Ri Ra Irish Pub and Restaurant in Portland is reopening Friday, weeks after it was damaged by fire.
The popular waterfront pub was forced to close July 21 after a fire that started in the hood vent at the adjacent restaurant, Flatbread Co.
The fire was contained in the hood and on the roof but caused some structural, water and smoke damage to Ri Ra. Flatbread had water and smoke damage but did not sustain any structural damage.
Ri Ra will reopen at 5 p.m. Friday, according to general manager Jeff Fightmaster.
“We have been working around the clock for the last few weeks to repair the damage,” Fightmaster said in a press release. “We are excited that the day has come where we can welcome our guests back to the pub. All of our staff are eager to get back to work and are looking forward to a fun weekend.”
Fightmaster said there will be live music all weekend to celebrate the reopening. He added that he and the staff are appreciative of all the help they received from the fire department, city, contractors and community while repairs were made.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less