Over the past few years, food halls have become a staple in the UAE’s diverse culinary scene. With venues such as Depachika and the Time Out Market championing home-grown brands and creating new concepts, it’s easy to see why they have such a loyal following.
And it looks like the trend is only growing stronger. Limestone Lab, a newly launched hospitality company, recently announced that it will be launching Social Distrikt, which it's calling “an experiential food and bar hall venue”.
The venue will be located at The Pointe on Palm Jumeirah, taking the space Food District once occupied. That means customers can expect views from the waterfront location, including that of The Palm Fountain.
No outlets have been named but Hassan Ballout, co-founder of Limestone Lab, says there will be a mix of cuisines on offer, from American to Asian.
Setting it apart from other food halls, Social Distrikt will also boast a number of “experiential components” he says.
“Downstairs we will have a speciality coffee space and a really great dessert place. We’re also planning something called District Radio, a platform for music curators. In the future, we want to have a podcast, workshops, cooking classes and different kinds of activations.”
The casual venue will also feature grape gardens, entertainment corners, social spaces and more under a single roof.
Although yet to open, there are already big expansion plans in the works.
“We are adamant to see more than one Social Distrikt,” says Ballout. Branches in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are also in the pipeline.
“We want to create a network, especially for potential brand owners who want to get into a different market without having to spend a lot of money.”
No launch date has been announced, although the venue is scheduled to open to the public towards the end of the year.
