A food hall opens at the Eden Center

By Shane Gomez

An Asian food hall and forthcoming nightlife venue is now open at the Eden Center, with a sleek futuristic interior and a variety of mom-and-pop eateries.

The Pop-Up District features Thai street food at Eatsy, Vietnamese food at Sun-C, on-the-go Korean barbeque at Honey Pig Cup Bop, coffee and matcha at Doppo, and pastries at The Beat.

Currently on a soft opening, the Pop-Up District will grow to include a full-service bar called Soul Bar and a stall for rotating pop-ups, where emerging retail vendors can test their products for one day or up to a week. Interested vendors can fill out the form on this page.

Soul Bar and the pop-up shops will be open in time for the Pop-Up District’s grand opening on June 8.

Eventually, the Pop-Up District will become a nighttime lounge with DJ events and live performances, says business president Jay Tran, who also owns TeaDM in the Eden Center.

Tran says he wants to create “something new, something fun for the community.”

Located on Wilson Boulevard in Seven Corners, the Eden Center is an iconic Vietnamese strip mall that opened in 1984 and serves as a cornerstone of Vietnamese culture in the area.

The Pop-Up District, housed in a space that was previously a grocery store, is one of multiple food halls in Northern Virginia, along with The Block in Annandale, and more recently, Quarter Market in Arlington and epiQ in Woodbridge.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, the venue was crowded. Concrete and metal trim are paired with multicolored neon lights that cross the ceiling. There are large tables with padded benches. A screen on the wall displays animations.

Khiem Nguyen and his wife own Sun-C, which offers small plates, vermicelli soups, bowls, like Bun Thit Nuong (grilled pork, lettuce, sesame seeds, peanut sauce), and entrees, like Chan Ga Sa Tac (boneless chicken feet, lemongrass, chili, kumquat). Nguyen says they opened Sun-C, their first restaurant, because they “missed the taste of home.”

Jintana Phaethaisong is the co-owner of Eatsy, which offers small plates, like Moo Yang (grilled pork, spicy tamarind sauce, sticky rice), noodle dishes, soups, and entrees, like Kapow Moo-Krob (crispy pork belly, chili garlic sauce, bell peppers, rice). Like Nguyen, Eatsy is Phaethaisong’s first and only restaurant, and she opened it with the help of friends and family.

Due to the diversity of cultures it represents, the Pop-Up District has attracted both youths and older generations, according to Phaethaisong. “It’s got really good vibes, good energy,” she says.  

The Pop-Up District is currently open 8 a.m.-9 p.m. After the grand opening on June 8, it will be open 8 a.m.-2 a.m. Monday-Saturday and 8 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sundays. Soul Bar will open at 5 p.m.

Shane Gomez, an intern for Annandale Today, is a graduate of Annandale High School, where he worked on the A-Blast. He’s home for the summer after his first semester at The New School, a university in New York City.

Related story: The dislocation of Little Saigon offers lessons for preserving the Eden Center