Stick It: Brooklyn’s Best Skewered Foods
From carnival perennials like cotton candy and corn dogs, to flowers fashioned from mangos and sold along the beach, a multitude of summer’s preeminent foods are speared on sticks. And in Brooklyn, that formidable lineup even includes sugar-encased bacon courtesy of Smorgasburg favorite, Landhaus, as well as fork-free chicken and waffles, via Fort Greene’s Habana Outpost.
Moku Moku
Instead of funky forcemeat, Momo Sushi Shack’s izakaya offshoot slips a chewy strand of octopus under a scabbard of flash-fried cornbread batter, then finishes it off in traditional takoyaki style, with tonkatsu barbecue sauce, kewpie mayo and bonito flakes.
43 Bogart St, (718) 418-6666
Hazar
While vegetarians dote on Hazar for their superior falafel, carnivores adore the kebabs: raw bundles of chicken, beef, shrimp and cubed or ground lamb, stacked like cordwood and waiting to be char-grilled to order over live flame, before being propped over oil-slicked rice or tucked into oven-spotted oblongs of pide.
7224 5th Ave, (718) 238-4040
Habana Outpost
In addition to their iconic elote (skewered, caramelized corn cobs tumbled in mayo, lime juice and cotija cheese), Fort Greene’s al fresco cantina is known for “Roscoe on a Stick,” essentially a chicken and waffle popsicle served with a side dish of syrup.
757 Fulton St, (718) 858-9500
Landhaus
This longtime vendor effortlessly cut through the Smorgasburg noise by selling stubs of brown sugar and herb-roasted slab bacon on a stick, which they also happen to peddle all week round at Williamsburg tiki bar The Woods–talk about the ultimate late–night bar snack.
757 Fulton St., (718) 858-9500
Ganso Yaki
The second entry in Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat’s growing Boerum Hill mini dynasty, Ganso Yaki focuses on Japanese street foods like yakitori, including tsukune–minced chicken meatballs bound with miso and dragged through a golden yolk of quail egg–and kamo kushiyaki, duck and Japanese onion wiped with wasabi stem relish.
515 Atlantic Ave, (646) 927-0303
Llama Inn
While traditionally comprised of beef heart and other inexpensive organ meats, the Peruvian antichuchos at Llama Inn run the gamut from char siu pork belly with pickled chilies, to chicken thigh with fermented soy beans and potato chips, and octopus stained with aji amarillo, and accompanied by tidbits of cabbage and quinoa.
50 Withers St, (718) 387-3434
Brunch Street
From Jianbing Co. and their savory Chinese crepes to Red Table Catering’s sloppy English muffin sandwiches, early morning options abound amongst Smorgasburg’s newest crop of food stands. But while you’ll need to commandeer a bench or table (not to mention a towering wad of napkins) in order to enjoy the former, Brunch Street’s quintet of skewered quail eggs–dusted with truffle oil, parmesan and breadcrumbs or sesame seeds, black beans and chilies–facilitate a fuss-free breakfast along the waterfront.
Brunchstreet.net
Vinnie’s
Their pizza-topped pizza and pizza-in-a-pizza-box may have gone viral, but we’re partial to the pops Vinnie’s created just for Brooklyn magazine: think cylindrical dough-bombs infused with mozzarella, pepperoni and wads of buffalo chicken. Perfect for toting to a concert, ballgame, or beach.
148 Bedford Ave., (718) 782-7078