San Francisco Street Food Night Market

Friday was my first Night Market experience, even though I think this was only the second one. It’s a lot smaller than the festival and is in the Alemany Farmer’s Market. You get a small tasting of what the festival has to offer and there’s a lot of activities going on. I’d recommend coming here if you don’t want to deal with a crowd at a big festival and it’s all for a good cause.

I elected to come to the Night Market fundraiser on Friday night (8÷17÷12) at the Alemany Farmers Market instead of the Saturday daytime event. Although they ask $ 25(plus ticket fees) for attendees to attend the Night Market, I was generally happy to donate to La Cocina just for the convenience of not waiting in super big lines on Saturday.
I got there a little bit before 6pm, the event’s official start time. I had originally treked over to 25^th and Fulsom to find a booth where I can redeem my voucher for a passport. Upon getting there, a La Cocina worker told me that the booth was located at the site… uggghhh. Note to self: go straight to the event for future reference.
I arrived at the Alemany Farmers Market with parking pass in hand (bought online for around $ 9) thinking I was early… ummmm nope. The place was already packed full of people! The people who took the shuttles already arrived and they already had a lengthy head start!
The food options were aplenty, lots and lots of businesses were there offering everything from sandwiches, soups, tacos, and other tasty treats. My favorite was the Boss Hog provided by the Bone & Gristle Boys and 4505 Meats. This sandwich initially looked like a huge McGriddle but it was way better than that! Between two griddled English Muffins, nestled a serving of corn meal crusted deep-​fried pork and slow roasted chili rubbed pork with a jalapeño ranch dressing. Add vermont cheddar, market greens, smoked red onions, and chicharrones for crunch, and it was AMAZING! It literally was a mess to eat with plenty of stuff falling out and juice getting on your hand, but I’ll gladly wipe my hands clean as long as I can have another!
Other food booths that I tried included the Jim ‘N’ Nicks whole hog pork with adobo sauce, The Whole Beast’s merengez lamb sausage on a bun with peppers as well as their kefta lamb meatballs on a stick with yogurt dipping sauce, Huarache Loco’s lamb taco and lamb soup both of which packed a wallop in spicy punch, and lastly, a serving of Locandoa Osteria’s grilled short ribs. Hot and spicy soup does wonders for warming up in the chilly conditions!
I can’t forget about the alcohol… Whole Foods was there with eight selections of beers ranging from IPA and pale ales to cider too. Ryed from the Road were also there doing cocktails like old-​fashions too. Note to future attendees: Wristbands are needed to purchase alcohol although this fact may not be conveyed to you when you arrive. I didn’t learn of this until I got to the front of the beer line. Also, alcoholic drinks require you to exchange for tokens as well. Each token is $ 4(1 token for beer, 2 tokens for mixed drinks). Wristbands and token exchange were located near the entrance of the event.
Overall, it was a fun event that had a good turnout and lots of communal seating and many portable heaters for warmth. It was super windy and cold on the night we went so bring your hat, scarves, and jackets when attending. I’ll likely come back again for the good food and drinks and to support La Cocina and their charitable endeavors.
One thing that I absolutely wish I had tried: Endless Summer’s Bacon Maple Kettlecorn!