None of downtown Portland's new food businesses this fall started in a new building. Chez Biso opened on Brown Street in the space Tokyo Sushi Ramen used to have. Lucky Sevens took over the Bar Publica space on Hanover Street. Julia's Afro-Global Kitchen set a November 4 opening on the second floor of the Public Market House at 28 Monument Square, a building that is mostly vacant but already fitted with kitchens.
That last address puts the other two in context. The Public Market House owner is now looking for an operator to run the food hall as an incubator for new food businesses, according to Portland Food Map's November 2026 restaurant space roundup. Downtown's food scene has been refilling former restaurant rooms one at a time this fall, and the building at the center of the square is trying to turn that into a model.
Second Floor, 28 Monument Square
The Public Market House has been part of Monument Square since around 2006. In 2012, the Portland Press Herald described a busy market and said co-founder Kris Horton and her partners had taken their "leap of faith" six years before.
Here is how the building looked going into November. It has 8,064 square feet over the first and second floors, plus a commercial kitchen in the basement. Yardie Ting, the Jamaican restaurant, has part of the first floor. Bub's Home Kitchen has moved up to the second floor. The rest is empty but, in Portland Food Map's words, "already built out with kitchen infrastructure needed for new businesses." The owner wants someone to lease the whole hall and run it as a launchpad for food startups, and the market part of the building is also for sale.
The two tenants still there show what that setup makes possible. Bub's Home Kitchen, owned by James Schafer, opened on August 13, 2025. It serves Sicilian-style pizza, salads, soups and take-and-bake meal kits, a menu built for weekday lunch and an easy dinner at home. In March 2026, Portland Old Port reported on a special Bub's made together with Yardie Ting, the neighbor one floor down. Yardie Ting's own site lists its Monument Square address, its Jamaican-influenced menu and Tuesday through Saturday hours.
Julia's Afro-Global Kitchen is the third name connected to the building. Portland Old Port's October 27 food report said Julia's was set to open on the Public Market House's second floor on Wednesday, November 4, with a menu that includes okra stew with pig trotters and smoked fish. That puts it on the same floor as Bub's, in a building where Yardie Ting holds the ground floor.
Who Took Over Which Space
| Address | Previous occupant | New occupant | On the menu |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Brown Street | Tokyo Sushi Ramen | Chez Biso | Congolese dishes, plus burgers and fish and chips |
| 82 Hanover Street | Bar Publica | Lucky Sevens | Cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, fries |
| 28 Monument Square, 2nd floor | Vacant food hall stalls | Bub's Home Kitchen, Julia's Afro-Global Kitchen | Sicilian-style pizza and meal kits; okra stew, smoked fish |
Every row is a food business going into a space where another food business came before it. At 28 Monument Square, the building's kitchen infrastructure is already in place and is being offered to whoever comes next.
Chez Biso Brings a Caterer's Following to Brown Street
Chez Biso had customers before it had a dining room. Owner Joceline Lesso used to run a restaurant in the Congo and later ran a catering business out of a commissary kitchen in Maine. When she closed the catering business, her clients pushed her to open a restaurant, according to her business advisor Heritier Nosso, as reported by the Portland Press Herald. Her husband, Patric Lombo, is the general manager.
WJBQ reported that the restaurant opened October 17 at 11 Brown Street. The name means "at our home" in Lingala. Lesso told Portland Food Map she hopes it will become the "flagship restaurant in Portland for African cuisine."
The menu covers a wide range on purpose. It includes:
- Ntaba na Kwanga: sautéed goat with steamed cassava bread
- Pondu: slow-cooked cassava leaves
- Smoked fish stew
- Fish and chips, hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches for the rest of the table
The City Council approved a full liquor license for Chez Biso in early October. Before opening, the restaurant planned to serve daily from noon to 10 p.m. Smoked fish is on both Chez Biso's menu and Julia's announced menu, which gives downtown two kitchens a few blocks apart cooking from overlapping traditions.
Hanover Street Kept the Owners and Changed the Concept
Lucky Sevens follows the same pattern from a different angle, with a team reusing its own space. The ownership group behind Bar Publica stayed at 82 Hanover Street and changed concepts. Spencer Brantley leads it with business partners David Kelley and Ciaran Sheehan, the founders of Ri Ra.
The new format is simple. Cheeseburgers, grilled cheese and fries come with $5 domestic drafts and $7 cocktails, and the bar is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., per Portland Old Port. It opened the week before that October 27 report.
The Spaces Still Waiting
On the square itself, two storefronts are still between tenants.
- 15 Monument Square: Sisters Gourmet Deli opened here on May 1, 2016 and served its last day on September 30, 2024. As of November 2026 the space was still listed for a new tenant.
- 1 Monument Square: The 1,588-square-foot ground-floor space that used to hold an Oola Bowls franchise is also available.
The list of open kitchens got longer in East Bayside, too. Minibar, Kevin Moschella's restaurant with an indoor 18-hole mini-golf course on Marginal Way, announced that Sunday, November 1 would be its last day open to the public. It had opened on October 16, 2025, according to Portland Food Map. Its dining room and kitchen are now offered for sublease to an operator launching a new business or looking for a commercial kitchen.
Over in the Arts District, Hannah Maltby and Cathy Hayward are working on The Cafe by Twin Tide inside Equality Commons on Casco Street. They are aiming for an opening before the end of the year, with soups, salads, sandwiches and baked goods served from breakfast through 6 p.m., WJBQ reported.
Where to Eat Around the Square This Week
Ordered from midday to late night, here are the places in this story:
- Yardie Ting, Public Market House, first floor. Jamaican food, open Tuesday through Saturday.
- Bub's Home Kitchen, Public Market House, second floor. Sicilian-style pizza and soups for lunch, or a take-and-bake kit for dinner.
- Julia's Afro-Global Kitchen, same floor. The building's newest name, with okra stew and smoked fish on its announced menu.
- Chez Biso, 11 Brown Street. Goat with cassava bread or pondu for the adventurous, fish and chips for anyone who wants it, with a full bar.
- Lucky Sevens, 82 Hanover Street. A cheeseburger and a $5 draft, Wednesday through Sunday until 1 a.m.
Upstairs at 28 Monument Square, the empty stalls on both floors already have kitchens built for whoever comes next.
The businesses opening around Monument Square change what it's like to live downtown, and buyers notice. If you own a condo within walking distance of Congress Street and want to know how this fall's openings fit into your home's value, Lauren Jones can walk you through it block by block. Get Your Home Valuation.
