Although old news in other parts of the world, the food hall has only recently arrived on the American culinary scene. Since 2010, this trend has blown up in contemporary cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and counting.
A food hall comprises a number of local food vendors in a shared venue—like a modern food court (although I’m probably offending millennial foodies everywhere with that statement). The appeal of food halls is manifold, offering the busy American variation and convenience for casual dining. Tourists get a taste of the city while locals can sample from evolving menus. For those in the industry, food halls offer major names an opportunity to experiment and newbies a low-risk start compared to a conventional restaurant.
Already known for its food truck game, Portland is one of the more recent cities to hop on the food hall bandwagon. In 2016, two developments opened in Oregon’s largest city and another is in the works. Here’s your guide to the freshest vendors in the City of Roses:
Pine Street Market
Pine Street Market, Portland’s first major food hall, has been open since spring of 2016. This venue features nine micro-restaurants from local recognized chefs with communal dining amenities as well as bar seating at select vendors. Open 8 am–11 pm daily (vendor hours may vary), Pine Street has all the bases covered.
Start your day off with a smoothie from Kure Juice Bar and breakfast toast from the bakery and pizza vendor Trifecta Annex. If you need an extra pick-me-up, head to Barista’s Brass Bar for a signature cold brew.
Lunch and dinner options span the globe, ranging from extravagant frankfurters at OP Wurst to Shalom Y’all‘s Israeli street food to Spanish-style rotisserie chicken and tapas from Pollo Bravo and more.
#SpoonTip: Check out Pine Street Market’s website for happy hour specials!
Find a selection of wines, beers and cocktails to accompany your meal at many of Pine Street’s vendors. For the sweet tooth, don’t forget to end at Wiz Bang Bar, an offshoot of the Portland staple Salt & Straw that focuses on soft-serve ice cream and classic childhood treats.
Cart Lab
The newest food hall in Nike Town takes inspiration from the Portland sports giant for a 90s sports bar atmosphere. As the name suggests, all of Cart Lab’s vendors began as food carts.
Five cart-like stalls share a kitchen in the “food cart alley” and are accompanied by a bar and dining area in this 7,000-square-foot space. Bo Kwon, the name behind the wildly successful Koi Fusion, partnered up with four other food carts to get Cart Lab going.
Portlanders are already familiar with Kwon’s Koi Fusion. Working with Korean flavors in taco, burrito and quesadilla form, Koi Fusion is a fresh take on street food and the anchor of this food hall. FOMO Chicken also turns to Korean flavors in its fried chicken. Even sushi gets a twist at Wasabi Sushi, which serves sushi burritos and bowls as well as traditional rolls.
Contrary to the name, PDX Sliders is using its Cart Lab location to experiment with full sized burgers and sandwiches using local ingredients. Offering a concise but authentic taco menu, Tight Tacos was the final cart added to this lineup.
Portland Food Hall
With an anticipated opening for spring 2017, Portland Food Hall will be significantly smaller than its precursors in terms of footage. Yet with between six and eight expected restaurants, this new venue will pack a punch.
So far, Portland Food Hall’s confirmed tenants include a Mediterranean appetizer concept from Lebanese restaurant Zaatar, açaí and smoothie cafe Moberi (originally a bike-powered smoothie bar—can you get any more Portland?), Aiko Ramen from owners of Hapa Ramen, and the rice bowl food cart Whole Bowl.
Ice cream, donut, bagel and sandwich shops are also tentative additions. Although focusing primarily on breakfast and lunch, Portland Food Hall will feature a bar on the mezzanine level of the building for the after-work crowd.
The extreme versatility of food halls has contributed to their popularity across the globe. This concept takes advantage of social and economic changes, and reflects this generation’s evolving dining needs. So get used to food halls, because they’re not going anywhere.