The city of Mesa and Local First Arizona is working on opening a brand new food hall/ community kitchen in Downtown Mesa, located on the southwest corner of Main and McDonald.
The new 12,000-square-foot food hall will sit next to the Nile Theater, according to Mouth by Southwest. Local First Arizona, which already has a downtown community kitchen, will develop the space to host one or two permanent anchor food stalls with four or five rotating ones, all from Mesa-based restaurants. Local First Arizona is accepting applications from restaurant concepts. Construction is expected to begin in early 2024, with a planned opening for Fall 2025.
The announcement comes just days after a new food hall was announced for downtown Chandler, featuring 12 different yet-to-be-named restaurants. Unlike the Chandler site, the new Mesa food hall will also serve as a community kitchen where potential restaurant owners can learn about various aspects of opening a business. Whether needing help with permitting or menu development, the new food hall will provide solutions for new business owners.
“Our Community Kitchen offers more than just a place to prep and cook,” according to Local First Arizona’s website. “Our commercial kitchen offers a fun and collaborative environment. Our community members work together, share ideas and help each other with advice you need to succeed. Need help with permitting in Maricopa County? Don’t know where to begin? We have you covered with that and more.”
