Smorgasburg is an outdoor food festival that originally began in New York City and expanded to a few other cities before recently making its way to Atlanta. I attended the opening weekend on October 18. This was my first time attending a Smorgasburg event despite being from New York City. The experience was pleasant.

My Food Choices

When I arrived, I walked around for a bit, just exploring before ordering anything. The first place I visited was El Santo Gallo, which was serving different types of tacos and costras. I chose the option where I could try both a taco and costra. I took the server’s advice and went with the pork costra and the steak taco.

A pork costra is a type taco. A bunch of cheese was cooked on a flat top until it became toasted and crisp. This was then topped with the pork, which was cooked on an upright spit (think of a gyro spit). To this, they added pineapple, onion, and cilantro. The pineapple added a hint of sweetness and moisture without making the tortilla soggy. There was just the right amount of salt for good flavor. 

But the steak taco wasn’t that great. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I was expecting, as it wasn’t very flavorful. Maybe some spices and a little bit of salt would have helped. 

My second food choice was Levi’s Jerk Pit because I love jerk pork. I got the taster size because I wanted to be able to try a few things. The meat itself isn’t spicy; you can choose your level of spice based on the sauces that they offer. They had a medium and a hot. I went with the hot. 

The jerk pork was served with rice and peas and cabbage. While the pork wasn’t spicy, it still had good flavor and tasted like it was cooked on a grill. The rice was cooked well, tender without being mushy, and well-seasoned. The cabbage was also seasoned and had a slightly sweet flavor. The pork, rice, and cabbage worked well together for a good flavor combination of savory and sweet. Juicy tender pork, just right rice, and cabbage that was cooked slightly past not being crunchy anymore. 

Other Vendors To Consider

Cafe Bourbon Street was in the house, serving up New Orleans classics, as well as an assortment of beignets. 

Across the Coast Seafood served up lobster, crab, and shrimp rolls. Their food looked really delectable, and it’s definitely on my list of places to try. Now, within the event, these were some of the most expensive items, but bear in mind that Atlanta is landlocked, and you’re talking about lobster and crab. So the high price is to be expected. I’m especially looking forward to that lobster roll.

Pretty Little Tacos was serving up oxtail birria tacos. And I LOVE birria tacos. I really wanted to try them along with the street corn. But I saw the line, and I was like, “Nah, man, let’s put it on the list for next time.”

I’d seen pictures of some kind of chicken with a sauce on it. I saw someone eating it at the event and learned that it came from Saffron Wok. I also added that to my list for the next time. They also have skewers, other grilled foods, and a corn dish. Everything looked good. 

I felt like I might want to try a few things at Yardi Eats. I think I would pass on the loaded fries, but I would definitely try some of their stuffed cocoa bread options. Meanwhile, Egg Roll Boyz was serving up a variety of creative options. Not exactly my thing, but it might be perfect for you.

At Smorgasburg, there are tamales, stuffed pretzels, hibachi, etc. Options and options. Buns &  Bites’ shrimp burger might get a try because they looked good. I’m a little iffy on the dumplings because I’ve been disappointed before.

Chispas serves up a few different options, but I was most interested in the fruit cup that I saw on Instagram. It’s cut-up fruit in a cup. But you can then choose various toppings and condiments, and you also have the option to add candy. I wanted mango, but they didn’t have any more by the time I got to the front of the line to place my order. So hopefully next time.

In addition to the other vendors, there were also three food trucks: one Jamaican, one Trini, and a third serving up corn dogs. 

My Verdict

Overall, it was a cool event. This was the first weekend, so while everything wasn’t perfect, it was pretty good. I never had the chance to go to the one in New York, so I can’t compare it to the original. But I felt like, in comparison to some of the other food festivals I’ve been to in Atlanta, they had a wider variety of options. 

I used to go to Taste of Atlanta and attended for three consecutive years. The first time I went was really great. The other two times that I went, it wasn’t all that good. The location changed and too many vendors were selling the same thing (ex: fried chicken). I found that each time I attended, it got worse. 

Meanwhile, at Smorgasburg, there were maybe three vendors selling tacos, but they were different kinds of tacos. There were three Jamaican places, but they were serving different dishes. Overall, a nice mix of options, and I appreciated the variety. I was especially happy that it wasn’t just a whole bunch of fried chicken, wings, or some other basic item. 

In addition, I liked that while there were familiar dishes, they featured creative twists. For example, there were birria tacos, but each vendor had their own variation of the dish. It was not just the same old, same old, throwing whatever together. There was also some fusion. Blends of Japanese with Southern, blends of Chinese with Southern, and a nice mix of various ethnic foods. 

The crowd wasn’t overwhelming, I think, because it was the first weekend. Some of the people I spoke to had just heard about it that day or the day before. And I feel like, as time goes on, it’ll grow in awareness and popularity.

This was the first weekend. And this might be a result of them having held these events in New York and some other cities, but for the most part, they have it a good way there to being great. There are some things to work out and to fix, but nothing too major. For example, the parking situation is actually pretty good. When I first got there, I didn’t really like the setup, but that was because I turned into the wrong parking lot. But once I got to the right lot, the parking worked quite well. (More on that in a bit.)

Tips & Feedback

One of the drawbacks of the current setup is the size of the plates. It really only works if you go with a group of friends. Usually, when it comes to these kinds of events, I attend by myself. I don’t know a lot of people who are interested and/or won’t flake out. It also feels a bit weird if I’m with other people because I’d want to bring my camera and take my time to record.

There are so many places and dishes to try, it would be a good idea to have more small plate options. Think about it. You want to try a few things. Even if you go with a few friends, how much are you guys really going to be able to eat if they’re serving full restaurant-size portions? If you and one friend go, you could probably still only get two meals. I was fortunate that the two places from which I purchased food had some smaller plates, which allowed me to try more than one thing. 

Another area for improvement would be the menus and ordering process. Some places had their menus and/or photos of the dishes on signs that were large enough to be viewed from a distance. Some places even had QR codes where their menus could be accessed from your phone. It would be helpful if all the vendors had similar kinds of signs. 

First, the lines at some places were so long that they discouraged me from waiting to order, especially if I couldn’t see what was on the menu. To be able to stand some distance away from the counter and figure out what I might want would save time. Customers aren’t waiting until they get up to the front line to figure out what they want. By the time people get to the front of the line, they should know if they want to order, what they want to order, and are just waiting to tap for payment. 

I believe that most, if not all, of the vendors accepted cash, but it also seemed like they all accepted contactless payment. Just to be on the safe side, you could maybe walk with a little bit of cash. But I feel like you should be pretty good with a credit/debit card or payment app. 

The first Smorgasburg Atlanta season was open from October through December. I made it a point to attend the opening day so I could visit later and see how things developed. I came back with two co-workers a few weeks later in November, and it was pretty much smooth sailing. It was mostly the same vendors, though some had been moved to new spots.

I think it’s also helpful to note that there are clean restrooms on-site.

And one more tip, the area is kind of busy. There is a Greyhound station not too far away, and the area immediately surrounding it is a bit sketchy. There are several parking lots near Smorgasburg, but I wouldn’t recommend them if you can help it. Dogwood was the official parking lot for Smorgasburg, and it was right across the street from the entrance. They charged a $1 and change service fee and then $2 per hour. I paid for 2 hours, which came up to $5 and change, and that was enough time for me. The other lots will charge you a flat rate of $10 for the day, which only makes sense if you’ll be doing other things in the area, or the Dogwood lot is full. 

I saw posts on Instagram that Smorgasburg was reopening in March 2026. I enjoyed the food and the vibes during both of my visits and would recommend checking Smorgasburg out.