Lower Manhattan’s Oculus is Getting a New Food Hall This Fall

Gansevoort Market plans a second location in Lower Manhattan

There’s a new food court in the works for the Oculus in Lower Manhattan this fall. The project, which comes from the team behind the Gansevoort Market in the Meatpacking District, has signed-on 13 vendors so far, including those that make fish and chips, Korean barbecue, ceviche, burgers, and bubble tea. Karaoke, a full-service bar, and lots of indoor seating will also eventually make their way to the new food hall, as well, though those plans are temporarily on hold due to a ban on indoor dining in New York City.

The original location of Gansevoort Market, which is located just one block downtown from Chelsea Market in the Meatpacking District, took some time to get off the ground, Eater critic Robert Sietsema reported in a 2017 visit to the food hall. At the time, the food hall was only partially tenanted, with several stalls in the building still vacant more than a year after opening on 14th street. At the Oculus, the project’s developers say they hope to build on the more than 80 shops and restaurants that are already doing business in the shopping center, including locations of Lady M pastry cafe, juice shop mini-chain Joe and the Juice, and coffee chain Blue Bottle Coffee.

In other news

— Shigefumi Kabashima, the owner and cocktail specialist behind ROKC in West Harlem and NR in the Upper East Side, has reopened both bars for outdoor dining, according to a spokesperson for the venues. Chef Takashi Igarashi has been brought on to head the bar’s new food program.

— Amanda Cohen’s trailblazing vegetarian restaurant Dirt Candy has reopened for takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining, according to a spokesperson for the restaurant. Spinach ramen, an 11-layer muffuletta, sweet pea lime pie, and a rotating $45 three-course dinner are now available..

— Popular Japanese coffee bar, Hi-Collar, has found a new home in the East Village. Traditional Japanese coffee, Japanese-American breakfast, and light lunch fare are now available at 231 East Ninth Street, between Second and Third Avenues.

— Bakers Against Racism, a fundraiser that donates money to organizations advocating for racial equality, will be hosting a citywide bake sale starting July 27, with pick-ups and deliveries available on August 1.

— A new non-profit organization called Safe Eats is setting, but not enforcing, safety standards for how restaurants should operate during the pandemic.

— A manager at a Carvel location in Long Island was fired last week for refusing to serve a mask-less customer who was sweating and coughing in the store.

— The Negroni version of boxed Franzia has arrived thanks to Brooklyn spirits makers.

— Too much pepper: