The Queens International Night Market Returns With Cricket Pasta, Fried Chicken Feet and More

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Foodies have been impatiently twiddling their thumbs for the return of the Queens International Night Market ever since it closed up shop for the winter. With the frosty scourge finally over, locals and tourists alike flocked to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park for the spring debut of the open air night market, which took place over the weekend on Saturday, May 5th. Belt buckles loosened in advance, we were given an early look at the vendors — some new, some returning — that will be dishing out their wares for the season.

People lining up for entry

Photo by Charles Sturges courtesy Queens International Night Market

Photo by Sharon Medina-Chavez courtesy Queens International Night Market

Now in its fourth year, the much-anticipated event brings together a rotating cast of over 100 local vendors that represent over 80 countries. This year, 20% of total ticket sales from “early preview” sessions are being donated to two organizations: Queens Community House, which aims to provide individuals with the necessary tools to enrich and built healthy, inclusive communities, and WhyHunger, dedicated to ending hunger and poverty by connecting people to nutritious and affordable food.

Massive Paella from In Patella. Photo by Charles Sturges courtesy Queens International Night Market

Moon Man coconut cakes. Photo by Charles Sturges courtesy Queens International Night Market

Menu offerings from sustainable Hawaiian stand, Eemas Cuisine. Photo by Charles Sturges courtesy Queens International Night Market

The Queens International Night Market itself is free to enter, and each dish is generally capped at $5. Before the lines began to queue up on Saturday, we took a quick stroll through and spotted several returning favorites, including Bangladeshi Jhal Muri and Fuchka from Jhal NYC, Romanian-Hungarian chimney cakes from Twister Cakes, “Ramly” burgers from The Malaysian Project, Indonesian coconut pancakes from Moon Man and Trinidadian shark sandwiches from Caribbean Street Eats. (Take a look at our recommendations from last year!)

We also caught sight of several new vendors, which highlight the wonderfully diverse culinary culture Queens is already known for. Dishes on our radar this year are Thai Roasted Crickets (!!) from Bold Foods, Italian Porchetta from La Salumina, Moldovan Waffle Rolls, Wenzhounese Fried Chicken Feet and Gizzard Skewers from Hercheers Paopao and Sudanese samosas from Samosa NYC. They join art and merchandise vendors, which will be selling trinkets ranging from soy candles and handmade jewelry to stuffed animals and LED balloons.

With the recent launch of our Remnants of the World’s Fairs Tour, we were especially excited to find Theobucket Vintage, a charming purveyor of vintage brooches and ads. Its collection of “World’s Fair era” posters, advertisements and handmade magnets (crafted from vintage newspaper and magazine clippings) serves as a reminder of the history and significance of the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park grounds, which, to us, is an obvious location to host a night market that celebrates diversity and local roots.

In addition to plethora of culinary offerings, various activities and performances will also be taking place throughout the season: from a balloon popping race to live music from DJ Lil Buddy, the night market’s resident DJ; the Queens Cartoonists, a jazz band specializing in music from cartoons, and many others. Below are a few of the stands that adults and kids alike can visit. Of course, this is just a sampling of what’s to come for the season. If you missed opening day, head over on a forthcoming Saturday (from 6pm to 12am) until August 18th. For the full line up of schedule events and vendors, make sure to also visit queensnightmarket.com.