Miami Beach has yet another food hall — but this one wants to be a local favorite
South Beach locals know Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue belong to the tourists now — and so do their food halls.
At least that’s what South Beach’s newest food hall is counting on.
The Alton Food Hall is the third to open within a two-mile radius in South Beach, following Timeout Market and Lincoln Eatery. But this one, set far west on the island, among the residential condos and apartments, aims to cater to locals. Alton Food Hall is the newest venture from CloudKitchens, the ghost kitchen company by Uber founder Travis Kalanick, which has locations in Wynwood and downtown.
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This food hall’s approach is different, with 18 different vendors representing mostly inland restaurants that are locals’ favorites, like outposts of North Miami Beach’s Dumpling King, Kendall’s Tacos & Tattoos, Shimuja ramen shop, and Miami-area upstarts like Jugo Boss and the fusion Sashiro sushi shop.
“We wanted to bring the tastiest spots from all different areas of Miami to Miami Beach,” said Alton Food Hall’s general manager Rachael Jaye, who spent the last three years working for Uber Eats.
Bringing together a wide variety of cuisines, with little overlap, was the main focus, Jaye said. And so was bringing in names that were known to South Beach locals – but not necessarily close by.
“We didn’t want to bring in any places that were a 10-minute drive,” she said.
So rather than big national names, anchors for Alton Food Hall are places like Dumpling King, whose soup dumplings have made them a beloved spot on 163rd Street in the northeast part of the county. Same goes for Tacos & Tattoos, which have been known from pop ups at Lincoln’s Beard brewery to their newest spot off Killian Parkway in Kendall.
That said, the new food hall, at 955 Alton Road, also hosts several ghost kitchens — Popeye’s, Capriotti’s sandwiches, Pollo Campero, Wing Stop — where locals can order pickup or delivery.
The food hall takes over for the former Coco Bambu Brazilian restaurant, a massive two-story restaurant with a central bar, that has been repurposed to serve beer, wine and cocktails and act as a hub.
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The Alton Food Hall owners, CloudKitchens, purchased the property through a newly formed company, 955 Alton Road MIA LLC, in 2020 for $9.5 million.
Prices are comparable to Lincoln Eatery or Timeout Market, Jaye said, where a meal and a drink will run $20-$25. The Alton Food Hall opened quietly and will have a grand opening April 30.
Alton Food Hall
Address: 955 Alton Rd., South Beach
Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
More info: AltonFoodHall.com
This story was originally published April 18, 2022 at 12:54 PM.
CORRECTION: We updated the story to include that Alton Food Hall is owned by CloudKitchens, the ghost kitchen company by Uber founder Travis Kalanick, which has locations in Wynwood and downtown.
