When Tameeka Randall arrives home after a long day making Southern food at her family’s downtown restaurant, Next Phaze Cafe, she’d rather eat out than cook an entire meal. But the options are limited when it comes to sit-down restaurants in Southwest and West Baltimore, says Randall, who lives near Edmondson Village and co-runs Next Phaze with her father, Tony, pictured: “There’s really not many places to eat at all.”

But early next year, the father-daughter duo and a roster of six other food businesses will help address that dining dearth with the launch of The Mill on North, a 7,800-square-foot food hall at Walbrook Mill at West North and Braddish avenues.

Ground broke on the project in June and construction is projected to finish in the spring, with development partners including Coppin Heights Community Development Corporation, Timonium’s Osprey Property Co., and the nonprofit Neighborhood Housing Services. So far, the partnership has enjoyed success with its $25-million mixed-use transformation of the former Walbrook Mill & Lumber Co. yard, which opened in 2020.

This next phase, which will cost an additional $3.9 million, adds the new food-centric Mill on North to cater to the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as an eager audience of students and staff from Coppin State University next door. Each component adds momentum in breathing life into a long-underinvested section at the western end of North Avenue, says Dan Ellis, executive director of Neighborhood Housing Services.

“Does building a food hall solve the problems of West Baltimore? No,” says Ellis. “But if you build the housing and the food hall and you do economic development, each of these investments cumulatively makes an impact.”

Plans call for incorporating many of the classic elements—cafeteria-style seating and a sleek aesthetic, for instance—found in other popular local food halls like Remington’s R. House or the Mount Vernon Marketplace downtown. But Gary Rodwell, executive director of Coppin Heights CDC, said The Mill on North will stand apart with its all-Black vendor lineup, as well as by catering directly to both westside neighborhoods and one of the city’s two prized historically Black colleges.

“You’re going to have the intersection of the college community, with Coppin State University students and faculty being a part of it; you’re going to have a unique food hall situated in an African-American community; and you’re going to have a neighborhood institution that has the flavor of the [project’s] leadership and of West North Avenue in it,” says Rodwell. “It’s not replicated throughout Baltimore City, those three dynamics.”

The Mill on North’s vendor roster includes Next Phaze’s soul food, a baked potato project called Dancing Potatoes, a burger joint called The Blissful Burger Bar, sandwich purveyor D&B Deli, baked confections from Cupsey Cakesy, seafood specialist Dream St. Cuisine, and Caribbean-style brunch from 3 Chefs, plus a yet-to-be-named full-service bar.

April Richardson, a management consultant who formerly operated Savor food hall in Prince George’s County, says it’s been a careful process to assemble vendors through community outreach, noting that all seven tenants have some connection to West Baltimore.

“It wasn’t a short vetting process,” she says. “We met with them, interviewed them, tasted their food, listened to their story to figure out if they were a fit.”

After encountering years of delays, all parties are anxious to see the food hall launch in 2023. Randall’s father, Tony, emphasized the importance of working together to serve Greater Mondawmin and draw more visitors to the neighborhood.

“I’m looking forward to not just offering our food but being part of something to improve the economic state of the community,” he says. “This project offers that, and we’re just blessed to be a part of it.”

Set in a former body shop, Remington’s R. House is a great place to park yourself, whether it’s for a lunch break, mommy-and-me play date, or a stiff drink at R. Bar. With 10 stalls to choose from, there’s seemingly something for everyone at the newest food hall to join the trend. Wherever you decide to dine, be sure to talk to the chefs, each of whom is proud to share their story.

Blk Sugar’s Krystal Mack will tell you how she literally peddled her products (coconut macaroons and meringue macarons) on a bike prior to setting up her shop; Munehiro Mori of Hilo will explain the intricacies of poke; Melanie Molinaro of Stall 11 will gush about hydroponic farming. “Baltimore City is becoming this great food city,” says development manager Jon Constable of Seawell Development, who created the space. “We’ve created this launch pad for chefs by taking away the overhead it takes to open a full brick-and-mortar restaurant.”

Here are some of the stands that stand out:

→ BRD: While we never thought that any other fried chicken could win our hearts (RoFo drumsticks for life), we commend the colossal fried chicken sandwiches at BRD. Stacked skyscraper-high on plush potato rolls and piled with creative fixings, this poultry is anything but ordinary. Pro tip: We were particularly smitten with the Vietnamese banh mi-inspired Hanoi Hen, topped with cucumber, cilantro, and spicy sauce.

→ Ground & Griddled: Start your day in the sunny south corner, where Dave Sherman (of Café Cito) puts out some of the best breakfast sammies in town. The Breakfast BLT—a Fred Flintstone-size piece of ciabatta bread layered with bacon, arugula, smoky grilled tomato, roasted garlic aïoli, and—the crown jewel—a gooey, golden, paprika-fried egg is the best reason we can think of for not hitting the snooze button (though it’s available all day if you’re not an early bird). Wash it down with a bracing cup of nitro coffee, courtesy of Stumptown.

→ Hilo: Award-winning Japanese chef Munehiro Mori turns out beautiful bowls of poke (marinated cubes of raw fish). Think of them as flavor journeys, rife with tuna and salmon, and studded with chunks of pineapple and mango, slivers of scallion, splashes of lime, and flash-fried flakes of garlic and shallots. No passport required.

→ Stall 11: Even if you’re not a vegetarian, stop by Melanie Molinaro’s vegetable-themed outpost featuring novel salads, smoothies, and sandwiches. We were more than a little sad when our straw made that final hollow sucking sound at the bottom of our smoothie—in this case, The Californian, a phenomenal fusion of cardamom, almonds, almond milk, bananas, butter, and cinnamon.

→ White Envelope: With so many places to pick from, the line forms at this arepas spot before it even opens for the day. We love these satisfying stuffed pockets made of maize and fashioned by Federico Tischler (formerly of Alma). We savored the Asado Negro—tender beef short rib cooked in caramel sauce and painted with spicy plantain purée—then devoured a vegan version crammed with crispy falafel, butternut squash purée, and purslane.

›› R. House 301 W. 29th St., 443-347-3570, Mon.-Thu. 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri. 7 a.m. to midnight, Sat. 8 a.m. to midnight, Sun. 8 a.m.-10 p.m.