Liberty Public Market Adds 2 New Restaurants

Doughballs is a pizzeria serving wood-fired pies, while Crackheads whips up an all-day menu of breakfast sandwiches; both eateries are from JM Concepts, slated to open at Liberty Public Market late next month

Pizza AND breakfast sandwiches? Where do we sign up?

Liberty Public Market – the popular food emporium located in the heart of Liberty Station – announced Tuesday that two new eateries will be joining its extensive lineup of vendors this summer: Doughballs, a pizzeria specializing in wood-fired pies, and Crackheads, a restaurant whipping up an all-day menu of breakfast sandwiches.

Both fast-casual eateries come from restaurateur James Markham’s company, JM Concepts (MOD Pizza, Project Pie) and are slated to open in late July.

They will take over the spaces in the marketplace that previously housed Pi Bar and Grape Smuggler Bar, right inside Mess Hall.

According to JM Concepts, the menu at Doughballs includes nearly 10 signature pizzas, plus create-your-own pie options. The eatery uses high-protein flour that cooks in 90 seconds so that pizza will come out piping hot in a flash.

Menu items include the “Cheesus Christ,” which is topped with mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, taleggio, extra virgin olive oil and cracked black pepper, and the “Stinky,” a mozzarella and parmesan pie topped with prosciutto, roasted Brussels Sprouts, caramelized onions, and garlic.

Doughballs has another location in Pacific Beach – a novel drive-thru pizza shop – and this pizzeria at Liberty Public Market will be the restaurant’s second location.

As for Crackheads, the vintage diner will serve a variety of gourmet breakfast sandwiches, including the eatery’s namesake “Crackhead” sandwich made with Applewood smoked bacon and cheddar cheese and topped with an over medium egg that's drizzled with a secret “crack sauce.” The sandwiches are made on fresh brioche buns made daily at the local bakery, Bread and Cie.

For sweet treats, the menu boasts Pop Tart ice cream sandwiches and something that’ll make you feel like a kid again: an all-day build-your-own cereal bowl bar featuring sugary old school classics like Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms and Cap’n Crunch with your choice of milk and toppings.

Liberty Public Market is located at 2816 Decatur Rd., at Liberty Station, adjacent to Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens.

The 25,000-square-foot marketplace – a $3 million collaboration between operating group Blue Bridge Hospitality and developer The McMillin Companies, which opened to the public in March 2016 – aims to be reminiscent of public markets in other cities, such as Napa’s Oxbow Public Market or Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market.

The focus at the indoor-outdoor marketplace is on fresh, sustainable, locally-sourced goods, including year-round produce sourced from regional farms, plus merchants offering locally-procured seafood, old-fashioned butcher services, homemade tortillas, bread and pastries, fine wine, locally-roasted coffee, specialty handcrafted goods and more.

As of early February 2017, Liberty Public Market was home to about 30 vendors, plus the full-service Mess Hall restaurant.

Many of the small, local merchants are well-known favorites at farmers markets, while some are entirely new concepts debuting for the first time in the marketplace. For most, this is their first-ever brick-and-mortar establishment after building a fan base around town.

The venue – a historic, warehouse-style building originally built as the Naval Training Center’s commissary in 1921 – has the capacity to house more than 30 merchants.

In late 2016, Liberty Public Market was ranked No. 13 on a list of the most popular food halls in the United States.

The food hall is open daily, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Vendors hours may vary; check out this list of what's currently cooking there.

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