Three new restaurants are replacing old ones in Portsmouth, bringing more variety to this dining destination.

Lexie’s Joint is now open and offering burgers and sandwiches, 106 Kitchen and Bar is slated to open at the end of the month with Southern style comfort food, and a Chinese restaurant is moving downtown within a few months.

Jay McSharry describes his latest venture at 106 Penhallow St. as a neighborhood kitchen with southern influences. He also owns Jumpin’ Jays fish Café, Dos Amigos Burritos and The Red Door, and has founded other restaurants on the Seacoast.

Chef Stephen Diehl has previously cooked for Jumpin’ Jays and Radici Restaurant in Portsmouth, among other places, and McSharry said he has experience with the southern flavor.

McSharry said he wants to offer something different and the “great cuisine” of the South is under-represented in the area. The menu may include gumbo, an oyster Po’ Boy, corn bread and collard greens, for examples. They plan to do their own pickling. For beverages, there may be sweet tea and a Sazerac cocktail.

The food prices will range from $6 to $18, from appetizers to entrees, McSharry said.
He expects to open 106 Kitchen and Bar between April 27 and 29. It is the former location of the Loaf and Ladle, and Isis on Penahallow before that.

Down the street, a Chinese restaurant will replace the former Chiang Mai Thai Restaurant at 128 Penhallow St. 

Owners Andy Wang and Wendy Chen also own Greenleaves Chinese Restaurant in York, Maine, and Mapleleaves in Wells, Maine. They haven’t announced a name for the new location.

The space is being completely gutted for a fresh start, Wang said. He said he expects a lot of foot traffic downtown, where there are no other Chinese restaurants within walking distance.

The menu is expected to include other Asian influences, such as Thai and Vietnamese, and lighter options like a steam bar and noodle soups that people can cook themselves, which Wang calls “very healthy.”

K.C. Cargill and Dave Coffe opened Lexie’s Joint at 212 Islington St. in February at the former location of Mojo’s BBQ, which has relocated to Brewery Lane. Lexie’s is named after Cargill’s fiancé, Alexis Wile, and he also has a catering business named after their daughter Kaya.

The two chefs come with fine dining experience, but are doing something different with their own place. “After cooking all that food, the one thing I wanted at the end of the day was a nice, juicy burger,” Cargill said.

He’s been perfecting his burger recipe for about five years and has also collected some of the best menu items from places where he’s eaten or cooked, including Paul’s Cuban sandwich from Chez Henri in Cambridge, Mass. His version has slow-roasted pork (as in three or four days slow), baked ham, a red onion and pickle relish, chipotle aioli and gruyere cheese on a French baguette. It’s then pressed on a grill with mustard butter. It’s also available with grilled vegetables.

But, Cargill said, “It’s mostly about the burger.” Theirs are four ounces—not too filling—or double that for the Loud Mouth burger. The regular is served on a potato roll, cooked to order, and comes with lettuce, braised red wine onions, house pickles, bacon, confit tomatoes and French Fries for $5. Guests can add other toppings or substitute sides on the menu.

There’s also the Chicken Milanese, a thinly pounded sandwich with bread crumbs, flavored with fresh herbs, parmesan and lemon seasoned lettuce, a sandwich that Cargill calls
“refreshing,” and the crunchy haddock fish sandwich with cornflakes and sliced almonds for breading that is thicker at six to eight ounces.

Cargill said Portsmouth has a well-educated food clientele, and he is hoping college students from Durham will also find the burger spot appealing. The motif inside is simple and clean with photographs and decorations by Alexis Wile.

Also opening this spring is the Roundabout Diner and Lounge, which is moving into the former Bickford's building on the Portsmouth Traffic Circle. The Muddy River Smokehouse has moved out of its former location in Eliot, Maine, and is relocating to become the Roundabout. The 1950s style retro diner will feature some American classics, Muddy River barbeque and some healthy, organic and natural menu items.