National City Food Hall Adds Filipino Pancit, Rotisserie Meats, and More to Culinary Roster

The South Bay’s first food hall, which opened in October 2021 with a mostly-Asian lineup of tenants, is heading into summer with new vendors taking over some of its existing outlets as well as fresh offerings from local chefs like Phil Esteban.

Moe Coffee has been replaced by Mixed Grounds Coffee at Market on 8th. The local roaster, whose coffee shop in Logan Heights doubles as an art gallery and event space, does classic espresso drinks as well as specialty ones like lavender and guayaba lattes. And the owners of Cafe Indonesia and Pizza Kaiju have partnered up to operate EWA88, which subs in for Pacific Poke and features its own spin on Hawaiian-style poke along with musubi and manapua.

Scheduled to launch on Thursday, June 1 are three additional vendors, joining the rest of the current roster that includes Ping Yang, MNGO, Smitty’s BBQ, La Central, and Donburi Rice Bowls.

White Rice Panciteria

The incoming Barkada will take the place of Novo Brazil Brewing Co., with rotating beers on tap from a variety of breweries as well as bottles to-go. Serbesa Filipino Kitchen has left the market, with the space becoming the first storefront from chefs Manny da Luz and Charlie Knowles from local pop-up Cops and Robbers. Da Luz and Knowles, both veterans of Tender Greens, are behind the Butcher’s Plate, which will serve rotisserie plates, seasonal salads, and gourmet deli sandwiches.

With the departure of Serbesa, chef Phil Esteban has decided to turn his corner of the market into another outpost of his flagship brand, White Rice. Esteban will close Weapon Ramen at the end of this week, reopening on June 1 as White Rice Panciteria. Still noodle-focused, it will cook up dishes like pancit bihon, pancit canton, pancit palabok, Filipino spaghetti, and crispy noodles with oyster sauce, which will be available exclusively in National City. The menu includes some of the bestselling silog, or rice bowls, featured at White Rice’s other locations in Liberty Station and Normal Heights and side dishes like inasal manok and grilled sunchokes with chili coconut sauce, salsa verde, and pepitas. And a new beer and wine license means San Miguel beers and natural wine cans will also be available.