The Woodlands Edition | July 2023

DINING FEATURE

BY LIZZY SPANGLER

Rafael and Atenas Michel, co-owners of Taqueria No. 21

Sung Park, owner of Ninja Chick’n

Salley Chung, owner of The Deck Food Park

Jessica Gonzales, operator of Ceviche Ria

Thao Huynh, owner of Yummy Pho & Banh Mi

Made with Conex shipping containers, The Deck features several food concepts and a large outdoor seating area.

LIZZY SPANGLERCOMMUNITY IMPACT

The Deck Food Park The Woodlands area dining hub brings cuisines together S alley Chung said she wanted to build something for the community. So using shipping containers, Chung opened The a variety of dishes, from Korean crispy fried chicken and ceviche to tacos and pho. There is also one more kitchen available for another concept to use. “Dierent people can come and do their

A Ninja Chick’n c ombo meal ($8.89-$9.89) comes with bone-in or strip chicken with fries, sauce and a regular drink.

Deck Food Park in October. “I said, ‘I would love to see something in the community that has a air,’” Chung said. “We came up with this design where we turned Conexes into kitchens.” Chung said the permitting process was tough because of the uniqueness of the venture.

COURTESY NINJA CHICK’N

food,” Chung said. “That’s what my vision is. They can come, introduce their kinds of food.” Open seven days a week, The Deck Food Park is pet-friendly, with a yard space with games. “It’s a very relaxing, very family-oriented [place],” Chung said. When it comes to the concepts, some of the

Ceviche Ria’s Campechana Cocktail ($14.99) features seafood, cilantro, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and a red sauce.

“I know in Montgomery County, we were the rst because, during permitting, it was really, really tough because they did not know what to do with us,” Chung said. “They never had a place like this before. … We’re like a cross between a brick-and-mortar and a food truck.” Made with Conex

MONTGOMERY COUNTY NEVER HAD A PLACE LIKE THIS BEFORE. … WE’RE LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN A BRICK ANDMORTAR AND A FOOD TRUCK. SALLEY CHUNG, THE DECK FOOD PARK OWNER

COURTESY CEVICHE RIA

restaurants, like Ceviche Ria, have locations else- where while others only have a location at The Deck. “Let’s say you want to open a restaurant, but you want to test sample a menu,” Chung said. “This is a great place—[it’s] small, easy. You can put a new recipe out and then test it out.”

shipping containers, The Deck Food Park features a large outdoor seating area. Stacked Conexes create a second level that has more seating and rooms available for rent. “To build a house like this kind of a shape and structure, it would be very, very dicult,” Chung said. “But with Conexes, you could. You can stack them, you can do all kinds of stu with them, make it a little bit more dierent.” With separate concepts housed in colorfully painted shipping container kitchens—Ceviche Ria, Ninja Chick’n, Taqueria No. 21 and Yummy Pho & Banh Mi—guests at The Deck can try

A torta ($14.99) at Taqueria No. 21 is handmade bread with cheese, cilantro, onion, a choice of asada, al pastor or chicken. Guacamole can be added for $2. COURTESY TAQUERIA NO. 21

Chung also said much of The Deck’s business is to-go orders through services like Grubhub and Uber Eats. Chung said the plan for The Deck is to keep the momentum going. “I always get that—when people stop here for the rst time, they say, ‘Oh wow,’” she said. “I get that ‘Oh wow’ a lot. And I love that. I love … hearing that [people] actually appreciate the food that’s here, enjoy the environment.”

The Deck Food Park 5802 FM 1488, Magnolia www.thedeck1488.com Hours: Mon. 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Tue.-Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. noon-6 p.m.

WESTWOOD DR.

2978

1488

THE WOODLANDS EDITION • JULY 2023