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Award-winning waffles, vegan fried chicken & more: Inside look at Apopka’s 1st food hall

Hall’s on 5th will open downtown in spring

Stuffed waffles (Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

APOPKA, Fla. – Transforming a 100-year-old chicken feed store into a food hall is not an easy task, but Ella Duke and her team took it on.

Duke and her business partners bought the historic Hall’s Feed Store and are transforming it into Hall’s On 5th, Apopka’s first food hall.

She told News 6 the plans are to have it open by spring off 15 E. 5th Street.

“We wanted to ensure that we were bringing something to Apopka that didn’t already exist,” Duke said.

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Here are the vendors that will be at the food hall:

  • Thrive Craft Kitchen — Thriving Hospitality is behind this brand and many others around Orlando, such as Lamp & Shade and Bounce House Social Eats. Thrive Craft Kitchen also has a location in downtown Orlando. Menu items such as sushi, sliders and baos will be available.
  • Empanada & Co. — This spot is known for its fresh baked Ecuadorian empanadas stuffed with different items such as chicken and cheese or seasoned ground beef. It currently has one location inside the Plant Street Market in Winter Garden.
  • Butcher’s Nook — This deli shop has one outpost in Mount Dora and was founded by the former head chef for the Miami Dolphins, according to its website. Just like at its first location, in Apopka it will offer sandwiches and fresh cuts of meat.
  • Soulicious Vegan Kitchen — As the name implies, this spot is known for its vegan soul food. It offers items such as vegan fried chicken, collard greens, macaroni and cheese and loaded fries. It has one location inside Market on South in Orlando.
  • Sweet & Salty — This eatery has one of the best chicken sandwiches ever, Duke said. It is a vendor at Henry’s Depot Food Hall in Sanford and serves traditional Hawaiian barbecue. It serves menu items such as musubi, a loco moco smashburger and kalua pork, according to its social media.
  • Parlor Kitchen — The desert vendor of the venue, Duke said. This spot is known for pop-up events it has done for the past four years across Central Florida and its award-winning cookie-stuffed waffles. Ryan McKenzie sat down with News 6 three years ago when he was rebuilding his brand. He said his dream was to open a brick-and-mortar location, and that’s becoming a reality as this is his first (not pop-up) outpost for the brand.

Overall, there will also be a full bar inside and a private dining room for people to host events, Duke said. She also plans to open a commissary kitchen space inside the venue later this year.

“I think that when people walk in and when they see the vendors that decided to partner up with us, they are really going to see that this has been a labor of love for us,” Duke said.