OC Night Market 2018 Guide

I came to the OC Night Market back in May, and with the August event coming up, I thought I'd write some tips and recommend some vendors! I've gone to the market for 3 years now, and it is one of my favorite summer events because you all the vendors are in one place! So you don't have to drive to each establishment. Some don't even have a brick and mortar location which makes them even more special. And there's food trucks, too–those are hard to track down sometimes!

First, some tips:

1. Bring cash!!
Admission is $5 and parking is $8 cash only. Additionally, some vendors are cash only. Bringing cash also limits you to how much you can spend. Set a price ceiling before you go, otherwise you'll spend $10 here, $10 there, and not even realize how much is gone!

2. Get there early
I know, it's a "night" market, but that's when it gets most crowded. The lines grow long, and some items become sold out. If you get there anywhere from 4-7 you should be fine.

3. Bring friends/family
Do not order the same things! Order a variety and share so everyone can have a taste of the different foods. I don't know how many times I've asked my friends to "try a bite". They're probably annoyed, but if you exchange bites, it evens out.

4. Make a game plan
There is a map of the vendors on OC Night Market's website with a simplified list of what they sell. I highly recommend planning which ones you want to hit up, whether it's for the baby bottle drink, or the stuffed lobster shell. I have to admit, I make one big loop when I first arrive to see if there's anything that catches my eye. But I write down a list of which vendors I want to visit. You, by no means, have to go this detailed, but I searched the ones that sounded good on Yelp for their ratings, and that helped me narrow down my list.

Now, here are the vendors I visited.

Savory

Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor mauris condimentum.

Vestibulum id ligula porta felis euismod semper. Maecenas sed diam eget risus varius blandit sit amet non magna. Vestibulum id ligula porta felis euismod semper. Vestibulum id ligula porta felis euismod semper. Maecenas sed diam eget risus varius blandit sit amet non magna. Integer posuere erat a ante venenatis dapibus posuere velit aliquet. Donec id elit non mi porta gravida at eget metus.

Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor mauris condimentum nibh, ut fermentum massa justo sit amet risus.
Aenean lacinia bibendum nulla sed consectetur.
Sed posuere consectetur est at lobortis. Aenean lacinia bibendum nulla sed consectetur. Aenean eu leo quam.
Pellentesque ornare sem lacinia quam venenatis vestibulum. Etiam porta sem malesuada magna mollis euismod.

Cras mattis consectetur purus sit amet fermentum. Praesent commodo cursus magna, vel scelerisque nisl consectetur et. Maecenas faucibus mollis interdum. Maecenas sed diam eget risus varius blandit sit amet non magna. Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor mauris condimentum nibh, ut fermentum massa.

Nullam quis risus eget urna mollis ornare vel eu leo. Vestibulum id ligula porta felis euismod semper. Nullam id dolor id nibh ultricies vehicula ut id elit. Nullam id dolor id nibh ultricies vehicula ut id elit justo sit amet risus.

I follow @socaleatery (the entrepreneurs behind Eat Shrimp Daddy) on Instagram, so I had to pay them a visit. They are so inspirational, and maybe one day I can be a foodiepreneur like them. So, they are known for their Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp served in a pineapple with rice and mac salad. But I had been snacking my way through the market, so I could not eat that. I really wanted a picture for the gram, but I had to do without.

The shrimp is cooked fresh in front of you! The batter and seasoning were on point. It was bursting with flavor and had a nice, crisp crunch to it. The mac salad was not good–I did not care for it. Too mayo-y and it had this weird, fishy flavor to it.

My mom loves takoyaki, so it was about time I tried it. I was always afraid to eat octopus because of the texture, but I just went for it. It really wasn't all that bad. There was only a small piece of octopus in each ball–they are mostly filled with the pickled ginger, green onion, and batter. If you want to try takoyaki, try it here! It's made fresh on the spot, is piping hot, and is delicious! True street food right here. This vendor is very popular, and I have seen it with super long lines, and at other events.

Okonomiyaki

Another traditional Japanese street food! Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake. Made of flour, cabbage, yam, egg, green onion, and pickled ginger, it is a healthy snack. These are made fresh to order as well, and they offer other flavored versions: curry and cheese, corn and cheese, spam and cheese. We just went for, and I recommend, the original vegetable one. It was a little bit doughy, but other than that I enjoyed it.

Nikuman-Ya Tokyo Style Steamed Buns

Sun's out buns out! Next level bao buns right here. These buns are thicc and ginormous. Like four regular size buns in one! I honestly wanted to try every single flavor, but they were too big and pricey for that. About $8 each. So, I tried the steamed pork bun. They are hand made on-site and you can see the large steamers they have out to the side. It was juicy and flavorful. Sadly, we couldn't finish it because my mom and sister didn't like it. BUT, I did!

Rockin' Gyoza

Gyoza. The ultimate Japanese appetizer. My family always orders gyoza at every Japanese restaurant we go to, so of course we had to try out Rockin' Gyoza. They have different flavors/garnishes, but we just went with the original one. There was too much sauce, so I scraped it off, but it was hot and yummy. I, personally, prefer steamed/pan fried over fried gyoza (just because it's a bit healthier). We were unsure if these were handmade, or previously frozen, but they were still good. The price was steep for only 4 pieces. There was another Chinese stand that gave you like 10 pieces for $4 (but those were more likely just frozen ones). But if you go here, it's definitely quality over quantity.

Dessert

This is one of my favorite desserts at the night market. They serve their ice cream creations in cute, plastic pots. There are four themes to choose from, and you can pick any ice cream flavor (vanilla, chocolate, matcha). This is my sister's Beach Cup (crushed graham crackers, teddy grahams, sour candy strip) with vanilla ice cream, but last time I ordered the Canyon Cup (crushed nutter butters, candy rocks, and rosemary stick) with matcha ice cream. They also have the classic Dirt Cup and a Rainbow Cup, too. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this place. It's cute, and it is yummy!

I saw this on Instagram and couldn't not get it (haha sorry for the double negative). This is the Watermelon Bomb: hollowed watermelon with watermelon shaved snow, cubed watermelon, red bean, mochi, and condensed milk. It is such a refreshing treat for a hot summer day! It was around $12. I loved everything about it, except the watermelon was not ripe or sweet. It was hard, crunchy, and blah. But now that it's officially watermelon season, it should taste better (I had this back in May). I wish they would've put more of the shaved snow because that part was good. The toppings are perfect!

Food FestivalsMegan HuffMay 20, 2018Comment