Weekly outdoor street food market Smorgasburg Atlanta opening in South Downtown - Rough Draft Atlanta

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This fall, South Downtown in Atlanta will get a new tenant from up north. In October, New York-based outdoor street food festival Smorgasburg will open in the parking lot at the corner of Forsyth and Trinity.

Smorgasburg Atlanta, which will showcase local chefs, pop-ups, and food trucks, joins a stacked list of South Downtown newcomers that includes El Tesoro, Delilah’s Everyday Soul, Broad St. BBQ, and Bottle Rocket.

For those unfamiliar, Smorgasburg is a weekly outdoor market with a festival-like atmosphere, highlighting pop-up food vendors. Originally launched in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Smorgasburg was founded in 2011 by Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby and has since expanded to locations in Miami and Los Angeles.

Smorgasburg Atlanta will operate year-round, taking place on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., featuring 40 food vendors, comprised of food trucks and food pop-ups, as well as retailers, artists, entertainment, and a bar serving beer, wine, and cocktails.

“Atlanta has a really great underground food scene,” Smorgasburg co-owner and CEO Gaston Becherano told Rough Draft. The city’s collection of Asian and Southern restaurants, as well as its pop-up presence, made it an ideal fit. “All those vendors are great for something like Smorgasburg,” Becherano added.

Related stories: • South Downtown revitalizes city’s historic center • Bottle Rocket relocating from Castleberry Hill to South Downtown

Becherano, a former Smorgasburg vendor himself, said that ideally, 90 to 95 percent of Smorgasburg Atlanta’s vendors will be local. While Smorgasburg is open to regional vendors, it really operates as an incubator for local chefs and small, locally owned food businesses.

“The goal is for these guys to grow and open a restaurant,” Becherano said.

The Atlanta Smorgasburg will include space for 40 food vendors, with more room for artist stalls and entertainment. Additionally, this Smorgasburg location will have on-site electricity, meaning vendors can power electronics needed to operate without generators.

South Downtown was specifically chosen for its accessibility. The Smorgasburg Atlanta location is a short distance from other downtown attractions, like Mercedes-Benz Stadium, State Farm Arena, and the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), and its proximity to the Garnett, Five Points, GWCC, and Peachtree MARTA stations. In addition to MARTA rail, Smorgasburg will also be a stop on the Atlanta Streetcar and upcoming bus rapid transit line.

Rough Draft MARTA dining guides

“We are incredibly transit-rich as a neighborhood,” said April Stammel, director of leasing and marketing at South Downtown. Stammel hopes the rail transit, bus routes, bus rapid transit, and protected bike lanes will encourage Atlantans living further afield in the city to visit not only Smorgasburg, but South Downtown’s other restaurants – and not just on game days.

Smorgasburg’s arrival is merely one incremental step in South Downtown’s revitalization efforts. The neighborhood is currently in its first phase, developing more than 25 buildings under David Cummings and Jon Birdsong, owners of Atlanta Tech Village. While the most recent tenants and tenant announcements have been food and beverage, Moods Music owner Darryl Harris opened Crates record store on Hotel Row earlier this spring.

Related stories:• Edgewood taqueria El Tesoro joining South Downtown restaurant lineup• Delilah’s Everyday Soul opening on Hotel Row in South Downtown• Barbecue restaurant joining El Tesoro in South Downtown town square

“[Gaston’s story] about starting as a vendor and falling in love with the community and growing into being one of the owners absolutely aligns with the entrepreneurial heart of what we want to do in South Downtown,” said Stammel.

Smorgasburg Atlanta is currently looking for vendors who are available to set up shop every week, starting this fall. The current plan is to hold Smorgasburg every Saturday, in hopes of adding Sundays in the future. Down the line, Becherano will offer themed events and programming in Atlanta, akin to the other locations of Smorgasburg.

“The types of vendors that make sense for Smorgasburg are the vendors that are just starting out [and] really want to test the concept,” Becherano said. “Sometimes you get the lawyer that wants to be a baker [and] blows our socks off at the tastings.”

Interested Atlanta food and beverage vendors and artists can apply here. People looking to work for Smorgasburg Atlanta can apply here.

Smorgasburg Atlanta, 140 Forsyth St., South Downtown. Opening October 2025.

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Sarra Sedghi serves as a dining reporter for Rough Draft Atlanta and is also an editor and freelance writer covering a variety of topics, including popular culture, current trends, and Southern culture. Her work has... More by Sarra Sedghi