It’s a Wednesday afternoon. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, your stomach is growling. Luckily, the Union Street Farmers Market at Bo Diddley Community Plaza hosts a wide variety of vendors serving diverse, delectable treats to Gainesville locals from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Wednesday. Satisfy your cravings for everything from cold brew coffee to vegan pastries. Here are the top five vendors at the Union Street Farmers Market.
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Suki’s Guide to Kimbap Korean Sushi
Suki’s is by far the most unique vendor, cooking up delicious Korean sushi. This is not your ordinary sushi though. It is exotic and full of ingredients that are unlikely to go together in a regular meal, but Suki turns them into complementary flavors that will make your mouth water at every bite. While each item on the menu is popular, some crowd favorites include the Ojingeo Roll and zucchini pancakes. The Ojingeo Roll is a roll with spicy dried squid, pineapple, bok choy, pickled daikon and scrambled egg with scallions. It’s an unlikely flavor combination but so delicious, especially if you enjoy spicy foods. The zucchini pancakes are everything you could want in an afternoon snack: fried dough with hearty flavors, including zucchini, butter and garlic, topped with a tangy cream sauce. On top of all that, Suki is a warm, welcoming hostess who cares about her customers’ appetites!
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Vine
Did somebody say bread? If you’re looking to satisfy those carb cravings at the Farmers Market, check out Vine’s bread and pastries. Vine serves up sweet and savory goods such as chocolate chip cookies, guava and cheese croissants, chocolate croissants, cinnamon buns and jalapeno loaves of bread. The guava cheese croissant is buttery and stuffed with a sweet cream cheese and a tangy guava jam that goes perfectly with a cup of coffee. Vine also sells fresh organic pasta and organic sourdough bread. Its bread has a nice, firm crust with moist dough that would make for a delectable choice for sandwiches, charcuterie boards or just a late night snack to nibble on!
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Arepa Milko
Feeling some Hispanic food? Arepa Milko carries decadent choices of arepas, empanadas, croquetas and flan. The arepas are warm, flavorful and filled with mozzarella cheese that melts in your mouth. People standing in line for this vendor salivate just glancing at all the different options! A personal favorite is the ham, chicken and cheese croqueta, which is pureed chicken and ham tossed with cheese that gets stuffed in fried corn dough. It may clog your arteries with every bite, but it is worth it.
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Weaver’s Whimsy Farm
More of a snack person? Weaver’s Whimsy Farm offers tiny samples and large trays of of creative snacks, such as bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese and chocolate chip avocado cookies. Yes, there really are avocado cookies, and they are wonderful. The cookies specifically have so much flavor, because the avocado creates a more chewy, rich texture for the cookie which many prefer over a crunchy cookie. Weaver’s Whimsy Farm grows all of its ingredients on an organic farm, so everything is natural and not processed.
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Opus Coffee
In need of that afternoon fix? Opus Coffee serves up a variety of roasts and blends for each under-caffeinated customer. One of its most popular types of coffee is the nitro cold brew, a coffee brewed with nitrogen gas. Its roasts are strong and robust, and it offer a variety of creams and almond milk to add a hint of sweetness to your brew of choice.
Suki’s Guide to Kimbal Korean Sushi serves up dishes with off-the-wall flavor combinations that keep its customers coming back every Wednesday.
