The Market by The Meat Cellar, the second restaurant concept founded by husband-and-wife team Anthony and Sara Villegas, has officially opened its doors at San Juan Capistrano’s new River Street Marketplace. This full-service steakhouse offers a family-driven, lifestyle-focused dining experience, alongside a butcher counter and epicurean retail space, within the 60,000-square-foot community hub.
The hybrid restaurant and butcher shop model of The Meat Cellar was introduced in 2016 in Claremont as a way for the family to share their passion for nourishing food and fostering fellowship within the community. Now, The Market by The Meat Cellar in San Juan Capistrano continues this mission, building upon the service and skills developed at the original location while introducing new facets to the menu and a curated retail shopping experience.
“We envisioned The Market as a place for people to learn from each other and leave inspired – whether they’re taking home a new cooking gadget, recreating a favorite dish from our menu with help from our butcher, or simply creating memories with loved ones around a table in the restaurant,” says Sara Villegas, co-founder, and chief inspiration officer. “These moments brought our team joy throughout the building process, so we hope that warmth resonates with our guests, who we consider part of our family.”
The 4,000-square-foot establishment sets the scene with a robust butcher counter and retail area framing the entry, illuminated by massive windows that showcase the curated products. Unique to this location, the retail section features bright farmhouse-style shelves and tables, laden with boutique homewares, fine wines, and locally sourced pantry staples. The butcher case, which follows the format of the original location but regularly carries a substantially expanded list of cheese, meat, and seafood, features a variety of source-verified, humanely raised surf and turf options available for purchase in-store or over the phone.
In the main dining area, chef-driven dishes from the scratch kitchen are served for lunch and dinner daily. Standout mains include the Fancy Burger made with 8 oz. house-ground wagyu beef, caramelized onion, bacon jam, Gruyère, and arugula on brioche; cherrywood-smoked Sapphire Salmon dressed with celery root purée, farro, and apple slaw; and the Rockies Half Chicken, roasted and adorned with seasonal root vegetable puree and fingerling potatoes. Classic steakhouse sides, including colorful salads, garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted seasonal vegetables, are available separately. All sauces are made in-house. Craft cocktails are also available, featuring specialty creations like the Cynar Julep with cynar, grapefruit, and mint, or the Barrel Aged Mezcal Negroni with agave and chocolate, and orange bitters.
Guests may also order steaks and chops straight from the butcher counter, which are prepared in-house with the special ‘TMC’ blend seasoning and finished with signature bone marrow butter. Cuts such as Japanese Kagoshima Wagyu Ribeye, Australian Wagyu Tomahawk, and Prime Dry Aged New York are hand-cut to order and priced by the pound. For those seeking a true meat-lover experience, The Market offers two unique Butcher Boards, featuring a selection of 4 oz prime cuts cooked to preference, paired with bone marrow butter, veal demi, trumpet mushrooms, and cipollini onion.
Lunch is served daily from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., offering a similar home-style essence with high-quality proteins, including the Buns N Such menu, boasting a variety of sandwiches served with hand-cut fries, along with a lunch edition of the small plates and shareables menus, featuring soups, salads, and charcuterie styled platters.
The soon-to-launch brunch experience features indulgent entrées like Eggs Benedict, Crème Brûlée French Toast, and Steak Frites, which can be paired with shareable small plates and such as Curds & Whey, a house-made lemon curd and ricotta cheese served with griddled rustic toast; Dungeness Crab Louie Cups, Campari tomato, quail egg, and organic avocado served inside gem lettuce with house Louie dressing; and the house-made Scarlett Beet Hummus plate. A “Little Tikes” menu will also be available during brunch hours.
“Our goal for this location was to create a true home away from home—and seeing it all come together, we are confident that’s what it is,” says Anthony, co-founder and chief executive officer. “It’s a dream come true to finally welcome guests into our new space and to foster unforgettable dining experiences for the San Juan Capistrano community!”
The Market by The Meat Cellar is located at 31864 Paseo Adelanto, Suite 105, and is open daily from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM for grab-and-go dinners, dine-in, and take-out. For more information, to place orders at the butcher counter, and to make reservations, visit TheMarketbytheMeatCellar.com. To stay up to date on The Market at The Meat Cellar, follow along on Instagram at @TheMarketbyTheMeatCellar and @TheMeatCellar.
ABOUT THE MARKET BY THE MEAT CELLAR:
The Market by the Meat Cellar is a family-owned and operated culinary journey that began with a dream and a passion for exceptional food. Rooted in generations of restaurant experience and small town living, founders Sara and Anthony Villegas combined their love of cooking and community to create a one-of-a-kind epicurean destination. From humble beginnings as a small sandwich booth at music festivals like Coachella to its first thriving restaurant in Claremont, The Meat Cellar continues to evolve while staying true to its core values. The Market by the Meat Cellar at the River Street Marketplace in San Juan Capistrano aims to offer an exceptional dining experience in the full-service dining room with a scratch-kitchen menu and craft cocktail program, in addition to a hybrid butcher and retail shop where customers can purchase the high-quality ingredients used in the restaurant alongside unique homewares and specialty wines. For more information visit TheMarketbytheMeatCellar.com.
