It’s the most wonderful time of the year, which means the annual holiday markets are back up in New York City. I know Bryant Park Winter Village gets all the love, but over the past few years, that market is so jam-packed beyond belief that I have found it difficult to enjoy. While Union Square Holiday Market does also get busy, it feels more bearable and is by far my favorite places to eat during the holidays in NYC. So, this year, I checked out some of the vendors, and there are a LOT of newcomers–here were my favorite spots!
Curds the Word
Curds the Word is a new stall at the Union Square Holiday Market this year, and just when you think you’ve seen it all, a Wisconsin dairy farm is offering fried cheese curds. These are so simple but SO good. An order comes with a good serving of bite-sized pieces of deep fried cheese curds, and you can choose a sauce to accompany it. I chose cheese sauce because it just made the most sense to dip cheese in cheese, but they also had marinara, BBQ, ranch, and a few other options.
Casa Toscana
Casa Toscana was at Union Square Holiday Market last year, and I had heard they had one of the best hot chocolates, but I didn’t want to wait in line. This year, I was fortunate to get right in, but before indulging in the hot chocolate, I got a prosciutto, burrata, and truffle sandwich. This was one of the best things I ate at the market–the sandwich had this truffle cream on it that tasted like REAL truffle. Afterward, I tried a pistachio bomboloni which was a 10/10, and finally got my hands on of their infamous hot chocolates. The verdict? Yep, best hot chocolate in the Union Square Holiday Market! It’s super rich and on too sweet, and is more on the consistency of a European sipping chocolate than a traditional American hot chocolate.
Destination Dumplings
The real showstopper of the day was my “round the world” platter from Destination Dumplings. The platter included pork dumplings, jerk chicken dumplings, Korean beef dumplings, edamame dumplings, and four pork buns; two with chili oil and two without. The verdict? These dumplings tasted as good as they looked! My favorites were the jerk chicken and the pork. The jerk chicken had a great kick, and the pork dumplings were so moist inside and had a nice crisp exterior. I also loved the Korean beef dumplings which had a peanut sauce on them, the edamame had pickled beets on top, and the pork bao buns were SO fluffy. Seriously, this spot is great–and this is yet another new addition to the market this year that I hope stays!
Crispy Chick
Fried chicken on a stick? Yes, please. Crispy Chick is a new addition to the market this year, and for about 15 bucks after tax, you can get a skewer of fried chicken on a stick! They have a variety of flavors and toppings, like elote, chipotle chicken, teriyaki, but I went for the chicken and waffles because it felt like the easiest thing to eat. The employee working told me the chipotle and the teriyaki are the best sellers, and though the chicken and waffles were fine, I think next time I would go for something with more heat.
Cocoa Cabin
Cocoa Cabin is also a new addition to the market this year, and a good one at that. Run by a lovely man named Jay, he told me his hot chocolate makes famous Angelina Paris hot chocolate look like “Angelo from the bodega.” The hot chocolate comes in a variety of flavors, so I went for the classic and the peppermint. They also offer torched marshmallows which can be served plain, or with different toppings like chocolate syrup and Nutella. I ordered a “s’mores” marshmallow which was simply a torched marshmallow with chocolate syrup. The hot chocolate is super good, especially if you want to try a different flavor. I would get classic hot chocolate from Casa Toscana, and a peppermint hot chocolate from Cocoa Cabin, and your sweet tooth will be more than satisfied.
The Truffleist
The Truffleist is something of a cult favorite at all of the holiday markets. Every dish has truffle oil in it, and since I also went last year, this year I ordered something different. Last year, I got the fries and mozzarella sticks, and the particular day I went was so cold that when I pulled the mozz stick, the cheese got cold and nearly froze in mid-air! So, I had to try again this year, but instead of fries, I also got some truffle mac’n’cheese balls. The mac’n’cheese balls had such a strong truffle oil flavor that I found them to be a bit overwhelming for someone who doesn’t love the taste of truffle oil, but I am OBSESSED with their mozz sticks and their fries!