Downtown Ocean Springs just got a serious food shuffle. Two of the Coast’s most sought-after food trucks, Salty Jax and Lum Pan Filipino, have locked in spots inside CRAVE Food Hall this spring, while Chicago 6ix is bailing out of the hall to open its own place on Bienville. The moves add year round counters to a downtown strip that has been gaining steam since CRAVE opened last year, and they make lobster rolls, Filipino comfort dishes and Chicago-style sandwiches easier to score without chasing a truck schedule.
Salty Jax, the Coast favorite lobster roll truck run by Ngoc Nguyen and Lu Duong, has claimed a permanent counter inside CRAVE, bringing Maine, Connecticut and Southern style lobster rolls to the hall alongside Baja tacos and seafood platters. As reported by the Sun Herald, the owners say their food truck will keep rolling while the new outpost at OS 1515 operates daily. Fans told the paper they are relieved to finally have a reliable downtown home base for the hits that made the truck a local fixture.
Lum Pan Filipino, a newer player on the scene, has also settled into the hall, serving lumpia spring rolls, shrimp fried rice, shrimp pancit and pork barbecue. Those dishes fold neatly into CRAVE’s operating model, a collection of chef driven counters that lets cooks test concepts without taking on the full expense of a standalone restaurant, a setup detailed by NOLA. The same report notes that Chicago 6ix has already closed its stall at CRAVE and is planning a nine table shop with a bar at 1224 Bienville Blvd., slated to open May 1.
Chicago 6ix Finds A Home On Bienville
Chicago 6ix, known in the hall for its stacked Italian beef and Philly cheesesteaks, is taking the leap into full brick and mortar service. Local coverage traces the concept back to its Smokin’ Hoagies roots and points out that Chicago classics still anchor the menu. As detailed by Coast Observer, time at the food hall helped introduce the brand to a wider Gulf Coast audience, and the new storefront is moving into a building that previously housed Kenny Ward’s and 38 Degrees.
CRAVE’s Incubator Model Keeps Local Chefs Testing
CRAVE Food Hall sits inside the OS 1515 development at 1515 Government Street and currently hosts roughly eight chef driven concepts, operating as both a destination for diners and a launchpad for restaurants. The OS 1515 site lists the hall’s tenants and hours, according to os1515. National features have also highlighted chefs like Wilfredo Avelar, the onetime Emeril protege behind Mawi Tortillas and the Shorelines Coastal Kitchen stall, who have used the space to grow their following, as reported by Garden & Gun. That mix of regional names and outside attention helps explain why trucks are trading in their wheels for permanent counters at CRAVE.
For Ocean Springs, the latest round of musical chairs is one more sign that the downtown dining scene is maturing. Mobile operators are finding paths to permanence while the hall keeps rotating in fresh concepts for curious eaters. Other chefs have already followed the CRAVE-to-standalone route, most recently Marcello’s, as reported by the Sun Herald. With more trucks parking for good and a new Chicago 6ix address on Bienville, expect the downtown courtyard and the food hall bar to stay busy as the weather heats up.
