Everyone I talked to has claimed they have been to Smorgasburg. Smorgasburg is more than a grub hub in Brooklyn, it is an experience. And I wanted to cross that experience off of my bucket list.
Getting to Brooklyn from Northern New Jersey is complicated, exhausting and intimidating. I had to take a bus into Port Authority, and immediately jump onto the subway ACE train downtown two stops to 14th Street. I then transferred to the L train and went five stops to Bedford Avenue. The trip did not end there. Now I have arrived in Brooklyn, but still needed to walk a few blocks and I finally saw a large crowd walking towards vendors under tents. I could smell the mouth-watering food and see the smoke from the numerous grills. (PSA: do not search Smorgasburg in Google Maps because it said I was a two hour walk away).
I strolled into the fence-inclosed area filled with people and foods of all kinds and could not help but want to try everything. My friends and I decided to take a lap around and scout what the top foods we wanted to try because we could easily spend hundreds of dollars sampling all the foods, but only eating one bite of each food.
All the vendors were extraordinary; they kept the line moving, filling dozens of orders at a time. And the foods they sold were outrageous. You can find all kinds of food there: dessert, drinks, meats, tacos, rice, etc. Smorgasburg is famous for its Ramen Burger, which is ramen noodles combines to form a bun, with a hamburger, lettuce, cheese and a special sauce. The line may be intimidating, but it moves quickly and is definitely worth the wait. Another popular, yet peculiar food is the raindrop cake. This dessert is like a jelly cake made from shingen mochi.
I personally tried both these unusual treats and can say I have mixed reviews. The ramen burger was oily, but delicious and unique. The raindrop cake was interesting to say the least. Some people love it while others hate it. It tastes like water jello. The flavor comes from the condiments added on top; the most common are syrup and a nutty powder.
My friends and I decided to get a ton of different food and just split them between the five of us, taking turns paying and waiting in line. We ended up getting the ramen burger, the raindrop cake, nachos, lemonades, doughnuts (to go), ice cream sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, short ribs and french fries. They were all delicious. By the end, we were all stuffed and we even took a break in between to take pictures in front of the skyline and the Hudson.
Smorgasburg was an incredible experience; form navigating New York City with just my friends, to trying all different types of original treats. I highly recommend everyone going at least once.
