A bunch of restaurants are setting up in shipping containers on the waterfront
Mei Mei, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, and more join a slew of vendors in the unique spaces next to the Innovation and Design Building.
Mei Mei will offer a limited menu from this shipping container on the waterfront.
The owners of Mei Mei are used to working in close quarters.
After all, they’ve been hawking their award-winning Chinese-American food out of a truck since 2012. But preparing and serving food from inside a 160 square-foot shipping container will be a whole new experience.
“We have to adapt to the confines of that very small space,’’ said Mei Li, co-owner of Mei Mei.
Later this month, they’ll open Mei Mei by Design at the Innovation and Design Building on the waterfront. The restaurant will be joined by Triangle Coffee, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Yankee Lobster Co., and Jubali. Together, the dining spots will make up a mini food court on the northern edge of the building.
“Not only is it a cool idea, but it really fits with our whole philosophy of sustainability and having a minimal environmental footprint,’’ said Li.
The term sheet for the Boston project says the company will lease up to eight custom-built shipping container kiosks. It’s all part of $100 million in upgrades to the The Innovation and Design Building as a whole, according to the building’s website. Other companies moving into containers include Niche Urban Garden Supply, Drydock Exchange, and the hair salon Cut-Splice. The kiosks will be open year-round and the space will offer indoor and outdoor seating, said Li.
The espresso bar that will be set up inside Triangle Coffee’s shipping container.
Mei Mei has been testing new recipes for its kiosk menu, including a sandwich called the “Meitaliano,’’ made with capicola and salami, tat soi (an Asian salad green), house pickles, and gochujang vinagrette. The tat soi will come from Higher Ground Farm, which is located on the roof of The Innovation and Design Building.
“We’ll also be bringing in some snacks and drinks from local producers that we like,’’ said Li. “We’re focusing on lunch right now and we may be expanding to breakfast and dinner in the future.’’
Ottavio Siani, co-owner of Triangle Coffee, is thrilled with the new location.
“It’s going to be a big step for us,’’ said Siani. “The Design Center is going to be a really exciting place for us to be, given the amount of people that are there.’’
The company launched in 2013 at Brooklyn Boulders in Somerville. It then opened a second location on the mezzanine at Boston City Hall. Its new spot will offer a limited food menu and two mobile espresso bars. Siani said workers will make espresso outside on warm days.
Siani isn’t worried in the least about downsizing. That’s because he’s not.
“It’s what we do, we operate out of small spaces,’’ said Siani. “So the container will actually be our largest location.’’
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