Fun visit to 626 Night Market reveals power of food, culture
626 Night Market made its return for the second weekend out of four to Santa Anita Park for nights full of food, drinks, music and art.
Drawing nearly 100,000 attendees each weekend, 626 Night Market continues to serve as a celebration of the cultural diversity of the San Gabriel Valley and a tribute to the night markets of Asia.
Founded by Jonny C. Hwang, a Taiwanese American reared in Southern California, 626 Night Market was most notably inspired by the Shilin Night Market in Taipei, one of the most famous night markets in Taiwan.
Night markets in Asia date back to the Tang Dynasty in medieval China. However, the more modern night markets trace their roots back to the 1960s. In Taiwan, cheap toys, clothes and makeup were sold at night markets in mass amounts, along with “xiaochi,” or small eats.
Since 2012 (with the exception of 2020), the open-air night market has continued to attract crowds from Southern California for its diverse lineup of food, entertainment and merchandise.
Attendees flock to 626 each year for various street food and drinks, including some that have gone viral on the internet: the refillable baby bottle drinks from Sunday Cafe, ramen tacos, All Things Ube desserts and more.
For my family and I, it has been a yearly tradition since 2017; a night full of delicious eating and music spun by local DJs.
Lines are typically about 15-30 minutes long, depending on each vendor, with some accepting only cash. Open from 4 p.m. to noon, 626 Night Market typically becomes most busy when the sun goes down, so attendees can avoid the heat and enjoy the nighttime atmosphere of the market.
Walking through the entrance, attendees are greeted with a mix of aromas, live music and smoke from grills.
Though it may appear overwhelming at first because of the sheer amount of options, attendees enjoy their time making their rounds through the market before settling on the ones that caught their attention, or until they found the ones they came to the market for.
Of the wide selection of food we could choose from, my family and I settled on these vendors throughout the night: Uncle Tea for the boba; Magik Milk for our lactose-intolerant family members who wanted milk-tea boba; All Things Ube for, obviously, all things ube; Yakitori Yado, which specializes in skewered chicken with mochi; Takoyaki Tanota for its savory, bite-sized Japanese snacks; and pork belly buns from Tao's Bao. All hailing from local regions, the vendors of 626 Night Market reflect the multicultural and diverse regions of Southern California.
From Uncle Tea Boba, a bubble tea store in West Covina, I ordered an iced watermelon mojito tea with honey boba for $7. It was the most refreshing accompaniment to the loads of food I would have next.
From Yakitori Yado, I had two of the chicken skewers, with a “mo
chi surprise,” as their Instagram site describes it, for $12. I shared the bitesized takoyaki from Takoyaki Tanota with my parents, one of our favorite Japanese cuisines, an essence of the street food market atmosphere of 626.
With my cousin, Jacey Lozada, we ordered each of the three pork-belly bun options from Tao's Bao, a local food stand that debuted at 626 Night Market for $20. To end the night, my family and I ordered desserts from All Things Ube, with desserts infused with a purple yam that is common in many Filipino desserts.
As a Filipina, I was impressed and extremely satisfied with the selection of ube desserts I tried, including the brownie, mochi cake and cheesecake bite.
Overall, 626 Night Market reminds me of the ways in which food invites us to learn more about the great diversity of the San Gabriel Valley and Southern California as a whole.
Food bonds us. Food creates lasting memories with friends and family. Food reveals in itself a history of its own. It tells the story of those that make the food and the cultures that they are attached to. Food eventually becomes a part of our stories.
626 Night Market is not only a night of festivities and good food, but a night that reminds us that cultural diversity is something that is always worth celebrating.
The 626 Night Market will return to Arcadia Aug. 26-28 and Sept. 3-5, from 4 p.m. to noon. Tickets are $5 presale and $6 on the day of the event. Children 3 and younger are admitted free.