Anaheim Packing House
“A walkable culinary collection of 35+ artisans in the ❤ of Anaheim”
If you are visiting Anaheim, my guess is that you are at Disneyland. That’s where we were, spending a couple of days at the Happiest Place on Earth (which maybe we should feature here somebody to test that assumption?). We’d built in a day in-between Theme Park days to recover, and though we thought Corona del Mar would be the break we needed, it turned out that the Anaheim Packing House became the surprise find of our trip.
From the sign above the entrance door that states ‘Cooking is Love Made Visible’, this is a place that has been designed to feed people. Metaphorically and quite literally. This former citrus warehouse has been completely overhauled to become a tightly curated food hall, though its definitely no standard food court. There’s some fun, playful choices to be had — we chose a Rainbow Cloud (i.e. a cotton-candy topped bubble tea) from Mini Monster — as well as more grown-up Poke bowls from Orange Tei, nostalgic grilled cheese from Black Sheep GCB and our beloved Fish n Chips from The Chippy. And that’s all good. But we’re about a bit more than that, and the Packing House delivers on that amorphous people-y bit.
It serves the people who come here beyond what they just consume. There’s multiple seating options for you to find the right spot, from cozy lounge cushions (perfectly placed to enjoy that day’s musicians), swinging benches, outdoor nooks, bar stools for people-watching. There’s an abundance of natural light and plants streaming down which belie the fact that this place can get crazy busy. Even SEED Peoples Market (‘Products with a Purpose’) the cute boutique has a chair for ‘patient husband’ and a former safe that now houses a ‘Film Farm’. And woven in to all this gorgeousness are community events some of which take place in the Cooks Chapel (‘Pray for Food’) like an Alzheimer’s Association Volunteer Brunch, workshops by the likes of Scratch Cooking School and live music that takes in Jazz, R&B, Indie and Blues.
The Packing House is part of the whole Packing District Area. Step beyond its walls and there’s a Honey & Butter macaroon AirStream trailer with its own parklet, called Farmers Park. Adjacent is MAKE, featuring Unsung Brewery and their occasional Bend and Beer Sessions (that’s yoga with a pint!). Plus don’t forget Center Street Promenade a few blocks walk away which has revitalized the city centre of Anaheim with a new district that brings together vintage and food storefronts, a Farmer’s Market, signature community events like their Halloween Parade, the Carnegie Library, Muzeo Museum and, get this, a Frank Gehry designed ice-rink!
But start at Parking House. Wander the space. Find your nourishment. Then your place.
Website: anaheimpackingdistrict.com / Twitter @packingdistrict / Facebook @packingdistrict / Instagram @packingdistrict
