I finally made it to the Anaheim Packing District! I was out of town for the grand opening on May 31, and have been wanting to visit ever since. Luckily, I had a Friday off of work, so I made lunch plans with my dad to visit the new marketplace. I knew I wanted my first time there to be on a weekday, because weekdays would be so crazy since it is so new. Well, the joke was on me because it was still PACKED! To preface, I will be updating this post, once I visit again later this summer, as not everything is open yet. However, I did very much enjoy the merchants that were available.

The layout of the entire Packing District is very interesting. The parking is a bit confusing and there is an entire strip of grass in between the Packing House, where all of the merchants are located, and the Packard Building, which houses the Anaheim Brewery Tasting Room and an Umami Burger. Currently, the grass area offers a Farmer’s Market on Sundays from 10AM-2PM.
Upon walking in to the Packing House, you are greeted with a beautiful contemporary rustic decor complete with light wood and white accents throughout. Each merchant runs into the next with very little seating dedicated exclusively to that merchant, which I liked. I liked that I could grab food from multiple places and sit wherever I wanted without feeling like I was bringing outside food into another establishment’s territory. After a quick walk around, we noticed that at least 5 merchants are not open yet, but there was still enough options to choose from without being disappointed. We ordered food from The Kroft and The Chippy Fish and Grill. I wanted to try everything on The Kroft menu, but settled for the Short Rib Sandwich and Jalapeno coleslaw. The sandwich was a good size for us to share and the meat was perfectly braised and very juicy. Along with the sandwich, the coleslaw tasted fresh and crisp with just the right amount of kick.

After that, we enjoyed the 3 piece and chips special and an order of Calamari Rings from The Chippy. The batter on the fish and calamari was light, but crunchy, and the quality of fish was superb.

Along with our meal, I enjoyed a lovely mocha from Cafecito Organico. It was the perfect balance of bittersweet cacao, whole milk, and light foam.

Next, we enjoyed the Popbar for dessert. This popsicle bar is the best dessert concept I have seen in a while. It is original, fun, and they have something for everyone. With yogurt, sorbet, and gelato based options, you are able to top any flavor with drizzles or chunky toppings. I chose the coffee with small hazelnut chunks and my dad chose the chocolate covered banana. We both enjoyed our popsicles and they tasted exactly what they were supposed to taste like.

Unfortunately, we were too full to try some of the other merchants, but the Black Sheep Grilled Cheese Bar will be my first stop when I come back. The menu looked so unique and delicious!

I can’t pick a favorite part of our visit because everything was enjoyable. I can’t wait to return to try the other merchants that have yet to open. This is a wonderful new addition to Anaheim and won’t be a hidden gem for much longer.
For more information, visit http://anaheimpackingdistrict.com/