22 February 2024
Bo kho tacos, cane juice, and pandan banana pudding at Nola Nite Market. | Getty Images
The best eats at the Nite Market’s second annual celebration
Nola Nite Market’s Lunar New Year festival is right around the corner, promising two days of dance performances, arts and crafts, candy painting, bún bò huế challenges, and more. And, of course, New Orlean’s pop-ups and food vendors are coming out in full force, dishing up bánh bèo, deep-fried giant squid, Philly cheese banh mi, and more for the occasion. To maximize a great night of eating, it’s wise to plan ahead. Here’s a sneak peek of the food offerings at the festival, which runs from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, February 23, and noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, February 24 at the Westwego Farmers Market, at 484 Sala Avenue. (Vendors who haven’t announced set menus for the festival yet — but who will be there! — are listed at the bottom.)
AOK: Loaded fries; banh mi; chicken skewers; Korean corn dogs.
Bake Beats Desserts: Vanilla burnt Basque cheesecake with cookie butter; tiramisu cheesecake; ube coconut custard cake.
Dream House Cafe: Macarons and cupcakes; ube pie and cookies; spicy shrimp pie; pate chaud; red velvet cookies; triple chocolate cookies; pandan cake; taro cake; Viet coffee cake; an assortment of bubble teas.
Eatwell: Banh mi; Philly cheese banh mi; vegan egg rolls; artichoke tea; fresh-squeezed lemonade.
Get Your Mom and Dim Sum: Black pepper beef dumpling with mashed potatoes, fermented black soy beans, and fried shallots; dan dan dumplings with Szechuan pork and lap xuong (a Chinese sausage); boudin balls with Chinese spiced pork, jasmine rice, and remoulade.
Huongry Cookies: Decorated or paint-your-own sugar cookie kits in flavors of ube, pandan, and lychee.
Huong Que: Bánh bèo (water fern cakes); bánh tôm (potato shrimp fritters); coconut juice.
Hungry Homiez: Bo kho tacos; hot chicken sandwiches; katsu curry; loco moc; Japanese hotdog; Korean chopped cheese.
Lufu NOLA: Bread pakora with tamarind and sukhi chutney; fried momos with tomato chutney. smoked butter chicken and rice; mango lassi.
NOLA Cane: A variety of cane juices (think passionfruit, coconut, strawberry, and others); boudin balls, available in NOLA Cane’s original flavor, Hot Cheetos, or jalapeno.
NOLA Noods: Pork and shrimp spring rolls; ramen with pork chashu and a marinated egg; fried spring rolls with pork, glass noodles, carrots, and mushrooms.
The Nori Guys: Crab and tuna wonton nachos; spicy tuny sushi tacos; shrimp sushi tacos with “bang bang” sauce; tempura lobster sushi tacos; dragon sushi tacos.
Oppa KFC: Soy garlic or sweet and spicy Korean fried chicken; jjajang (noodles in black bean sauce); Korean banana milk pudding, and fries with kimchi aioli.
Pho Kang: Rare beef pho; meatball pho; grilled lemongrass skewers; Vietnamese pizza.
Sandoitchi: A variety of Japanese sandos (think egg salad, strawberry cream, spicy truffle chicken katsu, and more); banana and strawberry matcha lattes; yuzu Arnold Palmers.
Song CDC: Pork belly buns with pickled vegetables; mini eggrolls with lettuce wraps; and one much-anticipated secret menu item.
Sushi Iku: “Dragon Fire” and “Flaming Salmon” sushi rolls; a number of hand rolls; Spam musubi.
Sweet Handkraft: Deep-fried giant squid; Hawaiian butter mochi doughnuts; black sugar boba and pearls.
T-Swirl: Crepes in flavors of strawberry banana, wild berry, banana Nutella, strawberry Nutalla, and dragonfruit.
Xanh Viet Street Food: Herbed lime steak tartare served with chargrilled sesame rice crackers; rice paper chicken quesadillas with kewpie mayo and sriracha; pandan banana pudding layered with Nilla wafers.
2waystreet: Beef jerky chips; crispy garlic chili oil.
Southern’s Fried Chicken
Pop Bar
KTown BBQ
Bambu
Dat’s Seafood