An historic southern food hall that got its start on the edge of New Orleans' Marigny neighborhood more than a century ago, St. Roch (pronounced Saint Rock) Market has made its way to Miami's Design District and now calls the Magic City, as well as NOLA, home.
The original-an indoor market that's been selling food since 1875 (except for a 10-year period after the levees flooded in 2005)-has 12 vendors and has been named by various publications as a top spot for cocktails, oyster happy hours, pho and coffee.
Food halls, a thing in the South, are catching on in Florida-extending dining options for tourists and locals, alike.
The idea behind St. Roch Market is that chefs can try out their ideas on a smaller scale before launching stand-alone restaurants, which is great since a restaurant opening could be riskier and much more costly than testing the waters in a food hall setting first.
The Miami market, a 10,000 square-foot space located above luxury shops on the second floor of the Design District's Palm Court, is open daily and joins an ever-growing assortment of new food halls in the area such as La Centrale (Italian), Casa Tua Cucina (Italian) and 1-800-Lucky (Asian)-all either in Brickell or Wynwood and within a five to ten-minute drive from the Design District neighborhood as well as 15 minutes or so from South Beach.
What separates St. Roch from other, similar concepts, and what makes it perfect for Miami's Design District in South Florida, is that it leans toward being upscale while still offering an easygoing environment for those looking to unwind with a coffee, cocktail, a full meal or any or all of the above. Bringing a laptop to St. Roch is not out of the question; neither is getting dressed up for girls' night (or date night) there.
An exciting addition to Miami's expanding food scene, the market hosts a happy hour, as well as an Industry Night Series and a Taco & Tequila Tuesday with weekly food and drink specials.
St. Roch Miami, like the NOLA market, also features 12 vendors with inventive menus. Some, like the Mayhaw Bar (a classically-rooted spirits bar with an extensive 55-label wine list) and Elysian Seafood (responsibly-sourced seafood-the menu includes oysters, marinated crab claws, specialty crab cakes and classics, like shrimp cocktail), reside inside St. Roch in both cities.
The rest of St. Roch Miami's current vendors are unique to the South Florida location and include vegan cuisine (Chef Chloe and the Vegan Cafe), a Southern food concept (Coop) whose chefs have been nominated for the Miami New Times Best Fried Chicken and Best Brunch awards, a gourmet Italian eatery (Dal Plin), a craft taco and ceviche concept (Hot Lime), ingredient-driven sushi (Itamae) by a Chinese-Peruvian chef, super-fresh Israeli food (Jaffa) that may or may not be served up in an extravagant three-tiered stand, a smoothie and acai concept (Sweetblendz) for those who love sweet/healthy treats and more.
With plenty of indoor and outdoor (yes to hanging chairs) seating here as well as a beautiful color-blocked library wall with vintage art and design books in the coffee bar space, lounging at St. Roch is enjoyable and easy. The Miami market is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
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