Three new restaurants are expected to move into vacant spaces in downtown Bend, according to a real estate broker and a downtown official.

Local investors who created the Bend Diner Company have signed a lease for the former El Jimador Mexican Restaurant at Northwest Wall Street and Northwest Franklin Avenue, said Darren Powderly, president of Compass Commercial Real Estate Services. While the restaurant does not have a name, it’s expected to combine upscale diner fare with menu items found in a French brasserie, according to a news release. It’s expected to open in the spring.

Operators of another restaurant are in final negotiations to open in the first quarter in the former Wall Street location that housed Amalia’s Mexican Restaurant, which closed, said Chuck Arnold, executive director of the Downtown Bend Business Association. He said he could not release the name.

Powderly also said he expects to have a deal completed next week for a new restaurant in the Firehall Building at Northwest Minnesota Avenue and Northwest Lava Road.

— From staff reports