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Smorgasburg Is Expanding To Queens
By
Nell Casey
Published May 8, 2015
Modified May 8, 2015
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By
Nell Casey
Published May 8, 2015
Modified May 8, 2015
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There have been some major power plays by Brooklyn-born Smorgasburg in recent weeks, the latest of which is their announced expansion into Queens! The team announced today a call for vendors to supplement their early lineup, which includes "Filipino pancit palabok, Colombian arepas, Mexican seafood cocktails, Thai noodles, and more." And for what appears to be a first for the market, they'll only be accepting applicants who are based in Queens to appear at the new Smorgasburg.
The team will be setting up at a 7,500-square-foot lot at 43-29 Crescent Street in Long Island City, which is attached to another 10,000-square-feet of indoor space. Locals may recognize the address as being next door to M. Wells Steakhouse. Beginning July 11th, they'll operate every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
"We've been eating our way through Queens for the last few months, and thinking about our dream market there for almost a year now," Brooklyn Flea co-founder Eric Demby told us via email. "Doing a Smorgasburg about Queens reminds us of the moment before we started the Flea in 2007, with all the discovery, excitement (ours and prospective vendors), and new tastes and faces—from destination restaurants to entrepreneurial startups. And like the Flea in 2008, we want it to be a way to experience a ton of what Queens has to offer in one-fell swoop, as well as a jumping-off point for exploring the rest of the borough."
To bring some serious Queens cred to the party, they've brought aboard former Gothamist food blogger Joe DiStefano to help curate the vendor list. So far, that list includes Filipino cuisine from Woodside's Papa's Kitchen, Thai noodles from Elmhurst's Plant Love House, Asian-inspired cupcakes from Silk Cakes, Mexican seafood cocktails from La Esquina del Camaron, and Smorg veterans Outer Borough. Even more exciting, the famed Jackson Heights Arepa Lady will also be on hand serving up her delicious griddled corn cakes.
"Everyone always asks us where we’re expanding next. We talk to folks in LA, SF, Chicago, all over, but it never really makes sense," says Demby. "Then we realized: The most amazing, exotic ethnic food, the most interesting stories and characters—and the fifth largest city in America, right behind Brooklyn—were literally right next door."
Of course, there's already a foodie flea happening in the area with the LIC Flea & Food, which operates a fleet of Queens-based vendors plus an all Queens beer garden on Saturdays and Sundays at 5th Street and 46th Avenue. Whether they'll coexist peacefully remains to be seen, but either way it's great exposure for the borough that's spent too long in the shadow of its sibling to the south. Couple those two with the Queens International Night Market and the borough will be the place to eat this summer.
In other Smorgasburg-related news, the market will also be heading to Coney Island for a residency this summer, plus a re-do of their Central Park residency in late July and an outpost on the Seaport. Could Smorgasburgs on Staten Island and the Bronx be far behind?
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Nell Casey
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