Union 66 will have a soft opening Oct. 7, according to its new owners David and Amanda Guildner who bought the HopKnot, a popular restaurant and bar known for its craft beer and gourmet pretzels located at 164 Main St. A grand opening is planned for Oct. 14.
The couple worked with the former owners for a few months to get a real feel for the place and closed it for a few weeks to make improvements, Guildner said.
The pair has decades in the restaurant business, he said, “This is going to be our last adventure.” They fell in love with the spot because of its role as a Portland community hub.
“We still have patrons that have been coming here – they’re in their 70s now – they’ve met here,” Guildner said. “We still have people that come there that built the bar when it was Cafe 66, a long time ago.” Café 66 opened in 1986, according to town records.
He said Union 66 will offer pretzels as a single menu item, called the Salty Spread, in honor of the restaurant’s previous incarnation. But they will focus on burgers, wings and sandwiches. The bar will serve a “carefully curated” assortment of craft beer with 15 taps offering different brews.
Beers on tap include Abomination Toxic Earth Matcha, which is a double New England, hazy IPA; Industrial Arts Pocket Wrench, a New England-style pale ale and Maine Lunch, an American IPA.
“The key to doing this right, and for us not losing our minds, and getting ahead of ourselves… we built a simple, but purposeful menu,” Guildner added.
