Life
I know, I know — the point of Coachella is the music. But I’m not going to lie: If I were ever to go, I would be going to Coachella for the food. Never has this been more apparent to me than it was after I read the food vendor lineup for the 2018 Coachella festival, which was announced on Tuesday; while perusing the somewhat overwhelming list, all I could think was, “Beyonce? Haim? Cardi B? I mean, sure, they’re great and all… but show me a rolled ice cream taco and I am there.”
Coachella has been taking place annually since 1999. Interestingly, although the festival is generally held in the spring, the very first one took place in October. In 2018, though, it’s continuing the spring tradition; in fact, it all kicks off soon: The festival runs from April 13 to April 22 this year, and folks who find music festivals to be Their Thing generally can’t wait.
Music festivals are not generally my thing — but outrageous food is, which is why I’m having so much fun perusing the recently released vendor lineup. And what’s more, as one explores the admittedly somewhat overwhelming Eat and Drink page on the Coachella website, something rapidly becomes clear: Food Instagram is going to be on fire during Coachella this year.
More than 100 vendors will be on site serving every kind of food you can imagine; what’s more, a wide variety of experiences will be available, from good old-fashioned food trucks to chi-chi sit-down meals. I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be seeing a lot of artfully shot food pictures emerging from this year’s festival; I only hope those snapping them remember to actually, y’know, enjoy the food from a gustatory perspective, too.
Here are 13 of the most Instagrammable options that will be available at Coachella this year; head on over to the Coachella website for more.
1
Seabirds Kitchen
Vegan joint Seabirds Kitchen began life as a food truck in 2010; since then, they’ve expanded into a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Costa Mesa. The name of the game here is tacos — namely, fried avocado tacos. Seabirds certainly knows how to appeal to the millennial heart.
2
Little Damage
There are a whopping 15 ice cream vendors listed on the Coachella website — so many that they’ve actually got their own category. Little Damage, however, looks to be a standout; based in downtown LA, they describe their menu and philosophy as follows: “Rather than offering a conventional selection, we offer unique recipes that allow you to step outside of your comfort zone and get a little adventurous.” And, wouldn’t you know it? Those “unique recipes” include the charcoal soft serve that’s currently taking the world by storm.
3
Backyard Bowls
Confession: I have never actually consumed an acai bowl. They look delicious, though, and Santa Barbara spot Backyard Bowls appears to make particularly pretty ones. I would imagine that bowl-based foods are good picks for festival goers; they’re easy to eat on the go and a lot less messy than something that requires a plate.
4
Go Get ‘Em Tiger Coffee
A sort of spinoff of G&B Coffee, Go Get ‘Em Tiger has two locations in Southern California: One in Larchmont, and one in Los Feliz. Their cold brew will likely be the thing to try at Coachella; you’re going to need something cool and caffeinated to keep you going, right?
5
Wingman Kitchen
Santa Ana-based Wingman Kitchen is an Asian American fried chicken restaurant that offers some truly Instagrammable wings and sandwiches — and at Coachella, they’re busting out the big guns: Puffle cones filled with popcorn chicken.
6
Ridges Churro Bar
Fruity Pebble-covered churros buried deep in a bowl of melt-y soft serve? YES PLEASE. Ridges doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar location — it’s purely truck-based — so they’re likely well-suited to the festival circuit.
7
HiHo Cheeseburger
The HiHo menu is pretty bare bones, but with Wagyu beef taking up an honored spot as the star of the show… well, that’s all you need for a fantastic burger. They’re located in Santa Monica, if you want to check them out before Coachella actually starts.
8
Sweet Rolled Tacos
Rolled ice cream is fascinating enough on its own, but stick it inside a taco shell-shaped waffle cone and, well… it doesn’t get much better than an ice cream taco. Flavors offered by this Garden Grove shop previously known as Sweet Cup include Rainbow Road and Vietnamese Coffee.
9
Pizzanista!
Pizzanista! has hands-down the weirdest thing I have seen on the Coachella menu: Mac and cheese-topped pizza. To be fair, I am aware that baked ziti pizza is a thing, so it’s not that I’m surprised by the pasta-on-pizza thing; it’s just that… I don’t know, folks. I just… never thought I would see these two things come together. And yet, they have — and you’ll be able to get this monstrous lovechild at Coachella.
10
Mallow Mallow
You had me at “hand-crafted s’mores.” Appropriately, Mallow Mallow was dreamed up by a couple of friends sitting around a campfire together in 2013; now, they offer everything from a classic chocolate-marshmallow-graham-cracker treat to one that incorporates a “bourbon bacon mallow.”
11
Sweetfin
Poke has spread far and wide now, but the first time I encountered it was definitely in Southern California. Sweetfin is probably the most recognizable name in the poke game there is, so of course they’ll be at Coachella.
12
Milk Box
Bubble tea fan? Good news: You’ll be able to get your fix at the festival with Milk Box. Is that two-toned treat ‘grammable or what?
13
Sumo Dog
If you haven’t hopped on the ridiculous hot dog wagon yet, now is a terrific time to start. LA favorite Sumo Dog’s namesake dog includes pickled peppers, wasabi relish, spicy mayo, teriyaki sauce, minced onion, furikake, and kizami nori — and it’s delicious.
Here's the really ludacris thing, though: All of this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to the variety of eats and drinks available at Coachella this year. But it's ludacris in the best way, so if you're curious about what else you can expect to find (or, at the very least, what else you can expect to find occupying your Insta feed in the coming weeks), head here. Bon appetit!
