Victory Social Takes the Food Hall Concept to the Next Level

Newly arrived to Victory Park’s dining scene is Victory Social, brought to you by James Beard-nominated chef Joshua Harmon and Hospitality Alliance CEO Kevin Lillis. Victory Social sits on the ground floor of One Victory Park (2323 Victory Ave.), on the edge of Victory Park near Lamar Street. The expansive 12,000-square-foot space is home to six unique spots ranging from fast casual to full-service dining.

In some respects, Victory Social is a food court. But your typical food court serving Sbarro and Cinnabon, it is not. Think of it more like the Ritz Carlton of food courts (technically speaking, Victory Social is a food hall).

The design is minimalist and sleek, with two full-service bars. At Victory Social you'll find Rise + Thyme (breakfast/coffee), Birdie (Southern and Asian-inspired fusion fried chicken), Park Bistro (sandwiches and salads), Itza Cocina (artisan tacos), Victory Grill (burgers, steak, salmon) and D’oro (Neapolitan pizzas and pasta). You can walk up to any of the respective counters and place an order or seat yourself and enjoy full table service from any of Victory Social’s six menus.
The aim here is best summarized on Victory Social’s website: “Whatever your mood, from morning coffee to late-night cocktails, casual breakfast to date night dining, you’re in the right place at Victory Social.”

Victory Social is indeed a true one-stop shop.

We arrived on a weekday during the peak lunch hour window. And no surprise (Victory Social's home is a 17-story office building), it was busy. There were three of us, and we split up, each hitting a different restaurant.
First, we tried Park Bistro’s Sweet Miso Club ($12), with oak-smoked turkey, butter lettuce, red onion, tomato, bacon pate, cheddar and Swiss and finished with a subtle, sweet miso mustard. It was a quality sandwich, and a side of house-made potato chips was a scene-stealer (the best potato chips we’ve had anywhere in a while).

Other items at Park Bistro include a croissant rotisserie chicken salad sandwich (with candied hazelnut, honey and Fresno chili crisp), a roasted tenderloin beef dip on ciabatta (with tallow fat aioli, giardiniera and horseradish jus), seafood salad lobster and shrimp Louie, and a charred tomato soup.

Next, we ordered a couple of tacos from Itza ($6 each): Smoked Pork Belly Pastor Taco (with charred pineapple cilantro relish and salsa verde) and Chili Mushroom Taco were our choices. Can one ever go wrong with pork belly? This taco was a winner in our eyes before it ever left the kitchen. But the Chili Mushroom Taco, with its Indo-Chinese mushroom chili and melted fontina (plus a dash or two of salsa roja), was a revelation.

We tried “The Social” ($14) from Victory Grill for our last pick. Made of Texas Wagyu beef, shaved red onion, butter lettuce, tomato and smoked gouda – this burger had the thickest hunk of bacon we’ve ever seen. Our dining partner ordered it medium, but it arrived closer to rare. But despite the whiff here, you could tell this Texas Wagyu patty was a premium piece of beef.
There’s a lot to like here. The options are diverse and, from what we can tell, all created with attention to detail and high-quality ingredients (everything is made to order). Pork belly and smoked salmon bagels, Indo-Chinese chili mushroom tacos, Tori Katsu chicken sandwiches (thinly sliced panko breaded chicken breast with cilantro slaw and Japanese mayo on Texas toast), steak frites and French fries fried in tallow beef fat, mortadella pizzas, white wine mussels, smoked cream risotto, chocolate croissants, chai lattes and cocktails. And that’s just scratching the surface at Victory Social.

We were trying to describe Victory Social to someone afterward, and the first question we got was, “What do they have?” Perhaps the more appropriate question is, “What don’t they have?”

Victory Social, 2323 Victory Ave. Sunday – Thursday, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 7 a.m. – 11 p.m.