Do you remember the 22nd night of September?! For Los Angelenos, Sept. 22 was the kick-off of the ultimate food-filled weekend at the Los Angeles Times‘ highly-acclaimed, three-day event, Night Market, during the LA Food Bowl. All five senses were activated during Night Market. From hearing the sound of people crunching on delectable tacos during “Fiesta Friday,” to an explosion of mouthwatering tastes during “Saturday Night Flavor” and the touch of a good ‘ol burger in your hand during Sunday’s “Backlot Brunch,” this year’s Night Market was yet another grand success!

The Los Angeles Times‘ LA Food Bowl was back and better than ever and, of course, foodies couldn’t wait for Night Market to commence and bring all of its food glory. Night Market took over the Paramount Pictures Studios Backlot with none other than the iconic Danny Trejo for the first day on Sept. 22. “Fiesta Friday” featured a spectacular, live cooking demo with entertainment and food mogul Danny Trejo teaching attendees how to make beef barbacoa tacos and fresh guacamole. If you’ve ever been to Trejo’s Cantina (and then topped off your meal with some Trejo’s Donuts for dessert), you know that Danny Trejo knows what he’s doing when it comes to food. During his live chef demonstration at Night Market, Trejo even revealed his secret ingredient for the best guacamole and it’s…pickled jalapeños!

Guests certainly had some Friday night fun at Night Market and enjoyed great bites from top-rated restaurants including A’s BBQ, Alfalfa, Anajak Thai, Awan, Bake Some Noise, Belles Beach House, Blue Plate Oysterette, Bridgetown Roti, Broad Street Oyster Co., By-You Dogg, Caviar Kaspia, Chichén Itzá, Coucou, Dino’s Famous Chicken, Dulanville Food Truck, East Side Cheesecakes, El Barrio Cantina, El Ruso, Evil Cooks, Farmhouse Kitchen, Fishing with Dynamite, Ggiata, Guelaguetza, Heavy Handed, Holbox, I Love Micheladas, Ilé Bistro, Kogi BBQ, L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, LA Cha Cha Chá, La Sorted’s Pizza, Love Hour, Love.Life, Luv2eat Thai Bistro, Maple Block Chicken, Mini Kabob, Mírate, Moto Ramen, Nossa Caipirinha Bar,  Paradise Dynasty, Park’s BBQ, Puesto, Ronan, Soulmate, Tacos 1986, Tallula’s, Villa’s Tacos and Wanderlust Creamery.

The night also featured a terrific, cooking demonstration from restaurateur, writer and co-owner of Guelaguetza, Bricia Lopez.

Day 1 of Night Market ended with a bang, but that only meant that the excitement was just getting started! Two more days of Night Market still awaited. Day 2 of Night Market saw attendees ready to munch on some global cuisine from restaurants including 626 Hospitality Group, Amiga Amore, Awan, Bake Some Noise, Blue Plate Oysterette, Botanica, Broad Street Oyster Co., By-You Dogg, Cabra, Camphor, Caviar Kaspia, Chao Krung Thai & Tuk Tuk Thai, Chimmelier, Dino’s Famous Chicken, Dulanville Food Truck, East Side Cheesecakes, El Ruso, Evil Cooks, Farmhouse Kitchen, Genghis Cohen, Girl & the Goat, Hamasaku, Holbox, Holy Basil, Ilé Bistro, Intercrew LA, Kato, Kinn, L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, Le Coupé, Loreto, Love.Life, Lunetta, Luv2eat Thai Bistro, n/soto, Open Market, Osteria Mamma, Paradise Dynasty, Poncho’s Tlayudas, Salt & Straw, Sichuan Impression, Stella, Stellar Pizza, STK Steakhouse, Sunday Gravy, Tacos 1986, The Brothers Sushi, Villa’s Tacos and Xuntos.

The spectacular night featured not just one, but several, live cooking demonstrations. Guests got to see incredibly entertaining demonstrations from Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn (Le Du, Bangkok), Justin Pichetrungsi (Anajak Thai), Ahmad Alzahabi (The Golden Balance), Nick DiGiovanni (YouTube, MasterChef) and Food Network’s Aarti Sequeira (Unwind: A Devotional Cookbook for the Harried and Hungry).

The final day of Night Market brought food enthusiasts together for a lovely Sunday brunch. From barbecue to burgers, the “Backlot Brunch” event was the perfect way to end off a wondrous LA Food Bowl. Day 3 invited actress and Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers author Tiffani Thiessen for a live cooking demonstration. Timothy Hollingsworth (Otium) and Marcus Samuelsson (Red Rooster, Hav & Mar) also took on the LA Food Bowl Night Market stage for outstanding demonstrations. 

Restaurants including Alfalfa, Awan, Bake Some Noise, Bridgetown Roti, Brique French Toastery, Broad Street Oyster Co., By-You Dogg, Caviar Kaspia, De La Nonna, Di Di, Ditroit Taqueria, Dulanville Food Truck, El Ruso, Farmhouse Kitchen, Goodboybob Coffee Roasters, Guzzu Bento-ya, Happy Ice, Heritage Barbecue, Holey Grail Donuts, Ilé Bistro, Jitlada, L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, La Sorted’s Pizza, Le Shrimp Noodle Bar, Love.Life, Mírate, Mo’s House of Axe, Moo’s Craft Barbecue, Mozza Restaurant Group, Ospi, Jame, Jemma, Jemma di Mare, Paderia Bakehouse, Paloma Venice, Pasjoli, Pop’s Bagels, Prime Pizza, Ray’s BBQ, Rocco’s Deli Italiano, Saltie Girl, Slab, Stellar Pizza, Tacos 1986, The Brothers Sushi, Tulsi Indian Eatery, Turok’s Cheesecake and West & Co. all gave attendees a day to remember with bites of their tasty treats.

There’s a different kind of magic in the air when the LA Food Bowl comes around. The Los Angeles Times managed to make this year’s Night Market the best one yet. At every corner you turned at Night Market there was food, food and you guessed it…more food!

It’s impressive how well and thought-out the Los Angeles Times puts its LA Food Bowl events together. All of the effort that’s put into curating these events is truly evident–from the amazing, cooking demonstrations, to gathering the fan-favorite Los Angeles hotspot restaurants all together in one place, and making sure the event is safe and fun for all. September 2024 couldn’t come any sooner as we are already missing LA Food Bowl and all of its fun, foodie festivities!

AlexisJoyVIPAccess had a sensational time covering “Fiesta Friday” of Night Market at the LA Food Bowl. Check out my VIPAccessEXCLUSIVE interview with the legendary Danny Trejo below and find out what his favorite donut is from his Trejo’s Donuts shop. Also, take a look at more photos below for a full recap of the Night Market weekend.

For more on the Los Angeles Times‘ LA Food Bowl, follow @LAFoodBowl on social media and visit the official LA Food Bowl website here.

Photo Credits: L.A. Times Food Bowl Team