The Best NYC Food Pop-ups of 2024

Written By 8it Team

We just celebrated the 3rd Annual 8it Awards honoring the pop-ups and chefs that make up NYC’s underground food scene. In December, we opened it up to the community for nominations - receiving over 1,000 submissions! From there, each category was culled down to the top 3-5 finalists that were most nominated. Final decisions were made by an anonymous panel of vetted industry judges (prior 8it Award winners, reputable food journalists, fellow chefs, and eaters that plan their lives around pop-ups). Here’s who took home the hardware…

Best New Pop-Up presented by San Pellegrino:
Curry in a Hurry

These twin brothers cooking Indian-ish food are spicing up NYC’s underground food scene. With an ever-changing menu that digs into their Indian roots but never comes up shy of innovation, it was clear that this pop-up deserved their flowers for the work they put in to 2024. Their menus featured traditional flavors in cutting-edge forms like butter chicken wings, gol gappe ceviche, roti canai mini pot pies, and a gajar halwa tres leches dessert. Not only was this pop-up new on the scene, they kept us wondering what would be served next, without any wonder of whether it would be delicious.

Hustler of the Year presented by Robert Hall Winery:
Better Than Porridge

Ever wonder what it takes to be a successful pop-up in NYC? Dedication and relentless drive. Pop-ups have small teams (sometimes of one!) and usually set up shop in temporary, unfamiliar settings - so dedication and drive are non-negotiables, even when just executing one one pop-up. Lisa-Thi of Better Than Porridge took home this trophy because she does it five times per week —sometimes more — with ever-changing menus and venues. With football games often serving as the backdrop, Better Than Porridge specializes in elevated bar bites like pork chashu sandwiches, crispy smoked wings, and game-day chili. Her pop-ups typically feature her line of handcrafted hot sauces and chili crunch… oh, did we forget to mention that other business of hers?

Most Consistently Delicious presented by Anova Culinary:
Border Town

Creating a wildly delicious dish is hard, but doing it over and over (and over) again - to absolute perfection - is a whole other ballgame. And for Border Town, the humble tortilla is the star of the show. It can be tough to get New Yorkers out of bed for an 8am breakfast on a weekend, but Jorge Aguilar and Amanda Rosa are giving us good reason to do so. Their origin story goes back to Jorge’s hometown of Calexico, Mexico, where he used to walk across the U.S-Mexico border to his favorite taqueria. He’s brought that inspired flavor to NYC with handmade tortillas that become thick burritos, breakfast tacos and more.

Collab of the Year:
Greenberg’s Bagels x Hometown Bar-B-Que

The collab of the year isn’t about bringing together two big names - it’s about two masters of their craft coming together to create a dish that brings out the best in each of them. Billy’s Hometown BEC by Greenberg’s Bagels and Hometown Bar-B-Que did just that. Hometown Bar-B-Que, led by the legendary Billy Durney, is some of the best barbecue you can find in NYC, and Greenberg’s perfectly chewy bagels are the home of the most creative BEC’s since opening their West Village location. Their collab didn’t just exemplify their proficiencies, it created a new masterpiece with a distinct NYC identity. Hometown’s thick cut pastrami bacon landed on a Greenberg’s sesame bagel with New School American Cheese, hot & sweet sauce and folded eggs for a sandwich we’ll be dreaming of for years to come.

Drop of the Year presented by Hotplate:
Kitchen Time Kev Smash Wrap Supreme

NYC’s food scene is made up of incredible food drops - dishes that you gotta get your hands on because they’ll be gone in the blink of an eye. This award recognizes the pop-up chef or restaurant that created a drop so buzz-worthy and so out of this world delicious it had everyone talking. No one did that quite as well as Kitchen Time Kev in 2024. Kitchen Time Kev’s Smash Wrap Supreme was the definition of a highlight reel dish, layering a perfectly crisp smashed patty with New School American Cheese, secret sauce, french fries, a crispy tostada, lettuce, tomato and onion, all inside a perfectly golden brown tortilla wrap. It was such a hit, Kev now drops it weekly at his Bushwick location, Lacey Burger.

Poppin’ Off presented by Chef Works:
Gotham Burger Social Club

The Poppin’ Off award celebrates the food pop-up that leveled up, going from the pop-up scene to brick-and-mortar greatness. They've blazed a trail of success that's an inspiration to all future pop-ups, showing that making it big in the food game is not just a dream, but a delicious reality. But the best part about Gotham Burger Social Club’s first brick-and-mortar is how they’ve elevated their menu without veering from the quality and flavors we all fell in love with on the sidewalks of NYC. In the early part of the decade, we couldn’t get enough of Gotham’s Oklahoma-style smash burgers, and now we keep coming back to their brick-and-mortar not just for the burgers, but for their fried pickles, chopped cheese tacos, fried chicken sandwich, limited-edition drops and so much more.

Best Pop-up Marketing:
Smoke Sweats

How do you top a pop-up with killer food? A pop-up with standout marketing and branding that matches the excellence of their food. You couldn’t scroll past a Smoke Sweats post in 2024, with movie trailer like pop-up promotions, eye-catching dish names like “The Hot B*tch”, stunning visuals, and compelling skits, content from Anthony Scerri was impossible to ignore. But beyond that, the food always lived up to the hype, and not only did it create an experience you wanted to keep coming back for, it created an experience you couldn’t bear to miss.

Purveyor of The Year:
Prince Abou’s Butchery

With so much of a focus on chefs, where they get the goods from is often overlooked. Whether farmers, butchers, seafood purveyors, or other suppliers — purveyors are essential to the success of NYC's pop-up chefs and their consistently delivering top-quality products alongside killer service is key to chefs. Queens’ very own Prince Abou’s Butchery delivers top quality lamb, beef and chicken, supplying unforgettable events in 2024 like a collab with Forsyth Fire Escape featuring Halal Chicken Larb Scallion Pancake burritos, rib eyes and smash burgers, a 5-course lamb feast with Kit An’ Kin and Abdullah Elías, and a Curried Goat Wellington dish drop at The Musket Room. Abou Sow' set a new precedent for purveyors in 2024, where the supplier can make any dish a must-eat just as much as a chef can.

Best of the Fests:
Pig Island

Katie Andrews and Alex Corporan accepting on behalf of Pig Island

One thing we love more than delicious food, is a lot of delicious food. Best of the Fests is all about celebrating the independent food festival that curated the best of the best in one place in 2024. Year after year, Pig Island delivers as NYC’s premier barbecue festival and the most compelling reason to visit Staten Island. And in 2024, with a lineup featuring contestants like Christine Espinal Rosa of Blue Smoke; Tank Jackson of Holy City Hogs; Oak Marprasert of KAM RAI THAI, Leland Avellino of Avellino Family Barbeque, and Robert Austin Cho of Kimchi Smoke (just to name a few), we were spoiled with so much talent cooking and serving up their best bites in one place at the same time, we can’t wait for Pig Island 2025.

Pop-Uplifter:
Frog Wine Bar

This category takes one step away from honoring a pop-up, shining a light on the places that help give pop-ups a leg up. The Pop-Uplifter award celebrates venues that go above and beyond to support NYC’s pop-ups, from providing space and resources, to helping get the word out. These champions create a thriving, collaborative environment where pop-ups can do what they do best. Frog Wine Bar does this on repeat, curating a killer lineup of different pop-ups every week and promoting each one. In 2024, they hosted some of NYC’s top pop-ups including Hera, Smoke Sweats and Cmarty’s Jerk, while also supporting breakout stars like Be Home For Dinner, Curry in a Hurry, Bad Larry’s, and Gotcha Focaccia.

Biggest Banger:
Arroces

Biggest Banger celebrates the pop-up that makes every pop-up feel like a celebration. From drinks to music to art, they create an unforgettable vibe that makes their pop-up feel more like a full-blown experience we never wanted to end. Chef Eduardo Cuenca, born to a Venezuelan mother and a Spanish father, shares his food and cultural experience at every one of Arroces’ pop-ups. His philosophy is: "What is paella for me, and I think for a lot of people in Spain, is a moment to celebrate an occasion. And that’s what I want to tell everybody.” He usually has a couple DJ’s spinning, he always has a smile on his face, and every time you turn around he’s offering you a shot a mezcal (straight from the bottle).

Sweetest Thing:
The Boiis Co.

We all know we have a second stomach for dessert, which really comes in handy when you go to a dessert pop-up, where you’re bound to put down enough sweets to fill two stomachs. The Sweetest Thing highlights the pastry masters and the sugar sorcerers who create confections that have you forgetting about anything savory. The Boiis Co., quite literally took the cake in the 3rd Annual 8it Awards. Their key to success lies in their originality. Where else could you get mochi cookies and basque mochi cheesecakes in several different flavors, plus new drops every month like mochi croissant Christmas trees, mochi-waffle cookies and more?

Most Inspiring Pop-up:
Shtick

Michka Bengio accepting on behalf of Jacqueline Lobel

Most Inspiring Pop-Up honors the pop-up whose story goes beyond the food, inspiring others through their journey, mission, or cultural celebration. These pop-ups remind us that they’re more than a meal—they’re a movement. For Shtick, their mission is to celebrate New York Jewish culture while inviting all to participate. They believe in social action that seeks to heal the world. For them, that means inviting anyone to sit at their table. All-in all, this pop-up celebrates all identities in a fun, fresh way, always with something delicious on the table.

People’s Choice:
DM Dinners

The creative yet approachable menus by DM Dinners don’t just have people coming back for seconds, they’re bringing friends. And that showed during the nomination process, while DM Dinners was nominated more than all other pop-ups across all award categories combined. Using top-quality ingredients that respect local tastes while introducing fresh, exciting twists, this pop-up stands out because of the personality and heart behind it. Regulars aren’t just customers, they’re part of Chef Dan’s story. The buzz he generated isn’t by accident; it’s the natural result of a winning combination—exceptional dishes, a personal touch, and the genuine hustle of someone passionate about his craft. For all those reasons, DM Dinners took home the People’s Choice Award for 2024.

Family Meal of the Year presented by Pretty Tasty:
Chef Lana & Chef Nana’s Juneteenth Family Meal

Lana Lagomarsini accepting on behalf of herself and Nana Araba

Industry nights bring the F&B community together allowing us to connect and share a space with other people who understand what it’s like. They’re so important for our careers and also our headspace, and the chefs who create that space deserve recognition. No other Family Meal in 2024 hit quite like Chef Lana & Chef Nana’s Juneteenth Family Meal, which had guests talking long after the party ended. At Farm to People, they cheffed up a legendary meal for the NYC restaurant industry including grilled lamb ribs with tamarind sauce, collard greens with smoked turkey necks, jollof rice and marsh hen mill heritage grain cornbread. Followed by a pineapple-spiced pound cake w/ orange guava glaze dessert drop by pastry chef Deborah L. Jean, all to the immaculate vibes of DJ Monday Blue.

A huge congrats to all the winners & nominees of the 3rd Annual 8it Awards! If any of these NYC food pop-ups & chefs are new to you, then we highly suggest you make it a priority in 2025 to try their food. Download the 8it app so you can keep track of NYC hottest food pop-ups year long!

More upcoming pop-ups:

More upcoming drops:

Do you know about a new pop-up that should be on the 8it app?

8it Team
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