Orange County’s dining scene is about to get a serious upgrade. OCVIBE, the sprawling 100 acre mixed use district taking shape around Honda Center in Anaheim, has announced five new dining concepts set to join Katella Commons, the ambitious two story, 50,000 square foot market hall slated to open in early 2027. The new additions bring a wave of Mexican, Filipino, Chinese and Italian inspired flavors to a lineup that’s quickly becoming one of the most anticipated food hall openings in Southern California.
The latest roster includes brothers Jaime and Ricky Nuñez Gomez of Don Churros Gomez, Chef Henry Pineda of MFK | Modern Filipino Kitchen, Chef Guoming “Sam” Xin of Mojo and Pull & Roll, and gelato artisan Pedro Quevedo of Gelato Paradiso. Each brings a distinct culinary point of view, and several have deep, personal ties to Anaheim and the greater Orange County community, a detail that OCVIBE has leaned into as it builds out Katella Commons’ identity as a true neighborhood gathering spot rather than a generic food court.
A Family Churro Legacy Comes to Katella Commons
Few stories capture the spirit of Katella Commons quite like that of Don Churros Gomez. The concept traces back to 1969 in Yahualica, Jalisco, Mexico, where a man known simply as “Don Churros” first perfected the family’s now signature recipe. Three generations later, his grandsons Jaime and Ricky Nuñez Gomez are bringing that legacy stateside, serving traditional thin style churros alongside other classic Mexican desserts.
MFK | Modern Filipino Kitchen Returns to Its Anaheim Roots
For Chef Henry Pineda, the announcement is something of a homecoming. Nearly a decade ago, Pineda and his wife, Panda, opened their very first restaurant in Anaheim under the MFK name. After a fire forced the closure of that original space, the couple regrouped and launched Lola’s by MFK, a beloved Filipino brunch spot. Now MFK | Modern Filipino Kitchen is making its return, this time with a menu built specifically for Katella Commons that reimagines familiar Filipino dishes through a modern lens, all while staying rooted in family and the communal ritual of sharing a meal.
Hand Pulled Noodles From a Bona Fide “Noodle Man”
Northern Chinese cuisine gets its due at Mojo and Pull & Roll, led by Chef Guoming “Sam” Xin, who has earned the nickname “Noodle Man” over more than two decades in the industry. Xin’s culinary journey began in Zhengzhou, China, where he opened his first restaurant, Noodle City, before going on to earn certification as a Senior Noodle Technician in Beijing. At Katella Commons, guests can expect expertly hand pulled noodles and dumplings that blend time honored technique with a more contemporary sensibility, giving Orange County diners an immersive, made to order noodle experience that’s still relatively rare in the region.
Twenty Five Years of Gelato Tradition
Rounding out the new additions is Gelato Paradiso, the Newport Beach born gelateria that has been scooping authentic Italian gelato since 1999. What started as a single neighborhood shop has since grown into multiple locations across Southern California and Texas, all while staying true to old world Italian technique. Every batch is made fresh daily in small quantities, with roughly 80 percent of ingredients imported directly from Italy and the rest sourced locally and seasonally. Expect staples like pistachio, stracciatella and bacio alongside a rotating menu of seasonal flavors, an ideal way to cap off a meal at the market hall.
Katella Commons Keeps Building Momentum
These five new concepts join an already stacked lineup at Katella Commons. Earlier this year, OCVIBE announced Danielle Duran Zecca and Alessandro Zecca of Amiga Amore, Alberto Bañuelos of Burritos La Palma, Alex “Pobre Diablo” Garcia and Elvia “La Bruja” Huerta of Evil Cooks, Kanate Ungkasrithongkul and Anita Lin of Manaao Thai Comfort Food, and Chef Zach Scherer of DARKROOM Restaurant and Wine Bar, who is bringing two separate concepts, OC Pizza Cult and Wanderfowl, to the market hall. OCVIBE also revealed that celebrated chef Roy Choi will open a location of his acclaimed restaurant Best Friend within the district, a major coup for a food hall that hasn’t even opened its doors yet.
When it’s finished, Katella Commons will house 21 individual kitchens alongside six original bar and lounge concepts, including the wine focused Bar Bacchia, the gin and cocktail driven Vesper Lounge, the European cafe style Barrel Bar, and Rea’s Ranch, a beer garden with a distinctly California desert feel. The market hall occupies the first two floors of The Weave, OCVIBE’s new mass timber office building, and connects directly to the district’s central plaza and entertainment venues, positioning it as the daily gathering place for the surrounding community.
Katella Commons is expected to open to the public in early 2027, shortly after the debut of OCVIBE’s 5,000 person concert hall that same March. The Weave office building, home to co-working operator Kiln, along with the first phase of the district’s public art program, will also open that year.
What Comes Next for OCVIBE
Katella Commons is only the beginning. OCVIBE is a privately funded, $5 billion development backed by the Samueli family that will eventually transform 100 acres of Anaheim surrounding Honda Center into a walkable, mixed use community. Once fully built out by 2033, the district is expected to include more than 2,500 residences, over 35 dining experiences, three entertainment venues and 20 acres of open space connected by three miles of walking trails, making it one of the largest private investments in Southern California history.
For now, all eyes are on Katella Commons, where a growing roster of chefs, from multigenerational family businesses to internationally trained culinary talent, is shaping what could become Orange County’s most exciting new food destination when it opens in early 2027.
