ATLGuide
What To Eat During One Musicfest
photo credit: One Musicfest
When it comes to satisfying diverse music tastes, few events hit the spot like One Musicfest does in Atlanta. But if you think the festival's choices stop with the classic hip-hop and new-school soul performances, just wait until you see what OMF organizers have cooked up with their impressive lineup of food trucks. While more than 30 popular local restaurants and tasty out-of-town options await guests, the following are the vendors we suggest standing in line for, even if it means missing the first couple of minutes of a favorite artist’s set.
THE SPOTS
The salmon philly quesadilla at this Lowery Boulevard restaurant is one of our favorite hand-held meals in the city. If this Local Green favorite is on the food truck, grab one (and some of that tangy Liquid Gold sauce) to find yourself eating good and being mobile at the same damn time.
photo credit: Mhandy Gerard
Lots of folks know how Gocha’s gets down every morning at its Cascade restaurant. Though we understand if the chicken and waffles, steak skillet, and Cajun creole seafood dish aren’t quite as eye-catching on the truck, we fully expect the flavors to pop just the same.
Festival goers clutching green and yellow Chinese takeout containers and the strong aroma of wok-fired noodles can only mean one thing: Island Noodles is nearby. It’s our go-to festival food when we wanna feel full without slipping into a greasy food coma (because we need to be fully functioning during Kendrick’s set). And these containers are stuffed to the brim, overflowing even, with tasty, soy-drenched soba noodles, broccoli, peppers, and snap peas.
photo credit: Courtesy of One Musicfest
Operation Mini Donuts
Don’t wait until you see someone else walking around with a plastic pail filled with the mini fried donuts, head here before the word gets out around the festival. And it will because Operation Mini Donuts was easily our favorite OMF dessert last year. These little circular joys are served hot, and you can get them dusted in powdered or cinnamon sugar and drizzled with caramel, chocolate, or other toppings.
The thing with Irie Mon is that you’ll need to be strategic about when you order from them. Be smart when you get their delicious (but kinda heavy) jerk chicken or oxtails. Because if you don’t eat during a lull in the show schedule, you could find yourself somewhere under a Piedmont Park tree knocked out during your favorite act’s set.
photo credit: Courtesy of Goodness Gracious BBQ
Goodness Gracious BBQ
If you’ve ever seen the Goodness Gracious truck posted up in a shopping center in Ellenwood Georgia, then you know the deal. And that deal is a massive platter of tasty smoked ribs, grilled salmon, or fried shrimp that gives you a good bang for your buck. Fries help sop up their sweet, tangy barbecue sauce and make this platter meal hit harder than a Dj Toomp set.
Soul Vegetarian has been a vegan fixture in the A since the early ’80s—well before “plant-based” was a buzzword and “HotLanta” was retired as a city nickname. So this classic establishment should absolutely be your main stop if you’re looking for fresh juice and meat-free dishes like their famous spinach wraps and mac and cheese.
It’ll be hard to miss Tres Jardines—between their vibrant red and green truck and the inevitable line that’s going to form when folks double back for another helping of spiced barbacoa tacos. For a meal that’s easier to walk with, pick up a torta packed with your choice of meat and melty cheese. All items can also be made vegetarian with a mushroom, pepper, onion, and squash medley. Just omit the black beans, which are always cooked with pork.
photo credit: 2 Girls & a Cookshop
2 Girls & A Cookshop Jamaican Tacos
A Janet Jackson-Kendrick Lamar “Poetic Justice” duet would be dope at OMF, but we’ll happily take this NYC restaurant’s Jamaican-Mexican options as a mash-up consolation prize. From what we can tell of their national TV show appearances and pictures we’ve seen of the jerk chicken tacos and fish burritos, their dishes are the kind of food we can get down with anytime, anyplace.
photo credit: Courtesy of One Musicfest
Nouveau Bar & Grill
The menu at Nouveau’s College Park and Jonesboro locations jumps around from lamb chops and crab cakes to churros. While we’re not 100 percent sure how much their mobile kitchen will have to pare down for the weekend, we’re almost certain it won’t be your typical festival fare—hell, maybe they'll pull out their famous martini glasses filled with delicious shrimp and grits.
