Every year, at the beginning of November, a festive winter wonderland pops up in the Seaport. Snowport at the Boston Seaport features a range of activities including ice skating, the holiday market with over 100 vendors, and, best of all, cozy food stalls selling delicious food and drink. The 10,000-square-foot space will include an après-ski-themed lounge and jolly red Adirondack chairs, perfect for enjoying a holiday snack.
Kicking off Nov. 8, and running through Dec. 29, the Holiday Market at Snowport will be open seven days a week, and if you’re planning on visiting one of those days, we’ve done some research into what you should be eating and drinking. We prioritized dining with local vendors because we love eating local, and the participating vendors from Boston and greater New England are cooking up some real treats this year.
New to the market this year is local favorite Dumpling Daughter, which has restaurants in South Boston, Brookline, and Weston. Owner and founder Nadia Liu Spellman, whose parents ran the famous Sally Ling, tells us, “I love to bring people together through dumplings.” That’s exactly what her pop-up will serve, along with bao buns, which Spellman says “are the perfect handheld food.” Look for a variety of steamed and pan-fried dumplings and bao buns with the restaurant’s housemade sauces (the soy ginger is a must). Also new to the lineup this year are gourmet treats from the folks at The Half Cookie, who stuff their decadent cookies with candy, as well as Eloti, serving Mexican street corn and churros.
Returning favorites that should top your list are ZaZ Food Truck, whose owner, chef Olrie Roberts, told us that Snowport is “one of the highlights of the year for the business.” Zaz’s Caribbean-Asian fusion food is a must, and while the menu will change, Roberts says to expect “Thai-basil rice with jerk chicken, jerk chicken pasta, and one of last year’s favorites, lobster seafood fries. And we’re adding a dessert, with Caribbean flavoring.”
Another must in cold weather? Crepes from The Frenchman’s Crepes, whose owner Olivier Miller told the Globe, “This event brings out people like no other in Boston!” Frenchman’s will be serving sweet crepes, including “our most popular item, the Nutella crepe, La Chocolat,” says Miller, who also shared, “We are also really proud of our savory crepes, namely the Crepe Monsieur, our ham and cheese crepe, and our Salmon crepe, La Saumon, that we launched last year thanks in part to Boston Fish Co. right down the street from Snowport.”
More food vendors are returning with craveable eats, including Bluefin, with warming chowders, bisques, and lobster mac ‘n’ cheese; tacos (like barbacoa and chicken tinga) from North East of the Border; New Hampshire-based Cheese Louise, serving cozy grilled cheese; Pennypacker’s award-winning porchetta sandwiches; and for the vegetarians and vegans, plant-based sweet treats and vegan hot cocoa from Clarke’s Cakes & Cookies.
Fancy a holiday sip or two? Four bars will be ready to serve visitors: the Jingle Bar adorned in hundreds of bells; the Dizzy Dreidel decked with spinning dreidels; Betty’s Bar to honor Snowport’s official mascot, Betty the Yeti; and the Blizzard Bar covered in snow. Each bar will have a themed cocktail, such as the Rudolf Warm-up-Sip, made with peppermint liqueur and Irish cream and the Dizzy Eggnog Dizzy, made with coconut rum and dairy-free eggnog. You’ll find us sipping hot mulled cider from East Boston’s Downeast Cider, a warming winter treat made from fresh New England apple cider with toasted American oak, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Non-alcoholic drinks, including Sam Adams zero proof, will also be available.
The only thing anyone could ask for? “Expand the market for another month,” says chef Roberts. We think Betty the Yeti — and our stomachs — would approve.