Category: Under Construction

Canadian fast casual restaurant chain Copper Branch is in the process of leasing the new oval-shaped glass building at Canal Plaza with plans to open one of their plant-based food cafes there this Summer.

Po’ Boys & Pickles on Forest Ave is opening a 2nd “on the peninsula” – owner Chris Bettera is keeping the exact address under wraps until he finalizes the lease.

Bettera tells me that the new space is smaller than the current Po’ Boys and as a result he’ll initially be dialing back the menu a bit and focusing on take-out. He plans to apply for a liquor license for the new location and will be adding beer to the menu.

Pending signing the lease and renovations proceeding on schedule, Bettera hopes to open in May.

The original was Po’ Boys & Pickles opened in February 2010 by Peter Zinn, and Chris Bettera bought the restaurant from Zinn in 2015. Bettera is a 3rd generation restaurateur. His grandfather owned 5 restaurants in the Hartford Connecticut area, and his parents ran La Trattoria Restaurant in Canton, CT for over 40 years.

Mr. Tuna owner Jordan Rubin has applied for a liquor license to serve beer and wine at the Mr. Tuna counter in the Public Market House.

A new Canopy by Hilton hotel slated to open in 2021 at the corner of Center and Commercial Streets will include an “indoor/outdoor rooftop bar” and a “street level restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

Sisters Gourmet Deli is opening a new location. The 2nd SGD will be located in the former Sandwich Shop at 45 Vine Street in Bath.

A new wine “shop and tasting lounge” called Grippy Tannins (website, facebook, instagram) is under construction at 16 Middle Street.

Grippy Tannins’ mission is to make wine more approachable by creating a space to learn about and taste small production wines from all over the world before taking them home to enjoy.

Through a beautifully curated selection of wine, we hope to introduce you to exciting new wines and passionate emerging winemakers that keep you curious and wanting to taste more.

Owner Lindsey Murray hopes to open Grippy Tannins this Spring.

A pair of food businesses originally founded elsewhere in New England have relocated to the Portland area:

• North Bayou Cold Brew has moved from Burlington, Vermont and is now setting up at a location in the Pepperell Mill Campus in Biddeford. North Bayou’s bottled cold brew is for sale at the Little Woodfords coffee shop.
• Ripka has relocated to Portland from Providence, Rhode Island. Owner Rebecca Volynsky hopes to eventually open her own hybrid Eastern European & Jewish eatery and gallery. In the meantime she’s hosting pop-ups with participating bakeries and restaurants including an upcoming pierogi pop-up at Rose Foods on March 31st.

Dean’s Sweets (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) is planning to open a second location at 54 Cove Street in East Bayside. The new location will provide additional production space and a retail shop. They hope to open the new location in late Spring.

54 Cove Street is adjacent to the building that will house Extrava and just around the corner from little Tandem.

Dean’s was founded 15 years ago by co-owners Dean and Kristin Bingham. Dean’s will continue to produce and sell their nut-free chocolates at 475 Fore Street as well.

Greg Mitchell has supplied a draft menu (page 76) with his liquor license application for Flood’s (instagram) the 50-seat restaurant he has under at 747 Congress Street in the West End.

A new wine shop and bar called Lorne Wine (instagram) is under construction in Biddeford.

Lorne co-owners Carson James and Erin Sheehan plan to focus on “low intervention wines” – organic/biodynamic sustainablely-produced wines made with minimal intervention in the wine making process. The shop will also stock beer and the bar will have a 6-tap draft system. The couple plan to highlight domestic wines especially ones from California and are excited by wines being produced in New England by La Garagista in Vermont and Oyster River in Maine.

James and Sheehan are leasing a 1,100 sq ft space at 55 Main Street (near the soon to open Dizzy Bird), where they plan to open the bar this Summer.