Quick Bites: Smorgasburg’s 16th season has 22 new vendors across Williamsburg and Prospect Park · A brand-new Central Park location opens May 14 at Columbus Circle · Queens Night Market returned April 18 with $5–6 dishes from 60+ countries · DeKalb Market Hall is your Brooklyn anchor all week long · Essex Market on the LES deserves a second look

It’s officially outdoor market season in New York City, and if you’ve been waiting for a reason to eat your way through a park on a Saturday, your moment is here. Smorgasburg is back in full swing, the Queens Night Market just kicked off its 11th year, and the farm stands are piled high with spring asparagus and tender greens. More importantly: Smorgasburg just announced it’s expanding into Central Park for the first time ever this May. This is a big deal.

If the April weather has kept you inside, here’s everything you need to know to eat your way through the next few weeks.

Smorgasburg: 16th Season, 22 New Vendors, and a Central Park Surprise

Smorgasburg is running at full capacity across Brooklyn right now, and this season’s lineup is legitimately exciting. The Williamsburg location at Marsha P. Johnson State Park (90 Kent Ave) runs every Saturday 11am–6pm through October. Prospect Park’s Breeze Hill location fires up every Sunday on the same schedule. Both opened the first weekend of April.

The 2026 vendor class has 22 new arrivals, and nearly half are immigrant-founded or rooted in multigenerational family recipes — which is exactly what makes Smorgasburg worth showing up for every year. Here are the new names worth tracking down:

• Rogers Burgers — Flatbush-rooted smash burgers loaded with Caribbean flavor: pikliz, Creole spice, jerk. This is the kind of fusion that actually makes sense.
• Madrina Vegana — A chef-led plant-based Mexican concept from founder Erica Munoz. The crispy tacos are the move.
• Pizzeria Fantastica — Wood-fired Neapolitan from trained pizzaiolo Joseph Marazzo. Long-fermented dough, properly charred crust.
• Tacos Taurinos — Mexico City-style tacos that are drawing a crowd from the first week.
• Secondz — A Southeast Asian concept that earned its spot on the list.

Smorgasburg also runs Thursday and Friday markets at the World Trade Center Plaza during the season — a solid lunch option if you work in Lower Manhattan.

The Big News: Smorgasburg Comes to Central Park on May 14

Here’s the thing nobody saw coming: Smorgasburg is opening its first-ever Central Park location on May 14. The market will be at the Columbus Circle entrance to the park (West 59th Street), running Thursdays through Saturdays, noon–8pm, through September 19. More than 25 vendors are expected at this location.

The weekday hours are genuinely new territory for Smorgasburg — it’s the first location designed to serve an office lunch crowd as much as weekend walkers. Free to enter, you only pay for what you eat. If you’re on the Upper West Side side or work near Columbus Circle, this is going to become a regular thing by June.

Queens Night Market Is Back — and Still the Best Deal in the City

The Queens Night Market returned on April 18 for its 11th year at Flushing Meadows Corona Park (behind the New York Hall of Science), and if you’ve never gone, this is the article that should change that. The concept is simple: 60+ food vendors representing cuisines from around the world, priced at $5–6 per dish. That’s it. That’s the whole pitch.

The market runs every Saturday night through late October. This year’s newcomers include Casa Carimañolas y Más, serving carimañolas — fried cassava dough stuffed with savory fillings — representing Colombian street food at its most satisfying. The vendor mix spans Nepal to Peru to West Africa, and the vibe is genuinely community-driven rather than Instagram-optimized.

Getting there: Take the 7 train to Mets-Willets Point, or the F to Sutphin Blvd-Archer Ave and transfer. The walk through the park is part of the experience.

DeKalb Market Hall: Brooklyn’s Year-Round Anchor

While seasonal markets get the seasonal buzz, DeKalb Market Hall at City Point (445 Albee Square West, Downtown Brooklyn) is the steady-state option for when the weather doesn’t cooperate or you need to eat on a Tuesday. The 60,000-square-foot hall runs 40-plus vendors under one roof, with Katz’s Delicatessen’s first Brooklyn outpost as the anchor draw. You’ll also find Thai street food, Pakistani smash burgers, Japanese hand rolls, wood-fired pizza, and an actual cocktail bar.

One worth circling on your calendar: the monthly Night Market on the last Friday of every month, with live music and 20+ makers from Brooklyn Pop-Up. It turns an already-lively space into an actual event.

Essex Market: The LES Option That Gets Overlooked

The reimagined Essex Market at the corner of Delancey and Essex Streets on the Lower East Side doesn’t get the same press as the bigger halls, but it should be on your list. It blends farmers market produce with a food hall sensibility — so you can pick up fresh spring vegetables alongside prepared food from a handful of vendors. The vibe is notably more neighborhood-feel than tourist-facing, which is increasingly rare in this city.

If you’re in the area for anything else on the LES, build in 30 minutes for a lap through Essex Market. It rewards that kind of casual drop-in energy.

Union Square Greenmarket: Spring Is When It’s Best

The Union Square Greenmarket runs Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 8am–6pm, year-round. But spring is when it earns its reputation. Right now you’ll find asparagus, tender greens, early strawberries, artisan breads, farmstead cheeses, and — if you time it right — fresh-cut flowers that’ll make your apartment feel like a different city.

In peak season, more than 140 regional farmers, fishers, and bakers set up at E 17th Street and Union Square West. It’s worth getting there early on Saturday — the good vendors sell out.

Where to Go This Weekend

Saturday is Smorgasburg Williamsburg at 90 Kent Ave — get there by noon before the lines build. Then hop the 7 to Flushing Meadows in the evening for Queens Night Market. Sunday is Smorgasburg Prospect Park at Breeze Hill, and if you want a more mellow afternoon, head to Essex Market on the LES for lunch and a wander through the neighborhood after.

The Central Park Smorgasburg opens May 14. Mark it now.