California’s Northgate Markets adds Mexican style food hall in Costa Mesa

The family that owns California-based Northgate Markets is adding a new food hall-style dining concept to their location in Costa Mesa, Calif., according to reporting from local news site New Santa Ana. 

The dining concept, Mercado Northgate Gonzalez, is set to open Nov. 17 and will have over 20 food stalls, live music, shopping, and a fine-dining restaurant.

The concept, according to the owners, is inspired by Mexican markets, including Mercado de Coyoacan in Mexico City, Mercado de Abastos in Guadalajara, and Mercado de Artesanias in Oaxaca.

Mercado Gonzalez is named after the founders of Northgate Markets — Don Miguel Gonzalez and Dona Teresa Reynoso de Gonzalez.

The hall will be part of the supermarket, and will have fresh prepared foods, local vendors, butchers, cheese vendors, tortillerias, and other specialty shops, available from breakfast through dinner. There will also be live music.

The space will also feature Aguas Frescas, a full service liquor store with imported beers, wines, tequilas, and mescal; La Gonzalez Tortilleria, which will serve beer and freshly made tortillas; and desserts at Pasteleria La Gonzalez and Dulces Artesanos. 

The food vendors will include Mexico City churreria El Moro, which specializes in churros and seven kinds of hot chocolate; Chiva Torta, which will serve tortas; Los Guichos, which will serve tacos; and Don Miguel, which will sell carnitas.

Mercado Gonzalez will also have several more upscale restaurants. Maizano, by Jorge Salim and Javier Hernandez Pons, will focus on Mexican heirloom corn, with a menu that will include mole, sopa de Lima, memelas, and tetelas. Salim and Pons are also opening Entre Nos, an outdoor bar which will offer a variety of drinks including micheladas, mezcal, tequila and Mexican beers.

Mercado Gonzalez will also help local street taco vendors, new chefs, and caterers by providing a commissary kitchen that will provide them with a commercial kitchen where they can safely prepare their food. They will also offer food-safety certificate training for street food vendors.

Northgate Markets started in 1980 and now has more than 40 locations throughout Southern California. Their ownership now includes a third generation with 13 siblings.