5 Must-Eat Food Pop-Ups & Drops This Week in NYC

You might’ve thought we hit the colder side of Halloween so you won’t stumble upon a street-side burger pop-up any time soon… but you thought wrong. This weekend’s forecast is so nice, Gotham Burger Social Club is doing it twice. Plus, exciting limited dishes are dropping like mixtapes all over the city (someone call Datpiff!) like Mimi Cheng’s new holiday dumpling of the month. Lose the layers, embrace the heat wave and check out this week’s fire pop-ups & drops. This article is just a small taste of what you can discover in the 🧨 Pop-Ups & Drops category on the 8it app. Hit the green button below each dish to access 8it and get all the deets. (Private Beta password: NYCDROP)

Gotham Smash Burger Pop-Up
LES // 11.5 & 11.6

If you like to keep your screen time low, you probably didn’t know that one of NYC’s best burgers comes from a pop-up. Chef Mike Puma’s Gotham Burger Social Club began as an Instagram page devoted to burger reviews and after years of research, he developed his own burger formula that maximizes flavor with flawless execution. The burger, which is served at Gotham Smash Burger pop-ups, has earned a cult following to say the least. Its soft but toasty bun hoists crisply seared patties smashed with razor thin onions, topped with American cheese, and stacked with all the fixings. Head down to Ray’s Bar this weekend to find out why we, Man v. Food host Adam Richman, and your grandmother rate this burger so highly. Tap the burger below for all the info.

Little Grenjai
Bed-Stuy // 11.1-11.12

If you like food trucks, weekends in the Hamptons, or both, then you might be familiar with the husband and wife team behind Little Grenjai, chefs Trevor Lombaer and Sutathip Aiemsaard. Through their New York food truck, Warung Roadside, and Hamptons pop-up Sagaponack Supper Club, the couple became known for bringing flavors from Thai street food pushcarts that flood the streets of Bangkok stateside. They will be serving a menu featuring a spicy shrimp cocktail, massaman curry short ribs, a Thai take on Italian Wedding soup, and more at Ostudio until the 12th. According to Eater, they’re set to open their own brick and mortar in the near future. Tap the shrimp below for all the info.

The Laksa Shop
Glendale // 11.4

This curry noodle soup pop-up was born out of Mama Lam’s, a mother-daughter duo bringing Malaysian flavors to NYC in the form of curry pastes and hot sauces. The daughter, founder Cassandra Lam, teamed up with former Chopped contestant Chef Lizzy Singh-Brar to make the popular southeast Asian dish laksa that’s ignited by her curry paste. So far, their bowls of perfect drinking-food have graced bars and breweries in Queens and Brooklyn, and they will be at Finback Brewery on Friday. Tap the bowl of curry below for all the info.

Dame x Daily Provisions
West Village // 11.5

Dame is one of The Toughest Reservations in NYC Right Now according to The Infatuation and trying to get one may require beefing up your NFT portfolio. Luckily, this Saturday you have a chance to try their famous batter-fried fish on a sandwich and their sticky toffee on a Daily Provisions cruller risk-free. But this small dose of Dame’s fare may just convince you to cough up the $1,000 required to purchase the NFT from FOH.xyz and gain access to exclusive tables at the restaurant. Tap the fish below for all the info.

Thanksgiving Dinner Dumplings
UWS+East Village // November

It’s time to give thanks, to yourself. A gargantuan feast is coming up later this month, but we all know you’re gonna fill up on appetizers before the traditional Thanksgiving foods hit the table anyway. So, while you still have time, head to Mimi Cheng’s for their Thanksgiving Dinner Dumplings filled with turkey and cranberry-thyme stuffing. They dropped these last year, and we can confirm these hit different and the dipping sauce absolutely slaps. Tap the turkey below for all the info.

YOU SHOULDA 8it!

Not to rub it in, but here’s a pop-up you may have missed out on. To stay in the know on all the hottest drops in real-time, check out 8it’s Pop-Ups & Drops category in the app.

Adobo Festival

Halloween and Filipino American History Month coincided last week, appropriately summoning the corpse of a whole pig. Vendors like Lechonbae and So Sarap brought the pomp and circumstance to Eldridge Street, showing us “lechon and adobo falling off the bone” isn’t just a cute rhyme, but a way of life. Download 8it and never miss a unique opportunity to celebrate like this again.

Beta password is: NYCDROP