Scoop: International food hall Alley 51 opening inside Super G Mart in Pineville

"[The name is] inspired by the different food alleys of Asia, such as the Ramen Alley of Tokyo, combined with the locality of Pineville-Matthews Road (Highway 51) — [hence] Alley 51."

What to expect: The 25,000-square-foot food hall has 12 stalls plus retail boutiques selling an assortment of consumer goods.

• Akihabari, an extension of Super Abari, has Japanese claw machines, arcade games and gachapon (vending machine capsule toys).
• There's also a small convenience shop, a spinoff of Super G, called "Mini G," with grab-and-go snacks.
• And there's a "Kidz Zone" for families with children.
• These businesses join the already existing retailers, like K-Beauty, a Korean cosmetic shop, Tokiya, an anime and figurine store and Oppang, a K-Pop store.

Here's a list of the first nine food stalls set to open inside Alley 51 and what to expect at each:

• Honeycow Desserts — serving desserts like bingsu (milk-based Korean shaved ice), soft serve ice cream, croffles (croissant and waffle hybrid) and coffee drinks.
• Itaewon Bar & Food — a bar serving international beer and liquor, including soju, sake, and beers from Korea.
• Mukja — a Korean street food stall serving fresh soondae, AKA Korean blood sausage, which is pig intestine stuffed with glass noodles, pork blood and glutinous rice.
• Sizzling — a contemporary Japanese-inspired food stall offering American favorites. Their burger steak, for example, is infused with Japanese flavors like curry and cheese.
• Saigon Cafe — Vietnamese cuisines such as pho, banh mi sandwiches and wok dishes.
• Quicitop — expect northern Chinese street food like roasted cold noodles and jianbing guozi (a savory crepe filled with egg, crispy wonton and your choice of fillings).
• Honey Buns II — serving bao buns, boba tea, fried rice, dim sum and noodles.
• Yume Ramen & Sushi — Local Japanese hotspot opening its second location, offering dishes such as ramen and donburi.
• Manila Grill — a taste of the Philippines with everything from savory tapsilog (beef, fried rice and fried egg) to sweet halo-halo (a cold dessert made up of crushed ice, evaporated or coconut milk and other ingredients).

Three more food stalls will open in the coming weeks. They include:

• Railay Thai Express — the restaurant's fourth location, serving authentic Thai street food like curry, fried rice and noodles.
• Mochinut — offering over 25 flavors of mochi donuts and several Kdog's.
• Great Wall — a Chinese restaurant serving Hong Kong-style BBQ and Szechuan Hot Pot.

What's next: Alley 51 will open Thursday, May 23. To start, it'll be in its soft opening phase, meaning it'll have limited service while its tenants get fully staffed. Eventually, it'll open later with the goal of becoming a late-night destination, according to Han.

• A 3,000- square-foot, full-service restaurant, will open as part of phase three of the project.
• There is one remaining 450-square-foot retail space available for lease.

Stop by: 10500 Centrum Pkwy.; the entrance is located in front of The Club inside Super G Mart.

• It'll open daily from 3-10pm.

Take a look around:

Editor's note: This story was updated on May 22, 2024 with the food hall's opening date.

Go deeper: Check out other Charlotte food halls like Optimist Hall, Urban District Market, Market on 7th Street and Monarch Market.