Ocho Burrito, a takeout shop that opened on Congress Street in August, will be taking over the former Petite Jacqueline space in Portland.
In its new, much larger location at 190 State St. on Longfellow Square, Ocho will offer a sit-down restaurant, adding appetizers and small plates to its current menu of specialty burritos. The company is also seeking a license to serve beer, wine and liquor, according to Eric Shepherd, director of marketing for Ocho and Otto Pizza, which are jointly owned.
The move is set for the first quarter of 2016, Shepherd said, although the company, owned by Mike Keon and Anthony Allen, is focused on adding a dining room to its Yarmouth Otto location and opening a new Otto location in the Back Cove neighborhood first.
“We opened Ocho as a takeout place. We thought it would stay as that. We never ruled out anything else, but the place we have there is really small,” Shepherd said. “We felt somewhat limited there. It was very soon we realized the concept and ideas we had were larger than the space we had. When this space opened up, it made complete sense.
“We were sad to see Petite Jacqueline go,” he added. “We’re big fans. We are definitely looking forward to seeing what they do next.”
Petite Jacqueline, a French bistro, closed on New Year’s Eve; owners Michelle and Steve Corry are looking for a new location.
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