Longtime Portland, Maine, Asian Restaurant Plans to Relocate

If you've ever seen any film in the "Back to the Future" movie franchise, you'll remember just how startled Marty McFly is when he visits the past as well as the future. The small town of Hill Valley looks similar to what he knows but there have been drastic changes along the way.

If you took a time machine back twenty years in Portland, Maine, you'd find some drastic changes as well. Many of the longtime standard bars and restaurants that were the cornerstone of the Old Port no longer exist today. And another one of those remaining standards is about to say goodbye.

According to Portland Food Map, Sapporo Japanese restaurant is planning to relocate the restaurant to Falmouth later this year. Sapporo has spent nearly four decades operating in Portland and has been a staple along Commercial Street for as long as many people can remember.

In Sapporo's announcement, they didn't give specific reasons as to why they are moving the restaurant. But if you're willing to pick up a few breadcrumbs, it's possible Sapporo is moving because of the changing landscape in Portland's Old Port. Specifically, parking.

Parking remains difficult along Commercial Street, with many of the commercial lots adopting a surge pricing model that makes many visitors turn away in disgust. Sapporo's current location makes them susceptible to a parking crunch.

Sapporo hasn't offered many details about their new Falmouth location except to say there will be plenty of free parking. They plan to open the new Falmouth Sapporo sometime later this winter.