
Courtesy of the Bourse
A meal from The Bourse in Philadelphia
By Rebecca Dalzell
Aug 1, 2018
From the September/October 2018 issue
Courtesy of Jeff Heron
The Grandview Public Market in West Palm Beach, Florida
Impeccably styled multivendor food halls are popping up from Philadelphia to West Palm Beach. These eight are worth seeking out.
A new breed of food hall has taken off in the United States over the past decade: a modern spin on the timeless European central market that pairs regional specialties with thoughtful design.
Unlike the generic food court of the past, it doubles as a neighborhood gathering place, where friends hang out around reclaimed-wood tables and linger past happy hour. Once confined to big coastal cities like New York, whose Chelsea Market anticipated the trend in 1997, food halls have recently entered the heartland, popping up in Boise, Omaha, and Raleigh. Although increasingly common—there will be 180 nationwide by the end of the year, up from 70 in 2015—each food hall is different, reflecting the community and local tastes. At a revamped brewery in St. Paul, one stall has a fruiting mushroom chamber; in Memphis, there’s a friendly market conceived by a retired nurse; Philly’s Bourse offers international snacks on a historic trading floor. Here are eight to check out around the country.
The Bourse
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Lyric Market
Houston
In the past decade, Houston’s Arts District has transformed from a drive-in, drive-out theater destination to a desirable neighborhood, spurred by residential development and a relatively new light rail line. Yet quality dining options have been slow to catch up. This winter, Lyric Market plans to change that by convening nationally recognized chefs as purveyors in a glass-and-aluminum box across from the Houston Ballet. The 20 stalls, with marble countertops and polished concrete floors, will reflect the city’s diversity—more than 145 languages are spoken in Houston—by selling imported foodstuffs; a rooftop terrace and live music encourage lingering.
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Morgan Street Food Hall
Raleigh, NC
Given Raleigh’s booming food scene, restaurateur Niall Hanley thought it was time for the city to have its own market, similar to the ones he grew up with in Ireland. He turned an old postal depot in the artsy Warehouse District into Morgan Street Food Hall, a 22,000-square-foot hub for more than 15 businesses, including Makus Empanadas, dessert food truck Cocoa Forte, and Raleigh Raw, which serves cold-pressed juice from a shipping container outside. The space, which opened in July, is industrial, but Hanley gave it the coziness of a pub: Friends can gather on leather couches or down Crank Arm beers beneath a courtyard pergola.
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Ponce City Market
Atlanta, GA
Just off Atlanta’s Eastside Beltline, a railway-turned-park, sits another revitalized landmark: Ponce City Market, which opened in 2015 and is launching short-term rentals for travelers this August. The largest brick building in the Southeast, it was originally constructed for Sears, Roebuck & Co. and preserves details like concrete mushroom columns and maple floors. Now it’s a lively mixed-use complex with a six-acre rooftop, and double-height marketplace. Among the 30 food vendors, choose from chilaquiles at Sean Brock’s casual Mexican spot, Minero; creative seafood sandwiches at Fish Camp, helmed by Anne Quatrano; and crackling breads from newcomer Root Baking Co., which mills heirloom grains in-house.
>>Next: This Is the Secret Michelin-Star Capital of the World
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