Our visit to The West End Market could hardly have started better. As we bellied up to the bar at this food hall in downtown Dunedin, I noticed a draft handle that said Bud Light, so of course I ordered one. Out came a gorgeous pour of my go-to brew — golden, frothy, with a half-inch head. It went down easy on a warm Tuesday evening in late July.

Brett (aka Rainbow), our dining and drinking partner, showed up a few minutes later. The plan was to peruse the menus from the six food vendors that rim the venue’s indoor space (which is open on both ends); order a few dishes; spread them out on a table; dig in. And that, friends, is what we did.

Before I get into the food, a few words about the space. It’s nice, dare I say classy — certainly as food halls go. Several giant ceiling fans ran high enough that the breeze would’ve mussed my hair if I had any. We commandeered a table near the end that faces the corner of Broadway and Skinner Boulevard.

As opposed to fumbling with a centralized kiosk, we happily ordered directly from friendly counter people (one of whom complimented my hat).

Here’s what we got: a Cheesesteak ($14.50) and Cheesesteak Egg Rolls ($11.99) from Spoons; Brisket Barbacoa Tacos ($15.60) from Divinos Tacos; a Margherita Pinsa ($13) from The Hayloft. And another Bud Light.

Digging In—And Digging It

It took some doing to time up the deliveries from different vendors and array the dishes on a table. The spread wasn’t terribly photogenic, as you can see above. It was a messy business to divvy up portions on small, flimsy paper plates. We had smartly ordered hand-helds.

Cheesesteak — The thick slab of meat was thinly sliced, not chopped (⭐️), and not particularly juicy. The sandwich could’ve used larger portions of cheese and onions. I was most impressed with the bread — a simulacrum of the Amoroso rolls on which cheesesteaks in Philly are built. Bonnie had pushed for the Cheesesteak Egg Rolls. I had a couple of bites, and while they were fine, I prefer bread over deep-fried dough.

Margherita Pinsa — You can look up the difference between pizza and pinsa on your own. Suffice to say that this pinsa did not do much to distinguish itself from pizza. But the generous helpings of cheese and tomato sauce blended well. And it was a lot of food for 13 bucks.

Brisket Baracoa Tacos — Two large hardshell — not crumbly — casings were stuffed with shredded beef, sumptuously marinated. The tacos were topped with crunchy slaw, a nice touch. They held together well, and were thus easy to polish off.

Hey, let’s rank ’em. Why not?

(1) tacos (1a) cheesesteak sandwich (2) pinsa (3) cheesesteak egg rolls.

All told, West End Market was a cool hang with some good eats, and some damn fine Bud Light on draft. Business was modest at 7 p.m. on a Tuesday in July, but I’m told the joint is gaining traction as a social hub. Here’s a look at the interior …

Note: Due to a current three-week stay in the Pacific Northwest, we had to bank some columns from earlier field research. This was one of them.