Getting our first look inside Raleigh's Morgan Street Food Hall

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) -- If good food comes to those who wait, then the food at Raleigh's very-soon-to-be-opened Morgan Street Food Hall ought to be delicious.

"Good things take a lot of time," said the food hall's creator, Raleigh restaurateur Niall Hanley.

He gave local media a sneak peek at his long-awaited passion project Tuesday night.

Hanley proposed the project nearly two years ago. But his plan to convert the old Jillian's Bar at 411 Morgan Street into this depot of delectableness was not without delays. It was not an easy building to retrofit.

"It's been a club, it's been Jillian's. It was a post office depot way back in the day," Hanley explained. "And there's 22 different businesses in here. So there's 16 full-service vendors. From Lebanese food to wood-fired pizza to burgers, all in one venue. So it's kind of a game-changer for Raleigh."

Morgan Street Food Hall: What's inside?

• 16 food vendors
• Craft sellers
• Butcher shop
• Beer garden
• Seating for 350 people

It's not a new concept. But it is original to Raleigh. Food halls have been around for centuries in Europe and Asia. There are dozens in New York, a few in Charlotte. And now they're about to get hot in the Triangle.

Morgan Street is one of four food hall projects already open or in the works in every corner of the Triangle. The venture in Raleigh gives a brick-and-mortar home to some the area's most popular food trucks

Cousins Maine Lobster is making its home here along with Isaac Brennan Horton's rapidly expanding Oak City Fish and Chips.

"I thought (Raleigh's Warehouse District) was an excellent area, especially with the opening of the new train station, for all that foot traffic to have access to our delicious seafood," Horton said.

You can taste for yourself when Morgan Street Food Hall finally opens to the public July 23.