Just a short ferry or car ride away is a bridgeworthy experience that is a ‘must eat your way through and relax event’ every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lane Field Park Markets, 1009 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego, opposite Broadway Pier. My daughter, Cassandra, and I ventured over to experience it and our only regret was that we didn’t take more friends so we could have ordered and shared more of the scrumptious food offerings.
Lane Field Park Markets is the brainstorm of Andrew and Sara Sisley, originally from Australia, who as world travelers love to see how people everywhere enjoy coming together to eat and photograph great food. The concept for this idea began 18 months ago and they opened just three weeks ago. “We were cautiously optimistic, and the first several weeks have exceeded our expectations,” comments Andrew.
They felt that while San Diego had many beautiful farmers’ markets, there wasn’t anything like this for people to enjoy. “We had a clear vision to create an artisanal food market with a good vibe showcasing local musical talent, lawn games, blankets and shaded tables to sit, relax and allow the whole family to enjoy the day,” says Andrew.
With a great location on the waterfront, for both tourists and locals, they were selective about who they approached to ensure a wide cross section of foods. With a core collection of 25 local food vendors each week, they plan to have guest purveyors each week to keep it interesting. Andrew said, “We wanted the combination of the consistency mixed with the new.”
He can honestly say that he has tried food from all the stands, but he can’t single out one favorite because they are all delicious. They hope this will become part of the San Diego social calendar where people want to hang out. “This has been a great opportunity to bring small artisanal businesses together, and an interesting compliment to the San Diego food scene,” he adds.
So far the response has been overwhelmingly positive with people enjoying the concept. They have plans to expand and have space in the park to grow. The day we were there, gourmet selections, with a wide array of gastronomic choices, included vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options:
Rice Rice Baby with interesting sounding jackfruit fried rice, the Bread Bar with tempting crusty pastries, Parana Empanadas has a delicious array of filled Argentinian delicacies, Pure Burger features the all American favorite, Dang Brothers Pizza cooks gourmet offerings on the back of a blue firetruck, House of Bao featuring freshly cooked delicacies, Doggos Gus offers Mexican gourmet hot dogs, Chilanga boasts a sampling of Mexican favorites, Cabetos Pops has ice cream dipped in decadent toppings, Popo Brothers highlights include a variety of colorful teas, coffee and banh mi, Bosnian Grill serves up gyros and cevapi, BBQusion offers a variety of tasty barbeque options, Donut, Hello highlights sweets with flavorful donuts, and freshly squeezed lemonade and orange juice, with citrus sourced from Fallbrook, Medina Moroccan Baja Kitchen has an interesting menu, and Public Square Coffee is a great way to start the day.
We didn’t know anything about Hungarian food, so we had to try Mia Sorella, which features cone shaped Chimney Cakes, aptly named because of the smoke that rises out of the top after they are cooked. They had a variety of sweet and savory flavors, but we opted for the delicious cheese and herb filled with arugula, cherry tomatoes, artichoke cheese spread and topped with a light lemon vinaigrette. We also enjoyed a delicious bean and cheese pupusa and a yummy watermelon aqua fresca from Pupusas Express. Gnarly Nachos was our next stop where our taste buds reveled in amazingly crispy loaded tater tots. To satisfy our sweet tooth, we couldn’t pass up Patson’s gooey cookies which were soft and chewy, and we also opted for Grandma Said No Cookie Dough, which offers edible raw cookie dough, brownie or snickerdoodle bases, and then allows you to pick from mix-in options and ice cream. They just started two month ago, and have a winning combination of ingredients that “taste just like making them with my mom and sneaking a taste of the dough,” laughs Cassandra.
Other vendors on their list include: Snoice, Bread & Cheese Catering, Pineapple Crush SD, Sweet Blooms Flower Truck, Fit Tacos, The Brazilian Guys, Superfood & Company, Betty’s Pie Whole, The Cravory, and Homespun Brittle. The list is growing as they discover new options to bring to the venue.
You will also find local artists showcasing their works for sale. The week we were there we browsed through J & S Make Scents, which features hand poured soy wax candles that smelled amazing, ZB Savoy Bags & Leather Goods, whose on-trend products are locally hand stitched, and we were already fans of Cali Life Co.’s cool Southern California sunglasses. They are looking for more local artists and musicians to round out their event.
Make plans soon to grab family and friends and explore Lane Field Park Markets on the corner of N. Harbor Drive and W. Broadway on an upcoming Sunday. For information: Instagram @lane_field_park_markets or www.lanefieldparkmarkets.com.
Photos courtesy of Cassandra Velez
