Category: Under Construction

A new food truck named Iris Eats (facebook, instagram) is under development and expected to be serving a menu grilled cheese sandwiches on the streets of Portland sometime next month.

A 15-seat poké restaurant called Crunchy Poké (facebook, instagram) is under construction at 426 Fore Street in the space formerly occupied by East End Cupcakes. Crunchy Poké hopes to open in September.

Three new vendors are moving into the Public Market House:

• Mr. Tuna is moving into a space on the first floor. Owner Jordan Rubin will be operating this space in addition two his two existing food carts.
• Sichuan Kitchen is opening a 2nd location on the second floor of the Public Market House. They’ll be serving an abbreviated version of the menu from their restaurant in Congress Square.
• A new business is called Totally Tubers is moving into a space on the second floor. The self-described potato bar will be serving “loaded potatoes and yams”. It’s being launched by the owners of Daily Greens and scheduled to open in mid-September with their grandd opening scheduled for September 17th.

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram takes a look at a few challenging restaurant spaces and the factors that have contributed to their high turnover over the years.

A closer examination of what’s happened in some of the high-turnover restaurant spaces in the Old Port – the heart of Portland’s huge restaurant scene – show that, although each space and each occupant has its own story, challenges like size, location and rising rents played into the succession of relatively short stays. For those that have broken the pattern, it’s taken a special ingredient.

A new “nano brewery/beer hall” called Illmadic is under construction at 41 Fox Street, the former location of One Eye Open Brewing Co.

Owner Mark Miller plans to open this Summer serving not only Illmadic’s own beers but those from other brewers. You can see a draft beer menu on page 91 of the City Council meeting materials.

New owners are taking over the longtime bar Forest Gardens at 371 Forest Ave, and renaming it 371.

Lindsay and Tyler Holden write in their cover letter that the name change was a request from the building owner, but despite the new name they

plan is to keep the tradition, camaraderie and familiarity the current patrons have come to know and love since 1936 the same as it currently exists. With the retirement of the current owner we feel privileged to take on this task.

66S Fusion, the Asian fusion restaurant that’s been under construction at 425 Fore Street since 2016, has applied for a liquor license.

According to the application owner James Yao hopes to open 66S Fusion this Summer. You can see a copy of their draft menu on pages 150-151 of the City Council meeting materials.

A new food cart called Suga Suga (website, instagram) is on the final approach to launch on June 29th.

Suga Suga will be selling a menu of French macarons and “cookie sammies”. Many of their macarons are gluten-free.

A hybrid coffee shop/cafe/knitting shop called the Knitting Nook (website, facebook) is under construction in South Portland. Owner Lillian Rose is converting a space at 124 Sawyer Street in Ferry Village for her new buiness. She plans to “provide an entertaining environment where the fiber artist can obtain supplies, guidance, camaraderie, sustenance and impeccable customer service” along with coffee, food, beer and wine.