It’s another year, and we are back again at one of our favorite foodie events of the year –the Emporiyum in Union Market. This is one of those events where you will leave a few pounds heavier and happier because it’s all worth it. Everything a hungry nomster might want is all under one roof, everything from savory to sweet with new flavors. Seeing some familiar vendors from last year and, even better, several new ones was great. It would be best to come hungry and eager to try new and excellent food from Union Market, local restaurants, and out-of-state vendors. Also, make sure to check and read our other Emporiyum reviews.
Emporiyum sells different kinds of tickets for other time slots. We highly recommend going with VIP at 10:00 am because it’s early enough that you can go on an empty stomach. Plus, you get to skip the long line to eat much earlier with shorter lines. Most people tend to go at 11:00 am or even later, which, trust us, means longer lines. Emporiyum is a popular event, and it can get wildly packed.
Buns @ BundUp
We went all buns for some Buns from BundUp during the Emporiyum. We saw people walk around with plates of these beautiful buns and knew we must have them. We were excited to try this place for the first time, and now we are in love. We almost ate the entire box in one bite! There’s no reason to settle for just one bun, as three come with one order. The Pork Belly Bun was our favorite, but we also enjoyed the Miso Chicken Bun and Korean Sweet Potato Bun.
Fried Chicken Waffles @ Iron Made
We like our Chicken and Waffles like we like our men – iron-made! We have to admit that the hunky, big-armed men at the stand during Emporiyum first caught our eye.
What makes these waffles iconic? We don’t know, but maybe it has something to do with the unique ingredients, including bacon and Nutella. Those flavors worked to capture our hungry taste buds. The waffle was soft with a crunchy exterior, complementing the well-prepared chicken.
Dead Pool Whoopie @ Little Miss Whoopie
We can’t pass up a superhero-themed Little Miss Whoopie. It’s all about the nerd pride here, and what a great way to celebrate it, if not with the Deadpool Whoopie ice cream sandwich. What makes this a Deadpool-themed dessert? It’s probably the banana and spiced buttercream — tasty, delicious with a kick, and not too sweet, just like Deadpool. The preparation alone was fun to watch as everything was made right in front of your eyes.
Taiwanese Fried Chicken @ Maketto
Fried chicken, you say? Well, I don’t mind if we order some. Maketto brings us their take on Taiwanese fried chicken. It might be just us, but the Taiwanese version is way better than most American fried chicken. It’s just so much softer and juicier! It has to do with the little bit of fat left on the chicken and the combination of crunchy breading with sauce. We loved the addition of some fried crispy onions, coleslaw, and smoked salmon flakes. Maketto left a good impression on us with this dish. Now we know this Cambodian and Taiwanese restaurant is a must-try for our future nomnom adventures.
Brisket Chili Frito Pie @ Republic Cantina
Our next Emporiyum stop was an interesting and unknown-to-us dish from the Republic Cantina – Brisket Chili Frito Pie. We should have known about this dish before; it’s time to nomnom learn. It’s an entire bag of Fritos opened and covered with chili, cheese, guac, and more. Let’s say that our taste buds were very interested in trying this. This is a dish if you are into chips, chili, and messy food. Unfortunately, while we enjoyed the nice crunch and kick, this didn’t capture our taste buds.
Ramen Burger
OMG, we are so excited to finally try a Ramen Burger, especially from the original Ramen Burger by Keizo Shimamoto. We’re unsurprised that these are at Emporiyum, where all the incredible food places come from. The Ramen Burger is exactly what you see: ramen noodles and a burger combined into one great dish. Do we love the concepts? Yes, it combines two of our favorite things. Did we love this? We enjoyed this dish but felt it was not as great as our taste buds expected. Overall, the ramen noodles overpowered and dominated the flavor. We realize that the ramen burger was more of a tasting size so that an entire thing might come with a larger meat piece. You know us – we are all into a thick and juicy piece of meat in our mouths.
Blue Jasmine Bubble Tea @ Spot of Tea
Bubble tea is taking over the D.C. area, and Spot of Tea represents Emporiyum with its tasty Blue Jasmine Bubble Tea. We were delighted they offered tasting samples of each one, and we decided to go with something new for us. Blue Jasmine was great, and we loved the first sip. It was very light and not too sweet.
Quinoa Snacks @ Undercover Quinoa
Are you looking for a healthy snack but still want to enjoy sweets? Then, Undercover Quinoa is just for you with its low-sugar and gluten-free quinoa chocolate snacks. These are perfect for those moments when you are craving a snack. We got two packs for a test: the Milk Chocolate Currants and Dark Chocolate with Seeds. Both were great, and we couldn’t pick a favorite. Regardless of your choice, it will be nomnom.
Okonomiyaki @ Uzu 9
We are excited to see Uzu back for another Emporiyum with their super-nom Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a savory veggie pancake from Japan if you haven’t read last year’s review. So far, we only know of Uzu, which serves this fantastic dish in the D.C. area. We love the thick yet soft pancake with a sauce and smoked salmon flakes. Plus, they remembered us from last year! We always make a memorable impression.
Bourbon Pecan Pie @ Whisked
OMG, that Bourbon Pecan Pie from Whisked looks fantastic! I wish they had some samples to taste because pecan pie is our favorite pie. It looks terrific, so we had to feature it on our Emporiyum nomnom list.
Cookies @ Whisked
COOKIES!!! We can’t pass up cookies and Whisked fed us some delicious ones. There are so many choices; you might as well taste them all! We especially loved the Raisins and Macadamia White Chocolate Cookies.
Moscow Mule @ Republic Restoratives Distillery
After eating so much food, we had to end it with some alcohol. We tried the Moscow Mule with Civic Vodka from Republic Restoratives. Ah, it hit the spot and made us happy. It was even more fun when the person pouring our drinks recognized us from another event. We just had to take a selfie together. We can’t wait to attend one of their tasting rooms and distillery tours at Republic Restoratives.
