On the move: Elm Street restaurants in Manchester relocating
Jul. 14—A longtime Elm Street restaurant that has survived a flood, fire and COVID-19 plans to split into two establishments with different concepts, as several downtown restaurants change locations.
Mint Bistro will not reopen at 1105 Elm St. after a kitchen fire on April 25. Instead, owner Tim Baines will open Mint Sushi and The Mint farther down Elm.
"I had been looking for a different, better home in the downtown area even before the fire came to be," he said.
Mint Bistro, which opened more than a decade ago, is known for its Japanese American fusion cuisine and sushi bar.
Mint Sushi will open at 889 Elm St., most recently occupied by now-closed Peacock Tails Lounge. The unique triangle-shaped space has gone through a lot of different uses in recent years, including a sandwich shop and Greenhouse, a vegan/vegetarian restaurant.
Baines hopes to sign a lease at 931 Elm St. for The Mint, which has been the spot of The Birch on Elm since 2016.
The Birch on Elm, a tapas and cocktails restaurant, will move across the street to the former Noodz location.
The new Birch on Elm space will feature a similar "dark/homey/New England/rustic feel," along with a private dining room, said co-owner Jeremy Lepage.
"We need a little more space," he said. "We decided to start small and grow a base."
COVID-19 threw a monkey wrench into earlier plans to relocate.
"We were capped revenue-wise at 931 Elm," Lepage said. "This gives us a much bigger kitchen to work with."
The company hopes to host larger private parties and expand its catering business.
"We are going to make it seem smaller than it is," he said.
The April 25 kitchen fire at Mint Bistro happened while the restaurant was closed.
"There was some significant damage, obviously in the kitchen area and smoke damage through other parts of the restaurants," Baines said.
The fire remains under investigation after more than 70 days, with the kitchen unusable. With the lease up in November, Baines decided to move.
Baines, who bought the business from Roi Shpindler in 2012, wants to keep the Mint brand alive.
"Outside of the COVID year, we were able to see 10 straight years of growth of that business," he said. "I would even say the day the fire hit that business was as strong as it has ever been, certainly from a sales perspective and the amazing crew and staff we have."
In 2016, Mint Bistro temporarily closed after a pipe burst, which caused the ceiling to collapse. At the time, Baines described the flood as "Niagara Falls."
Mint is part of Southern New Hampshire Hospitality Group, which Baines operates with Bob Scribner. The other brands include Elm House of Pizza, The Wild Rover, McGarvey's and the most recent venture, City Hall Pub, which is now open at 8 Hanover St.
Both new Mint brands will have between 45 and 50 seats, Baines said.
City Hall Pub, which opened in the former Cheddar & Rye, has been open for about four weeks. The restaurant offers appetizers, sandwiches, salad and soups.
"The reviews have been great. And the people who have come through have been happy and coming back again and again," Baines said.
The opening of a new restaurant, Eight 66 Bar & Grill, in the spot of the former Matbah Mediterranean Cuisine, has been delayed because of construction, cost of goods and inflation, according to owner Joshua Breth.
"We had a couple of setbacks, but we are working through them," he said.
Baines plans to open both Mint Sushi and The Mint by mid-September.
"There are still supply chain issues in the world and things we have trouble getting our hands on quickly as we were accustomed to in the past," he said.
The Birch on Elm is expected to reopen around Labor Day.
"We are very lucky to be in this position," Lepage said.
