San Pedro’s New Waterfront Project Will House a 15-Stall Food Hall

The colossal development known as San Pedro Public Market is well underway in LA’s southern edge, with demolition moving forward at the former Ports O’ Call Village. And while recent coverage focused on the fight between longstanding tenants and landlords, the bigger picture means more food options for this South Bay city, including five restaurants and a large food hall.

Eater spoke with Milan Ratkovich, the Senior Development Manager at the Ratkovich Company, and son of famed developer Wayne Ratkovich, about anticipated dining options at San Pedro Public Market. The company hired James Corner’s Field Operations to handle the landscape, architecture, and design. This is the same group that designed the such iconic destinations as the High Line in NYC, San Francisco’s Presidio Parklands, Seattle Central Waterfront, and Navy Pier in Chicago.

The Port of Los Angeles is working with Field Operations to install a San Pedro waterfront to take advantage of the view. The company is known for reusing existing structures and turning them into unique public spaces. When complete, Angelenos and tourists can walk the promenade and dine while taking in the Port of Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean.

The new waterside destination will add considerably to LA’s food options. “We’ve tried to pull the best that currently exists there today, both at the Ports O’ Call Village, San Pedro Fish Market, and the best of the local San Pedro restaurants,” says Ratkovich. “We want to couple that with folks that are not in the market right now. A big component of the development is the Public Market or food hall. As of right now, it will be 15,000 square feet, with somewhere between 15 to 20 food vendors.” Ratkovich is negotiating for what could be five full restaurants, and is searching for his first large anchor tenant.

Ratkovich hopes for one or two food hall vendors dedicated to beer and wine, a brewery, or a full bar, similar to Steelcraft in Long Beach. Repurposed container kitchens are also part of the project. These containers will stand outside of the food hall, so chefs can do food prep or outsourcing. Ratkovich’s vision is for people to order food, walk through the development, and overlook the channel.

While Ratkovich anticipates crowds from all over Los Angeles, there’s built-in customers from tech companies like AltaSea and new SpaceX facilities. AltaSea’s 35-acre campus is adjacent to the development, and SpaceX anticipates having 750 employees in the area.

Here’s the final word on the Ports O’ Call restaurant and Port of Los Angeles legal battle: The Ratkovich Company isn’t involved, as the Port of Los Angeles is the San Pedro Public Market’s and former Ports O’ Call Village’s landlord. As of today, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department locked the tenant out and removed the restaurant’s iconic statues from the front.

The San Pedro Public Market could be ready to open by late 2020 or early 2021.

• Fresh Renderings Reveal a Sleek New Plan for San Pedro’s Public Market [ELA]
• Ports O’ Call Restaurant Declares Bankruptcy in Attempt to Avoid Eviction [ELA]