Katella Commons at OCVibe announces new serving of culinary partners
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This week, OCVibe served up another announcement of culinary partners to join Katella Commons. The 100-acre entertainment and lifestyle district surrounding Honda Center in Anaheim has assembled a group of highly regarded chef-driven concepts from Los Angeles and Orange County to fill the stalls at the district’s Katella Commons food hall, set to open in 2027.
“Katella Commons is built on the belief that great food is inseparable from the people who make it,” said Nick Pacific, vice president of Katella Commons Development in a statement. “Every concept we bring into this space is chosen because it represents a genuine culinary voice, with chefs and operators who have something real to say.”
The line up at the 50,000-square-foot, two-story market includes a “Mexitalian” concept from husband-and-wife chefs Danielle Duran Zecca and Alessandro Zecca, known for Amiga Amore in Los Angeles. The couple’s L.A. restaurant features a menu that blends Mexican flavors with Italian traditions to create dishes like elote agnolotti, which fills handmade pasta with street corn.
Evil Cooks will also join the roster, presenting a different type of Mexican food. The restaurant from Alex “Pobre Diablo” Garcia and Elvia “La Bruja” Huerta began as a heavy-metal-themed pop-up at Smorgasburg Los Angeles and grew into a brick-and-mortar taquería in El Sereno in 2024. Evil Cooks earned two consecutive James Beard Award nominations.
From Orange County, the Michelin-rated Zacatecas-style burritos of Burritos La Palma are also on the menu. Chef and founder Alberto Bañuelos has grown his family’s burrito empire on tightly rolled, guisados filled burritos made with exceptional flour tortillas that warranted their own separate business, Tortillas Mejorado. Burritos La Palma currently operates locations in L.A. and Orange County with an additional location opening in former Taco Adobe space in Old Town Orange.
Zach Scherer, chef and co-founder of the innovative and illustrious Darkroom in Santa Ana will bring two new concepts to Katella Commons focused on pizza and fried chicken. The pizza shop will present elevated New York-style pizza, while the fried chicken concept will feature fried chicken sandwiches that highlight global fried chicken traditions from America, Asia, Europe and Latin America. The two new restaurants in Anaheim are part of Scherer’s expanding empire that will soon include Three-Eyed Tiger, a Southeast Asian-inspired kitchen and bar at the LAB Anti-mall in Costa Mesa.
Manaao Thai Comfort Food will open a specialized concept built around one of its most popular dishes, Khao Soi noodles. Opened in Tustin in 2023 by engineer and web-developer Kanate Ungkasrithongkul and his wife, Anita Lin, Manaao’s menu is inspired by dishes Ungkasrithongkul grew up eating in central Thailand. The khao soi noodles were counted among the L.A. Times’ best dishes of 2023 and TikTokers quickly descended on the small restaurant to weigh in, creating hours-long waitlists that have yet to die down. This year, Manaao will open a second location with a similar menu at the Irvine Spectrum while the Katella Commons location will focus solely on khao soi.
“In Thailand it’s really common to see small restaurants that offer only a few specific items. Here in the States, Thai restaurants try to offer everything,” Ungkasrithongkul said. “Khao soi gives us the chance to focus on one area of Thai cuisine, curries, and hopefully take execution to the next level. It’s an honor to be invited to join a group that includes such impressive culinary talent.”
Katella Commons will be home to these five new culinary partners as well as additional bars and lounges like the previously announced beer garden, Rea’s Ranch and wine bar, Bar Bacchia, inspired by the wine caves of regions like Napa and Sonoma.
Chef Rémi Lauvand, who was tapped to help shape the direction of Katella Commons earlier this year, said bringing in these new chef-driven restaurants reflects OCVibe’s vision of creating a destination that showcases exceptional culinary talent and authentic food experiences.
“Some are already beloved by Orange County diners, while others will introduce exciting new flavors to OCVIBE. Together, they represent the creativity, diversity and energy that will define Katella Commons,” said Lauvand. “I look forward to welcoming guests to experience everything they have to offer.”
