Smorgasburg (Los Angeles)

They’re back!! We went opening weekend and it was a hot mess!!

Parking: There are 2 separate entrances for parking. The back side of the lot doesn’t have lines. The main entrance has long lines all the way to the stoplight. We were going to turn in but the security waived us to go further down where we found minimal lines of cars. Def recommend.

We arrived at 10:00am. Pre-covid this would’ve been fine. Not so much nowadays. Go early if you want less lines!

Lines: Expect to wait at the popular booths. Some weren’t there as advertised or were so difficult to spot.

There’s an info booth near the entrance but otherwise no staff on the grounds making sure things are clean or in order like at Off the Grid events in the bay. Lines would be so long that they literally block the whole walkway and then some! Ppl are so rude to not even leave a gap for ppl to walk thru even though there is supposed to be way for ppl to literally walk by. Ppl will deliberately close their gaps for you to not walk by. There were multiple times I experienced this. There are no designated spots for lines or walking so it’s you on your own. You’ve gotta have thick skin to get by here. I really do think it could a fire hazard or some type of safety hazard to not leave any walkway space. The alternative? You walk in the middle median where it’s a drainage or water and curb markers. Tripping hazard much? And definitely n it ADA compliant. I’m trying this in hopes that someone in the event management will do something to address the crowd control and lines. It makes the event less enjoyable and safe.

Perfect Sunday lunch spot! Only open 10am-4pm. Free admission. I only go right when they open cuz lines and parking get hectic. 1 hour free parking. Validation with nearby cafes. Love the_base drinks here! Wish there were more tables and...

I had a great time! It's not as big as I expected but there is still plenty of different food, desserts and drinks to try!

Parking is very easy and very close. The first 2 hours are free and after that it's $5 an hour.

To my surprise there were a few places that did NOT accept cash. Lucky, I was prepared with both, so it wasn't an issue. In case you're going I recommend taking both so you can put cash in the tip jar. 💵💵😉

My favorite was The Little Llama Peruvian Tacos! 🦙🌮 They were INCREDIBLE!! The green sauce/salsa they put on top of the tacos was delicious! The perfect amount of spice! I swear if they sold it by the bottle I would have bought 2! I 100% recommend you check them out next time you're in the LA area or if you're lucky enough to catch them at Smorgasburg! We tried their lomo saltado taco and their Shitake saltado taco! They were both delicious but I do have to say the shitake saltado taco took the win! I'm not vegan but my gosh was that an incredible taco! 🤤 12/10 recommend the Shitake Saltado taco!

We also tried spam masubi from MamaMasubi! It was good. We tried the vegan kelp masubi 8/10 which in my opinion was more flavorful than the spam masubi 7/10. Once again vegan for the win!

We then kept the vegan train rolling and tried vegan sushi from Plantae Bar, it wasn't my cup of tea but my vegan friend really seemed to enjoy it. Take that as you will.

I then had Lobsterdamus and they were pretty good as well. I only had the 1/2 lobster 🦞 as I was the only one eating, so I can't judge them fairly!

Our last food stop was Mexican vegan tacos! 😋 now sadly by this point is was way too full to even finish a full taco let alone take pictures or remember the name. So sorry but I can say they were pretty good as well. 8/10 couldn't tell...

It was my first time going to this place on a Sunday. I really enjoyed the options.

Food Vendors: There are many but different vendors on site such as, seafood, meat, vegan and desserts! There are also great clothing and jewelry vendors. The jewelry vendors were a bit pricy but definitely worth it!!! I got a lobster pasta which was good. Not too dry. I also bought lobster fries. The sauce tasted citrus which complimented the lobster. :) I also got these truffle fries in a cone topped with aioli but after awhile, the aioli made the fries soggy. And it was extremely hard to eat standing up so I probably wouldn't get them again. I also got vegan carne asada / al pastor nachos. The vegan meat was on point but too much guac. But we are in CA, you can never have too much guac right?! Last, I got these crispy, sweet pastries that are filled with different flavors. I got three flavors, Nutella, cream cheese and custard. All amazing!!! Overall, I spent about 60$ worth of food.

Jewelry Vendors: The jewelry vendors are located in the center or the venue. There were two vendors, don't quite remember the names but I got two fun rings. The quality seems great and very sturdy! For two rings, it costed me about 60$, tax included. Also, the jewelry would be great as gifts. I will be back for more.

My plan was to try multiple food vendors but surprisingly, the portions were / are huge and I got full fast!!! Don't make the same mistake I did, order a little bit of everything if you can. :)

The only downside - parking. If it's your first time, you would have no idea that this place is linked to the row. The row has a parking structure! No need to find street parking, which I did. -_- If you go alone, DO NOT street park. Too many homeless in...