The 50 Best Food Halls In America 2016 (Slideshow)

Emeryville is getting a major update in the form of Public Market, which is currently undergoing renovations — but is still open for business! Current tenants include award-winning Sorabol Korean food, Shiba Ramen, Hot Italian, and assorted other international choices. In exciting news, Koja Kitchen (of the famous food truck we named the 48th best in the country for 2015) recently set up shop in the Public Market!

While there's no shortage of fine food and wine in Napa, tourists and locals alike have been flocking to the indoor/outdoor Oxbow Public Market for years. Several Yelpers were even sent there by area vineyard owners, which gives one an idea of the quality represented by the products. A focus on sustainable food (with ingredients obtained from the market itself) offers this space excellent sources to pull from, and the 19 vendors include C CASA Latin cuisine, Gott's Roadside burger joint, and Ca' Momi, a mini food hall in and of itself that offers pizza, a pastry counter, a wine bar, and a full-service restaurant.

As we previously reported, a new food hall and marketplace called Liberty Public Market has been on the way in San Diego for the last couple years, and it has made quite the splash since opening earlier this year. The space, which is housed in a 22,000-square-foot former warehouse on Historic Decatur Road, already has 23 food and drink vendors and restaurants, with a fantastic variety of cuisines represented. There's Wicked Maine Lobster, grass-fed burgers from the food-truck-born Stuffed!, desserts from Le Parfait Paris, Grape Smuggler wines, or you can simply opt for Mess Hall, which offers an ever-changing menu and sources all of its food from the market.

Although the St. Roch Market was originally built in New Orleans in 1838, it has only existed in its current form since 2015 (it was vacant for decades prior), when the city and FEMA invested $3.6 million into its renovation. The market now contains 13 vendors, with unique highlights including Elysian Seafood (and Elysian's Oyster Bar), Korean-meets-Creole fusion at Koreole, California- and Texas-style Mexican at La Mezcla, and a cocktail bar called The Mayhaw. Head to the market during happy hour (4-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday) for diverse deals across the entire space.

The slogan for 4th Street Market in Santa Ana, California, is: "Where food creators come to learn and grow, and foodies enjoy the fruits of that labor." Fitting, but a more accurate tagline for the one-year-old food hall might be: "How to ruin your diet in 16 awesome ways." Not that the food is all terrible for you, but more so that almost every one of the vendors serves comfort food of some sort — meaning those without exotic taste buds will feel right at home. Sure, there's seafood at MAR and Vietnamese at Sit Low Pho, but the remaining vendors hawk homemade ice cream sandwiches, s'mores, ice pops, tacos, pizza, sandwiches, and two types of barbecue... so I don't want to hear any complaints!

Mercado La Paloma, located in South Los Angeles, is a project through Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, which provides affordable retail opportunities and creates living wage jobs. The food hall contains seven restaurants, mostly a mix of Latin and Asian flavors. The most notable is Mo-Chica, which is headed by former Food & Wine magazine best chef winner Ricardo Zarate.

Pine Street Market has only been open for a month, but the consensus so far has already put Portland, Oregon, on the food hall map — finally! And for good reason, as its eight offerings add up to one of the best market debuts we've seen in a while. Brass Bar comes from the same genius behind the incredibly popular and critically-acclaimed Barista, Common Law joins together French and Asian cuisine with the forces from Paley's Place and Langbaan, and James Beard Award-winning author and baker Ken Forkish introduces Trifecta Annex. Literally every one of the market's tenants deserves a mention, but we simply don't have the room. Coincidentally, not having enough room in your stomach is the only problem encountered at Pine Street Market.

​See our recent interview with Ken Forkish by clicking here.

Joan's on Third is a jam-packed, rather expensive Los Angeles eatery sharing quarters with a bakery, a cheese/charcuterie counter, a café, a gourmet grocery, a breakfast bar, anda  sandwich and salad spot. It offers a mix of raw materialss and prepared foods and there are always daily specials. Make sure to try the short rib sandwich, which was featured on the cover of Bon Appétit.

If you find yourself in Washington, D.C., and lusting after authentic and affordable Vietnamese food, venture out to the suburb of Falls Church, Virginia (aka "Little Saigon"), and try out Eden Center — which actually offers a variety of Asian cuisine types, so there's still some diversity. It's absolutely the opposite of fancy, and there aren't any especially famous eateries, but it consistently earns rave reviews from patrons and critics alike. Eden Center itself has been voted Best of D.C. numerous times, and Anthony Bourdain visited the bakery Song Que here on his trip to the capital for an episode of No Reservations. With over 100 restaurants, cafés, and other businesses, there's something for everybody.

Remember when we told you about the Todd English Food Hall in the Plaza Hotel? (It was like two minutes ago...No. 39) Well, there's actually a second food hall in the hotel, and it's even bigger (and arguably a bit better) than that one. Known as The Plaza Food Hall (because "Creativity Food Hall" must have been taken), the space features a whopping 20 different vendors, with familiar names like La Maison du Chocolat, Luke's Lobster, and No. 7 Sub holding court alongside Ora di Pasta, Vive la Crêpe, and YoArt frozen yogurt. Combined with Todd English, you now have at least 29 good reasons to visit The Plaza — 30 if you count reenacting scenes from Home Alone 2.

23 independent merchants (19 food-related) make up the cast of players at New York's historic Essex Street Market, created in the 1930s by mayor Fiorello La Guardia as a place for former street vendors to sell their goods on the Lower East Side. Nordic Preserves is a cool place to find unusual Scandinavian goods, Boubouki has unbelievable pies, and it's hard not to fall in love with Shopsin's General Store's menu of more than 100 comfort food dishes, as well as iconoclast Kenny Shopsin himself yelling from the kitchen. Mac and cheese pancakes, doughnut sliders, Frito pies, and Kenny make for an incredibly unique dining experience. The market also has numerous meat, fish, and cheese vendors.

A historic manufacturing complex turned mixed retail space, Industry City has a long-standing love affair with Brooklyn. Formerly a hub of for all kinds of industrial tycoons (including Topps baseball cards!), it is now home to a host of creative tenants, not least of which is their food hall. Liddabit Sweets, Colson Patisserie, Blue Marble ice cream, and Steve & Andy's Organics, among others, are some of the newer hall tenants, with more slated to join soon.

Previously owned by Tyler Perry Studios, this Atlanta-area food complex opened in 2014 with 10 restaurants and assorted retail shops. Lovers of charcuterie should check out The Cockentrice, sandwich fanatics need to stop at Todd Ginsberg's Fred's Meat and Bread, while those with stars in their eyes should go to French-American brasserie The Luminary, the first restaurant by Top Chef contestant Eli Kirshtein. Krog Street Market is the first food hall of its kind in Atlanta, and it has been very well received by both tourists and locals. Gaining popularity every day, the sky is the limit for this nine-acre complex.

This food hall adjacent to Little Rock's River Market holds 15 vendors, including Bangkok Thai, Casa Manana Taqueria, Sweet Soul Southern Cuisine, vegetarian items, Middle Eastern cuisine, and coffee shops. Jay's Pizza is actually owned and operated by the former head chef of the Arkansas governor's mansion, and there's a beer garden in the market as well. We probably should have just led with "pizza and beer," right?

​Check out these 50 vegetarian recipes for "meatless Mondays" — or any other time!

It's not news that Colorado is full of great restaurants and health-conscious diners. The most exciting news currently, however, is that several food halls have popped up around the state in the last few years. Union Station in Denver is a cultural center within a recently-revitalized train station, which includes nine restaurants under its roof. Chef Jennifer Jasinski (of Rioja), a James Beard Award-winner for Best Chef: Southwest in 2013 and a Top Chef alumna, runs Stoic & Genuine, a seafood and oyster bar, and Award-winning chef Alex Seidel runs Mercantile Dining & Provision, an "elevated comfort food" spot. With these stars on board, we're down for a visit anytime.

Ponce de León never found the Fountain of Youth, but Georgia residents have found the Fountain of Food at Ponce City Market's new Central Food Hall in Atlanta's enormous, fully-renovated, former Sears, Roebuck & Company building. The folks who brought you Chelsea Market in Manhattan (more on that later) are behind this new space, which opened its doors in the fall of 2015. There are now a total of 22 restaurants and vendors here, with more are being added every month, it seems. Visitors can dive into lobster rolls at W.H. Stiles Fish Camp, Korean fare at Simply Seoul Kitchen, or scrumptious sandwiches at H&F Burger, with Ton Ton Japanese and City Winery slated to join them soon.

Operating since 1934, The Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles hasn't been an actual farmers market for many decades, but it has plenty of great food shops and stalls, including a multitude of enjoyable sit-down and takeaway restaurants. Some chains are included in the count, but all-in-all there are over 50 different food and drink vendors to experience. Find what you need in terms of sushi, fine meats, or a unique dining experience like Singapore's Banana Leaf, because let's be honest, who doesn't want to eat delicious treats off a banana leaf? Since this market has been patronized by stars like Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles, and Frank Sinatra, we're pretty sure it will pass muster with you, too.

A perfect blend of old and new, D.C.'s historic Eastern Market attracts hordes of tourists and locals alike, especially in the warm summer months. After a fire devastated the building in 2007, it was rebuilt and now holds 12 indoor food merchants and several sit-downs, including Fine Sweet Shoppe, Canales Delicatessen, Market Lunch, which is famous for its buckwheat blueberry pancakes, charbroiled burgers, and seafood sandwiches. Outside, there are many more vendors, and in an adjacent parking lot, shoppers can browse through the Eastern Market Flea Market.

​Make your own buckwheat blueberry pancakes at home with this recipe.

Among the ranks of the biggest attractions for food-lovers in Boston is Quincy Market, located in Faneuil Hall, which first opened almost 200 years ago. Among over a dozen restaurants and pubs, you'll find an outpost of the place where everybody knows your name: Cheers! You can also choose to eat under the iconic glass canopies or at one of the outdoor cafés if the weather is good. If you include the food vendors inside the Quincy Market Colonnade (like Fisherman's Net for seafood, MMMac N' Cheese, and Boston Chowda), the total number of eateries is 57, which makes Quincy Market the largest food hall in New England.

An internationally themed public market and food hall located in Minneapolis, Midtown Global Market features about 30 bars, restaurants, and other vendors, including several award-winners. Brothers Sade and Jamal Hashi hawk East African cuisine at Safari Express, chef Michelle Gayer-Nicholson (formerly of the famed Charlie Trotter's) offers up pastries at the Salty Tart Bakery, while A La Salsa, helmed by award-winning chef Lorenzo Ariza, lures you in with central Mexican cuisine. With all of these international restaurants and gift stores, there really is something for everybody.

The historic San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace, open since 1898, now offers around 40 restaurants and specialty food purveyors. Receiving rave reviews along the way, the Ferry Building houses both The Slanted Door and Out the Door, Vietnamese eateries by James Beard Award-winner chef Charles Phan; the Cowgirl Creamer's Artisan Cheese Shop and their restaurant Sidekick; and Hog Island Oyster Company, among others. Also, try the burgers and shakes at Gott's Roadside for a low-key meal that doesn't require reservations. The lively Saturday farmers market outside the building is a must for any food-loving visitor who ends up in San Francisco on a weekend.

Although the thought of eating in the perpetually-busy Grand Central Station in New York City might sound insane, you won't be sorry we clued you in on this food hall, which is located on the terminal's lower level as well as main concourse level. If you're hanging out or just passing through, there are plenty of choices — 40 in all! Downstairs, you can find New York institutions like Magnolia Bakery, Shake Shack, and Junior's cheesecake, there are also several spectacular originals, including the now-legendary Grand Central Oyster Bar. And while you can't sit down and dine in the market upstairs, you'll find food vendors ranging from Murray's Cheese, to produce stands, butchers, bread-makers, and fishmongers. With legendary bar The Campbell Apartment located a couple flights up, as well as restaurants like Cipriani and Michael Jordan's The Steak House, you can actually call the entire terminal a food hall!

Mario Batali? Check. Joe and Lidia Bastianich? Check. All the Italian food you could ever want? Check, check, and more check. Similar to the newer Chicago location (see #18), the original New York branch of Eataly includes a restaurant, beer hall, numerous counters, and a large amount of stands, stalls, and carts, and is considered one of the first major food halls to open in the U.S. The massive hall features restaurants that focus on offering fresh ingredients for sale in markets next to each restaurant (for instance, Il Pesce offers fresh fish, which is also for sale at the Eataly Seafood Counter). It fills up quickly and wait times can get pretty long, but there's such a wide selection of cheeses, meats, and other specialty food items that you'll feel like you're inside a culinary museum. And don't forget to check out the adjacent La Scuola, where classes are occasionally taught by Batali and Lidia themselves.  

As if the Rockettes, skating rink, and the Christmas tree weren't good enough reasons to head to Rockefeller Center, the Rockefeller Center Dining Concourse has an astonishing array of amazing restaurants on hand. A lot of chains (Au Bon Pain, Chipotle, Pret A Manger, Starbucks, etc.) are located in the space, but with almost 50 eateries in all, there are still plenty of standouts. Some of the better choices on the concourse include Laurent Tourondel's Brasserie Ruhlmann, Harry's Italian Pizza Parlor (from Nick Angelis), Dean & DeLuca, and Jacques Torres Chocolate. Of course, extra time should be allotted to explore this famous and historical building too!

The next time you're feeling indecisive about dining options in Philadelphia, have no fear: Reading Terminal Market, housing over 60 restaurants and merchants, features tons of different options, including numerous Pennsylvania Dutch specialties. With so many quality eateries, the only question is where to start. If you're in the mood for something critically acclaimed, try the roasted pork and broccoli rabe sandwich at DiNic's: It was crowned the best sandwich in America by the Travel Channel's Adam Richman.