What’s next in Portland’s food scene? A lot of chefs whisper that the days of sweet little bistros and trattorias reimagined by passionate food dreamers across the city are over. “Everyone is feeling the pain,” says Irving Street Kitchen chef/partner Sarah Schafer. “Diners no longer want a beautiful meal every night. People don’t want to sit down anymore.” 

So Schafer and Irving Street partner Anna Caporael jumped at the chance to think about dining out through a different lens: an Italian food hall inspired by Florence’s great Mercato Centrale, where people gather every day to eat, shop, say hello to a butcher, snag flowers, have a coffee or a cocktail, wolf down a slice of pizza, or buy ready-made pastas for home.