What to Know

  • Smorgasburg LA
  • Most Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • ROW DTLA
  • Free admission; free two-hour parking
  • Ice Cream Alley, a beloved summertime pop-up, returns to the market for its 2025 engagement July 6
  • Find a host of zingy ice creams and cold treats each Sunday from July 6-Aug. 31

Hot dogs have been the talked-about, on-trend superstar over the first few days of July, what with the grilling and the cookouts and the picnics and the barbecues and the general holiday snacking.

But pause here to stow the mustard, stash the relish, and stick the ketchup back in the refrigerator (if, yes, you walk the ketchup-on-hot-dogs road): Another summer superstar is ready to add tastebud-tempting joy to July.

It’s ice cream, an enduring meal-ender that has its day in the sun, or make that Sunday, at Smorgasburg LA.

The most-every-Sunday food market is the playful place to find a playful array of imaginative ice creams each and every Sunday over two tempting months each year.

That’s all starting July 6 when Ice Cream Alley returns to the outdoor event, which unfurls in grand and gourmet style at ROW DTLA in the Arts District.

The 626 Hospitality Group, a “chef-driven soft serve shop,” will have a host of goodies during the 2025 engagement including a Summer Corn Latte with Summer Corn ice cream (“robust cold brew and grilled corn milk” offer kick to the libation).

Paletas are among the flavorful and fruitful favorites at Mateo’s Ice Cream & Fruit Bars — cucumber with chile will be among the appetizing confections — while Lefty Gelateria has “mini” sundaes rocking dates and pecans, a timeless twosome.

Pampas Heladas Argentino, Sad Girl Creamery, Moom Maam Thai Gelato, and the shaved ice of Bernie’s are among the creamy and dreamy 2025 vendors.

There are savory booths, too, as always, if you’d like to have a hearty meal before making an ice cream stand your final stop.

We did call ice cream an “enduring meal-ender” earlier, and for many people dessert still comes last.

But if Ice Cream Alley is your sole reason for a Smorgasburg LA visit, that also feels sweet; after all, the chill-out, cone-topping icon reaches its palate-pleasing peak when another peak occurs: The peaking of temperatures in the heart of summer.

That starts now, which makes the return of Ice Cream Alley so welcome.