The long-awaited final piece of the Presidio Tunnel Tops Park, the food hall concession called The Mess Hall, opens this weekend with six separate food and beverage concepts inside including three restaurants.
The Mess Hall, which we first caught wind of two years ago, makes its debut on Saturday, August 15, in the historic 6,000-square-foot space in the Presidio known as Building 201 (201 Hallek Street). The large space, once part of the military base at the Presidio, was the last component of the 14-acre Tunnel Tops Park to be filled, and The Mess Hall's opening comes four years after the park itself opened.
The project has been spearheaded by former chef Nate Leonard, Mill Valley entrepreneur Rob Gaon, and chef Peter Serpico, a Korean American chef who's best known for being chef de cuisine at David Chang's Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ko before becoming Chang's director of culinary operations. He later moved to Philadelphia to partner with restaurateur Stephen Starr on his eponymous restaurant Serpico, which opened in 2013 and became a local hot spot.
At the Mess Hall, you'll find Boda, a Korean-inspired concept offering housemade banchan, Korean fried chicken, kimchi fried rice, mandu dumplings, and more. A second concept, Dayboat Seafood, will serve crudos, chowder, shrimp cocktail, and sushi handrolls. And a third, Breadwinner, will offer a menu including breakfast sandwiches, smashburgers, customizable salads, hearty lunch sandwiches, and more.
All three concepts share a kitchen, and the same ordering systems. Orders can be placed via QR code at tables, or from an employee at a counter, and picked up from a shared pick-up window.
Additionally, there's a full-service bar, and a cafe that will open at 7 am each morning serving Wrecking Ball coffee, Breadbelly pastries and croissants, and a "bodega-style" egg and cheese sandwich that can have sausage, bacon, or tots added to it.
And an all-day market that also opens at 7 am will offer picnic items like grab-and-go sandwiches and tinned fish, as well toiletries and convenience-store items geared to residents of the Presidio.
The space has 88 seats indoors and 120 more seats on a Golden Gate Bridge-facing outdoor patio. As Leonard says, the team was aiming for a "communal beer hall" vibe, and to "build a compelling food hall" that is able to local residents and park visitors alike.
The design, with due deference to the historic site which previously housed an animal feed store and a post office on the military base, was done by Studio KDA, who also designed the recently opened Bar Panisse in Berkeley.
The Mess Hall will be open, starting Saturday, from 7 am to 8 pm Monday to Thursday, and from 7 am to 10 pm Friday to Sunday, with the three restaurant menus being offered from 11 am onward.
Previously: Huge New Food Hall From Momofuku Alum Coming to Presidio Tunnel Tops
Top image: Photo by Nate Leonard
