There’s good news, and there’s more good news.
Palm Beach County has long needed a public market—an indoor, air-conditioned, year-round, creative market filled with food vendors, eclectic shops, innovative workout areas all mixed together, with places to meet pals on a regular basis. Nothing like that north of Miami.
Until now.
The Grandview Public Market (1401 Clare Ave.) opens Feb. 20 in West Palm Beach, between Belvedere Road and Okeechobee Boulevard, just west of the Amtrak/Tri-Rail tracks, across from Howard Park. It was a solid warehouse district until two years ago, when builders with vision snapped up property there.
It’s paid off with Elizabeth Ave Station (1500 Elizabeth Ave.), which opened a year ago and features talented artists showcasing jewelry, clothing, pottery and more, as well as live music events.
The Grandview Public Market was conceived by and is owned by Chris and Kristen Vila. It will also have live music events, plus wine tastings and movie nights down the road.
But now, you can head there and check out the 11 vendors. Buy funky and fun home goods at Quinn, stop in for a barre class or spin class, then take a turn around to decide what to eat. That will be the hardest part, but you can come back the next day and try something new.
Three of the food concepts are from “Top Chef” alum Dale Talde and partners David Massoni and John Bush: a bar; Clare’s, chicken joint (some menu options: slightly spicy and totally yummy Korean fried chicken with kale slaw and pickles, crispy chicken sandwich, fried chicken by the piece, kale chicken Caesar, etc); and The Corner, which serves Detroit pizza (baked in a rectangle-shaped pan with crunchy crust).
Other food vendors: Celis Produce, Grace’s Fine Foods (heritage breed meats, fresh sausage and sandwiches), Rabbit Coffee, Crema (natural rolled ice cream), Poke Lab Eatery, Zipitios (tacos and pupusas) and Incubator, where vendors will rotate. Up first is Ramen Lab Eatery.
The bar has inside and outside seating, as does the market itself. It’s easy to stroll about, easy to find a place to perch. Order a Roni pizza at The Corner, made with a proprietary, 48-hour-fermenting dough (a pie with low-moisture mozzarella, pickles, chili and honey) and head to The Loading Dock, a large, covered, outdoor seating area, or head to the inside Living Room.
“We all grew up in the era of ‘Cheers,'” Massoni said. “We want our bar to be a place where everybody knows your name. We want locals and neighbors to hang out here.”
Try the Brightline drink, named for the new train line between WPB and Fort Lauderdale. Made with white tequila, grapefruit juice, agave syrup and yuzu (japanese citrus), it was created for this venue.
“Every one of the vendors are now partners and neighbors,” Chris Vila said, “all helping each other.”
“I will partner with the other vendors to create a special mix for any kind of gift you’re looking for,” says Liz Quinn, owner of Quinn.
That could include a stop at Olive Oil of the World, which specializes in Italian, French and Spanish olive oils, as well as Florida balsamic vinegars (try the Florida Meyer lemon or the Florida orange).
The Grandview Public Market will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., at 1401 Clare Ave., West Palm Beach. Classes at Studios Etc. (the barre and spin cycling studio) will run daily between 6 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
(Pictured above, Dale Talde at The Corner with Roni pizzas. All photos by Lynn Kalber)
Lynn Kalber was raised in Boca Raton and has always worked in Palm Beach and Broward counties. She is a career journalist, with 26 years at The Palm Beach Post alone, where she wrote feature and food articles, edited the food section and wrote about wine as part of the Swirl Girls. She lives in West Palm Beach with her husband, writer and author Scott Eyman.
Hungry for more food news? Visit our food page, and subscribe to the magazine for the most delicious coverage of Boca and beyond.
