Food halls may be the big culinary trend in SoCal these days, with downtown L.A.’s Grand Central Market and the Anaheim Packing House leading the way. But Orange County’s most recent entry puts a new twist on the concept: 4th Street Market, in downtown Santa Ana, is more small-business incubator than simple food court. Popular local food trucks like Dos Chinos, known for its Latin-Asian fusion food, get to dip their chopsticks into the brick-and-mortar world—with minimal risk. Celebrity chefs like Jason Quinn, owner of the gastropub Playground, can test a new concept like khao soi specialist Noodle Tramp. Food makers just starting out can use one of the 10 on-site commercial kitchens to develop a product, which could end up in the Honor Roll Community Market that anchors the hall. And visitors can watch the culinary action in the kitchens, take their lunch to a sidewalk table along busy Fourth Street, or settle in with a craft beer or cocktail from the hall’s bar, Recess Libations, out on the sunny back patio.
Food halls may be the big culinary trend in SoCal these days, with downtown L.A.’s Grand Central Market and the Anaheim Packing House leading the way. But Orange County’s most recent entry puts a new twist on the concept: 4th Street Market, in downtown Santa Ana, is more small-business incubator than simple food court. Popular local food trucks like Dos Chinos, known for its Latin-Asian fusion food, get to dip their chopsticks into the brick-and-mortar world—with minimal risk. Celebrity chefs like Jason Quinn, owner of the gastropub Playground, can test a new concept like khao soi specialist Noodle Tramp. Food makers just starting out can use one of the 10 on-site commercial kitchens to develop a product, which could end up in the Honor Roll Community Market that anchors the hall. And visitors can watch the culinary action in the kitchens, take their lunch to a sidewalk table along busy Fourth Street, or settle in with a craft beer or cocktail from the hall’s bar, Recess Libations, out on the sunny back patio.
