and texturally complex bite.
This fusion dish perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the Smorgasburg food festival: taking familiar concepts and infusing them with unexpected, gourmet flair. It’s a prime example of how traditional American ingredients can be spun into exciting new forms for the adventurous palate.
2. South American Sensations: Patacones from Ehbra NYC
Venturing south, our culinary compass pointed to Ehbra NYC, a stall brimming with authentic Colombian food that promised a taste of South America. The star of their menu, and our next conquest, was a mountain of patacones, described as “Colombian nachos.” This vibrant dish immediately sparked immense excitement, inspiring thoughts of one-way tickets to Colombia just to explore more.
At its heart, patacones are made from green plantains, twice-fried and flattened into crispy, substantial bases. Ehbra NYC elevates this with a lavish topping of mozzarella cheese, sweet fried plantains, chicharrones (crispy pork belly), and tender braised beef, often compared to succulent brisket. A generous dollop of guacamole, a zesty salsa verde, sour cream, and a tangy tartar sauce complete this magnificent plate.
The experience was a symphony of textures and flavors. The crispy plantain base provided a robust foundation, contrasting beautifully with the soft, flavorful beef and the rich, greasy chicharrón. The salsa verde, with its fresh, spicy kick, cut through the richness, while the combination of crispy and sweet plantains created an unexpected, yet harmonious, “banana on banana” delight. This dish vividly illustrated the depth and diversity of Colombian cuisine, proving that a single plate can be an immersive cultural lesson.
3. European Elegance: Swiss Raclette from the Raclette Queen
Our journey then whisked us across the Atlantic to Europe, where the promise of Swiss raclette awaited. This quintessential Alpine comfort food, famous for its simple yet utterly satisfying nature, revolves around melted cheese—and lots of it. At Smorgasburg, the “raclette queen,” Natalie, demonstrated the art of this cheesy indulgence, flown directly from the Swiss Alps.
Our first taste was the cheesy baby potatoes, priced at $12.99. These sweet, innocent potatoes, air-fried to perfection and lightly seasoned with herbs, became the ideal canvas for the molten, gooey raclette. The cheese, with its distinct, pungent personality, draped over the warm potatoes, creating a wonderfully soft and flavorful bite. It was simple, straightforward, and deeply comforting.
However, the raclette sandwich took this experience to a new level. Built on a crusty baguette, it featured Dijon mustard, fresh watercress, Spanish prosciutto, French pickles, and, of course, a cascade of freshly scraped, melting raclette cheese. This “United Nations of sandwich” offered a complex interplay of flavors: the salty cured meat, the sharp mustard, the crispness of the baguette, and the creamy, comforting cheese. It perfectly showcased how a few quality ingredients, thoughtfully combined, can create an extraordinary European-inspired delight.
4. Asian Adventure: Dilla Manila’s Filipino Sisig Fusion
Continuing eastward, our next stop was Asia, represented by Dilla Manila, a stall putting a brilliant twist on Filipino cuisine. Here, traditional Filipino proteins, such as adobo and sisig, found a new home within the familiar embrace of a quesadilla. This fusion concept, dubbed “Filipino quesadillas” or “Sisig Dilla,” immediately piqued curiosity.
Sisig, traditionally made from chopped pig face, including parts like ears and jowls, offers a unique textural and flavor profile—smoky, fatty, and slightly crunchy. Dilla Manila cleverly adapts this with a blend of lean meat and pig ears, aiming for authentic cartilage texture. The Sisig Dilla starts with a flour tortilla, a generous cheese blend, the spiced sisig, extra chicharrón for added crunch, and more cheese, all grilled to golden perfection.
This dish was nothing short of “madness” in the best possible way. The sheer cheesiness was impressive, creating satisfying cheese pulls that rivaled any raclette. The sisig itself delivered on its promise: smoky, flavorful, and with that characteristic Filipino crunch. The addition of chicharrón, a culinary commonality between Mexican and Filipino cultures due to shared Spanish influence, further enhanced the textural complexity. Served with corn chips and a homemade jalapeño ranch, this fusion quesadilla was a testament to how ancient flavors can be innovatively adapted for a global palate, especially within the dynamic New York City market.
5. African & Caribbean Connection: Taste the Flava’s Jamaican Oxtail Boat
The quest for African cuisine at Smorgasburg presented a unique challenge. While direct African stalls were elusive, a clever workaround was found at Taste the Flava, offering Jamaican food. Owner Simone eloquently explained the profound African influence on Jamaican cuisine, particularly in dishes like jerk chicken, prepared outdoors over wood fire, reflecting ancestral cooking methods.
Though not strictly African, Jamaican food, with its deep cultural roots and historical connections, served as a compelling proxy. We opted for the Jamaican Oxtail Boat, a dish that intrigued with its novel presentation. It featured tender, shredded oxtail nestled within a sweet, fried dough bread, a dense and slightly crumbly concoction made with both flour and cornmeal. This savory-sweet bread formed a unique “boat” for the succulent filling.
The oxtail, slow-cooked to gelatinous perfection, simply fell apart, offering a rich, gooey, and incredibly tender experience. It was complemented by pickled cabbage for a refreshing crunch, Taste the Flava’s signature jerk BBQ sauce, a creamy white sauce, and a spicy avocado sauce. The combination of the sweet, slightly crunchy bread with the rich oxtail and fresh coleslaw-like components was unexpectedly harmonious and deeply satisfying. This dish proved that even when direct representation is scarce, the culinary tapestry of a city like New York allows for explorations through interconnected cultural influences.
6. Pan-Asian & Latin Fusion: C Bao’s Innovative Bao Tacos
Our final culinary stop brought us to C Bao, a stall that masterfully blended Chinese and Mexican flavors, epitomizing multicultural fusion. Here, the traditional taco shell was replaced by a fluffy, steamed bao bun, creating a “Bao Taco Series” that intrigued with its Latin-inspired fillings. The menu offered diverse options including minced beef, sweet soy chicken, carnitas, roasted duck, and golden tofu.
To fully experience the fusion, we chose both the carnitas and roasted duck bao tacos. Carnitas, a celebrated Mexican street food of pork slow-simmered in its own fat, found an unexpected yet perfect partner in the soft, slightly sweet bao bun. This demonstrated that “pork speaks every language,” transcending cultural boundaries with its universally appealing flavor.
The carnitas bao taco was a delightful explosion of flavor, featuring the tender pork, crisp lettuce, raw onion, tomato, cheese, cilantro, and a trio of sauces: spicy mayo, sour cream, and jalapeño sauce. The duck bao taco, often a more adventurous choice for American palates, was equally impressive. The rich, succulent duck paired beautifully with the fresh, crunchy vegetables and the steamy, soft bao, creating a balanced and incredibly delicious bite. C Bao’s innovative approach highlights the endless possibilities when diverse culinary traditions playfully intertwine at a vibrant global food festival like Smorgasburg.
Feast on the Answers: Your Biggest Food Festival Q&A
What is Smorgasburg?
Smorgasburg is the USA’s largest weekly outdoor food market, which offers a global culinary journey through its many vendors.
Where is Smorgasburg located?
It is nestled within Brooklyn’s vibrant Prospect Park in New York City.
What kind of food can I find at Smorgasburg?
You can find an incredible array of international street food, ranging from North American innovations to dishes from South America, Europe, Asia, and those with African and Caribbean influences.
What does the name Smorgasburg mean?
The name Smorgasburg fittingly translates to ‘big spread of food’ in Swedish.