Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been going to 626 Night Market at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia every year since 2015, looking for emerging Asian food trends. Sometimes, 626 Night Market is the first place to offer Asian street foods. It was the first place I had a Korean hot dog/corn dog and taiyaki sundae. Over the years, I’ve noticed that the market has become more diverse both in terms of vendors and attendees. It’s also become less cutting edge and trendy in some ways, but it’s still very popular. Smorgasburg is trendier but less Asian, of course.
It’s fun to see people out with their friends and family, stuffing their faces, playing games, dancing, and having a good time. The food tends to be overpriced and not that good, but I think of it more as an experience. It’s hilarious to see adults holding giant baby bottles.
I did not see yogurt in any form this year, not even yogurt drinks. I do realize that yogurt is no longer trend – though they could offer plant-based yogurt to be more on-trend. It seems like the 626 Night Market offerings favor indulgent comfort food, not healthy. I did see acai bowls, sorbet, ice cream, churros, and waffles (Hong Kong, liege, taiyaki). Does anyone eat acai bowls at night??
This year I noticed a few trends:
Filipino food: There were so many Filipino vendors this year.
Cheetos everything: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos appeared as more than a coating for corn on the cob and corn in a cup. You could get it on fries, flavoring taco shells, and inside burritos.
Nashville hot chicken: Everyone knows how crazy popular Howlin’ Rays is. Dave's Hot Chicken also has been blessed with long lines. 626 Night Market featured multiple hot chicken vendors.
Boba merchandise: You could win or buy boba plushies. Vendors also had Air Pod cases that looked like boba drinks and boba drink stickers, cell phone cases, t-shirts, and art.
One thing I’d love to see is Indian street food. There wasn’t one Indian vendor. Maybe there aren’t enough Indians in the area. It’s also not trendy, though it should be. There wasn’t much Vietnamese food either, but the Vietnamese have their own night market in Westminster (Orange County). It’s mostly Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Mexican food.
I’ve gone on different days and times. While others advise you to get there early, it’s usually too hot to do so. I prefer going late Sunday night after sunset. The lines are shorter and they’ve rarely run out of food by then. 626 Night Market returns two more weekends this year: August 9 - 11 and August 30 – September 1.
Free parking. Admission is $5.
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
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