Food parks and gastronomic hubs: the new way of eating out

Spaces like FoodBox, in Bancários, and Foodpark Cabo Branco bring the open-air food court model to the city.

In recent years, João Pessoa has started adopting the food park format, bringing together several small food businesses in a single open space. The most recent example is FoodBox, opened in August 2025 in the Bancários neighborhood, presented as the region's first food park and bringing together 22 food options, from burgers to gourmet popcorn, in a pet-friendly space.

In the South Zone, Foodpark Cabo Branco has been operating for longer as an open-air food court on Avenida Cabo Branco, bringing together different restaurants and snack bars in a booth format, with thousands of reviews recorded on tourism platforms.

This movement also has institutional backing: in 2019, the João Pessoa City Council approved a law that established the "Most Eastern Gastronomic Hub of the Americas," formally recognizing part of the waterfront as territory devoted to the concentration of bars and restaurants, in reference to the geographic position of Ponta do Seixas.

The growth of these formats points to a change in how the city organizes its restaurant offerings, moving from standalone establishments to concentrated spaces that bring together multiple options at a single address.