Restaurateur Tony Riviera (Caffe Primo) just launched the San Diego outpost of The Market Hall, his hybrid market, restaurant and coffee bar, in the East Village. The first location of the food emporium opened in Seattle earlier this year, with San Francisco and Dallas to follow in early 2016.
Open initially from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, The Market Hall includes a full coffee bar serving fresh pastries and brewing illy coffee drinks. A large central island holds sections for cheese, cakes, house baked bread, a poke bar with sushi to-go, and prepared foods, from vegetable and grain-based dishes to European-inspired sandwiches with fillings that range from ham and butter to caprese salad. There's also a hot food line, which offers a daily entree with two sides for $9.95, plus hot sandwiches; The Market Hall's signatures are pulled pork and brisket.
The walls of food palace are lined with pantry staples and gourmet food items, stocked with baskets of produce and filled with coolers of dairy, juices, veggies and dips; beer and wine, for off-site sales and on-site consumption, will be available in a few weeks. In front of the open kitchen, there's seafood on ice, from shellfish to whole fish and filets, and a meat counter with an array of custom-cut proteins.
With seating for 50 inside and and 50 on the outdoor patio, The Market Hall does a casual lunch — Wagyu burgers, salads, grilled cheese with tomato soup — plus weekend brunch and a full service dinner whose menu runs from small plates to entrees and seasonal market specials.
