Whatever you do… don’t call them cafeterias.
Food halls and markets are popping up all over Orange County. In fact, Orange County is ahead of the modern food hall game, even among other major California cities.
If you’re not sure what a food hall is… well, the easiest explanation would be that a food hall is the bigger, cooler brother of the traditional mall food court.
But you’re not going to find a single Starbucks, McDonalds, or Cinnabon here. Food halls are full of tiny, unique gastropubs that offer everything from boba to poke to Indian street food and gourmet ice cream.
And that’s not all that Orange County’s food halls offer hungry diners.
Food halls combine comfortable communal seating environments with new, fun food offerings, turning the hall into a foodie’s playground. Each hall is as unique as the shops that it holds. Food halls are a fun combination of exploration, taste, and entertainment that’s hard to turn down. If you like people watching, live music, art, or just hanging out with friends and free wifi, just head to a food hall.
If you want to take control of your next dining experience, go hunt up the closest food hall to try local destination eating at its most convenient.
Not sure where to start? Here’s our list of the top food halls in Orange County and Los Angeles.
Anaheim Packing District
Address: 440 S Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, CA 92805
No food hall list is complete without the famed Anaheim Packing District, so we’re slotting it in neatly at the top of our list. The Anaheim Packing House is a destination in more ways than one. It’s a historical building that’s been restyled into a modern food paradise.
The two-story former orange packing building has an open floor plan, a lot of plants to soften the interior, and multiple seating areas to accommodate everyone who wants to try out something from the 26 unique gastropubs. If you’re looking to hop around between Syrian food from Mangal, gourmet Japanese crepes from Crepe Coop, and the world’s prettiest bubble tea from Mini Monster, Anaheim Packing District is the food hall for you. It even has its own semi-secret speakeasy with The Blind Rabbit (RSVP and proper attire required).
Pro-tips
- With live music, great food and cocktails the Packing District makes for a great date night spot.
- The Packing District is the closest food hall from Disneyland at less than 2 miles.
- The patios are pet-friendly which include: Umami Burger, Poppy & Seed, and 18 Folds.
SteelCraft – Garden Grove
Address: 12900 S Euclid Street, Garden Grove, CA 92840
The pet friendly SteelCraft location in Garden Grove is a great food hall with a cozy community vibe. The stores are built out of repurposed shipping crates, so the aesthetic is fun and unique. There’s plenty of parking and plenty of fun to go with its food. Come for the food and stay to watch TV, hang out, or play one of the arcade games. Or come at 6AM for your coffee fix from Dark Horse Coffee.
Pro-tip:
- Make it a date night and shop the pop-ups, dine and drink, and enjoy trivia nights, live music and dance performances.
Union Market Mission Viejo
Address: 27741 Crown Valley Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Located on the Sixth Floor
Staking its claim on Crown Parkway, Union Market Mission Viejo is a food hall with something for everyone. Great for date night or a quick lunch stop, offering locally-sourced food vendors and a fun family atmosphere.
Hang out with board games, rent a ping-pong table, and grab a bite to eat from shabu-shabu joint Slice, or have an after-movie tea from Locca or craft cocktail from Dry Society.
Union Market is at the Kaleidoscope on Crown Valley, so parking is a cinch. Unfortunately, the location also means that this food hall isn’t companion-animal friendly, although it welcomes ADA-compliant assistance animals.
Mercado Gonzales by Northgate Market
Address: 2300 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92626
The Mercado is part grocery store, part food hall, immersing visitors in Mexican culture and cuisine. Shop from a variety of vendors serving freshly made tortillas, tamales, ceviche, and tacos, then get all your favorite meat from the carniceria before picking up your produce. You’ll also find fresh churros, bread, ice cream, and aguas frescas. Don’t miss the candy section! Our favorite? Stocking up on chicharron from Carnitas Don Miguel and bringing home fresh tamales and tortillas.
There is a more traditional sit-down restaurant on site. Open for lunch and dinner, Maizano serves some of the best traditional Mexican cuisine in town. You can grab a cocktail at Entre Nos bar and lounge or have a seat inside or on the patio to enjoy your freshly prepared purchases. You can even see live musical performances on the stage near the bar.
The O.C. Mix
Address: 3313 Hyland Ave. A18, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
The O.C. Mix is half food hall, half fun shopping experience, but it’s 100% super hip. It’s got both indoor and outdoor spaces so that you can choose where you prefer to lunch or relax. The Wifi is decent and free, and the food is unique.
Try Shuck Oyster Bar for all your oyster cravings, Portola Coffee for your jolt of java, or Rich Elixirs for unusual craft kombuchas and ginger beers.
Pro-tip: Parking is tight during the middle of the week, so be patient.
4th Street Market
Address: 201 E 4th Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701
The 4th Street Market was the first food hall to be built in Santa Ana, and it’s still providing fantastic service nestled in the heart of downtown. A great array of food stores provides art for your mouth, and the food hall itself is full of visual art to compliment your lunch… and make it seriously Instagram-worthy. Check out Electric City Butcher for personalized and personable butcher services and humanely-raised meats, or a craft beer at Recess.
It’s worth noting that 4th Street Market has a 3-6PM Happy Hour Monday through Friday.
They also have a cozy outdoor patio that’s dog friendly, if you can’t stand the idea of leaving your furry bestie home while you go to dinner. You can even host an event here!
Pro-tip: Parking in the 5th Street lot is the most efficient parking solution if you can’t find street metered parking.
McFadden Public Market
Address: 515 N Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701
McFadden Public Market is another food hall in Santa Ana, but it dishes out good food and good fun in equal parts. If you’re looking for a kid-friendly food hall with a great variety of handcrafted food and retro arcade games, McFadden is the food hall for you.
McFadden Public Market features live music on the first Friday of the month, a variety of fun theme nights like Whiskey and Wings, and 80’s arcade games that you can play for quarters. Yep, quarters.
Pro-tip: There are two parking structures off Main and 5th Streets, as well as a metered parking lot on 3rd and Bush.
Lot 579
Address: 21010 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Built in 2016, Lot 579 bills itself as a unique artisanal market and California culinary experience, and it’s got the location to carry that California vibe. Located at Pacific City on PCH in Huntington Beach, the Surf City’s relaxed beach feel carries through to the fantastic food offerings in the Lot 579 food hall.
The space might be named for the lifeguard towers on the beach directly across from the food hall, but you won’t find sunscreen and sand on offer here. Ever want a custom-made popsicle to chase away the summer heat? You’ll find it at Popbar. Experience delectable flavors such as Red Velvet Cream Cheese, Chocolate Caramel Toffee Buttercream at the Frosted Cupcakery. If you’re looking for fish tacos, burritos, poke and sushi, along with a killer view and full bar then Bear Flag is the spot.
Pro-tip: Parking is free Monday through Thursday from 9AM – 2PM in the underground garage! Check with your lunch vendors to see if they’ll validate your parking stub.
Mess Hall Market
Address: 1705 Flight Wy, Tustin, CA 92782
Brand new to the OC food hall scene is Tustin’s Mess Hall Market. There’s plenty of parking for this chef-driven food hall, and plenty of seating in the open, spacious interior. Just grab a spot at one of the red communal tables with their comfy padded box seats, or at one of the more traditional café tables and enjoy offerings from vendors you won’t find on any ol’ street corner. Grab a hot fair-trade drink at The Lost Bean Organic Coffee and Tea, have a New Jersey style slice at Big Parm Pizza, get a real-life Dagwood-style sandwich at The Sandwich Society, or luxuriate in a taste of the Peloponnese at The Little Greek.
Mess Hall Market is next to Tustin’s new Legacy Park, which provides gorgeous open spaces and walking trails once you’re done with your dining experience.
Pro-tip: Paint and sip with Alexis Rivera and enjoy specials from The Drink Bar on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month.
Trade Marketplace
Address: 2222 Michelson Drive, Irvine, CA 92612
The motto of Trade Food Hall is “Eat & Drink Well”, and this modern food hall does everything it can to help diners do just that.
This Irvine-based food hall has nine awesome vendors to delight local diners, and open and airy spaces to eat in. Try the onigiri at ricebunn, or enjoy the amazing beer list at Center Hub (keep an eye out for specials like Whiskey Wednesday).
Pro-tip: Parking is free (if parking spaces are scarce and you don’t mind the walk, park at Ihop and walk over), and the location is dog friendly.
River Street Marketplace (Coming Soon)
Address: River St, San Juan Capistrano, CA
Not your typical food hall, Rodeo will feature inside seating and ample outside seating and community gathering spaces, original artwork and murals from and several first-to-market retail and restaurant concepts. Plus, there will be retail shops with exclusive apparel and accessories.
Bonus Food Halls!
Grange Hall 39 – 8340 La Palma Ave., Buena Park, CA 90620
Herb & Ranch – 5301 California Ave. #140, Irvine, CA 92617
Rodeo 39 Public Market – 12885 Beach Blvd, Stanton, CA 90680
The Source OC – 6940 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90621
Good Food – 201 W Center Street Promenade, Anaheim, CA 92805
Union Market Tustin – 2493 Park Ave, Tustin, CA 92782
Orange County Farmers Markets – While not really a food hall Farmers Markets are a great opportunity to taste a wide variety of food.
Grocerants
Find mini-food halls within these grocery store chains. A grocerant is a hybrid of grocery store and restaurant.
Bristol Farms – Locations throughout Orange County.
Whole Foods Market – Locations throughout Orange County.
Best Los Angeles Food Halls
Here some of the best markets and food halls in LA in case you’re feeling a little more adventurous.
BLVD MRKT – 520 Whittier Blvd, Montebello, CA 90640
Corporation Food Hall – 724 S Spring St, Los Angeles 90014
Eataly – 10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90067
Grand Central Market – 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles 90013
STEELCRAFT Bell Flower – 3768 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90807
STEELCRAFT Long Beach – 3768 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90807
Citizen Public Market – 9355 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Glendora Public Market – 905 E Arrow Hwy, Glendora, CA 91740
ROW DTLA – 777 S Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Smorgasburg LA – 785 Bay St, Los Angeles 90021
TASTE Food Hall at FIGAT7TH – 735 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles 90017
The Original Farmers Market – 6333 W. 3rd St. Los Angeles 90036
The Proud Bird – 11022 Aviation Blvd, Los Angeles 90045
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