Smorgasburg LA

The first time I laid eyes on Shrimp Daddy’s garlic shrimp…my life was changed. JK. To be honest, the first time I saw a picture of their garlic shrimp pineapple bowl (via Instagram), I didn’t even see the shrimp. All I saw was the pineapple…in all of its carved-out glory. But hey, you do what you gotta do to bring in the customers, right? As soon as I got to the Smorgasburg marketplace that Sunday morning, there was a single booth that stood out from all the rest. Well, a single line. I didn’t even have to look to know that it was Shrimp Daddy’s booth. And right I was! So it looks like their strategy is working! I gotta admit, though, the pineapple bowls look amazing. And it’s so clever from a business perspective. They’re using pineapples already anyway (each bowl comes with garlic shrimp, mac salad, rice, and pineapple)…so why not take advantage of the Instagrammers/foodies (myself included) who are more than willing to pay the $6 premium to get a good shot? Yeah, I hate to admit it, but it definitely works. But in my defense…I really did come for the garlic shrimp. But the pineapple bowl is what initially drew me in 🙂

The garlic shrimp was delicious, by the way. So it was worth the money. Although if I go back again I’ll probably pass on the pineapple bowl and just get the food on a plate instead. But I have no regrets getting the pineapple bowl. Anyway, after we had thoroughly cleared out the pineapple bowl, we walked around to see what other options there were. There are a lot of options at this outdoor market. Brace your stomach…and your wallet. You have lobster rolls, garlic noodles, milk tea, donuts, Indian-fusion tacos, fried chicken sandwiches, acai bowls, ice cream, oysters, baked goods, I could go on and on. Bring some cash too because some of the booths don’t accept cards.

We tried the fried chicken sandwich and the acai bowl (from two different booths). So good, omg. The acai bowl is quite possibly even prettier than the pineapple bowl. Of course, you do pay a premium for that hollowed out coconut bowl. But the quality of the acai is fantastic. Not too sweet, but super re-energizing. It’s the best thing on a hot day. We tried another booth after the acai bowl for garlic noodles…but they only took cash 🙁 And we were out, haha. Because we were expecting more places to take card. Oh well, there will always be a next time!