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On Food: Mess Hall Market winks at military history

The nearly completed interior of Tustin’s new Mess Hall Market, which will soon have its soft opening.
(Photo by Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
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A new development in Tustin is joining the Orange County food hall scene, and it should stand out based on its location alone.

Sitting out on the wooden patio on a sunny day within view of a park, the gigantic Tustin blimp hangars and Santa Ana Mountains will be unbeatable.

It’s called Mess Hall Market — an ode to its military roots. The spot is located within the Flight at Tustin Legacy, a creative office complex project near Barranca Parkway and Red Hill Avenue. The property was once part of the Marine Corps Air Station Tustin.

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Once complete — the owners are hoping to start soft openings next month — it will feature 10 tenants, including a full bar and coffee shop.

An outdoor view of the nearly completed Mess Hall Market in Tustin.
(Photo by Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

The site has been under construction since summer 2017.

It’s a 12,000-square-foot industrial, airy space with 40-foot glass walls that allow lots of natural light. Outside, it boasts a shaded wooden deck with a fireplace and views of a new park next door.

The market will seat about 400 to 500, and there’s lots of parking available. A pingpong table and bocce ball court will also be on site.

“We’re trying to figure out all the different things you wish you could have all in one place,” said Parke Miller, executive vice president of Lincoln Property Co., which owns the project.

Parke Miller, executive vice president of Lincoln Property Co., stands in the nearly completed dining room of the new Mess Hall Market in Tustin.
(Photo by Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Announced tenants include Saigon Kitchen, a Vietnamese restaurant; Vaka Burger, an L.A. joint that once operated out of a liquor store; the Sandwich Society, a soup, salad and sandwich establishment; Slapfish, a fresh seafood chain; and the Lost Bean coffee shop.

Though none of the restaurants are in place yet, Miller wants Mess Hall Market to be an assemblage of regional favorites and new concepts.

For more information about Mess Hall Market, check out messhalltustin.com and its Instagram page, @messhallmarketoc.

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