After closing its doors in 2024, West Adams’ beloved Mel’s is returning to the neighborhood: on Saturday, August 22, the Powell family brings Mel’s Farmhouse to Maydan Market as part of its new Backyard BBQ series!
 

Originally operating as Mel’s Fish Market in 1982 before expanding to the Fish Shack in 2008, the West Jefferson Boulevard restaurant has been owned and operated by the Powell Family for over four decades. A casual fried and grilled fish restaurant best known for its buttery, cornmeal-fried catfish, Mel’s Fish Shack was an oasis in West Adams, having fed the local neighborhood for generations before their untimely closing in September 2024, a true loss for the whole neighborhood. 

Now, the Powell family is thrilled to return back to West Adams as Mel’s Farmhouse, offering access to healthy, farm-to-table meals centered on grilled fish while celebrating the rich flavors of Southern cuisine.  Through partnerships with schools, 4-H and Envirothon initiatives, and local organizations, Mel’s Farmhouse has become a hub for local empowerment, youth development, and healthy living, helping to build a more resilient, informed, and thriving neighborhood.

From 11 AM – 4 PM this Saturday, guests are invited to Maydan Market’s back patio, where Mel’s will be offering their signature fish and shrimp alongside sides including macaroni salad, collard greens, red beans and rice, hush puppies, and more. The last event of the summer, Mel’s Farmhouse popup is part of Maydan Market’s Backyard BBQ series, an extension of its Club 104 culinary residency program that welcomes a slew of diverse concepts to the back patio for chill, communal afternoons.

 

More about the popup is below, with a link to reserve HERE (walk ins are welcome and encouraged). Thank you for considering!

WHERE: Maydan Market, 4301 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016

Saturday, August 22, 2026

TIME: 

11:00 AM – 4:00 PM

HOW: 

Link to reserve (walk-ins are welcome): HERE
 

Created by chef Rose Previte, Maydan Market is a 10,000-square-foot space inspired by markets from around the world. Designed as a gathering place anchored by a central live-fire hearth, Maydan Market brings diverse gems together under one roof, including Rose’s Middle Eastern restaurant and bar from DC, Maydan, her beloved Compass Rose, as well as various market outposts including Golden Mountain Chicken, Lugya’h by James Beard Award-nominated Poncho’s Tlayudas, and Maléna. Maydan Market also includes Club 104, a rotating residency space, and a Middle Eastern convenience store and wine bar, Sook, that offers wines by the glass, hard-to-find middle eastern pantry staples and freshly prepared dishes served from the counter.  

Maydan, pronounced “MY-dahn,” “MAY-dahn,” or “MI-dan,” is a word used throughout the Middle East, Central and South Asia, the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, and North Africa. It means the same thing everywhere: a central public meeting place, often in the middle of a city, a space for people to come together as a community to celebrate. Founded in the sensory experiences of global marketplaces, Maydan Market encourages guests to wander, taste, and connect. Designed to reflect the cultural and culinary richness of Los Angeles, it offers independent food businesses the opportunity to grow alongside one another in a spirit of discovery, community, and shared tradition.