Four years in the making, the much-anticipated Anaheim Packing House opens Saturday – a culinary walkabout, inspired by Old World food markets, in the heart of the city’s historic downtown.

Most of the more than 20 vendors inside the 1919 Spanish revival citrus plant are set to debut Saturday in the open-floor dining complex. The eclectic mix of eateries and food artisans include a nose-to-tail butcher, a hidden speak-easy bar (we dare you to find it), Indian street food, soul dishes, a chocolate bar, a fish market, a cheese shop and an Amish-sourced spices and grain shop.

“Our passion is about small operators. It’s about personalization, not homogenization,” said Shaheen Sadeghi, operator of the Packing House and other downtown Anaheim projects.

Foodies know Sadeghi’s work. As owner of Costa Mesa-based Lab Holding, Sadeghi created two popular alterna-malls, The Lab and the Camp, in Costa Mesa. He partnered with Anaheim city officials to turn the vacant 42,000-square-foot packinghouse into a culinary food hall reminiscent of classic food markets – from Grand Central Market in Los Angeles to La Boqueria in Barcelona.

During a preview tour last week, Sadeghi took pride in the two-story building, neglected for 30 years. The structure’s scuffed maple floors, barn-style sliding doors and single-pane windows have been restored under the watchful eye of a historical consultant. Steel beams, added for support, are painted white to blend in with the structure’s towering exposed wooden trusses.

“The building is reborn,” he said.

And the space is vintage Americana – the perfect backdrop for hipster vendors in beards and wearing plaid shirts, aprons, suspenders and work shoes.

The main floor is divided into “plug and play” stalls, both big and small. Each is equipped with modern conveniences but designed with a retro-looking touch. The Hammer Bar showcases tractor-style bar seats, period mint-green coolers and kerosene lamps.

Though most eateries offer seating, the Packing House is peppered with tables to encourage communal dining. Visitors can borrow a picnic basket and blanket for grab-and-go dining in a grassy outdoor amphitheater. On the East Santa Ana Street side, a train platform with tables acts as an ideal spot for watching the locomotives zip by while you eat. Food, beer and wine can be purchased and eaten anywhere within the hall.

Nate Overstreet, butcher-chef-owner of Wheat & Sons, said he’s excited to be a part of such an ambitious food project, which he likened to San Francisco’s hugely popular Ferry Building.

“We thought it was a great opportunity to get into something iconic like the Ferry Building,” he said. “The food hall is really pushing forward the food movement in Orange County.”

Overstreet began curing meats while working at Marsha McBride’s Café Rouge in Berkeley. McBride’s restaurant and meat market is a mainstay in the Bay Area, known for sourcing responsibly raised meats from local farms and ranches.

Wheat & Sons, located in the underground level, is likely to be one of the most visual of the food artisans. Overstreet is butchering everything on site, from whole hogs to sides of beef and lamb.

“We’ll be breaking down the whole animal in front of everyone,” said Overstreet, who plans to source his meats from ranches within 150 miles of Anaheim.

Besides selling custom cuts of meat to take home, Wheat & Sons will also have a four-seat chef’s bar for dining on specialty sandwiches made from cured meats and house-made sausages. At a pre-opening tasting, the pork rillettes and goat and speck terrine garnished with pickled garlic flower were as good as at any French bistro.

“They are the next generation of coolness,” Sadeghi of the meat market.

For dessert, what could be more local and retro than Hans’ Homemade Ice Cream?

The Santa Ana scoop shop near South Coast Plaza, a local favorite, is bringing its popular flavors to the food hall. Under new ownership, Hans’ will be making its ice cream at the Bristol Street store and delivering it to Anaheim, a smaller space that can’t accommodate ice cream-making machinery.

The ice cream shop’s reputation for using premium ingredients makes it a perfect fit for Orange County’s latest dining destination.

“We use a lot of natural fruit and a creamy mix that’s high in butterfat content,” said Cole Gatchell, who runs the shop he co-owns with Dennis Cheng and Howard Ko.

The milk and cream come from Scott Brothers Dairy in Chino.The shop was purchased two years ago from Hans Biermann, who launched it as a Swenson’s franchise in 1971. After a dispute, Biermann rebranded in 1992 using the same basic Swensen’s recipes but tweaked to include more butterfat.

“Hans ran a great business, so we left the recipes the same and added credit and debit cards. Before it was cash only,” Gatchell said.

In Anaheim, single scoops are $3.50, doubles $5. Signature flavors from the new owners include coffee Oreo and salted caramel. They will add watermelon sherbet, peach and mango ice creams this summer.

Gatchell said he’s excited to be part of a Lab Holding venture. “We’re fans of the Camp and the anti-mall. And we like the other local restaurants going in. We love being paired with them.”

So what other food artisans can you expect? Here’s a rundown:

Adya: The former head chef at Newport Beach’s Tamarind of London dials it down with Adya, an homage to the roadside food carts of India. Expect Indian snacks, tandoori kebabs and curries using regional produce and bio-dynamic ingredients. : The former head chef at Newport Beach’s Tamarind of London dials it down with Adya, an homage to the roadside food carts of India. Expect Indian snacks, tandoori kebabs and curries using regional produce and bio-dynamic ingredients. Dark180: Bay Area transplant Kevin Nosworthy tempts chocoholics with a full service cafe. “We offer a line of chocolate drinks, made by melting and mixing a variety of different chocolates – not syrup – into milk or almond milk,” says Nosworthy, who studied at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. The Chippy Fish & Grill: A fish and chips specialist with a location in Irvine, Chippy is run by the Luu family – who have operated fry shops in the United Kingdom for 20 years. They bring their cod and no beer-battered family recipe to a modern menu that also features foil-wrapped baked fish, grilled fish filet and Po’ boy sandwiches. The Kroft: Take nearly every hot trend in the restaurant industry and you’ve got the Kroft. Fast casual. Gastropub. Craft beer. Farm to Table. Gourmet sandwiches. One trend they hope to ignite is a love of poutine. The gravy-topped fries, a Canadian junk-food staple, will be a specialty on their menu. Black Sheep: From the folks who brought you The Cellar cheese shop in San Clemente, SoCo and Anaheim (Center Street) comes a grilled cheese sandwich bar. The Cellar folks’ fourth Orange County shop is focusing on melted cheese goodness using their boutique cheeses from around the world and bread from OC Baking Company in Orange. Precut and wrapped wedges of cheeses also will be sold. Buy N’ Bulk: Based on the idea that you spend less when you don’t have to pay for packaging, this franchise carries hundreds of products and invites you to bring your own Tupperware to locations in Anaheim and Fountain Valley. “Scoop and save” on everything from spices to grains and dried fruits – some sourced from Amish artisans. The decadent snack list includes dipped pretzels for mom and dad or gum drops, gummi worms and other candies for the kiddies. Gluten-free and sugar-free items, too. Georgia’s: Fried catfish with collards? Southern comfort food ain’t easy to find in Orange County, but now there’s Georgia’s. This soul food catering company – started by Gretchen Shoemaker using her mother and grandmother’s recipes – serves customers in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties. She’s going brick and mortar with crispy fried chicken, pulled pork po’ boys, mac ’n’ cheese, pan-fried pork chops and hot cornbread. “These recipes are old,” she said, while dishing up smoky black-eyed peas with pork at a preview event. Kettlebar: Cajun seafood, steam-cooked right before your eyes. This restaurant will open in Anaheim first, with a second location in the Tustin Union Market planned for fall. Entrees range from $10-$24 and will include étouffée with shrimp, crab and lobster; jambalaya; and pan roasts of shrimp, crab, chicken and andouille sausage served with steamed rice. Of course, there’s gumbo and steamed mussels and clams. Cocktails, too. Lemon Drop Pressed Juicery & Farm Shoppe: Jenny Ross, the restaurateur who took raw cuisine up a notch at her 118 Degrees restaurants, jumps on the juice wagon with a juice bar and vegetable stand selling produce sourced primarily from local organic farms. Try a green lemonade with spirulina and apple juice ($4) or pick up a sweet basil pesto kit ($8) and some chocolate cherry brownies ($5 each). Wellness meal programs available June 15. Iron Press: The second gourmet waffle sandwich shop by Leonard Chan, former I.T. geek turned culinary visionary. Chan is attracted to food meccas. He opened his first Iron Press at the Millennial-packed SoCo center in 2010 in Costa Mesa. This is one of three food and bar concepts he’s unveiling at the food hall. His waffles come infused with flavors such as rosemary, thyme, sourdough, taro and green tea. The Anaheim location serves a treasure trove of craft beer, with 24 varieties on tap. Orange Tei: The name, “Tei” means “space to relax and enjoy” in Japanese and that’s what ramen master Shigetoshi Nakamura hopes customers will do while dining on sushi and noodles. Tip: Take advantage of Tei’s exclusive outdoor tables facing the train tracks. Popbar: The popsicles of your youth turn gourmet at this franchise. Gelato, sorbet and yogurt pops made with natural ingredients go for a dip into premium toppings such as dark chocolate, shredded coconut, pistachios and more. Kosher, vegan and gluten-free options. Rolling Boil: A traditional hot pot restaurant with a contemporary twist serves garden fresh local veggies, some in actual garden pails. Customers choose from beef, chicken and vegetable broths to cook their entrees. Crêpe Coop: Two marketing executives with a love for crepes and coffee are behind this shop. On their all-dessert menu, the crepes will be folded into cones and stuffed with choice of gelato, organic seasonal fruits, freshly whipped cream, spreads and toppings. Ecco Pizza: With thin-crust pizza all the rage right now, the food hall has snapped up a seasoned veteran. Ecco, a Naples-style pizzeria from the Camp in Costa Mesa, is opening a second restaurant in the hub. Along with an interior stone oven, Ecco also will be firing up pizzas from a wood-burning oven in the nearby outdoor lounge. Cafecito Organico: These artisan coffee roasters specialize in organic, fair trade and sustainable beans at locations in Costa Mesa, Eagle Rock, Malibu, Silver Lake and Venice. Decor and menu skew to the Latin side with beans from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Colombia and espresso drinks. Iced latte with agave, anyone? Sawleaf: Family recipes for pho ($7-$8) and banh mi ($5-$6) will be dished up at this fast-casual Vietnamese restaurant. Their twist on one of Orange County’s most popular cuisine is fresh ingredients and an iPad ordering system. Urbana: A fish market serving fish tacos and selling fresh fish to cook at home.

Contact the writer: nluna@ocregister.com

Note: This story has been updated to correct the names of the current owners of Hans’ Homemade Ice Cream.