Came for the food, stayed for the view...
I biked down the Hudson River greenway on the west side to get to Market 57 food hall at Pier 57 in Manhattan, and the views were stunning from the moment I hopped on the bike and throughout my visit to the food hall.
The food hall is located inside a large, beautifully aesthetic modern building with open windows and a spacious floor plan. I went on a Sunday around 4:30pm and aside from a few specific, more narrow aisles, despite the slight crowd of people, it wasn't too hard to navigate around.
I had to do an entire figure eight walk around before deciding what to do order, because there were a good amount of different vendors to check out. They're all centralized in the same area, which made it a quick walkthrough.
After some debating, I started off with an Orange Creamsicle flavored milk tea at Local Roots. The flavor was on point and was absolutely DELICIOUS, I only wish I got more bang for my buck for the price I paid ($8 and some change before tip, for a small size with sub oat milk). I felt like it should have cost maybe $5 or $6 for that amount. But otherwise, I enjoyed it.
For my main course, I decided to get a taco from Mijo. I went with the pollo with mole. The mole sauce was decently tasty, but nothing special. They did give a good amount of meat which I appreciated, and for the price of $4 or $5 something plus change for their tacos, I thought it was well priced. Unfortunately, the taco itself was rather plain in both toppings and taste. They did offer four different sauces, and as someone who usually goes for a mild, mild-medium, or medium sauce, I personally found all of them to be too spicy, even their one with the least amount of spice.
My friend also ordered a taco there, as well as a Japanese style 3pc Fried Chicken Karaage ($12) with added sauce (+ $0.50 each) at Bessou. He felt the same way as I did about the taco. As for the chicken, he thought it was crispy and overall decent, but he didn't get much bang for his buck size wise and also wasn't much of a presentation.
Overall, we weren't too impressed with what we ordered unfortunately. However, there are so many more options to try at these food stands and others that it would be worth a second chance when I'm around, but nothing I'm going to go out of the way for as of now.
Hot tip: once you order, walk past the food hall and there are a good amount of standing tables and seating areas inside, or take it on the patio or the rooftop park outside!
What captivated us the most was the view from Pier 57's multi-level Rooftop Park. With a beautiful, panoramic skyline view, including a view of Little Island, it's perfect for taking pictures and just relaxing. We were there at sunset, which made for an even more picturesque moment. If you're looking for a great photo op, this is a spot I'd recommend! read more