[From E+D, the Mercury‘s new Spring Eat & Drink Guide!]
AFTER MONTHS OF DELAYS and mouthwatering teases, the “hard hats required” sign at the Pine Street Market has been taken down. The construction clutter is giving way to a food hall with stalls from some of Portland’s top-flight chefs. Communal tables are in, string lights are strung, and come May 1, downtown eaters can officially spend a full work shift eating their way through each open stall.
The Pine Street Market, a $4.7 million remodel of the United Carriage and Transfer Building at SW 2nd and Pine, is the long-awaited Portland answer to the hyper-trendy food halls that have popped up in New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco. After touring various locations—including the lauded Gotham West Market in New York—developers Jean-Pierre Veillet, David Davies, and Rob Brewster and culinary curator Mike Thelin hatched their local master plan.
The deal: 10,000 square feet of brand-new concepts from established names in the local food world. The market gets instant name recognition, while restaurateurs get to experiment on a small scale.
“Rent is going up big time,” Veillet told the Mercury on a tour of the space before it opened to the public. “This gives everybody who has established themselves a chance to still evolve at a lower price point, and to flourish.”
