Courtesy of Erik Meadows Photography
When Smorgasburg first opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 2011, it was an under-the-radar food festival you had to be in-the-know to attend. Nowadays, it attracts thousands of visitors to set locations in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. On October 18, it will make its debut in Atlanta. Set in South Downtown, it will run on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine. It’ll shut down for the winter on December 20 with plans to reopen in March 2026.
“Atlanta is the most well-known culinary city in the Southern region and has all the right ingredients for a Smorgasburg—from underground buzz around local chefs to a community eager to try something new,” CEO Gaston Becherano says in a press release. “We give food makers a less risky entry point to test their concept, build a following, and hopefully grow into their first brick-and-mortar. We’re proud to be the testing ground that helps turn passion into near-future thriving restaurant ventures.”
Smorgasburg serves as an incubator, giving food and drink vendors a place to try out new recipes and test their pricing with consumers without the cost of a permanent lease. More than 40 vendors are slated for the first Atlanta Smorgasburg season. Read on for a sampling of what to expect.
Courtesy of Erik Meadows Photography
Bara ATL
A Trinidadian food truck, Bara ATL serves vibrant, authentic, Caribbean comfort fare made with island spices. Look for an oxtail bowl, roti, and Trinidadian Doubles, which are curried chickpea flatbread sandwiches. (The flatbread is known as bara.)
Buns and Bites
Buns and Bites serves shrimp street food with Southeast Asian flavors. There’s a shrimp burger with cilantro, cucumber, and sriracha aioli, shrimp toast with tangy tom yum sauce for dipping, and pan-fried chicken and shrimp potstickers with ponzu. The Double Dumpling Delight is a steamed chicken and shrimp wonton with shiitake mushrooms and garlic-sesame sauce.
Chispas Snacks
This mobile cart vendor uses local ingredients to make sweet and savory Latin street snacks, agua frescas, and matcha drinks. Options include Fruta Loca (fruit with homemade chamoy), Pambazos (guajillo-covered roll with choice of protein, salsa, lettuce, queso, and crema), and Tacos de Canasta (tacos dripping in red chili oil and butter and filled with various pork rinds, beans, potato, or pulled beef).
Courtesy of Eric Meadows Photography
Eggalicious
Best known as a Southern dinner party appetizer, deviled eggs are transformed into photo-worthy objects with global flavors. There’s a Seafood Boil Deviled Egg, a Little Caesar Deviled Egg, a Zesty Bacon Ranch Deviled Egg, and a Smoked Salmon Deviled Egg.
Courtesy of Hermanita
Hermanita
The James Beard-nominated team behind Tio Lucho’s is slinging Peruvian street food such as red beans and rice, Georgia shrimp ceviche, and Anticucho Meat Skewers (chicken or beef with a savory annatto seed marinade and a tangy aji parrillera dipping sauce).
La Picana Grill
Venezuelan dishes like picana (steak) arepas, and chorizo feature bold flavors that highlight the owners’ culinary heritage.
Courtesy of Eric Meadows Photography
PJ Jam Band
Taking the original brown bag lunch to the next level, PJ Jam Band makes playful sandwiches on honey-crusted milk bread. Items include PBJ (peanut butter cream, strawberry preserves, fresh strawberries, chopped peanuts, and sea salt), Mac Nut (toasted coconut, pineapple jam, Thai peanut, mango or pineapple, and basil), and Strawberry and Cream (peanut butter with sweet, whipped cream cheese and fresh strawberry compote).
Courtesy of Eric Meadows Photography
Saffron Wok
See a bit of playful showmanship as kebabs with Persian and Vietnamese flavors are cooked on charcoal grills. Chenjeh (beef kebab), Saigon Piggy (pork kebab), and Chicken Paws (grilled chicken foot satay) all come with grilled banh mi.
Courtesy of Eric Meadows Photography
Tori
Putting a Japanese spin on Southern fare, Tori offers standouts like the Ebi Kats Sando (deep-fried ground shrimp in a New Orleans-style baguette with cabbage, tomatoes, pickles, and remoulade made from Jidori eggs).
Courtesy of Eric Meadows Photography
TOXic TAILgate
A family-run oxtail pop-up, TOXic TAILgate strives to make oxtail approachable with dishes like Beef It Up Cup (seasoned rice, collard greens, smoked mac ‘n’ cheese, shredded smoked oxtail, and cornbread waffle with honey butter), Oxtail n Chill (smoked oxtail chili with cornbread and honey butter), and tOXic Sliders with Fat Oxx Fries (oxtail sliders with coleslaw, special sauce, and beef tallow fries).
