Little Grand Market to open Friday with tacos, tenders, Cuban, Korean, cookies, more

It's finally here! The Little Grand Market, central Ohio's newest food hall at Grandview Crossing Way, is opening its doors this Friday, bringing with it a lineup of 12 vendors, mostly established names from food trucks or establishments at other food halls.

Here's a rundown of the diverse offerings, from chunky cookies to comforting Korean food, build-your-own bowls of Vietnamese food, chicken tenders, Tijuana-style tacos and more.

Los Agavez Taqueria

Los Agavez Taqueria, whose Clintonville-based food truck was listed recently by Yelp as one of the nation's 100 best taco spots based on user reviews, opens its first permanent location at the market. Owners David and Elvia Ramirez, who started their food-truck business in 2018, prepare 100 pounds of birria beef daily for their Tijuana-style tacos. Los Agavez also sells huaraches (on a thicker tortilla-like base), tortas, burritos and other Mexican dishes.

Just Chicken

Just Chicken serves just tenders — on their own, in a sandwich, on top of loaded fries or on top of a salad. It has sides, too, such as fries and slaw. Owners D'Andre Martin and Mike Johnson opened at East Market in 2022 and now have another location in Charlotte, North Carolina.

More: Restaurateur crowing about Just Chicken venture in Columbus' East Market

Seoul Food on the Go

Seoul Food on the Go specializes in Korean street food, such as tteokbokki (penne-shaped, but solid rice cakes), pan-fried dumplings and kimbap (sushi-style rolls with cooked meat or fish). Its menu also includes deconstructed kimbap bowls, bulgogi meatballs and Korean corn dogs. Owner Dennis Kang has another location at Bubbly Hall in New Albany.

Pablo's Havana Cafe

Pablo's Havana Cafe got its start in 2018 with a restaurant in Powell and now is located at Dublin's North Market Bridge Park. Owner Pablo Taura serves traditional Cuban sandwiches and variations without meat or with extra meat in the form of Genoa salami. The menu also includes soups, burgers made of beef and chorizo, and meal platters.

Gant's Pizza

Gant's Pizza owner Matt Gantner said in a news release from Little Grand that he has had requests to bring his Columbus-style pizza to Columbus from his home base in Circleville. Gant's serves "fairly thin," square-cut, well-baked pizza; Gantner said his Columbus menu is to include a meat-lovers pizza drizzled with sweet chili sauce and an Italian specialty with ham, salami, pepperoni, sausage, onion, tomato and banana peppers.

Taesty's

Taesty's is another Circleville-based vendor coming to The Little Grand Market. Owner Tae Spell operates two food trucks that make their way all over Columbus and its suburbs, as well as a carryout-and-delivery location in Pickaway County. Spell's menu includes dry-rub wings, Carolina pulled-pork sliders, macaroni and cheese and meaty baked beans.

Look inside: Little Grand Market food hall to open in Grandview Crossing in August

Common Rice and Lan Viet

Common Rice and Lan Viet are owned by Khanh Le, who features Vietnamese dishes such as pho and banh mi. Le opened Lan Viet at the original North Market in 2014 and now operates another at North Market Bridge Park in Dublin. Common Rice is a new idea that is to serve build-your-own rice bowls based on a Vietnamese street food called c?m bình dan, which is rice with meat and veggies. They'll include ingredients such as braised pork belly, curried chicken, braised lemongrass beef, sautéed vegetables, herbs and pickled mustard greens.

Frascati Market

Frascati Market is new. A grab-and-go section is to sell Italian soups, salads, sandwiches and antipasto, as well as premade meals such as lasagna, ravioli and roasted chicken and potatoes. The market also is to sell sauces, pastas, olive oil, cookbooks and other goods. It's being developed by Tom and Luciana Ramsey.

For the Love of Dough

For the Love of Dough, which has been selling cookies at farmers markets and other events since 2021, is to open its first retail outlet. Partners Loren Snow, Daryl Jones and Tim Steward sell 3-ounce cookies (and small ones, too, if you're so inclined) filled with ingredients such as Oreos, funfetti and Fruity Pebbles, M&Ms and more. They plan to add sundaes, milkshakes and ice-cream sandwiches at the new place.

Bada Bean Bada Booze

Bada Bean Bada Booze has locations in Italian Village and Harrison West and is to open its third location at Little Grand Market. The cafe side of the business offers cafe classics with local drip coffee and cold brew, espressos and teas with a selection of baked goods like the pesto croissant and the oatmeal cream pie, all of which are vegan. There is also a selection of smoothies and limited summer exclusives that show off Bada Bean's mixology.

Little Grand Bar

Little Grand Bar is to serve alcoholic beverages for the entire food hall.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Vendors ready to open at Little Grand Market food hall