Smorgasburg Coming To WTC For Three-Day Food Fest

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, NY — Trendy outdoor food market Smorgasburg is coming to the World Trade Center for a three-day food fest this November.

The largest weekly outdoor food market in the U.S. is teaming up with the Port Authority to bring nearly two dozen vendors to Oculus Plaza. The move is a step toward putting the Lower Manhattan hub on the map as a cultural fixture of the neighborhood, said an official with the transit agency that runs the center.

"We are deeply committed to ensuring that the World Trade Center serves as a place of remembrance, but also as a welcoming, dynamic hub for creative, cultural and community activities for the Lower Manhattan community,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton.

Known for its viral novelty grub, Smorgasburg attracts purveyors from across the five boroughs to its Brooklyn open-air markets during the summer months each week. It was founded in 2011 as a riff off of Brooklyn Flea and has since grown into a right of passage for hot new eateries.

Food fans flock to the market to sink their teeth into unique eats including ramen burgers, whole grilled lobsters and ice cream topped with blow-torch-brûléed marshmallows.

Downtown Alliance President Jessica Lappin called the fest an "exciting moment" in the neighborhood's "food movement" and touted it as a signal of more sought-after foodie events on the horizon for the area.

Nearly two dozen vendors have signed on to the fest, which will begin Thursday, Nov. 8 with a community block party from noon to 7 p.m. The kickoff event will feature live music, a beer garden and a slew of family-friendly activities.

The following Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9-10, will feature a selection of curated bites from eateries including Burger Supreme, Dan & John's Wings and Red Hook Lobster Pound.

“Like all New Yorkers, we love and cherish seeing Lower Manhattan grow and rejuvenate as a vibrant neighborhood," said Eric Demby and Jonathan Butler, Smorgasburg's co-founders, in a joint statement. "[We] are excited to make that evolution just a little more delicious."

Here are the Smorgasburg vendors featured in the November fest:

• Bona Bona Ice Cream
• Burger Supreme
• Ca’pisci
• Chef Katsu
• Chickpea & Olive
• The Choripan
• D’Abruzzo
• Dan & John's Wings
• Dough
• Home Frite
• Jianbing
• Mutz
• Rai Rai Ken
• Ramen Burger
• Red Hook Lobster Pound
• Ring Ding Bar
• Sons of Thunder
• Wood Fired Edibles
• Yakitori Tatsu

Photo courtesy of Smorgasburg/John von Pamer