LIC Flea & Food

If you are looking for tasty local food, you can now find scrumptious eats just a short ride away in Long Island City. The LIC Flea & Food opened on June 15 and runs every Saturday and Sunday through the summer. On opening weekend there were more food vendors than purveyors of goods, but this is surely changing as the market gains momentum. The LIC Flea & Food boasts a diverse selection of edibles ranging from green mango salad  to oversized doughnuts in exotic flavors and so much in between. There is truly something for everyone, so come hungry. Vendors include Sweetleaf coffee, Hong King Street Cart, Best Pickles, Thai Street Food, Mitchmallows, Okonomi Japanese vegetable pancakes, The Chocolate Swirl, Luke’s Lobster Rolls, grass fed beef from Butcher Bar, and more. You can eat your food at tables made from industrial-size wooden spools or munch while you walk.

One of my favorite food vendors was Lizzmonade, which crushes fresh ingredients like mango, cucumber, mint and strawberries into not-too-sweet fresh lemonade. These fruit- and herb-infused drinks are enjoyed through a wide straw, pulpy bits and all. Another was Alobar, a LIC-based restaurant that serves a ‘Big Dog’—an all beef hot dog topped with ginger pulled pork and pickled carrot slaw. Yum! You can also get a shaved ice in tropical flavors from Ice Riders—where the ice is shaved using the energy of human beings (a girl pedaling a bike attached to the ice machine while playing her ukelele)—in 100% compostable cups.

In addition to delicious food, Claire of Claire’s Creative Adventures serves up a Jackson Pollack-style art project for kids. Young ones can drip colors onto a big “canvas” spread out on the ground. Then, they lay a piece of paper on top of the paint, transferring the paint to their paper. The art dries as you walk around the market, and you can pick it up on your way out.

The LIC Food & Flea offers delicious local food, fun activities and interesting goods every weekend from 10am to 6pm.

LIC Food & Flea
46th Avenue and 5th Street, Long Island City, Queens
Google Map: 5-25 46th Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101.