A New Italian Restaurant Is Coming To Downtown Portland

After a restaurant boom over the past two years in Portland, a large portion of the summer has been quiet with new restaurant announcements. That changed over the weekend, as news broke that Leeward, a well-received pop-up that has served dinners for the past couple years, has leased its own space at 85 Free Street in Portland and hopes to open by the end of 2019.

According to Portland Food Map, the space at 85 Free Street will house a 50-seat restaurant, with plans to feature Leeward's selection of handmade pasta as well as a few other seafood, vegetable and meat entrees. The space at 85 Free Street was once home to the Winter farmer's market.

The owners of Leeward are already familiar to many who frequent the local restaurant scene in Portland. Jake Stevens is currently a staff member at Eventide, and Raquel Stevens currently at The Drifter's Wife. They've spent nearly two years developed their ideas and concepts for Leeward. Here's a sample menu from one of their pop-ups.