Popular Portland Market to Become a Modern-Day Soda Fountain
Right before your eyes, portions of the Portland, Maine food scene have hopped in a time machine and returned us all back to the 1930's and '40s. Thanks in large part to the pandemic, several restaurants and bars transitioned their traditional sit down service to more of a counter service-style operation typical of most restaurants nearly a century ago. One popular Portland market is ready to embrace the full time machine experience and open up an old-school soda shop.
According to Portland Food Map, A&C Grocery will rebrand itself as A&C Soda Shop as it moves from Washington Avenue in Portland to its new location at 501 Cottage Road in South Portland. For fans of A&C Grocery, many of the favorites that made the market popular will remain on the menu at the new soda shop. A&C plans to up their game and tip their cap to a traditional soda shop by also offering menu items like root beer floats and milkshakes. There will also be adult beverages including beer, both by draught and in cans, as well as wine slushies. They also plan to add some new food items to the mix like soups and crab cakes.
The A&C Grocery location on Washington Avenue closed last year and was initially slated to reopen in the space that is now Dirty Dove. The A&C Soda Shop will use the spring to build out their new South Portland space in time for a summer opening.