A new restaurant called Off Track Pizza is under construction at 15 Exchange Street. The space was most recently occupied by Lupita’s but longtime Portland residents will remember it as the original location of Walter’s.

Off Track is being launched by owners Mark Hibbard and Mitchell Ryan along with business partner Josh Miranda. Ryan and Hibbard are the executive chef and the beverage director at Via Vecchia.

The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner serving a menu centered around pizza by the pie and slice and focaccia sandwiches made with bread baked daily in-house. The beverage program will include a selection of house-bottled cocktails. There will be prepared foods for customers who need a grab and go option, and Ryan and Hibbard also expect to be open for late night takeout.

Overall Off Track will seat 50-60 people. The second floor dining room (which has a great view of Exchange Street) will have a flexible table set-up that can easily be reconfigured for larger groups, or potentially for private events. There will also be seating for ~10 on the first floor.

Renovations to the restaurant are underway. Hibbard and Ryan hope to open Off Track Pizza this spring.