Viva La Comida 2017 – Food and Music Not To Be Missed

This coming weekend brings us one of Queens’ best cultural festivals, Viva La Comida, which takes place in Jackson Heights. There will be excellent food, drink, and music in the heart of one of America’s most diverse and wonderful neighborhoods. Head to 82nd Street on the 7 train this Saturday, September 16 from noon to 7pm.

This festival started in 2012 by local food writer Jeff Orlick, who worked with the 82nd Street Partnership to help make it happen. It’s a wonderful day of delicious things to taste and hear. Here’s a recap from 2013 I did on an old blog (RIP Harmonious Belly) and photos from the Viva La Comida organizers. Both give you an idea of all the fun and especially the street food you can expect.

Here are the expected street food vendors for this year:

• Arepa Lady—notable because she’s a superstar and a number of things are in flux for her. First, the building that has been home to her brick-and-mortar business at 77-02A Roosevelt Avenue is going to be razed for a mixed-use building, and she’s also decided to take a step back from her business. This is a great chance to support her and her family’s work. Plus, the arepas are some of the best you’ll have.
• D’Angelo’s Sausage and Peppers—exactly what it sounds like. These guys were here during the inaugural Viva La Comida.
• Mysttik Masaala—Indian, Tibetan, and Nepali food. We loved them when they’d hang out on Steinway Street.
• Mom’s Momo—Tibetan dumplings.
• Solber Pupusas—Salvadoran pupusas, also here the first year of Viva La Comida
• Mama Food—Xinjiang-style street food.
• Ricas Botanas—Churros!
• Chiflez—Ecuadorian and Peruvian food.
• El Pequeño—Ecuadorian bakery/breads and Tripa Mishqui (Ecuadorian-style roasted tripe).
• Oscar’s Chuzos & Elotes—Mexican-style shish kebabs and butted corn with cheese and chile.
• Piña Coladas by Rosa—“Piña coladas served right inside a fresh pineapple.”
• Chef Troy of Highline Ballroom—Jamaican food.
• Cotton Candy Truck—exactly what it sounds like.
• Kopi Kopi—Indonesian food and snacks.

Local restaurants will also offer tasty things to eat, and you can see the list here. But as you can see, the list above is full of a variety of amazing, interesting, and delicious food.

There will be plenty of good music, including Los Hacheros, Chia’s Dance Party, Sempiterno, Ed and Ben Polcer Swingtet, and DJ Michael Noonan. Puppets and art activities will be available for the kids. Here’s the schedule of entertainment for the day.

We really hope you get a chance to stop by and enjoy an afternoon in Jackson Heights. Seriously, the street food is some of the best in the city and it’s all in one place, right here in Queens. The music and entertainment is also awesome. What a great way to celebrate living in NYC’s best borough, Queens!