NYC Street Vendors

A visual love letter to the food carts, market stalls, and sidewalk entrepreneurs that give New York City its flavor, grit, and humanity. From halal trucks in Queens to mango stands in the Bronx, churro sellers in Brooklyn to taco bikes in Manhattan, NYC Street Vendors features over 150 of the city’s most beloved curbside operations. Illustrator Joel Holland captures the soul of New York’s informal economy through bold, expressive drawings which are paired with insightful, engaging text penned by local writer David Dodge. Building on the success of the duo’s earlier books, which covered storefronts in Manhattan and Brooklyn, this volume shifts focus to the vibrant community of rolling kitchens, pop-up stands, and independent sellers. Alongside longtime fixtures like NY Dosas, Mister Softee, and the Arepa Lady, readers will discover Japanese musubi carts, knife-sharpening trucks, Jamaican jerk vendors, mobile bookstores, and bustling hubs like the Union Square Greenmarket. Many of the entrepreneurs featured are immigrants whose work has helped shape the cultural fabric of the five boroughs—making the project a powerful reminder of the essential role they play in New York’s identity.