Surviving Night Market

Oops, I did it again… Went to Night Market, that is! Last week I braved the crowds and potential heat at Night Market South Street West! With a few Night Markets under my belt at this point, and a handful more coming up this Summer, here are a few tips to help you actually enjoy yourself…

Stick with your buddy! Definitely bring a friend who is as much of an adventurous eater as you are! With so many options, you’ll want to try as much as you possibly can- a feat made easier if you have someone to split all that food with!

Three’s a crowd. Having told pretty much everyone I know about the South Street West date, I ended up going with only 3 other people. And thank God for that, because It was difficult enough to find everyone at the start, and I can only imagine how much worse it would have been with the large group that was originally planning to attend! Splitting off in pairs is perfect- 2 people for a beer run, and 2 people waiting for food. Pro tip: Designate a meeting place a few blocks outside of the food truck zone and, if at all possible, wait to all go into the chaos as a group.

Early bird gets the worm. The earlier you can get there, the better. We got there right at 6 pm (which was the official start time) while some of the trucks were still opening up. The crowds hadn’t descended yet, so we were able to walk the entire row and see the majority of trucks before picking the ones we definitely wanted to try. We even had time for an early bite at a truck that didn’t have a line yet (the “Patio Daddy-o” sandwich from Scratch Biscuits, which is opening up a storefront on 13th and Chestnut and is brought to you by the people behind Supper… Also the only food I didn’t snap a picture of that night! Whoops.)

Choose your battles. The lines were manageable until about 2 hours in, when you could no longer tell where the lines ended and the crowd started. Knowing that it will continue to get more and more crowded, pick out a few trucks you definitely want to try and be ready to wait. All of the lines we stood in seemed to move fairly quickly, but that’s not to say we didn’t do our fair share of waiting! If some of the long lines turn you off, know that you really can’t go wrong with any of the trucks, and you can try the others at the next Night Market!

Fried cheese curds with sriracha mayo from The Cow and The Curd! So so good, but suuuper filling. Good thing we were all sharing!

Cheddar cheese and potato pierogies from Mom Mom’s! With caramelized onions on top and sour cream on the side. Yum!

The Homer and Caramel Apple donuts from Undrgrnd Donuts! They were warm and gooey but not messy and oh so scrumptious! I will dream about these donuts.

Someone got a liiiittle ambitious with their donut purchase. Clockwise from top: The Homer, French Toast, Blueberry Explosion (or something like that), Wake Up

Be sure to check out The Cow and The Curd, Mom Mom’s and Undrgrnd Donuts on twitter!