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Is the food hall the future of dining out?

Market Hall, Victoria, which opened in December
Market Hall, Victoria, which opened in December

Gastronomically, Victoria has never rivalled fashionable districts such as Soho, London Bridge or Shoreditch (much to the irritation of hungry Telegraph employees who work here). But last December, 12 new lunch options emerged as if from nowhere. Cult London establishments such as Roti King, Monty's Deli and Baozi Inn were suddenly just a stroll from the desk.

How could so many restaurants arrive at once? Market Hall is the answer: the food hall, situated right beside the train station, houses 11 kitchens with loud, clattery communal tables, a coffee shop, and three bars, all under one roof (spread over three floors, plus a soon-to-open terrace)

This model – many small restaurants with shared tables, all under one roof – is not limited to London. Inspired by the success of foreign examples, like the Time Out Market in Lisbon (one of the city's most popular visitor attractions), Eataly, which boasts several locations, most notably in New York, and the hawker culture in Southeast Asia, food halls are now popping up all over this country.

Baltic Market  - Credit: Megan Connor 
Baltic Market in Liverpool, one of a new breed of food halls Credit: Megan Connor

Altrincham's Market House and Mackie Mayor in Manchester's buzzing Northern Quarter, both run by the same team, are bringing food-hall culture to the northwest. Both are situated in restored old buildings, bringing a new lease of life to unused or unloved spaces, a common theme.

Market House, which sits in a location used as a market since 1209, has 250 seats, five kitchens, a coffee shop, chocolatier, wine shop and craft beer bar.

Mackie Mayor, in a former meat market, seats twice as many, and offers wide range of dining options, from Korean steamed buns to sourdough pizza. A third site is rumoured to be opening in Macclesfield.

Thirty miles west, Liverpool's Baltic Market is situated in a once-derelict warehouse (used as a bottling and cooling area for kegs of beer from Cains Brewery) within the now-modish Baltic Triangle, and contains eight street-food traders, plus bars and dessert sellers catering to hungry Liverpudlians.

"It's a really fun, super family-friendly place, with a farmers' market once a month, art markets and record fairs," chef Christopher Ineson, of nearby restaurant Oktopus, told The Telegraph.

And in April, Duke Street Market will open in Liverpool – a restored 100-year-old warehouse that will hold 500-odd diners across six kitchens (a street-food Cuban outlet and barbecue joint among them) and a showcase 60-cover 'showpiece' restaurant, Pilgrim, which won its slot after gaining investment from the market's co-founder, Matt Farrell, on BBC 2's My Million Pound Menu.

Back in London, Market Halls is leading the charge, with its Victoria offering taking over the building which once housed Pacha nightclub, joining Market Hall Fulham which launched earlier in 2018. Later this year, an Oxford Street site will open its doors in the old BHS building and Lakeside, Essex, is even getting the Market Halls treatment, with The Hall: seven kitchens, a coffee shop, pop-up areas for food trucks and two bars, forming part of the shopping centre's 175,000 sq ft extension, opening later in 2019.

These join the likes of Bang Bang Oriental Foodhall in Colindale, the Street Feast empire, and Pop Brixton in offering "restaurant-quality" food in a more casual setting.

The concept itself – several restaurants in close proximity with communal tables – is not new in this country, though the new breed is a far cry from the shopping centre food court stuffed with identikit chains of yore (which Lakeside is evidently trying to remedy with the launch of The Hall). But what is behind the food-hall boom?

One answer lies on the high street. Opening and maintaining a high-street restaurant is becoming increasingly difficult: restaurateurs are struggling with soaring business rates, rising food costs and wages. Anybody watching the latest series of My Million Pound Menu will know that it can cost a six-figure sum to launch a restaurant. Even chains can't rely on economy of scale anymore.

Market House, Baltic Market and Market Halls all offer a platform for mostly young, talented and independent chefs, without the financial risk of opening their own site.

Anderson explains that Market Halls fits out the kitchen, takes care of marketing and provides staff to do the cleaning. Customers are prompted to collect their dishes via a buzzer, so there's no waitering involved. Chefs focus on sourcing quality ingredients and producing premium fare.

But opening a restaurant has always been risky business – so why have food halls not multiplied until now? One reason posited by Anderson is that we don't have a sharing culture around food as in Asia or Spain, where large mercatos are common.

But there's also the expansion of choice. As diners become more adventurous, deciding on what to eat if you're dining in a group can be difficult. At a food hall, guests can go their separate ways, order, and reconvene. "Food halls offer a way for groups of people to dine together that offer choice and value for money. It's a more dynamic way of eating and socialising," says Anderson.

David Williams, co-founder of Baltic Market, agrees, adding that lifestyle choices, as well as a rise in allergies and intolerances, makes variety crucial. "Take a typical group of 10 people – a few would be vegan, some gluten-free, some just fussy eaters. For one restaurant to satisfy that group of people in one menu is almost impossible."

Market Halls - Credit: Christopher Horwood
Market Halls Victoria offers 12 food stalls over two floors Credit: Christopher Horwood

Value for money is also key. Millennials are often criticised for spending too much on dining out, prioritising short-term fun over long-term savings. Food halls offer the chance to upgrade your dinner without upping the cost. At Market Halls, for example, a typical main with a beer won't cost more than £15 – often less. That's less than what you'd spend at an average chain.

Food halls also provide informality and communality, something Johnson thinks diners crave. Everyone is welcome – adults, kids (Market House Fulham has a play area), grandparents, even pets. "Part of the beauty of communal food halls," says Johnson, "is that they are designed to engineer social interaction through shared tables, shared dishes, conversation with friends and between complete strangers."

No bookings, affordable dishes, a laid-back atmosphere, lots of sharing potential. It's no surprise food halls are taking the country by storm. While they sometimes lack the character and soul of a cosy, independent local restaurant (and can be deafen, they bring other benefits to the table.

And they're here to stay. Anderson knows of five or six launching in London alone over the next year or so. Market Halls will also open a branch in York; and Eataly is set for a grand London entrance in 2020.

"People want a wider choice, a more relaxed vibe, and they want to know how their food is made and where the ingredients are from," says Johnson.

"They want to dine with their kids, their parents and their grandparents and take their pets. With the range of food on offer, you can please everyone without having to compromise."

Are food halls the future for dining out? Or could their sudden rise in popularity be temporary? Let us know your opinions in the comment section below. 

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