Restaurant pop-ups, by their very nature, are ephemeral and hard to pin down. But they can also be destinations for some of New York’s most creative and inspired dining as the chefs that run them aren’t bogged down by the minutiae that plague brick-and-mortar restaurants. Sometimes, pop-ups become popular, permanent restaurants, as in the cases of Saigon Social or L’Appartement 4F or Dame. But most of the time, they appear and disappear and reappear like so many cicadas. (Speaking of, did you know we’re expecting a once-in-a-lifetime double brood this spring?)
I’ve become something of an expert pop-up hunter over the years and any one of you could become one, too. All it requires is a little dedication, a lot of sleuthing and your favorite reminder app.
Filipino food at Solo Diner
So, how does one become a pop-up hunter? It takes a lot of Instagram scrolling. You can either follow the pop-up itself or follow the brick-and-mortar restaurants that often host them, like Rhodora Wine Bar in Fort Greene or King Tai Bar in Crown Heights. (And yes, many pop-ups are concentrated in Brooklyn.) Some restaurant websites, like Eater or the Infatuation, also keep running lists of pop-ups.
But Instagram is how I came across Solo Diner, a Filipino American pop-up from three chefs that took over the kitchen at Place Des Fêtes in Clinton Hill last month. The menu included a take on arroz caldo, a rice porridge, that substituted barbecue pork for the traditional chicken, and Filipino spaghetti with handmade bucatini and the requisite banana ketchup. Other Solo specialties include sisig tacos, cauliflower kare-kare and lechon kawali. But I was most blown away by the desserts — burnt coconut sorbet and bibingka coconut cake. Any chef who can pull off appetizers, entrees and desserts is a miracle worker.
Vietnamese at Ha’s Đặc Biệt
If there were a ranking of pop-ups, present and past, Ha’s Đặc Biệt would be at or near the top. It takes its name from its co-founder Anthony Ha and “dac biet,” the Vietnamese word for “special,” which can be added after any dish that is a chef’s specialty, like banh mi dac biet. Having gone to two of their pop-ups, I can say that just about everything on a Ha’s Đặc Biệt menu is special.
Anthony runs the pop-up with his partner, Sadie Mae Burns, and together they’ve taken Ha’s international, popping up in London and Paris. But they always come home to roost in New York City. Currently, they’re posted up at Gem, the chef Flynn McGarry’s restaurant turned private space on the Lower East Side, through the end of March. Reservations are scarce, but they do take walk-ins. And if you miss this pop-up, don’t fret: Ha’s Đặc Biệt is prolific; if you follow them on Instagram and set up notifications, you’re guaranteed to snatch a reservation in 2024.
Mexican at Border Town
Finally, let’s put to rest the idea that New York City doesn’t have any great Mexican food. Do we have it in the heavenly abundance of places like California or Texas? Absolutely not. But if you know where to look — Jackson Heights, Queens, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, the Border Town pop-up — it’s definitely out there.
This pop-up, from the chef Jorge Aguilar, specializes in breakfast-y tacos de guisado served on handmade flour tortillas. According to an interview with the Eater reporter Emma Orlow, Jorge gets the flour from his father in Mexico, and uses lard to make the final product (there’s also a vegetarian version made with avocado oil). Topped with huevos a la Mexicana, frijoles or puerco en salsa verde, those tortillas had people lining up outside the Screen Door in Greenpoint all winter long. Now that that’s come to an end, though, your next opportunity to catch Border Town is every Sunday at Commune in Clinton Hill.
And if you miss it, remember: With pop-ups, it’s all about the thrill of the hunt.
What I’m into right now
The last week of my life was consumed with editing an in-depth story by the freelance reporter T.M. Brown about the rise of restaurant cancellation fees. As it turns out, these fees are being enforced at higher levels than ever before, and diners and restaurateurs alike are wondering whether they’re at odds with the entire idea of hospitality.
