Smorgasburg D.C. Market Returns From Self-Imposed Summer Break This Saturday

Brooklyn-based Smorgasburg outdoor food market will take another crack at D.C. this weekend after shutting down its Navy Yard event for the past four weeks.

The Saturday market, which boasts more than 30 local vendors selling everything from coffee, ice cream, and pizza to Vietnamese pho and Argentinian grilled meats, will begin a planned eight-week run this week with a handful of new options, 27 returning vendors, and a calendar full of themes intended to attract more visitors. One notable newcomer is Alfie’s, the Northern Thai pop-up from Lucky Buns chef Alex McCoy that dishes out khao soi and papaya salads.

Smorgasburg is claiming crowds of 4,000 to 5,000 people per day over its first two months. Multiple vendors previously told Eater that attendance fell hard after a jam-packed opening day June 15. Because vendors pay a flat fee to be included in the market, they risk diminishing returns on slow days. The decision to temporarily shutdown put some vendors in a bind because they had paid and arranged for equipment and labor, but it also prevented smaller shops from losing money.

Starting this weekend, Smorgasburg will adopt the following themes: back to school with a school supply drive (9/7), record day with a vinyl exchange (9/14), barbecue day (9/21), power plants day with vegan specials and a flower stall (9/28), fall flavors day with a pumpkin patch opening in the beer garden (10/5), funky ferments day showcasing pickles, beer and wine (10/12), farm day spotlighting local farmers (19/19), and a Halloween day (10/26).

Here are the listed vendors for Smorgasburg’s return:

New

• Ai Ya (Taiwanese and Cantonese street food)
• Alfie’s (Northern Thai noodles and papaya salad)
• Just AJ’s Plant-based Veenies (vegan and veggie hot dogs)
• Doughboy Fresh Pretzel Company (crab dip, marinara, and cheesesteak toppings)
• The Urban Oyster

Returning

• Arepa Zone
• Balo Kitchen and Pho Wheels (reimagined Asian classics)
• Bay Pearl (crabcakes)
• Bri’s Ice Cream
• Bun’d Up (Korean bao)
• Cracked Eggery (breakfast sandwiches)
• Criosho (South American grilled sandwiches)
• Eat 170 (soul food)
• Ekiben (Asian-American fusion)
• Gwenie’s Pastries (Filipino desserts)
• Hot Lola’s (Sichuan-spiced Nashville hot chicken)
• Kuya Ja’s Lechon (Filipino rotisserie chicken and pork belly)
• Lei Musubi (Japanese-Hawaiian rice balls)
• Lei’d Hawaiian Poke (poke nachos)
• Lost Sock Roasters (coffee)
• Milk Cult (ice cream sandwiches)
• Pinch Dumplings
• Rebel Tacos
• Ruby Scoops (ice cream and sorbet)
• Senzu Juicery
• Skew’d (Japanese skewers)
• SnoCream Company
• Spot of Tea (boba and Vietnamese coffee)
• Sweet Crimes (gluten-free bakery)
• Swizzler (spiral-cut hot dogs and burgers)
• Timber Pizza
• Uzu (Japanese comfort food)

Smorgasburg, 200 Tingey Street SE, Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• After Arriving in D.C. With a Splash, Outdoor Market Smorgasburg Will Close For a Month [EDC]
• A Wildly Popular Brooklyn Food Market Will Take Over Navy Yard This Summer [EDC]
• Always-Crowded Smorgasburg Outdoor Food Market Debuts in D.C. [EDC]