SMORGASBURG'S NEW LINEUP: DUMPLINGS, SAUSAGE, OPERA?

THE WEEKLY FOOD FESTIVAL IS BACK. HERE'S YOUR GUIDE TO MORE THAN A DOZEN NEW VENDORS, FROM PERSIAN PIZZAS TO PLANT-BASED CORNDOGS.

- BY STEPHANIE BREIJO

(Photographs by STEPHANIE BREIJO Los Angeles Times)

AT THE START OF EACH YEAR, Smorgasburg - one of L.A.'s favorite food events and an incubator of culinary talent - unveils a new crop of vendors.

Some stands come from established restaurants and cafes, which are testing or previewing new ventures. Many are from fledgling businesses and a few of these, such as past vendor Bridgetown Roti, go on to become some of the best restaurants in Los Angeles.

On Jan. 11, Smorgasburg returned after its annual holiday hiatus, and on its first day back, more than a dozen new vendors mingled with the 50-plus existing stalls of the weekly Sunday event. Guests streamed into the Row DTLA complex in the Arts District for new bites like Vietnamese coffee-tinged banana pudding, Persian-inspired pizza and even Austrian sausages, which can be ordered with a side of opera.

Patrick Murray, a USC alumnus and former Fulbright scholar, studied opera in Vienna and now offers live performance alongside sausages and pretzels at his new stall, Franzl's Franks.

The käsekrainer stand launched as a popup in 2024 from the back of Murray's car. With the help of a grant, last year he began serving in earnest - and decided to take the leap and apply to Smorgasburg.

"It's one of the most competitive places to get into, and then once you're in - at least, from what I'm experiencing and certainly what I've been told by the vendors there - it really is like a community," he said. "It's kind of been a goal because it's such an incredible step in the journey. Having that seal of approval from Smorgasburg is an amazing chapter in my business that is starting now."

Murray, like many other vendors, sees vending there as a way to promote not only food but culture.