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

• Hearth and Soul Oven (website, facebook, instagram) owner Janet Marciniec has purchased the former Seaside Pharmacy building at 59 School Street in Stonington. Renovations will be underway over the winter and she hopes to launch in late spring or early summer. The business has operated as a food truck on Deer Isle since 2018. At the new brick and mortar location Marciniec plans to have indoor and outdoor seating, and to add Italian-style sandwiches to her existing menu of wood-fired pizza.
• The owners of Bon Vivant Bakery (facebook, instagram) have bought the former Tree Spirits Winery & Distillery building at 152 Fairfield Street in Oakland where they plan to open a bakery and cafe. When they launch the bakery “expect fresh, laminated artisan croissants, a rotating daily bread schedule, fresh soups, hearty breakfast and lunch sandwiches, lattes, and convenient meals to go” and then later plan to expand operation to include a “cozy sit-down café where you can linger over your morning coffee and pastries.”
• A new business called Chums Sandwiches (facebook) will be moving into the space at 57 Bridge Street when Sumo Sushi & Grill moves to their new location. Chums is being launched by Dan Perreault. The menu will include items like pastrami sandwiches, burgers and a honey chicken rice bowl.
• The Portsmouth Herald has a report about Mazon, the new restaurant chef Lee Frank has had under construction in Cape Neddick in the building formerly occupied by Arrows. “Mazon, now sporting a fully renovated interior, is expected to open by Nov. 29. Frank said the restaurant will offer multi‑course meals reminiscent of his work at Otis in Exeter. After several months focused solely on “flipping burgers” at his Lee Frank’s burger locations in Exeter and South Berwick, he’s eager to return to fine‑dining cooking.”
• The Bangor Daily News reports that Joy Dudley has leased space at 25 Hammond Street in Bangor where she plans to open a second location for business Baked by Joy (website, facebook, instagram). “That menu includes cookies, pan de sal (a type of Filipino bread roll), cakes, matcha, ice cream, boba made with real fruit like strawberry, mango and ube, and lattes and pourover coffee supplied through a partnership with the Deer Isle-based 44 North Coffee.”
• Joc Caldwell and Mallori Park launched The Kennebec Room (website, facebook, instagram) and Night Cap Lounge (facebook, instagram) in Augusta in late September. The Kennebec Room menu is billed as “upscale American pub food” is located on the first floor at 300 Water Street with the Night Cap Lounge cocktail bar located on the floor above. For addition information see this article from the Kennebec Journal.
• The Morning Sentinel has a report on The Heron’s Table (facebook) which opened last month in Smithfield. It’s located at 858 Village Road and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 4 – 9 pm. “Starters include items like fried burrata, crabcakes and hummus with pickled vegetables, labneh and spiced naan. For entrees, the menu offers plates like seared scallops, crispy fried duck, slow-braised pork shank, coconut curry stew and beef bolognese.”
• Magnus on Water has announced that Ian Cofer has stepped in for a two month residency (draft menu) as the chef at the Biddeford cocktail bar and restaurant (dressed belon oysters shown above, left). “Ian’s twenty-year journey in kitchens has taken him from Michelin-starred restaurants in Chicago and San Francisco to Austin, Europe, and, closer to home, Twelve and Regards in Portland.” Magnus has hired a new chef and they’re expected to start in early 2027 once they’ve moved to Maine.
• Saint George Pizza is holding a donut and coffee cafe at their location in Warren this morning, 9 am – 1 pm. This is a first step in Saint Georges expanding their operation to include daytime cafe hours in addition to their evening pizzeria service.
• For their third year Goodfire Brewing will be serving a set of menu specials in honor of Indigenous Heritage Month. This is a collaboration with the Wabanaki Alliance and the dishes are bein co-created by the Goodfire kitchen team and Penobscot chef Joe Robbins.
• Community Plate is holding their 2026 fundraising event on November 15th at the Rockport Opera House. The organization holds potluck events all around Maine, publishes Maine community cook books and holds storytelling events and workshops.
• Down East magazine has published an article about Sai Guntaka and the work he does through his restaurant Taj to find hunger in the Portland area. “Last October, when people lost SNAP benefits due to federal-funding cuts, we did free meals for that entire month. After that, we decided it felt good to do it every day. On average, we give away 150 to 200 meals a day.”
• The Lewiston Daily Sun reports the Marvelous Macarons has closed their Auburn bakery. “With the Auburn location closed, Roberts said she plans to downsize the business and fit it into her everyday life, highlighting “exciting plans for the future” including pop-up events, weekly pickups and holiday orders.”
• The November edition of the Portland Food Map raffle features Winona’s in Camden. Just click through to the instagram post and tag a friend in the comments for a chance to win a $150 gift card to the restaurant. The drawing is taking place on Tuesday.
• 207 Foodie and The Hungry Mainer have published field reports from Donut Things Cafe (instagram) which opened for business in Westbrook this week.
• Biddeford Buzz and Frannie Eats Maine have published field reports on the new Lumpia de Oro Filipino food cart in Biddeford.
• The 2026 Maine Thanksgiving List continues to grow. As of today it includes 187 options for Thanksgiving dinners, free community meals and food baskets, special takeout and take home options from restaurants, bakeries butcher shops and markets from all over the state. More are being added each day as businesses post details about their plans.

The Maine Food Map is our statewide dining guide with a list of 122 coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses from across Maine’s 16 counties.

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

• A new business called Donut Things Cafe (instagram) will be opening at 113 Saco Street (top, right) in Westbrook. Owner Sokly Soeuy held a soft opening on Sunday serving Asian-inspired donut flavors like pandan coconut, banana turon, and matcha maple bacon. The beverage menu includes Marukyu Koyamaen Isuzu matcha, Swift River coffee, hojicha, and other teas. Soeuy plans to be open Monday through Saturday, 6 am – 2 pm. She hopes to expand the menu in the future with a range of savory flavored donuts.
• Steve and Alisa Smith have bought the Wiscasset House of Pizza (bottom, right) and plan on reopening the building at 74 Flood Ave as Burnt Orange Bagels (website, facebook). They hope to launch the business in late November and plan to be open Monday through Friday, 6 am – 1 pm and Saturday, 8 am – 2 pm. The menu at Burnt Orange Bagels will includes a classic line-up of bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and breakfast Burritos and fudge made with Alisa Smith’s grandmother’s recipe. Smith shared that one of his favorite bagel combination is the pumpernickel bagel with olive cream cheese. The menu will be available to go or to enjoy in the shop’s seating area. The Smith’s previously worked for a decade with the original owner of Gelato Fiasco to develop the wholesale and catering arms of the business.
• Caroline Zeller has published some photographs of the wood-fired bakery called Bagel Witch (instagram) which she’s had under construction in Damariscotta. Bagel Witch will be located at 72 Courtyard Street. Zeller will offer bagels, cream cheese and spreads, and prepared bagel sandwiches as well as coffee and other beverages. Watch the Bagel Witch instagram account for information on an TBD opening date.
• The owners of Sumo Sushi & Grill (website, facebook) have leased the former Portland Pie Company location (bottom, left) in Westbrook. They hope to move from their current location on Bridge Street and reopen in the 3,114 sq ft space in December. Sumo opened for business at their current location in October 2025.
• A partnership between Preble Street, the Good Shepherd Food Bank and Hannaford was announced earlier this week. The Harvest to Home pilot program will produce 100,000 meals for Maine residents in need. In separate news, the York County Food Hub has leased 7,310 sq ft of space in Biddeford for their new headquarters equipped with “cold storage, dry storage, and commercial kitchen space to support local pantries and meal programs.”
• Down East magazine has published an article about The Biergarten in Skowhegan. “The chicken schnitzel that Kerin and I shared had a crisp, golden coating and was tender enough to slice with a fork. It came with spaetzle sprinkled with bacon and buttered breadcrumbs and red cabbage braised with brown sugar, apples, and cider vinegar. A sauce of Dijon mustard from Raye’s Mustard, in Eastport, and crème fraîche lent lovely, tangy notes.”
• Pizza by Alex and Biddo Banh are collaborating on a banh mi pizza special which will be available November 16th.
• The 2026 Maine Thanksgiving List continues to grow. As of today it includes 125+ options for Thanksgiving dinners, free community meals and food baskets, special takeout and take home options from restaurants, bakeries butcher shops and markets from all over the state. More are being added each day as businesses post details about their plans.

The Maine Food Map is our statewide dining guide with a list of 122 coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses from across Maine’s 16 counties.