Daddy's Loaded Fries
Fries, bacon, sambal, cheese, and scallions. I mean, it’s hard to go wrong…
Try to define the signature cuisine of Los Angeles, and the answer you get will vary depending on who you ask and where you are. In some corners of the city, you’ll find the best Asian food you’ve ever had. In others, the Mexican cuisine is unparalleled. This is especially true of Southern California’s famed fish tacos, which get better the further south you go. In my mind, what defines Los Angeles’s food is a spirit of inventiveness – really, where else can you get an cotton candy burrito filled with ice cream and breakfast cereal – plus a drive to present diners with something new, and the hope, overt or not, of becoming a viral sensation. But none of that helps you when you’ve got a brief stay in the city and you’re hoping to get a real taste of it all. To do that, you have to go to Smorgasburg LA.
Smorgasburg LA – the West Coast iteration of the food festival that started in Brooklyn in 2011 – is a “food flea market” that gathers regional food vendors every Sunday at the Alameda Produce Market in Downtown Los Angeles. The event showcases nearly 60 food producers every week, along with a beer garden, an artisan marketplace and live music (plus, in an essential Los Angeles piece of information, coveted free parking for the first two hours). There are also rotating add-on events like record sales. Smorgasburg is a cornerstone of the revitalization of a long-neglected corner of downtown, and is part of a larger development called Row DTLA, a mixed use area with residences, galleries, office space and shopping.
The event draws crowds in the thousands, and the lines can be long, so here are two pro tips for you. One: go on off-hours, either when the event opens at 10am, or in the later afternoon (the biggest crush is from 12pm-2pm). Two: go with a game plan. So let’s talk about food.
One of the defining characteristics of Los Angeles cuisine is the abundance of healthy, produce-forward food, like the OG Coconut Bowl (pictured above) from Amazebowls. It’s an acai bowl topped with granola, fresh fruit and fruit crisps, served in a coconut half. Among the many other health-conscious options at Smorgasburg are Avocadamama, a vegan mac and cheese cart serving creative iterations of plant-based pasta like Curry and Buffalo Cauliflower mac and cheeses; and Cena Vegan, serving plant-based meats in burritos and tacos.
On the total opposite end of the spectrum is Daddy’s Chicken Shack, an all-things-fried-chicken vendor serving decadent sandwiches like the Spicy Daddy with Sriracha and ginger mayo and Popcorn Chicken with Maple Bourbon Donut Holes. Cheezus serves turned-up grilled cheeses – like the Incredible Hulk, with sharp cheddar, aged provolone, smoked bacon, avocado, lime zest, chili oil and a fried egg – and Raclette, a Swiss way to eat mounds of melted cheese over potatoes. Ugly Drum serves pit-smoked pastrami, and Porchetta Republic serves, well, you can probably guess.
One of the most fun things about Smorgasburg is all of the weird, inventive ways that vendors redefine liquid refreshment. The Base Co, which is essentially a juice cart, consistently has one of the longest lines – and for good reason. They make “bases” out of juices and herbs, like Grapefruit Basil, Thyme Orange and Pomegranate Lavender, which you mix with your beverage of choice, like Meyer lemonade or green tea. Once you brave the line, though, the line to get refills out of your glass jar is much shorter. Sip Matcha makes matcha green tea beverages that look like rainbow art pieces, with fresh flowers in them.
There are excellent tamales from The Tamale Shop, Venezuelan food from Sus Arepas, vivid Korean Mandu dumplings from Workaholic, Hong Kong-toasted butter buns from Bolo. Then, of course, there’s the seafood. Lobsterdamus grills their lobsters and serves them in Lobster Nests over garlic noodles, or on Lobster Truffle Fries. The Jolly Oyster is a traveling raw bar. Anarchy Seafood does fish its own way, with Salmon Poke Nachos and spicy, excellent Crab Croquettes. Expect a long wait at Shrimp Daddy, which serves traditional Hawaiian garlic butter shrimp inside a hollowed-out pineapple. It’s exactly as good as it sounds, and it’s worth every minute in line. Just make sure you get something to snack on while you wait.
Fries, bacon, sambal, cheese, and scallions. I mean, it’s hard to go wrong…
Miso in a cookie?! You bet! The miso acts like caramel in this All-American classic. Our cookies are crispy on the edges and soft in the middle just like a cookie should be.
3 chick-sized versions of the classic Big Daddy, Spicy Daddy, All American Daddy, or Nashville Daddy (Mild) sandwiches in slider form (You do have the ability to mix and match all 3). Buttermilk fried chicken, Napa slaw, sriracha mayo, served on pillowy soft brioche buns. The chicken is brined overnight in buttermilk and herbs and double dredged so that it is perfectly crispy. The sliders are a great way to try all 3 of our sandwich flavors.
Spicy buttermilk fried chicken, sambal, Napa slaw, ginger mayo, cilantro, served on a pillowy soft brioche bun. The Spicy Daddy gets coated with our secret spice blend right after it comes out of the fryer. The chicken is brined overnight in buttermilk and herbs and double dredged so that it is perfectly crispy.
Red cargo rice, spicy coconut cream, oyster mushrooms, carrots, Napa cabbage, bell pepper, cilantro, peanuts, buttermilk fried chicken. Trying to eat lean, but also need some fried chicken? We got you! The rice is nutritious and filling, the veggies are a plenty, but you also get the crispy fried chicken! (If you substitute Vegan Nuggets this dish is fully vegan).
Little gem lettuces, kale, slaw, sriracha, mint, creamy cilantro lime dressing, buttermilk fried chicken. Want some fried chicken, but also want to eat kinda clean? We got you! There is little better than crunchy fried chicken on a crispy creamy tangy salad. (If you substitute Vegan Nuggets, this dish is vegetarian).
Regular cut skin-on seasoned fries. Crunchy on the outside and soft and starchy on the inside these fries are a must have with any Daddy (Recommended with house-made chive sour cream).
Sweet and salty is the name of the game with these sweet potato fries tossed in paprika salt! (Recommended with house-made spicy mayonnaise).
Buttermilk fried chicken nuggets! The chicken is brined overnight in buttermilk and herbs and double dredged so that it is perfectly crispy. Don’t forget to load up on sauces! (Recommended with house-made spice mayonnaise or house-made ranch).
Cage-free eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, umami mushrooms, scallions, buttermilk fried chicken, spicy sour cream, flour tortilla. This is the ULTIMATE breakfast burrito. Perfect to fuel you for the day or cure last night’s party fun. We slow cook cage-free eggs in bacon fat (homage to chef’s favorite “dirty eggs” from Texas), melt cheddar cheese over the top, add crispy applewood smoked bacon, umami mushrooms, and french fries (think hashbrowns) and of course, fried chicken and a dab of spicy sour cream for good measure. Comes with a side of sriracha. All flavors meld together for a cohesive burrito experience!
Buttermilk fried chicken tenders, classic Nashville spices, served with 2 house-made remoulade sauces.
Cage-free organic eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, chive sour cream, sriracha, brioche. Tried and true is the name of the game with this breakfast sandwich. Cage-free eggs scrambled with cheddar cheese and crispy applewood smoked bacon nestled perfectly on a layer of chive sour cream on a brioche bun and a hint of Sriracha.
Cage-free hard cooked egg, bacon, fried Belgian style waffles with maple syrup.
Buttermilk fried chicken, classic Nashville spices, sweet creamy slaw, house-made pickles, with house-made remoulade sauce served on a pillowy soft brioche bun. The chicken is brined overnight in buttermilk and herbs and double dredged so that it is perfectly crispy.
Buttermilk fried chicken, bacon, house-made ranch, Napa slaw, house-made pickles, house-made remoulade sauce, brioche bun.
All of our chicken is Antibiotic Free and Hormone Free. The chicken is brined overnight in buttermilk and herbs and double dredged so that it is perfectly crispy. Served on a buttery soft brioche bun!
Coconut curry milk brined organic cauliflower, spicy vegan mayo, Napa slaw, cilantro, and mint. The cauliflower steak is brined for 24 hours in curried coconut milk and then dredged in rice flour and fried to crunchy perfection. There is so much flavor in the Vegan Daddy, you will not miss the chicken!
Fresh baked rosemary biscuits, maple butter, with Daddy’s buttermilk fried chicken.
Daddy’s buttermilk fried chicken and a funnel-cake style waffle sandwich with maple syrup. The chicken is brined overnight in buttermilk and herbs and double dredged so that it is perfectly crispy.
Gluten free with coconut curry milk brined organic cauliflower nuggets, cilantro, mint, salted lime peanuts. The cauliflower nuggets are brined for 24 hours in curried coconut milk and then dredged in rice flour and fried to crunchy perfection and topped with herbs and crunchy lime salted peanuts. There is so much flavor in the Vegan Daddy Nuggets, you will not miss the chicken! (Recommended with house-made vegan spicy mayo).
Buttermilk fried chicken, Napa slaw, sriracha mayo, served on a pillowy soft brioche bun. The chicken is brined overnight in buttermilk and herbs and double dredged so that it is perfectly crispy.