25 Aug Sistrunk Marketplace, Fort Lauderdale’s First Food Hall Now Open
It’s opening day at Fort Lauderdale’s first food hall, Sistrunk Marketplace, and the octopus balls are flying off the shelves at Adriana Yoshii’s Asian tapas stall.Much is riding on the success of Yoshii’s booth Senbazuru, one of 11 vendors that waited more than a year for the much-anticipated food hall to open. Her restaurant specializes in ramen bowls and combining international bites into bento boxes, such as Mexican jalapeno poppers, Spanish patatas bravas (spiced potatoes cut into cubes) and Japanese takoyaki (snack-size octopus balls).
“I feel like a salmon swimming against the current,” Yoshii says. “I just hope we can make it.”
Senbazuru, along with Yoshii’s other booth, the vegan-friendly Healthy Raw Living Food, have been popular since Sistrunk Marketplace opened on Thursday and Friday to local VIP invitees. The 40,000-square-foot indoor foodie village will formally open to the public on Thursday, Aug. 27, delayed from its original August 2019 opening due to construction setbacks and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Then again, neither does Sistrunk Marketplace. Wary of attracting too many guests, the food hall is experimenting with crowd control, says Maxence Doytier, the market’s marketing director and self-described “events guru.”
For now, all Sistrunk Marketplace guests must book their visit times in advance through Tock, a smartphone restaurant reservation app. No walk-ins are allowed, masks are required and waitstaff will verify your reservation at the entrance. Under Florida’s current Phase 1 guidelines, the food hall can fit half of its 565-person capacity, Doytier says, and a booking system helps them keep track of diners.
“We needed to take control over who was coming in,” Doytier says. “We have hand sanitizer on every table but this is one more way to reassure people.”
More lifestyle complex than food hall, Sistrunk Marketplace carries a paralyzing lineup of vendors, including 11 food purveyors, an island bar and a speakeasy-style lounge; a retail shopping co-op called Sistrunk Collective; a DJ academy and soundproofed recording studio for aspiring musicians; and enough plush chairs and picnic tables to fill a banquet hall.
Khoffner Brewery, a German-style brewhouse, is by far Sistrunk’s largest vendor, and expects to open within 60 days, Doytier says. Shady Distillery, a maker of small-batch whiskeys, rums and vodkas, will debut sometime in 2021, as will a Wynwood Yard-style outdoor beer garden with shipping-container bars.
“It’s pretty easy to get visually overstimulated in here,” Doytier says.
We agree. Read on for a breakdown of all the food, drink and entertainment Sistrunk Marketplace has to offer.
- Chop Shoppe Meat and Provisions, a butcher shop offering meats by the pound as well as beer-brat sausages, brisket-blend hamburgers and other custom sandwiches.
- Senbazuru, an Asian fusion tapas eatery featuring ramen and rice bowls and international bites inside bento boxes.
- Bronte, an Australian coffeehouse serving matcha lavender lattes (with homemade syrup), golden milk lattes and various tea blends and coffee from Tequesta-based roaster Oceana.
- Heavenly Raw Living Food, a vegan café featuring veggie norimaki rolls, raw pastas, vegetarian burgers and desserts, and cold-pressed juices and smoothies.
- Poke OG, a poke bowl and sushi shack outpost of the Wynwood restaurant.
- Kasai & Koori, an Asian dessert shop featuring treats such as Japanese kakigori, Taiwanese shaved ice, Taiyaki waffle cones and Korean bingsoo. Future locations are coming to Canyon Town Center in Boynton Beach, City Center in Pembroke Pines and Pineapple Grove in Delray Beach.
- Snack Bar, the centerpiece of Sistrunk’s food hall, this island bar offers grab-and-go items, liquor and draft beer.
- Khoffner Brewery, the namesake of brewer Rauf Vagifoglu-Khoffner, includes a 20-barrel brewhouse and taproom. There also will be a canning line and new brews such as Sistrunk APA, an American pale ale; Flagler IPA; an habanero-infused IPA; Khoffner Cream Ale and Khoffner Brown Ale. It will open in October.
- Hot Lime, a taco and ceviche stand that operates out of a Volkswagon Airstream bus driven by two skeletons wearing sombreros. It comes from chef-owners Daniel Gonzalez and Carlos Padilla, who’ve worked previously at Vagabond, Dragonfly Izakaya and Fish Market, BLT Prime and the Island Bistro. Specialties include short-rib tacos, quinoa salads and Mexican-style street corn.
- Osom Crepes, a French creperie serving sweet and savory stuffed crepes such as the Mediterranean (prosciutto di Parma, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and arugula, rosemary olive oil and balsamic glaze); and the B&B (dulce de leche, marshmallow, bananas, salted caramel syrup).
- Empanada Bodega, an empanada kiosk offering 12 fillings from common (beef, chicken, barbecue pork, shrimp) to not-so-common (Hawaiian-style, guava and cheese).
- Nellie’s Southern Kitchen, a chicken shack featuring Nashville-style hot chicken, deep-fried chicken pot pies, fried bologna sandwiches, collard green melts and other down-home dishes.
- Fuoco, features Roman- and Grandma-style pizzas cooked in chef-owner Tory Martindale’s wood-fired pizza oven, along with rotating pastas and meatball dishes.
- Club Soda Lounge, a speakeasy-style lounge serving custom cocktails and spirits from Shady Distillery, which will eventually craft rum, vodka, whiskey and bourbon in a building next door.
Sistrunk Marketplace will be open 4-11 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. Friday-Sunday. It’s closed for deep cleanings on Mondays and Tuesdays and private events on Wednesdays. Call 954-329-2551 or go to SistrunkMarketplace.com.