Sun King Brewery has announced the four independently operated, local restaurants that will fill the modern day food hall that will be featured inside its Carmel taproom and distillery, scheduled to open this summer, according to a press release.
Sun King’s food hall will feature four, 100-square-foot food stalls designed to invoke the spirit of the Monon Railway inside the 15,000-square-foot taproom. Each unit will house a small kitchen, service counter and menu boards. Following are descriptions of the restaurant concepts and menu offerings:
- BEAST: Offering gourmet burgers and hand-cut fries crafted with quality, locally sourced ingredients. The Sun King Carmel taproom and distillery will be BEAST’s first brick-and-mortar location; BEAST previously operated a food truck. Among the menu items will be the Game Changer burger, featuring a quarter pound of Fischer Farms beef, Chinese five-spice seasoning, cookie butter and spicy Asian slaw on a toasted brioche bun.
- La Margarita: Currently operates a location in Indianapolis’ Fountain Square neighborhood offering Mexican food including tacos, salads, burritos, homemade salsas and daily specials. Among the menu items will be chorizo tacos featuring Mexican ground sausage, creamed corn poblano aioli, queso fresco, cilantro and onion, served on blue corn tortillas.
- Oca: This is the second Oca restaurant to open in a Sun King taproom. The first is located in Sun King’s Indianapolis taproom. Developed by Chris Eley, owner of Indianapolis’ Goose the Market and Smoking Goose, this new Oca menu includes snacks like soft Bavarian pretzels with pimento beer cheese and charcuterie tasting boards, as well as unique sausages and sandwiches. Fans of Chris’ Batali sandwich, named one of the country’s best by Bon Appetit magazine, will be delighted to find this masterpiece on Oca’s menu, which includes three types of house salumi, spicy pickled vegetables, tomato preserves and provolone. Traditional South African beef sausage, salmon lox, roasted curtido pork loin and lamb bacon are a few of the house-made provisions starring in Oca’s sandwich and sausage lineup.
- Pi: Operates a food truck offering handcrafted, brick-oven pizza and seasonal salads. Among the menu items will be the Indiana Corn Pi, featuring garlic sauce, sausage, corn, spinach, caramelized onions, jalapeños and mozzarella and provolone cheese.
“Food halls are a growing trend throughout the U.S., where the number of them grew by nearly 40 percent in 2016,” said Clay Robinson, co-founder of Sun King Brewery. “Think of our new food hall like a food court in the mall, but totally modernized with local, independent restaurants serving diverse, fresh food, quickly. The entire experience is meant to provide a destination where friends can gather to enjoy fresh, handcrafted beers and cocktails paired with fresh, handcrafted meals.”
Sun King has produced more than 500 different beers since 2009, dozens of which have been awarded national and international medals.
