Every holiday season, thousands of people flock to the many holiday markets set up across New York City. Out of all of the holiday markets, the one in Bryant Park is one of the biggest and, in my opinion, the best. Although this market includes an ice rink and everything from candles to Christmas decor, the main attraction here is the food. Just the sheer number of food vendors alone means that there’ll definitely be something for everyone. Fortunately for the indecisive among us, I’ve written up some of the best places to sample at the market.
Kotti Berliner
The main attraction here is their döner kebab, which consists of chicken roasted on a spit with various roasted vegetables, cheese, red cabbage, garlic-lemon sauce, and slightly spicy chili sauce. All of this delicious food is stuffed in a pide, or a foccacia-esque bread. The chewy bread, the tender chicken, the creamy sauces, and the crisp vegetables all combine to make every bite of this sandwich the perfect bite.
Dulcinea
This stand makes some of the best churros around. I tried the dulce de leche-filled churros, which are smaller than the normal churros and can also be stuffed with either pasty cream typically found in a Boston cream or Nutella. The churros are made to order, and the warm, cinnamony, crunchy churro goes perfectly with the sweet, caramelized dulce de leche, which melts and oozes out of the churro.
The Stackery
This stand specializes in the dessert that you’ve never heard of, but will definitely not be able to stop eating: chimney cakes. Chimney cakes are cone-shaped cakes that get dunked in cinnamon sugar. These soft and doughy treats are best eaten warm. I got their Santa’s Strudel chimney cake, which has a warm apple compote, bits of crumble, caramel sauce, and whipped cream, all generously piled on top of the cake. The combination of flavors was delicious, as the apples and cream weren’t too sweet, and the crumble pieces added a little bit of contrasting texture.
Big Mozz
This stands specializes in one thing and one thing only: mozzarella sticks. But they don’t just have your ordinary, run-of-the-mill mozzarella sticks that you see at every mediocre Italian restaurant. Not pictured, but equally delicious, are their fried cookie dough balls, a result of their collaboration with Dō and first debuted at Smorgasburg.
Homefrite
Honestly, every day would be fry-day if I got to eat Homefrite’s fries. These fries are the some of the best fries I’ve ever eaten, with a perfect ratio of crispiness to softness. The outside of the fry is crisp and crunchy, while the inside is soft, and almost the consistency of mashed potatoes. Of course, you can’t forget to add any of their delicious homemade sauces.
Wafels and Dinges
Although they have several locations, you should never pass on one of Wafels and Dinges’s irresistible Belgian waffles. Their waffles are different from the normal American waffle, as they’re made from a yeasted dough, with pearls of sugar scattered throughout the waffle for an extra caramelized crunch. You can get all sorts of toppings on your waffle, but the best topping is their cookie butter, which in case you haven’t had it before, basically takes like peanut butter, except made out of spiced, buttery cookies.
Pierogi Boys
As the name suggests, this stand specializes in my second favorite type of dumpling (sorry, I’m Chinese). They have several different fillings for their pierogis, but I went with the simplest (and cheapest) ones: potato and cheese. The creamy potato and the slightly chewy exterior made for a perfect combination of textures, while the farmer’s cheese, which was a little more unevenly textured, added an unexpected burst of flavor. The caramelized onions on top added an extra layer of flavor, while the sour cream added even more decadence to this already rich and hearty dish.
Enfes NYC
This shop is perfect for if you want something super filling, as the main attraction here are the gozleme. Gozleme are traditional savory Turkish flatbreads. The flatbreads are rolled and stuffed to the brim with delicious fillings, which range from falafel to frankfurters. I tried the chicken pesto, which combines chicken, pesto sauce, mashed potatoes, and cheddar. This seemingly odd combination actually worked quite well, as the mashed potato added an extra creaminess and acted almost like a sauce, while the flatbread itself managed to crisp up nicely and had a crunch to it.
While these stands are my personal favorites, you really can’t go wrong at this year’s holiday market. No matter what food you choose to sample, you will definitely leave happy and full (and maybe a few pounds heavier).