Lifelong Dartmouthians, and father-son business partners, Neil and Max Cook understand the beauty of a handheld snack. The pair are behind the Portland Street Creperie (55 Portland Street), a new cafe/restaurant that’s aiming to greet downtown Dartmouth by the end of October.
“When Max and I started talking about this in the early summer, about the idea of a business, I was focussed on having a meal in your hand—with the ferry and buses nearby—and this was kind of an evolution,” says Neil.
The small french-style bistro will sit around 15 people and serve locally-roasted coffee, but the Cooks say the crepes with be “queen of the shop”. The menu of 12 or so flavours will feature both sweet and savoury options, with a focus on local ingredients. Max—who’ll be running the kitchen—says he aims to keep crepes in the four-to-seven dollar range and the Portland Street Creperie will be open seven days a week.
“He’s always heard me talking about these ideas and the opportunity presented itself, my dad wanted to follow a dream of getting to know the community you’re in,” says Max of the good timing that pushed him to team up with his dad to open a restaurant.
“Downtown Dartmouth is going through a transformation, we want to support the overall change happening here,” says Neil. “It’s more than just the business itself. we looked at the environment and what was out there and felt we could fill a niche here.”