As Smorgasburg Atlanta’s October debut approaches, the weekly outdoor market and food festival is beginning to announce the local food trucks and pop-ups planning to participate, including Bara ATL, Hermanita, and Madre Garcia’s.
Located at the intersection of Forsyth and Trinity in South Downtown, Smorgasburg Atlanta will feature 40 food vendors, a bar serving beer, wine, and cocktails, along with retail and artist stalls and live entertainment.
Most of the food vendors are ready for expansion and to start funding for a restaurant. In fact, this is the sweet spot for Smorgasburg co-owner and CEO Gaston Becherano when scouting potential food vendors.
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“Smorgasburg and what it embodies was an easy ‘yes’ for us,” said Bara ATL co-founder Malissa Browne. “We want to be able to showcase our Trinidadian cuisine in an open forum where people could get the opportunity to really get a taste of our culture.”
2024 James Beard award semifinalist Chef Arnaldo Castillo is looking to broaden the customer base for his pollo a la brasa pop-up, Hermanita’s, and begin gathering funds to open it as a permanent restaurant. Castillo’s Poncey-Highland Peruvian restaurant, Tio Lucho’s, first launched as the La Chingana pop-up.
Castillo recalled hearing about the original Smorgasburg in New York City more than a decade ago. “Now that it’s coming down South to Atlanta, I think it’s a great opportunity for the Downtown area to get some exposure,” he said. “I wanted to jump at the opportunity to participate in Smorgasburg and showcase what Hermanita is all about.”
Smorgasburg Atlanta’s consistent weekly schedule, and eight-hour Saturday shifts, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., are also a draw for local food vendors.
“I took a lot of interest because I currently sell foods in a similar concept,” said Alex Garcia of Madre Garcia’s. In Garcia’s case, Smorgasburg’s operation hours are especially appealing. “My food is more of a lunch [or] dinner type of option. I’ve always been on the lookout for something that caters to a lunch and evening crowd, so when I read about [Smorgasburg, I was definitely interested.]”
Smorgasburg is still accepting vendor and employee applications for its October 2025 debut in Atlanta.
Read more about each Smorgasburg Atlanta vendor below. Check back for updates to the vendor lineup.
Malissa Browne and her brother, Peter Best, are far from strangers to Atlanta’s Caribbean dining community — the duo has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, including five years with Caribbean restaurant, food truck, and catering service Negril at 999 Chattahoochee Ave., and its three sister locations in Brooklyn. In April, the siblings launched Bara ATL, a food truck focusing on cuisine from Trinidad and Tobago.
While many of Atlanta’s Caribbean restaurants, including Negril, focus on Jamaican cuisine, Browne said she and her brother wanted to bring foods from Trinidad to the forefront. “Our food is very similar, but we do have some standout dishes,” she said.
Expect street foods such as roti and doubles, a vegan dish akin to a taco comprised of fried bara flatbread, chickpeas, and condiments like tamarind sauce, chutney, and homemade pepper sauce. People can add extra proteins (think oxtails, curry chicken, or curry shrimp) to various dishes served at the Smorgasburg stall.
With Arnaldo Castillo’s first Peruvian pop-up blossoming into a successful restaurant, the Tio Lucho’s chef and co-owner is following a similar route with his latest pop-up venture.
Tio Lucho’s little sister, Hermanita, serves grilled Peruvian dishes, including pollo a la brasa and anticuchos skewers, paired with zesty sides and fresh-made herb and pepper sauces.
You may have already attended a Hermanita pop-up on the patio at Tio Lucho’s in Poncey-Highland, or during the month-long residency at Wild Heaven Brewery in Avondale Estates. Catch Hermanita weekly at Smorgasburg Atlanta this fall.
Alex Garcia and his Puerto Rican pop-up Madre Garcia’s are regulars on the local farmers market circuit. The pop-up’s San Juan-style Cuban sandwich is based on a family recipe.
Originally just a hobby, Garcia quit his 9-to-5 job to focus on Madre Garcia’s. The menu features pernil-stuffed and vegan Cuban sandwiches, as well as vaca fritas (crispy shredded beef), which Garcia likens to a Philly Cheesesteak.
Once Smorgasburg begins in October, Garcia will step back from farmers’ markets. But he hopes to eventually recalibrate the number of staff members needed to operate stalls at Smorgasburg Atlanta and local farmers markets such as Grant Park. And you can still find Madre Garcia’s popping up regularly at Sceptre Brewing Arts in Decatur.
Check back for updates to the food vendor lineup.