San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Roasted corn to birria: This flea market has it all
It took just one interaction at the Antioch Flea Market to sell me on why it’s a special place.
I was sampling Lee’s Chinese Food & American Food when a man in a purple tracksuit and white Kangol hat started talking to me. DJ Robert proudly showed me his morning’s finds — a crisp new baseball glove and ornaments depicting the nativity scene — and excitedly told me about all the other Bay Area flea markets he frequents. Then he filled his white Styrofoam plate full of chow mein with sambal chile paste and disappeared into the bustling market.
In my family, flea markets — we called them swap meets — were a big deal. Obviously they were places to get stuff for cheap, but more importantly, they offered a fun free activity: a chance to walk around and windowshop. As I got older, though, I took them for granted, and eventually stopped going altogether.
But those memories came rushing back when I visited the Antioch Flea Market, though it differs from the swap meets of my youth. For one thing, it does a better job of integrating food vendors into the usual market experience. You can sing karaoke, browse anime memorabilia or take children to ride the small train, then feast on an array of great food and drink: a mountain of chow mein and barbecue pork skewers; Tijuana-style birria; fresh produce; roasted corn and garbanzos; cheesy pupusas; Jalisco-style tejuino and Zacatecas-style gorditas, all in one place.
That might not sound novel; many farmers’ markets offer a similar dining experience. The difference here is the vibe and the clientele — the crowd at the Antioch pulga (flea) is almost entirely Latino. And I’d venture to say that this collection of food and drink doesn’t exist in any farmers’ market, and the pretentiousness often encountered at farmers’ markets is nowhere to be found. Most of the Antioch vendors don’t have a social media presence; many have been coming to the market since they were young, like Michel Escobar, who owns an anime memorabilia shop, and Uzziel Rojas, who owns
birria stand OG Tacos.
The market didn’t always offer food the way it does now. It has evolved over its almost 20 years into a weekly event offering several cuisines and activities, and makes changes regularly to engage the community’s interests. According to market manager Mayra Gallardo, it’s more popular now than before the pandemic.
“It’s expanded more: there’s more people, more variety, snacks, drinks,” says Gallardo. “We’re almost to the point of being completely full, but we can expand if needed.”
Every Saturday purveyors of food and goods set up their shops as early as 6:30 a.m. at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds. By 11 a.m., the market reaches its rush hour and stalls are filled with strolling customers. Parking is free in an adjacent lot, but it fills up quickly and traffic swells around the site.
Walking on the gravel floor, the sun beating down on my skull, I felt suddenly transported to those swap meets 20 years in the past. There’s a universality to the flea market experience; even though each one offers something unique, going to one can feel like going to another. But the Antioch Flea Market is a special place because it has retained its charm while centering its surrounding community.
I never did see DJ Robert again, and I like to think that he appears only on your first visit, like a magical unicorn in a purple tracksuit.
These are some of my favorite things to eat at the Antioch Flea Market.
At Mary’s Roasted Corn, the go-to is the esquite, or corn in a cup, above.
Mary’s Roasted Corn
On a toasty, sunny day, the ideal way to tackle the flea market is with an agua fresca in one hand and an esquite, corn in a cup, in the other. Head to Mary’s Roasted Corn, which has stands along the southern edge and in the middle of the market. The snack and drink stand was started by Maricela Calderon, who began selling roasted corn ($6 and $10, depending on size) about 10 years ago. On warmer days, her stands also offer a roster of colorful aguas frescas: horchata, strawberry, cucumber-lime and mango. But the most popular item is the corn in a cup. It is layered with charred corn, mayo, cotija cheese, chile dust, butter and optional lime. The roasting adds depth of flavor, infusing each kernel with smokiness. Grab a snack and a drink to wake up your appetite as you peruse the market. Cash only.