Piggybacking off the tiny house and food truck trends, a growing number of eateries are popping up inside shipping containers. Converted into veritable kitchens, the trend doesn�t stop with one type of cuisine. The catch is that these are not merely pop-ups: they�re here to stay�and the surrounding al fresco spaces are part of the design.
DK Puerto Morelos (Puerto Morelos, Mexico)
DK Puerto Morelos (Puerto Morelos, Mexico)
Serving Mexican food in Mexico isn�t unique�but the twist at DK Puerto Morelos, open since 2015, is that the menu is mostly lionfish (an overly invasive fish in this Riviera Maya region); Lionfish tacos, a Thai lionfish dish, and lionfish burgers are three of the options. Tables with umbrellas and chairs out front add pizazz to the largely unaltered shipping container�s forest green hue.
Market 707 (Toronto, Canada)
Market 707 (Toronto, Canada)
What�s cool about Market 707 is that it�s a food-court-like concept with various restaurants, each inside its own recycled shipping container. The focus is on international street foods, including macarons at Petit Nuage, curry at Gushi Japanese Street Food, and Colombian empanadas from Cookie Martinez. Consider a dine-around so you don�t have to choose one vendor.
Wahaca (London, U.K.)
Wahaca (London, U.K.)
Eight shipping containers painted turquoise and canary yellow were seamlessly constructed into one wildly popular Mexican restaurant, spanning two levels. On the menu at Wahaca�s Southbank location are unique street-food bites like fire-roasted cactus and buttermilk chicken as taco ingredients. Sink into a turquoise Acapulco chair on the second level, overlooking the Thames River.
Charcoal Garden Bar + Grill (Miami, Florida)
Charcoal Garden Bar + Grill (Miami, Florida)
Open since the spring, Charcoal�s menu riffs off of the Wynwood District�s edgy, artsy vibe. Cooked daily inside Miami�s only shipping container restaurant is a farm-to-table and local-catch menu, featuring shareable bites like an American Farmstead Cheeses platter, individual casserole dishes, and namesake charcoal-grilled seafood and meats. Spot an herb on the menu? It was likely grown out back.
Federalist Public House (Sacramento, California)
Federalist Public House (Sacramento, California)
Step in to Federalist Public House�s refurbished shipping container on a Friday or Saturday night and this Midtown pizza joint is hopping. Lodi red wines and California craft beers are poured alongside 10 signature pizzas (like the Marshall: crushed pistachios, salami, and arugula pesto) baked in a wood-burning oven. Seating is at communal tables and a bocce-ball court tides you over until your order�s ready.
Mozza & Co. (Paris, France)
Mozza & Co. (Paris, France)
Snug along the Seine�near Mus�e d'Orsay at Port de Solf�rino�is this Italian eatery�s artsiest location yet. Paninis are prepared inside the steely-gray shipping container, paired with Peroni, while plenty of picnic tables and folding deck chairs out front face the river.
