By Camelia Heins, Staff Writer
Alerting all foodies! The OC Night Market is here!
Known for its amazing food and activities, this market is finally back in town from June 14 to 16. General admission is only $5.
Upon entering, you hear loud music and see masses of people. The lines are long, so be prepared to wait. As the night went on, the pathways became narrower and the lines longer. Plan your time accordingly to get the most out of your experience. Since many vendors only accept cash, make sure you have enough cash for all your expenses.
From Korean BBQ to elote corn, there’s something for everyone. All types of food were sold here including footlong fries, dessert pizzas, potato swirls on sticks, rainbow grilled cheese sandwiches, cotton candy burritos, pho tacos, all kinds of street foods and much more. Every vendor had something unique to offer.
One popular item, seemingly in everyone’s possession, was the Baby Bottle drink. With multiple vendors selling this product, it was obvious this drink was the most popular beverage of the night. One vendor, Sunday Cafe, sold small bottles for $10 and large ones for $15. The drink came with fresh ball-shaped fruits mixed in and you could choose from a large selection of flavored juices. Each bottle comes with one free refill. The sweet, yet tart strawberry lemonade seemed to be a fan-favorite. The mango juice was also very tasty. Both drinks were refreshing especially while walking around the night market.
Another popular food item was the Onion Bomb. It’s $10 for the original and an extra $2 for cheese on top. Watching them freshly cut and fry bags of onions in the back of the stand made their item appealing to buy. With two choices of sauce, I chose the ranch and Thai sweet chili. The onions were well-cooked and a little sweet. One downside was the breading which wasn’t very crunchy. Without sauce, the onions were very bland and didn’t have that blast of flavor one would like. However, it was a big enough portion to share with friends.
The OC Night Market didn’t have just food. There were many stands selling crafts and other goods including art pieces, phone cases, Popsockets, clothing, jewelry, pins, stickers and stuffed animals. There was also a stage with live music playing near the back of the night market. You could even play a few games to try to win some stuffed animals.
Didn’t make it to the OC Night Market this weekend? Don’t worry about it. It’ll be happening again from Aug. 23 to 25. Go with friends to try some new foods and have a great time!
Address: 88 Fair Dr., Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Time: Friday & Saturday, 4 p.m. to 12 a.m, and Sunday, 4 p.m to 11 p.m.
For more information, visit the OC Night Market website.
