Dine at the nation’s first women-run food hall: La Cocina Municipal Marketplace in SF

La Cocina Municipal Marketplace interior. Photo courtesy of Erin Ng.

When you really want to put your money where your mouth is, La Cocina Municipal Marketplace makes it easy. Eat to support a worthy cause? You don’t have to ask twice. As the nation’s first women-run food hall powered by minority and immigrant entrepreneurs, San Francisco’s new 7,000 square-foot culinary spot in the heart of the Tenderloin exudes a lot of heart. And its international flavors have been getting a lot of notice since it opened last spring.

You can’t miss this corner locale located at 101 Hyde Street, three blocks from Civic Center/UN Plaza BART Station. A vibrant mural by local artist Johanna Poethig bounces off the walls on the outside, looking as fresh as the food and innovative mission on the inside. Walk through the doors and you’ll get to explore a world of recipes by minority women chefs who’ve graduated from the nonprofit La Cocina food-business incubator program. 

With a total of nine different vendors housed at one address, the Marketplace dishes up Creole, Salvadoran, Algerian, Mexican, Senegalese, and Nepalese fare from seven chefs. Thirsty? La Paloma cocktails and Fluid Coop SF coffee greet visitors upon entry. 

Salvadoran cuisine from Estrellita Snacks in La Cocina Municipal Marketplace. Photo courtesy of Lorena Masso.

Despite the challenges of a mid-pandemic launch, Chef Jay Foster, who manages the Marketplace, said the food hub is enabling "talented entrepreneurs to build their businesses and feed the Tenderloin community at a critical time."

Designed as a safe, inviting place for everyone, the Marketplace remains intentional about welcoming the low-income community outside its doors just as much as the broader Bay Area: each vendor offers an affordable daily “Five-Dollar Plate” (or “$5 Community Meal”) cooked up to be “complete and nutritious.”  

Once you place your order, you can choose from various seating options in the expansive space. There are long community tables, counterside stools at some kiosks, and a corner lounge featuring a circular bench set against a library of books. The Marketplace was built to be pleasing to the palate and the eyes—so it’s become a place where patrons can enjoy a casual dining experience in an open setting meant to inspire and connect. 

Corner lounge and library wall at La Cocina Municipal Marketplace. Photo courtesy of Erin Ng.

Feast on these nine food and drink vendors

Here are the small businesses you can enjoy supporting at La Cocina Municipal Marketplace:

Transgender-owned-and-operated Fluid Coop SF serves coffee with community

Coffee being served at Fluid Coop SF. Photo courtesy of Erin Ng.

“We will no longer demand a seat at just anyone’s table,” Fluid Coop SF’s official website states. “We are building our own table.”

Having joined the Marketplace in August of 2021, Fluid is the pop-up cafe owned and operated solely by transgender activists-turned-entrepreneurs. It’s bringing trans visibility at a critical time when various state legislatures across the country have been introducing anti-transgender bills—with the rights of vulnerable trans youth being a focal point.

“We celebrate equity, justice, and unity through all our different identities at the Marketplace,” Fluid Co-founder and CMO Santana Tapia told BARTable, speaking about the supportive bond between all the business owners at the Marketplace. 

“There’s something so poetic at La Cocina about the family we’ve all created here. We celebrate birthdays together, and we grieve losses together.”

Best-sellers you’ll currently find at Fluid include the U-bae Princess Latte (made with condensed milk) and the Cafecito de Maria (made with cinnamon and sugarcane sweetener from Mexico). Tapia says the latter is “a more simplified recipe, the way my grandma would make it for us growing up.”

Fluid has just been accepted into the Bellwether Roast Accelerator program, which will allow the team to have in-house roasting capabilities it hopes to implement in April. 

While bringing coffee is what’s officially on the menu, Tapia and co-owners—CEO JoJo Ty and COO Sarello Buyco—want patrons to take away much more than simply a drink. They are most committed to representing, honoring, and giving voice to the trans and queer communities.

And the new business owners are only getting busier. Fluid’s biggest event yet is coming up on March 25-27: the first-ever Queer Coffee Conference will be held at the Marketplace and at UC Hastings. Tapia anticipates 250 participants during the three-day event.

“Our main thing is to be a space where people feel completely comfortable and accepted,” Tapia said, “understanding that when you include the most marginalized community and place them at the forefront of your work, you create a safe space for all.”

What's your favorite vendor at La Cocina?

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