Maine Food & Dining News: Waldoboro, Augusta, York, Scarborough, South Portland, Bethel, Columbia Falls, North Berwick, Camden, Wells, Skowhegan

| Posted in Maine

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

  • Daniel Vannah and Jennifer Powers have taken over the former Movie Pizza Shoppe building (above) at 258 Jefferson Street in Waldoboro where they plan to open the Waldoughboro Pizza Shoppe (facebook). Powers and Vannah hope to be open by early winter.
  • Oak Table & Bar in Augusta has leased space at 146 Mt Vernon Ave where they plan to open restaurant for their side business Taco Rico (website, facebook).
  • The owners of the Sand Dollar Bar & Grille (instagram) in York Beach are launching a pair of new eateries in the same building as their restaurant. Shorties Beach Cafe (instagram) will be a coffee and bagel shop with full line of brewed and espresso coffee drinks plus breakfast sandwiches and burritos. The Flounder (instagram) will be a counter service cafe serving sushi, poke, lobster rolls, chowder, and offering a raw bar. They hope to launch both prior to Memorial Day Weekend.
  • The owners of the All Grill food truck, opened their Scarborough restaurant in January. All Grill (website, facebook, instagram) serves a menu of Venezuelan dishes like asados boards and hervido soup. It’s located at 238 Gorham Road near Nonesuch River Brewing and is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon – 9 pm (until 8 pm on Sundays).
  • The Bollard has published a review of Rattle Shake Grill in South Portland.
  • A Longer Table and The Commons are organizing a potluck dinner in Bethel in honor of Jacque Pepin on May 1st.
  • The Columbia Falls General Store (instagram) is closing on April 26th. They are seeking a new spot where they can relocate the business.
  • A North Berwick mushroom farm, The Mushroom Hut, has suffered a fire. Owner Nicholas Doucette has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to help them rebuild.
  • The Midcoast Villager has published an article about Day Boat Cafe in Waldoboro, and a report on a pair of new business, Camden Charcuterie and Vacationland Coffee Roasters, slated for the Lyman Morse Wharf in Camden, and a new board game bistro called Munching Meeple under development in Camden.
  • The Portsmouth Herald reports that Forbes Seafood in Wells hopes to reopen their second floor as an 80-seat bar. The second floor of the building has been out of commission for several decades.
  • The Waterville Sentinel reports that Park Lee Chinese Restaurant in Skowhegan has gone out of business.
  • As previously reported, the owners of OhNo Cafe are working on to launch a new business called The Dooryard Pub in South Portland.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of 100+ coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

You can scroll through the past weeks’ Maine Food & Dining reports and get caught up on food news from around the state via this link.

Bird & Co. Taco Oils

| Posted in Openings

Bird & Co. has launched a product line starting with a pair of avocado-based cooking oils.

The Original Taco Oil by Bird & Co is the home cook’s new secret weapon. Made with 100% avocado oil and steeped with whole spices and simple herbs, it was crafted to flavor and elevate pan-fried tortillas for unmatched tacos at home. Beyond taco night, it sizzles as a versatile kitchen staple for braising proteins, grilling veggies, reviving leftovers, and creating vibrant dressings, sauces, and dips..breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

The oils are available in two flavors: Roja made with chipotle, chili, and garlic, and Verde made with cilantro, jalapeño, and lime. They’re available at Bird & Co in Woodfords Corner and online at shopthebirdandco.com.

Il Leone Not Reopening this Season

| Posted in Closings

Il Leone chef/owner Ben Wexler-Waite has announced that his Peaks Island open air pizzeria will not be in operation this season.

We are saddened to share that we will no longer be operating our seasonal summer pop-up at our original Peaks Island location in Maine due to unforeseen circumstances with the site beyond the control of both us and our Landlord the Lions Club.

The Lion’s Club, who have been Il Leone’s landlords on the island, shared,

Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond either parties’ control, we are sorry to see il Leone leave the Club and Peaks Island but are heartened that the business will live on in other forms and forever remain associated to us through its name. We wish il Leone the best in their next chapter. As always, we will continue to support our community and the public through our community burger nights, grants, and scholarships. We warmly invite everyone to join us for these wonderful community events.

Wexler-Waite indicated he’s searching for a spot in Maine to relocate Il Leone to, “[We] are considering a new potential seasonal pop-up location, and encourage those with ideas for potential partnership or collaboration to reach out.”

Il Leone launched on Peaks in the summer of 2021, and last year the businesses expanded with a second location in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn.

2026 Global Tastemakers Lists

| Posted in Reviews

Food & Wine came out with their 2026 Global Tastemakers lists this morning.

  • Portland came in first place on the Top 10 Small US Cities for Food and Drink list. “Portland frequently crashes national best-of lists stacked with heavyweights. Chalk it up to a working waterfront hauling ultra-fresh seafood into a lively arts district or a genuine off-season (though it’s shrinking), which ensures a steady stream of newcomers trading big-city grind for a tight-knit community of artisans constantly refining tiny-town charms.”
  • For the third year in the row Aragosta on Deer Isle has been recognized on the Top 10 US Hotels for Food and Drink list. “Tucked on a serene, forested island, this cluster of nine cottages cocoons guests in the restorative rhythm of Maine’s midcoast, with food acting as both anchor and compass.”

In 2018 Bon Appetit named Portland the Restaurant City of the Year, and in 2009 the magazine had named Portland the America’s Foodiest Small Town.

OhNo Team to Open The Dooryard Pub

| Posted in Under Construction, Maine

The owners of OhNo Cafe have announced plans to open a new business. The Dooryard Pub (instagram) will be located at 45 Huntress Ave in South Portland in the building which formerly housed the Modestman Brewing tasting room.

Chris Beth and Lori Eschholz plan to serve a menu of casual bar food and host live music performances during the summer. They don’t have plans to reprise the menu from OhNo at Dooryard.

The pub is expected to have room to seat 40 indoors, with room for 60 customers in the outdoor seating area. Eschholz and Beth hope to launch The Dooryard before Memorial Day.

OhNo closed in late 2024. Modestman Brewing moved their brewery to 35 Park Avenue in South Portland last year.

Novel to Close

| Posted in Closings

Novel has announced that their bookstore/cafe/bar will be going out of business. Their last day in operation will be April 17th. Their statement read in part,

Every great story must come to an end. Novel will be closing at the end of the day on April 17th. It has been our great pleasure to serve Portland as a safe third space. We are grateful for the characters that have helped us make this place a community. While our story may be ending, we know that the bonds made here will live on. Help us celebrate the end of our story by sharing yours: share your best moment at Novel with us in the comments.

For more on the closure read this article in the Press Herald.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Wednesday – Orange Bike Brewing is releasing a stout produced in collaboration with Tandem Coffee.

Thursday – Twelve is holding a wine dinner featuring Weingut Moric from Austria.

Friday – The Pierogi Prince (instagram) will be popping up at the Local 188 event space. En-Noble is holding a Ghanaian Jollof pop-up at Belleflower Brewery.

Saturday – New England Iron Pollo is holding a pop-up at Lambs. It’s the last day of the indoor Winter Farmers’ Market.

Sunday – Me Lon Togo will be holding a 4-course pop-up dinner (sold out) at Gather in Yarmouth. Blue House Bagels will be holding a bagel sandwich pop-up at Twin Swirls.

April 16 – Douro is holding a dinner featuring wines from the Azores.

April 17-18 – The 2nd Annual Organic Grain & Seed Summit is taking place.

April 18 – It’s the first day of the outdoor Portland Farmers’ Market in Deering Oaks Park.

April 22 – Fermin Nunez from Austin, Texas will be the guest chef at an upcoming Tuna & Friends dinner.

April 24 – May 3 – Maine Seaweed Week is taking place.

April 27 – The Native Maine food show is taking place.

May 2 – SeaFest is taking place.

May 3 – CiderFeast is taking place.

May 4 – Chaval is holding the annual May the Fourth Star Wars themed dinner.

May 9 – The premiere screening of the movie Lunchroom Revolution is taking place.

May 9-10 – The 2026 A Taste of Nations Food Festival is taking place at Mayo Street Arts.

May 16 – The Maine Wine Wine Fest (tickets) is taking place in Freeport.

May 17 – Cafe Mugen is holding a pop-up at at Izakaya Minato.

June 15 – The James Beard Foundation will be announcing the 2026 award winners. Thomas Takashi Cooke from Izakaya Minato and Dana Street from Fore Street, Scales, Standard Baking, and Street & Company are this year’s nominees from Maine.

July 24-26 – The Kneading Conference is taking place in Skowhegan.

September 25-27 – The Common Ground Fair is taking place in Unity.

Planning a wedding, holding a business event, or hosting visitors from away? Our printed guides are a great resource to help your guests explore the Maine restaurant scene.

The Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now for sale in packs of 25 on our online store.