New Discoveries: Local Gems We Fell in Love With in 2019

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Hunter’s Station

If you’ve been in a serious relationship, then you’ve had that conversation before: Where are we going to eat? It’s your turn to decide. While those of us who live on the East Side have a nice array of eateries to choose from, deciding on one that satisfies both members of a couple has no doubt been the seed of countless arguments and hangry meltdowns. Enter, mercifully, Hunters Station, the new food court courtesy of the seemingly ubiquitous restaurant group Fresh Hospitality. In the Five Points-area lot formerly home to Hunter’s Custom Automotive, the “Food Spa” — as some of my friends have come to call it, somewhat inexplicably — is home to locations of Hugh-Baby’s BBQ & Burger Shop, Vui’s Kitchen, Tacos Aurora, The Picnic Tap, The Grilled Cheeserie and Citizen Market. If you’re in the mood for a bone-warming bowl of pho but your boyfriend wants a burger, split up and hit Vui’s and Hugh-Baby’s, respectively. You want tacos but your gal wants tomato soup? Hit Aurora and Grilled Cheeserie. Grab a local brew at Picnic Tap while you wait on your order, and cap it all off with a slice of cake or a hand pie from Citizen Market (which carries the delectable locally made CaityPies). Citizen Market offers items made by the entrepreneurs of Citizen Kitchen, a culinary incubator located in the basement of Hunters.Hunters has been open only a couple months, and thus weather hasn’t been ideal to check out the food hall’s outdoor patio spaces. But come springtime, the dog-friendly dining area will no doubt be humming with families and their furry pals — Hunters even promises “a designated patio for off-leash play time.” Welcome to the neighborhood, Hunters Station — you’re a great new discovery, and are likely destined to prevent countless hangry moments. D. PATRICK RODGERS