Category: Under Construction

The Portland Phoenix is reports that Local Sprouts, the community supported kitchen that operates in the Public Market House, is starting to plan a new venture, a community supported cafe.

In addition to carrying over the Local Sprouts community-supported kitchen model, the café will be financed (Fertig hopes) through community-based loans and investments. Members will be able to pick up meals, but the café will also be open for the public to order off a menu; Washington and Fertig describe a space that’s available for educational programs and possibly even winter farmers’ markets and co-op retail. Could this be the community space that Portland’s social-activists have been clamoring for? Stay tuned.

The Portland Daily Sun has published an article on the new joint venture between the owners of Binga’s Wingas and The Stadium.

In the new sports bar, theater steps will lead downstairs into a foyer and service bar, with a game room on one side and the banquet room on the other, Altman explained.

“Upstairs, we’re going to have an a la carte restaurant with 175 seats, and downstairs we’re going to have a banquet room available for all kinds of stuff,” he said.

With just under 300-person capacity, the banquet room will serve as a multi-use room intended for diverse uses, including charity functions, Altman said.

A new restaurant is planning to open in the space at 795 Forest Ave formerly occupied by Acropolis. The new business, Saigon Restaurant, plans on serving a menu of both Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. To see a draft menu take a look at page 37 of the agenda for Monday’s meeting of the Portland City Council.

The windows of 83 Exchange Street are covered in brown paper, and it looks like a new restaurant is already being planned for the former O’Naturals space. Given the prime location in the heart of the Old Port, it’s no surprise that it hasn’t remained vacant for long.

Walter’s has put in motion a plan that will have the long-time Old Port restaurant moving off Exchange Street and to  near the intersection of Union and Fore Streets. If all goes as planned, September 26 will be their last day on Exchange and they will open in the new location in mid-October.

Portland in a Snap has published an update on the yet-to-be-opened Luna Rossa.

Executive Chef Antonio Bruno, an Italian native, says the plan is to offer seating for a whopping 220+, including a full bar and lounge space. The bar, located on the mezzanine, has Las Vegas-style dueling pianos, which should offer a high-energy Thur-Sat entertainment option.

As you can see from this photo the Maine Bean Cafe is doing some renovation before opening in the old Portland Coffee Roasters space on Commercial Street.

Grace has announced that they have “ALL licenses in hand!” and are ready to open the “first week in July, however, we will be closed July 4,5 & 6 on purpose with a reopen date of July 7th”.

Head on over to Portland Fodder to see some nice under construction photos of the 2nd floor space at the Public Market House. According to Fodder, “Spartan Grill will be relocating to the second floor with such possible vendors as, Maine Coffee Roasters, KamaSOUPra, It’s Only Natural…GF, and an unnamed pizza place.”
According to a May 28 article in the Press Herald, the 2nd floor retail spaces will be available by mid-summer.