Social media is abuzz after a soft opening last night at Sterling Market, the new food hall located across the street from sister restaurant/coffee shop Fidel & Co in the former Sterling Paint Factory building at 515 Shall Ave.
Get excited! Sterling Market is opening soon in #DowntownLR’s #EastVillage pic.twitter.com/GhrXfk3f1W
— Downtown Little Rock (@DowntownLR) March 10, 2023
Sterling Market was announced in November 2021 in a press release from Fidel & Co’s owner Fidel Samour and the Remolinos Group, a concept group “formed to create new experiences through thoughtfully sourced and expertly crafted food and drink here in Little Rock,” the release said. Sterling Market’s social media feed has been teasing the imminent opening with food photos and stocked market shelves.
The food hall will host a butcher shop, a greens station, an artisan pizza station, a bakery, as well as a full bar. There’s a menu available here, which includes a Sat.-Sun. brunch.
Arkansas Times barbecue editor Brock Hyland attended the soft opening last night and raved about the roasted pork sandwich he sampled. Additionally, Hyland said he’s usually not one to partake in gluten-free vegan cookies, but someone handed him one at the event that blew his mind. Fidel & Co’s pastry chef Paige Russell-Burt is a special talent; every baked good I’ve had from Fidel & Co has made me pause for a still, silent moment of flavor appreciation. The dark chocolate ganache donut, the buttermilk glazed donut and the kouign-amann in the video above have us drooling in our cubicles over here at the Arkansas Times office.
Sterling’s website features a video rendering tour showcasing an eventual rain-or-shine outdoor alley green space featuring a retractable roof and a massive TV wall. The market will feature house-made goods like jams, granola, pickled vegetables and shortbread.
We can’t wait to hit this place up and will update when an opening date is announced.
