Wanugee N.
Yelp
This is like the Creme de la Creme of shopping mall Food Courts. Perfect for San Francisco, where shoppers usually consider themselves foodies, locals and tourists alike. This is a good place to bring your cousin from Lodi and impress her with SF's city cool style, even in food courts! Of course, it is not hard to impress her if all she is used to is shopping in Stockton or Tracy.
This is on the concourse level of the Westfield Mall, or as most people know it, the Nordstrom Mall. Westfield Mall's are all over the world, and it is actually a huge Australian outfit that owns Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose, Westfield in Culver City, and a bunch more in the US, Australia, the UK, and other hotspots.
Calling it the Food Emporium is a bit of an homage to the old Emporium, the 'Big E", which for decades was a downtown SF department store fixture, and a regional chain with stores on the SF Peninsula. It was afflliated with the sister chains of Capwell's in the east bay, Weinstock's in Sacramento, and Broadway's in SoCal. The Big E in San Francisco had it's famous Dome, and basement specials, and had a Notions department. The entire chain was bought out and by Federated I think, and maybe parts were sold off to Macy's.
I digress, but the name Emporium has a soft spot in many old San Franciscans' heart and wallet. So The Food Emporium name provides either some instant comfort, or confusion to the Westfield Mall shopper, depending on their senility.
The Big E was never this nice. The Food Emporium is nothing like your standard Food Court. It is closer to Macy's Cellar, but with many different food concessions. The decor is upscale, to match that unique circular Escalator this mall is known for, which really impresses those relatives from Lodi, or Manteca, or Modesto.
There are modern chandeliers, colorful decor, rich textures and better than Ikea furniture in the Food Emporium. And you can find better than Sbarro's TCBY, Annie's Pretzel's, and Cinnabon food sources here. Like Pete's Coffee (better than Starbucks) and Melt, for Gelato and Crepes, and many more lunch and dinner eateries.
So when in-laws from the great San Joaquin Valley come into town to visit, wow them with shopping and the upscale escalator in the Westfield Mall, and impress them with the fancy Food Emporium, and you will avoid having to take them to an expensive, real SF restaurant.