In Camden, a new restaurant scene?

Downtown Camden, long regarded as an urban wasteland as soon as the sun goes down, will get two new restaurants this year, as well as a pop-up restaurant on the waterfront, city officials say.

Could it be the beginning of a new food scene in Camden?

The Newtown Kitchen & Lounge, forced to move from its location on MLK Boulevard last year due to a construction project, will reopen this spring on the 300 block of Market in a bigger space with a liquor license.

A few doors away, plans are in the works to open a franchise of Marino's Bistro to Go, a chain of casual Italian eateries started by Collingswood chef Jim Marino. The restaurants will be a block from Hank's, a pub that reopened last summer on Second and Market.

And several blocks away, city officials are developing a pop-up space for the waterfront that could showcase a revolving series of local restaurants.

Damon Pennington, a Camden-based businessman who is behind both of the planned Market Street restaurants, envisions a commercial corridor blossoming on Market Street, with bars, coffee shops, and boutiques drawing young professionals who now flock to Fishtown and Northern Liberties across the river.

"I believe this is the start of something big," said Pennington, of Voorhees, who is CEO of the ATS Group, a defense contracting firm on Camden's Federal Street. "I want people walking around at lunchtime, I want people hanging out after five for drinks, and I want people staying for dinner."

Marino sees expanding into Camden as a chance to capitalize on the city's potential: the river views, central location, and the population of office workers who have few lunchtime options. With thousands more employees expected to flow into the city in the coming years as corporations including Lockheed-Martin, Holtec, and Subaru move in, he said the time is right.

"It always boggled my mind that the potential in Camden hasn't been utilized," he said. "It's the winning lottery ticket no one has cashed in."

Meanwhile, the city nonprofit Cooper's Ferry Partnership has proposed converting a shipping container on the waterfront into a pop-up restaurant. The project, which is expected to open in the coming months, would be paid for by Urban Enterprise Zone funding.

"This will activate a space that isn't being used right now, and it's going to complement the businesses others are bringing here," city spokesman Vincent Basara said.

The space can host various local restaurants who can take turns opening second locations there, Basara said, selling food to people who visit Adventure Aquarium or attend concerts.

Though there are restaurants scattered around Camden, such as Corinne's Place on Haddon Avenue and eateries in East Camden, Market Street and the surrounding downtown area has for years been devoid of nightlife beyond Victor's Pub.

After the Newtown Kitchen & Lounge opened near Cooper University Hospital last year, it wasn't long before owners Ray Matthews and Tia Wright had to move. The Rowan University/Rutgers-Camden Board of Governors bought the land to use for a biomedical complex of office, classroom, and laboratory space, and gave the owners $75,000 to relocate.

Pennington, who has worked in Camden for more than a decade, already owned several properties on Market and connected with Matthews and Wright. Now they plan to reopen the Newtown Kitchen & Lounge as a three-story restaurant with a sports bar, roof deck, and space for live music. Construction should be complete in the next two months, Pennington said.

Pennington also has franchised Marino's To Go, which is set for a summer opening.

Marino opened his first restaurant, Bistro di Marino, in his hometown of Collingswood in 2004. Five years later, next to the restaurant, he launched Bistro To Go, with takeout and ready-to-serve food, followed by a second location in Cherry Hill with an eat-in space.

Pennington met Marino last year after visiting the Cherry Hill Bistro To Go. Pennington already had the Newtown project lined up, and thought a casual Italian spot might work on Market Street, too.

"We had one meeting. That was it," Marino said. "He was ready to bring it to Camden."

Pennington, who said he would encourage the hiring of local residents, is looking ahead at ways to bring in all members of the community, including Rutgers students and, someday, millennials from Philadelphia.

"If you can bring in the right amenities, this place could be booming in 24 months," he said.

Marino has already started thinking ahead about the possibility of opening additional restaurants in Camden.

"It's exciting to be part of the beginning of something," he said. "This is the kind of thing where we'll look back in 10 years and say, 'What just happened?' "

asteele@phillynews.com

856-779-3876 @AESteele