Mediterranean Concept Proposed For Downtown Food Court
Creta Mediterranean Grill coming to 3rd Street Market Hall.
Vendor stall at 3rd Street Market Hall. Photo taken May 19, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.
A new Mediterranean-inspired eatery is proposed to open at 3rd Street Market Hall, offering a menu of gyros, spanakopita, hummus and more, according to a license application for the business.
Industry veterans Edgar Aispuro Garcia and Paco Villar are partnering to launch Creta Mediterranean Grill, with plans to offer a variety of fast-casual meals inspired by the traditional cuisines of Greece, Italy, and nearly two dozen other countries across the sprawling Mediterranean region.
The co-owners are no strangers to the restaurant scene – or to the food hall itself. Villar and Aispuro Garcia’s credits include Criollo Rotisserie Chicken and Kompali, both established vendors at 3rd Street Market Hall.
The new concept marks a departure from the duo’s Latin-American roots, making the leap from seafood to shawarma and from flan to falafel.
The proposed menu features gyros with a choice of lamb, chicken or veggie filling, as well as a shawarma platter with chicken, lamb or beef. Appetizers could include hummus and pita, spanakopita, falafel, charcuterie and fries. The restaurant also plans to make use of an existing built-in cooler to serve ice cream.
The new concept, named for Greece’s largest island, Crete, is expected to open in April, pending city approval. A floor plan indicates it would take over the western portion of Goodland Greens, which currently occupies two vendor stalls and serves a health-focused menu of made-to-order sandwiches, salads, wraps, bowls, smoothies and juices.
Creta Mediterranean Grill will need to install a standalone hood prior to its opening, as the current space is set up for cold food preparation.
The proposed hours of operation for Creta Mediterranean Grill are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Neither Villar nor Aispuro Garcia responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.
Two additional vendors recently joined 3rd Street Market Hall, bringing the food hall to capacity once again. Pop City Gourmet Popcorn made its debut in early January, offering more than a dozen flavored popcorns, along with lemonade, tea and cold brewed coffee.
Craft Boba, selling a variety of bubble teas, milkshakes and yogurt drinks, opened earlier this month in the hawker stall that previously housed Shuckers Crab Shack & Oyster Bar.
Update: a previous version of this article mentioned an additional restaurant that Villar co-founded.
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