Nothing brings people together quite like food, but sometimes it is a challenge to decide where to go or what to get. In Los Angeles, where there are seemingly endless restaurant and cuisine options, it can be nearly impossible for a group to come to a conclusion – especially indecisive college students.
Why not refuse to choose and visit L.A.’s largest open-air food market, Smorgasburg L.A.?
“I’m from Washington, but my son lives here,” Steve Dilley, a Smorgasburg diner, said. “He said there’s some good food, so I said we should come over here. My favorite thing is the variety of everything.”
Located in ROW DTLA, Smorgasburg caters to everyone’s food preferences — no matter what they are craving. The name is a play on the word “smorgasbord,” which is used to refer to a variety of foods. Smorgasburg certainly lives up to its namesake; open every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the market features more than 50 different restaurant booths with unique selections.
“Smorgasburg L.A. provides a platform for nearly 100 small businesses curated from the next wave of SoCal’s food, beverage and shopping scene,” Smorgasburg LA’s website says.
Originating in New York at the Brooklyn Flea, Smorgasburg has expanded across the country to other cities like Miami, Jersey City and right here in Los Angeles. Founders Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby frequently traveled to Los Angeles looking for a place to open a new location, so when ROW DTLA reached out to them, they jumped at the opportunity.
To be part of the market, restaurants can apply online through their website and then go through an interview process – and a taste test. With so many vendors, it may seem that repeat cuisines and dishes would run rampant (and leave some foodies unenthused). But Zach Brooks, the general manager of Smorgasburg L.A., ensures that each one adds their own unique touch and flavor.
“We understand that consistency is incredibly important in the food business,” Brooks said. “We may have six, seven, eight taco vendors, but each vendor does a very specific style of taco – whether it’s from a specific region in Mexico, or a family recipe that’s incredibly unique or a chef-driven concept where the tacos are from a unique perspective from a chef that was born and raised in L.A. or something like that.”
News outlets have also recognized the great food Smorgasburg offers Angelenos. In 2001, nearly 30 restaurants that were a part of the market were also featured on the Los Angeles Times’ 101 Best Restaurants list. Then in 2022 and 2023, Smorgasburg itself was featured on the ranking.
But Smorgasburg is more than just good food. It also embraces the L.A. lifestyle and culture by incorporating a small business section in the middle of all the food booths, allowing customers to do some light Sunday shopping while enjoying a meal.
Some of the non-food vendors include small businesses like Baked Papaya, La Sirena and Pocket Square Clothing that sell apparel. Customers can also peruse the selection of custom rugs, jewelry, plants and homemade candles from other vendors. Of course, knowing the Smogasburg audience, there are also specialty kitchen knives.
“What food does is bring diversity. When you have different types of food from Asian to American to ‘Happy Ice,’ it brings people [together],” said Joel Stallworth, owner of the Small Shop LA boutique. “If I can show my stuff in front of people, I can sell it. It [Smorgasburg] has been really good for my business and brand awareness.”
The weekly market is a vibrant scene with music, occasional live DJ performances and Smorgasburg employees selling merchandise and interacting with customers. They also have a calendar that includes different themed events like speed dating with CitySwoon, an AAPI day collaboration with AAPI LA and a pizza day slated for the upcoming months. A vinyl records fair with music merchandise and vinyls for sale takes place every third Sunday of the month.
Smorgasburg L.A. provides a space for vendors, restaurants and customers to enjoy robust culture centered around one of people’s favorite things – food. While it is a commercial success, Smorgasburg keeps its biggest goal in mind: to bring attention to local businesses and provide Angelenos with good food.
“We really pride ourselves on being an incubator for new businesses,” Brooks said. “We are really proud of how many businesses we’ve helped go from being something that someone started during the pandemic in their house, or a food truck or a pop up, [...] to opening a brick and mortar business, or opening a catering company.”