Fuku, David Chang’s fried chicken spot, to open in Santa Monica this summer

David Chang is bringing Fuku, his fried chicken spot, to Santa Monica this summer.

The fast-casual chain, part of the chef’s Momofuku group of restaurants, will make its West Coast debut inside a new food hall on the Third Street Promenade called SocialEats.

Fuku will serve an abridged version of its menu to start. It will include the spicy fried chicken sandwiches, chicken fingers and slushies found at its New York and Boston locations.

SocialEats is expected to open in early July, though Fuku’s launch might come slightly after, said John Kolaski, chief executive of K2 Restaurants, which operates the food hall. The ground-floor space is planned as a collection of existing restaurant brands as well as an incubator for new projects.

“We’re really excited to help bring great concepts like Fuku to a market where it doesn’t exist,” Kolaski said. “And also bring the up-and-coming chef, who maybe wouldn’t have had the opportunity to open their own restaurant.”

There will also be a sushi bar called Supertoro where guests can build their own bento boxes; a noodle bar called Street Noods; and a Spanish restaurant, Cada Vez, that will serve pinxtos, sandwiches and wine.

The various stalls will surround Adelaide, a centrally positioned coffee and cookie bar by day and a wine bar at night.

SocialEats will be located underneath the existing second-floor Gallery food hall. That space, which opened in May 2017, is home to restaurants including Dialogue, chef Dave Beran’s Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant; Strfsh, a fish sandwich shop from chefs Michael and Bryan Voltaggio; and Paperboy Pizza.

K2 hopes to re-create SocialEats in other cities; a Las Vegas version of the food hall is in development.

1315 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, thesocialeats.com.