Chicago-style restaurant grows beyond South MS food hall. Another eatery moves in
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Crave Food Hall encourages chefs to develop new dishes.
- Some tenants moved on to open standalone restaurants nearby.
- Food trucks and new vendors have joined Crave, adding downtown variety.
May 15 was a year since Crave Food Hall opened in downtown Ocean Springs and, besides being a trendy place to gather and eat, it has become a restaurant incubator of sorts.
Some of the restaurants that opened in the food hall at OS 1515 on Government Street last summer have moved on, making space for new ones to move in and bring new foods to try.
The latest transition is Chicago 6ix Street Food Bar & Grill. It has closed at Crave and will open by May 1 at the former Kenny Ward’s and 38 Degrees location at 1224 Bienville Blvd. in Ocean Springs.
Erik Robinson and Dennis Johnson plan to feature specialties from the restaurant at Crave, like authentic Chicago hoagies and dogs from Robinson’s hometown, Philly cheesesteaks that are made with his special seasoning and are the number one seller on the menu, gyros and Chicago wings.
The variety on the Chicago 6ix menu is echoed by the other restaurants at Crave, which makes it popular with people who want a tasty Philly cheesesteak 1,000 miles from Philadelphia, spicy tortillas, Asian specialties and Maine lobster rolls.
Like other food halls in the U.S., Crave is becoming known as a place where chefs can test new dishes and develop new menus without the investment and overhead of opening a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Restaurants coming & going
At Crave, people eat at one of the indoor seating areas, at a table along the sidewalk or in the sprawling courtyard with a colorful mural background. They can order and pay at one restaurant or try something from several of the food outlets. The success of the food hall and the restaurants has gone hand-in-hand.
Crave was a step-up to the first permanent place for Salty Jax, which opened in February at the food hall after operating out of a food truck at various locations since 2022. Owners Ngoc Nguyen and Lu Duong made their food truck into one of the favorites on the Coast by selling lobster and shrimp rolls, Baja tacos and seafood sandwiches and platters. Their customers have followed them to Crave, they said.
Now a second food truck is transitioning to Crave. The Lum Pan Filpino food truck, based in Biloxi, is expected to open March 19 at the food hall. Lumpia spring rolls, shrimp fried rice, shrimp pancit stir-fried noodle dish and pork barbecue are among their specialties.
Crave is where Frank Marcello made the jump from 35 years in the restaurant business in Louisiana to his first place in South Mississippi. He opened at the food hall last summer and developed a following and investors, and in December, Marcello’s — Taste of New Orleans restaurant opened a few blocks away from Crave in the center of Ocean Springs at 1019 Government St.
People are taking notice. A feature article in Garden & Gun Magazine about the Amtrak train stops in South Mississippi included a spotlight on chef Wilfredo Avelar at Mawi Tortillas and Shorelines Coastal Kitchen inside Crave and the Latin American and coastal flavors he brings to the food hall.
Chicago 6ix story
Crave wasn’t the first restaurant location and Chicago 6ix wasn’t the first name for Robinson’s restaurant when he began selling his Chicago hoagies and specialties in Ocean Springs.
His business started as Smoke-N-Hoagies near Gulf Park Estates, until issues with the building and road construction in that area led him to the opportunity at Crave, he said.
“I want to venture out and start another brand under a new name,” he said were his thoughts as he moved to Crave, “or bring a partner on this time.” He did both — “and now we’re venturing out on our own at Chicago 6ix,” he said.
Robinson was born and raised in Chicago. “My grandmother taught me how to cook,” he said, and he moved south and stayed after his brother was stationed in the Navy in South Mississippi.
What’s a pizza puff?
The name Chicago 6ix comes in part from the six main styles of dishes on the menu, starting with his Chicago roots and his original Chicago hot dog. He’s also doing Polish sausage sandwich popular in Chicago, along with his version of Chicago chicken with his secret sauce. The Italian beef sandwich featured on “The Bear” show and inspired by a restaurant in Chicago, also will have Robinson’s own twist and a place on the menu.
“We haven’t put the menu together quite yet, but it’s basically going to be like the main menu from Smoke-N-Hoagies and Chicago 6ix, with a few things added on,” he said.
At Crave he started adding dishes like pizza puffs to his specials. “That’s a pastry filled pizza that’s deep-fried,” he said. He also began trying out his recipes for ribs, tacos and pasta, which he plans to feature as specials at his new restaurant, along with catfish and shrimp platters.
The new location will give him the opportunity to add Sunday brunch, he said, and family dinners like chicken or fried fish with a couple of sides for convenient and reasonably priced meals, he said.
He envisions the restaurant as mostly takeout, but said there will be nine tables where people can dine and a bar so they can get some wine with their pasta or a cold beer with their Chicago dog.
He’s hiring servers, bartenders and kitchen help, getting the sign installed to let people know Chicago 6ix is on the way and preparing to welcome back his customers and draw new people in for a taste of Chicago, Robinson said.
