A Culinary Tour of 4th Street Market
About a year ago 4th Street Market opened in the heart of Santa Ana and I couldn’t have been more excited. Have grown up in the area I was eager to see the newest addition to the downtown area. Soon, I found myself a regular customer stopping by for a quick bite on my way home from work. Recently, the market underwent a few changes and the International Food, Wine & Travel Writer’s Association was invited to tour the updated market. I was lucky enough to be included in the visit and happily made my way to 4th Street to enjoy a culinary tour.
4th Street Market is unique among it’s fellow food halls as it not only offers several delicious dining establishments but it’s also home to the East End Incubator Kitchens.
These spots are available to rent to any small culinary brand in need of kitchen space. For a set fee they are given full access to a commercial kitchen and storage space. It’s a unique incubator that allows independent businesses to thrive and several have made their home here.
Speaking of independent business the 4th Street Market is home to several kiosks offering a wide variety of food and drink. We were treated to small bites from each place and it was a culinary extravaganza. There are four new food spots in the market – Sit Low Pho, Pig Pen Delicacy, Terra and Jinny’s Pizzeria.
Specializing in Vietnamese food, hamburgers, pork and pizza respectively the spots are a diverse and welcome addition to the market.
They join several established locations offering an array of treats from cocktails to seafood to ice cream to tacos. Since the market’s inception my favorite spot has been Mar which specializes in ceviche and poke bowls.
Unbelievably fresh and full of flavor the bowls offered at Mar are my go to lunch dishes.
I’m also a sucker for a good cup of coffee and Portola consistently delivers. On our visit I tried their espresso tonic and it was surprisingly tasty.
I never would have thought to combine espresso with tonic water but leave it to Portola to come up this delicious combo.
In addition to the food stalls 4th Street Market is also home to Electric City Butcher offering a variety of nose to tail cuts of meat. We enjoyed a fantastic charcuterie platter at the shop.
Seriously, I could never be a vegetarian.
In addition to all these wonderful establishments the market will soon be home to Alta Baja Market – a shop specializing in flavors of the Southwest. We were able to glimpse a preview of the spot and it looks like it’s going to be quite the place to shop.
4th Street Market is a place full of innovation and diversity that’s a joy to visit. I can’t wait to head back.