A Gigantic New Mexican Food Hall and Marketplace Is Opening in Costa Mesa | Eater LA
"At the grocer’s new Costa Mesa location (2300 Harbor Boulevard), Mercado Gonzalez will be a vibrant marketplace with upwards of 20 colorful stalls and food options modeled after notable Mexican mercados like Mercado Juarez, Mercado de Abastos, and Mercado de Artesanias in Oaxaca. The concept reworks the typical American supermarket layout into the walkable, intuitive feel of a Mexican mercado, with a beating heart made up of a butcher shop, tortilleria, cheese specialist, produce stands, specialty foods, and artisan goods. It will include a community kitchen to support local entrepreneurs and aspiring chefs, indoor and outdoor seating, aguas frescas, beer, wine, tequilas, mezcal, pastries and desserts, and live music; many food stalls will be available from breakfast through dinner. With an opening scheduled early next month and anchors including a fine dining restaurant and cocktail bar, I think the entire experience looks to be a solid slam dunk and a smart way of repackaging the grocery store and food hall experience to reflect traditional Mexican mercados." - Matthew Kang
