The Anaheim Packing District is my second most favorite place in all of Orange County. The first few months I lived here, I was bogged down by the large number of mediocre restaurants with 4-star reviews on Yelp. Weekend after weekend of disappointing food joints in OC, I was left with a desperate need to find a foodie haven that would not let me down. That’s when I discovered the Anaheim Packing District.
A Foodie’s Paradise in OC: Anaheim Packing District
While Disneyland is the most magical place on earth, and Creme & Sugar is the most magical coffee shop in Anaheim; the Packing House is the most magical food warehouse in OC. It really is a food-lovers paradise. Every Friday and Saturday night, you will find a variety of different people hanging out in the packing district. From high school homecoming groups grabbing dinner before the dance, to families showing off their dragon breath from I Am Snow, all of OC is here.
Parking at the Packing House
Parking is kind of a nightmare at the district. If you are lucky, you can score valet parking. Yes, penny pinching Bianca is willing to pay for valet parking for some good hot pot at Rolling Boil and a hazelnut popsicle from Popbar. If valet isn’t full, for $3 you get prime up-front parking. If the lot is full, like it often is, you will be forced to circle the district many neighborhood roads in search of street parking. A few blocks away, there is a parking garage in a complex of office buildings. It isn’t an easy trek back to the Packing District, though. You have to play frogger across a five lane main road and pray you don’t get hit by a car. But, once you make it a world of live music, hanging succulents, and diverse food awaits.
The perfect OC foodie blogger meet up spot
The types of food at Anaheim’s Packing District range from classic Mexican food, to artisan coffee roasters and vietnamese banh mi. A night here with your gal pals, or in this case my OC plus bloggers, means that there is something to eat for everyone. During our makeshift OC blogger meetup, we ventured to three different Packing District restaurants.
Nina of CurvyMod and Veronica of Cid’s Style File, went over to The Kroft – comfort food reinvented – for some poutine goodness. We tried country fried chicken poutine, fried cheese curds, and short rib poutine that day. The fried chicken poutine was my favorite. There’s something about chicken gravy that has me nostalgic for Thanksgiving.
Janeane from Designing from My Closet ventured over to Sawleaf for a Vietnamese banh mi. Since Janeane has some food allergies, she had to be careful what she ordered and from where. The banh mi was a perfect on-the-go option for walking around the warehouse and exploring the food options for future blogger dates.
Of course, we also managed to fit in a fall trends photoshoot as well.
Anaheim Packing District MUST EATS
Rolling Boil – garden fresh hot pot
Rolling Boil is my favorite hot pot restaurant in OC. I have tried a few other places and have been left unsatisfied by the flavor of the soup. The broth flavor is a VERY important factor of my hot pot. Which is probably a reason why I love Little Sheep’s vegetarian soup base the most. The only contender is Rolling Boil, whose thai coconut soup base is only made more rich and delicious by adding spicy Szechuan. As the liquid boils down, the flavor gets richer and more intense. Make sure the waiters don’t take your soup away!
Read Bianca V.‘s review of The Chippy Fish & Grill on Yelp
The Blind Rabbit – speak easy bar
The Blind Rabbit is a speak easy themed bar in the lower level of the Packing District, is a gem. I won’t tell you anything more than that, you’ll need to find out for yourself. A Yelp reservation is needed and you can’t be late for your reservation. The speak easy themed bar also has “rules” and a dress code, making it a real treat. Do your research. (Post coming soon)
Read Bianca V.‘s review of The Blind Rabbit on Yelp
I Am – smoothie and shaved snow
I Am is a best known for their snow balls. Little frozen giant puffs that taste a lot like Trix cereal. The snow puffs are soaked in liquid nitrogen and emit a lovely cascading cold cloud on the table as you poke them with your toothpick.
Read Bianca V.‘s review of I Am on Yelp
Anaheim has some great potential for being more than just home of Disneyland’s Mickey Mouse. Between the unicorn cafe, the Packing District, and some of the other markets in OC, you can wander around and eat for days.
Visit the Anaheim Packing District for yourself:
440 S. Anaheim Blvd.
Anaheim, CA, 92805
The post A Foodie’s Paradise in OC: Anaheim Packing District appeared first on biancakarina.