Memorial Day weekend is coming in hot, and let me tell you, it’s like the ultimate sizzling appetizer to the summer season. It's like the pregame to the main event, a delicious culinary overture, setting the stage for a mind-blowing symphony of flavors. The feast of the summer is just around the corner, ready to satisfy your cravings and make your taste buds sing like a choir of angels. We’re kicking summer off with 15 blocks of food vendors in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC’s ultimate rib showdown, and the return of the barbacoa queen for this week’s Must-Eats. It's time to unleash your inner food warrior and conquer the epic saga of summer eating. May the forks be with you!

As always, this article is just a small taste of the pop-ups and drops you can find in the 8it app. Hit the green button at the bottom of this article to explore the 8it app.

Ninth Avenue Food Festival
Hell’s Kitchen // 5.20 & 5.21

A celebrated gastronomic extravaganza that has stood the test of time returns to Hell’s Kitchen this weekend. Thankfully a couple blocks removed from Times Square, the annual Ninth Avenue Food Festival promises a global tapestry of flavors and enticing aromas that reflect NYC’s diversity, from Brazilian churrasco to Taiwanese street food. With fifteen blocks of vendors to choose from spanning 42nd to 57th streets, you might feel spoiled for choice, so we suggest you follow your nose to the aroma that tantalizes you the most. Find all the info in the 💥 Pop-ups category on the 8it app.

Rib King NYC
Sunset Park // 5.27

15 of the biggest names in the NYC barbecue game will compete for the Rib King of NYC title next Saturday at Industry City. You’ll be able to taste each competitors offerings at this ceremony of rib superiority. The dark horse of the competition is Thai eatery Zabb Putawn of the Upper East Side, who scored the Best Dish award at Brisket King last month and wowed us with a heavily-spiced, aromatic Thai sausage at Pig Island last September. They will highlight the diversity of flavors amongst New York City pitmasters along with Filipino-influenced SmoKing of Meats, Smoke Sweats’ Maltese inspiration, and the Dominican flavors of Bark Barbecue. Find all the info in the 💥 Pop-ups category on the 8it app.

South Philly Barbacoa
Chelsea // 5.22-5.27

James Beard’s 2022 Best Chef of the Mid-Atlantic Cristina Martinez of South Philly Barbacoa, who made a compelling case for the best tacos in NYC during her residence at Nimbus earlier this year, is back in NYC for a residency at Platform by JBF inside the newly opened Market 57 next week. This is a chance to eat and learn from a living legend who additionally brings a thoughtful and valuable perspective to food. Events during the residency will include a tortilla workshop and conversation about the politics and significance of corn in Mexico, Martinez’s personal recipes, a dinner celebrating her restaurant, a collab dinner with Shola Olunloyo of Philadelphia’s Studio Kitchen, and a taco party/tortilla workshop for kids and teens. Find all the info in the 💥 Pop-ups category on the 8it app.

Ha’s Dac Biet
Williamsburg // 5.26-5.28

One of the most-hyped pop-ups in NYC, specializing in Vietnamese flavors, Ha’s Dac Biet, will be taking over the kitchen at The Four Horsemen in Williamsburg next weekend. A hoard of NYC pop-up fiends could already sense the fish sauce and booked up reservations for the three-day residency. There will, however, be space at the bar for walk-ins. The menu, which is subject to change, may or may not include fried little fish, fluke crudo, sesame chili eggplant, a tartlet of blood sausage, an omelette souffle, squid, pork cheek stew, coconut affogato, and a strawberry and custard tart. Find all the info in the 💥 Pop-ups category on the 8it app.

The Neapolitan
NoHo, Downtown Brooklyn // Available all May

Just in time to celebrate S.S.C Napoli’s first Italian league title in 33 years, the typical lunch from the “City of Miracles” has landed here in NYC at Panineria for the month of May. Naples is known for making rustic cuisine stylish and you can hardly utter a sentence about Europe’s densest city without mentioning its food. Lifting this semolina stuffed with Italian sausage, smoked mozzarella, and Neapolitan-style broccoli rabe up to your mouth for a bite will feel like lifting the Serie A crown at the Stadio Diego Maradona as Napoli did two weeks ago. Find all the info about this dish in the 🧨 Drops category on the 8it app.

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