Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Tuesday – High Roller is holding a Maker’s Mark tasting dinner.

Wednesday – Chaval is holding a 5-course dinner that will feature wines from Olé & Obrigado with owner Patrick Mata attending the dinner.

Saturday – PoutineFest is taking place. En-Noble and Ugly Duckling are collaborating on a Latin American dinner. The West End Let’s Eat Out event is taking place “Encouraging West End neighbors to share a snack and a conversation, and to gather together outside and connect.”

September 19-26 – Maine Lobster Week is taking place.

September 23 – The 2nd Annual Lobster Roll Remix is taking place—nine local chefs are will be serving their take on a globally-inspired version of the classic Maine lobster roll.

September 25 – The Maine collaborative dining start-up company JoynaTable is holding a party at Definitive Brewing.

September 25-27 – The 50th Annual Common Ground Fair is taking place in Unity.

September 26 – The 2nd Annual Portland Hotdog Safari is taking place.

September 29 – Via Vecchia is hold the 3rd Annual Bitter Ball Negroni Contest. Press Herald food section editor Peggy Grodinski will be speaking at an event organized by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USM.

September 30 – Glenn Prickett, the CEO of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, will be the guest speaker at an Open Door event organized by the Maine Trust for Local News.

October 1 – Wayside Food Programs is holding their annual Inside Wayside event with food provided by the Casco Bay Chapter of the American Chefs Federation.

October 2 – Somali chef Ifrah F. Ahmed will be at Coffee by Design for a book signing for her cookbook Soomaaliya.

October 3 – Oxbow Brewing’s annual Goods from the Woods event is taking place in Newcastle; tickets are now on sale.

October 5 – Luncheonette is relaunching their Korean Night Dinner series.

October 8 – The Maine Food Producers Showcase & Golden Fork Awards are taking place in Portland.

October 11 – Chef and author Erin French will be speaking at the State Theatre. Tickets include a copy of her book The Lost Kitchen: Seize the Supper.

October 15-17 – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place. Tickets are now on sale for all three events.

October 21 – Chaval is serving a 4-course Burgundy wine dinner.

October 24 – The 21st Annual Veg Fest is taking place.

October 25 – The Great Maine Apple Day is taking place in Unity.

November 16 – The 2026 Hospitality Maine Summit is taking place.

November 25 – The last day of the year for the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market.

December 5 – The first day of the 2026/27 Winter Farmers’ Market at Stevens Square Community Center at the corner of Stevens Avenue and Walton Street.

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 2026 Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now for sale in packs of 25 on our online store.

Maine Food & Dining News: Saco, Yarmouth, Wiscasset, Arundel, Blue Hill, Eastport, New Canada, Searsport, Falmouth, Windham, Camden, Waterville, Lewiston, Biddeford, South Portland

| 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:

  • The owners of Swell Nitro Coffee in Saco have launched a new business called Down Town Market by Swell (instagram) in the adjacent space to their coffee shop where they sell “local goods sourced primarily from Maine and other parts of New England think cheese, pasta, pickles, jams, salsa, chips maple syrup, cookies, protein bites and more”. The breakfast and lunch menu includes breakfast sandwiches and burritos, salads and lunchtime wraps and subs. The hours will be Wednesday through Sunday 7 am – 3 pm. See this field report from Frannie Eats Maine for a look inside.
  • The New York Times has published a Midcoast edition of the 36 Hours travel series. It highlights The View bar, Salt Wharf, Franny’s, Camden Cone, 8 Bells, Buttermilk Kitchen, First Fig, Bleeker & Greer, Sammy’s Deluxe, Newty’s and The Causeway.
  • Rosemont Market has announced plans to move their Yarmouth store to 108 Main Street (above left). The new market is under construction and expected to open in 2027. The space is 50% larger than the current location.
  • The Lincoln County News has published an article about Brill’s Bakery (above right) which opened for business On September 5th in Wiscasset. Brill’s Bakery (instagram) is located at 27 Summer Street and will be open Saturdays and Sundays, 8 am – 2 pm.
  • A new food truck called Emma Lou’s Bakery (website, facebook, instagram) recently launched. You can find them serving a menu of cinnamon rolls, breakfast sandwiches and coffee at the Camp Ellis Pier in Saco.
  • The Press Herald reports that Magno Terra Cafe has temporarily closed after plans to relocate to the former Fresh Approoach space in the West End fell through.
  • Bandaloop has served their last meal. The Portsmouth Herald reported earlier this year that the restaurant is under contract. The new owners are expected to be opening a new business at the building in Arundel.
  • Eating Through the Seacoast has published a field report from the Devil’s Half Acre Beer Garden in Blue Hill.
  • The Quoddy Times reports that Eastport’s only grocery store, the R&M IGA, has closed.
  • The Bangor Daily News published an article about the new owners of the Lake Road Grocery (facebook) in New Canada. The BDN also has a report about Hey Sailor in Searsport “A popular Searsport restaurant and bar that has anchored the coastal town’s downtown revival in recent years abruptly went dark this week, prompting online speculation about its future. Hey Sailor! was not open during its regular hours Friday and its official internet pages have disappeared.”
  • Artist and forager Rachel Alexandrou will be leading an edible plant walk at  Gilsland Farm in Falmouth on September 21st.
  • Crouse House Coffee in Lewiston, Tandem Coffee, and Milk & Honey Cafe in Windham are working together to hold a latte art competition on September 24th, 5:30 – 8 pm.
  • Natalie’s restaurant in Camden and Browne Trading are collaborating on a 6-course caviar dinner taking place September 25th.
  • The Maine Fermentation Fair is taking place in Waterville on October 17th.
  • The Rad Roots Harvest Celebration is taking place in Lewiston on October 2nd. “This annual harvest meal and festival will showcase local farm fresh food alongside the local work being done to build and connect Lewiston and Auburn to a sustainable and thriving local food system. Come for the meal, stay for the food tastings, zine making, face painting- kids activities, music and more!”
  • As previously reported, Magnus on Water has earned a second pin from The Pinnacle Guide—a rigorous international program that evaluates and rates cocktails bars. The Biddeford bar and restaurant is one of just 61 establishments worldwide in the Outstanding double pin category along with peers in London, Paris, Mexico City, Hong Kong, Athens, Los Angeles, New York and other cities.
  • As previously reported, Sai Guntaka and business partner Jim Baldi have leased a space in South Portland where they plan to open a Italian restaurant called Il Forno (facebook, instagram)

The Maine Food Map is our statewide dining guide with a list of 123 coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses from across Maine’s 16 counties.

Restaurant Reviews of Douro and Bayou Kitchen

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of Douro.

In a town full of very good seafood options, Douro stands out both for excellent execution and refreshing, on-trend Iberian influences. Its stylish Mediterranean aesthetic and highly capable, friendly service display Prentice Hospitality Group polish. So does the quality of the food, though the dishes are more rustic and homey than at their sister restaurant across the street, Twelve.

The Bollard has published a review of Bayou Kitchen.

The Bayou has weathered 25 years of changes in the Woodfords neighborhood, including restaurants and businesses old and new opening and closing nearby, major road construction, and a global pandemic. With its consistent, comforting menu and laidback vibe, it just might stick around for another 25.

Paak Now Open

| Posted in Openings

A new fast casual cafe called Paak (instagram) opened for business today at 650 Congress Street near Longfellow Square. The word paak means vegetable in the Thai language.

Praewpran Yiamjanya and Patrick Udomsay, the owners of the Sook Thai Mobile Kitchen food truck, are serving a menu (see below) of bowls and smoothies. There are five house designed bowls and the option to build your own by choosing greens or rice for a base, proteins like grilled chicken or tofu, a selection of 27 different toppings (mango, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, hummus, etc), and a dressing.

The smoothies (named for the days of the week but all available each day) include options like the Tuesday made with pitaya, strawberry, banana, agave nectar, Greek yogurt and oat milk. Paak also has a refrigerator case of grab and go canned and bottled drinks.

Paak has a small counter in the front window with seating for 4 as well as a pair of benches. The entire menu is available to go for customers that want to bring a meal back to their home or desk. Paak will be open Thursday through Monday 10 am – 7 pm.

Lucky Sevens

| Posted in Under Construction

The Press Herald reports that the owners of Bar Publica are relaunching the space this fall as a bar called Lucky Sevens.

Co-owner Spencer Brantley said he expects Lucky Sevens to launch sometime in late September or early October. Cosmetic improvements to the 4,000-square-foot space are underway…Brantley said Lucky Sevens will have a jukebox, a couple of pool tables and some other games to create an “adult playground” atmosphere.

Il Forno in South Portland

| Posted in Under Construction

Sai Guntaka and business partner Jim Baldi have leased a space in South Portland where they plan to open a Italian restaurant called Il Forno (facebook, instagram). It will be located at 333 Clarks Pond Parkway a few doors down from Taj.

Chefs Jim Fitzgerald and Ron Medlock and pasta chef Ruth Connelly will serve a menu of appetizers like baked polenta with gorgonzola, sage and honey, fresh pasta dishes like cacio e pepe and rigatoni alla vodka, pizzas, salads and entrees like grilled strip steak. Nick Shanley will be managing the bar which will serve cocktails, local draft beers and wines by the bottle and glass.

Guntaka and Baldi have worked with Woodhull on the design (see the renderings below) and construction of 50-seat restaurant. An outdoor deck will provide room for another 15-20 guests during warmer months. The buildout is well underway and Il Forno is expected to launch in October.

Guntaka is the owner of Taj and Cobblestones in South Portland and co-owner with Baldi of Silver Street by Taj in the Old Port, and co-owner with Obul Reddy of Rasa in Bangor. Medlock was the chef at Bar Publica, Fitzgerald worked at the Regency Hotel, Connelly has worked at Evo, Via Vecchia and Papi, and Shannon comes from the bar team at Evo.