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

• A new restaurant called The Mustard Public House (website, facebook) has opened at 1420 Long Plains Road in Buxton in the building formerly occupied by Oak and Ember. The menu includes dishes like smoked wings, Caesar salad, burnt ends chili, burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, and warm bourbon apple crisp. They’re open Thursday through Monday, 4 – 10 pm.
• The Lewiston cocktail bar Sonder & Dram (facebook) has reopened under new ownership. Davinci’s Eatery owner Craig Tribuno took over the space in June—the original version of the business closed a year earlier. The menu (see below) includes house and classic cocktails, beer, wine, nonalcoholic drinks and dishes like tacos, grilled cheese, pulled pork sandwiches, seared tuna and truffle fries. Sonder & Dram will be open Friday and Saturday, 4 – 11 pm. They’re located at 12 Ash Street.
• Rift Arcade (website, facebook, instagram) has reopened in Biddeford at their new location at 5 Washington Street. Their menu includes pizza bagels, mac and cheese, hot dogs, sandwiches and snacks like pretzel bites and mozzarella sticks. They serve cocktails, mocktails, beer and wine.
• The Press Herald has published an article about Maine Canned Fish (website), a new business that’s a collaboration between Erika Colby from Anoche and Joshua Scher. “The factory in Topsham is located in the former Hancock Lobster Facility. Maine Canned Fish began its 20 month build-out in fall 2024. It is the first new seafood canning factory in the state in over 50 years.”
• A new restaurant called The Kingtide (website, facebook) is under development and expected to open this March in Freeport. Owners Rick and Tatiana Boyd are taking over the Lobster Cooker space (shown above) at 38 Main Street. The Kingtide menu is still under development but expected to offer a broad assortment of dishes that make use of locally sourced ingredients and taps into Rick Boyd’s Southern heritage as well as globally-inspired flavors and techniques. The Boyds also operate Rambler Irish Bistro in Yarmouth. The Lobster Cooker will remain open through October 31st. The owners shared, “We have appreciated the support of our local community, the many partners we have had to help spread word our delicious food & the many, many families that made us part of their trip to Maine every year! Thank you all for great run!”
• The Portsmouth Herald has reported that Exeter-based Ani’s Bakery Cafe (website, facebook, instagram) is planning to open a second location in Wells. It will be located at 175 Depot Road and will be opening on October 11th.
• The Bowdoin Orient has published an article about Paolo’s, an Italian restaurant that opened earlier this year in Brunswick. “Paolo’s, named after Jeremy Kratzer’s late grandfather Paul Macher, fittingly built its menu around the comforts of the home.”
• Aragosta on Deer Isle is holding a Champagne dinner on October 22nd in colaboration with Victorieux Champagne.  The New York Times recently featured a recipe from Aragosta chef Devin Finigan’s new book A Kitchen on Goose Cove.
• Chez Rosa in Kennebunk is holding a Fall Harvest Brunch on Sunday October 11th.
• The Lewiston Sun Journal reports that the Court Street location of Nutty Netties in Auburn closed on Sunday.
• The Press Herald has published a report on teenager Charlie Heeley and her South Portland business The Little Crumb Bakery.
• The Kennebec Journal has published an update on Plum Bakery (instagram) which Kristen Lamontagne has under construction in Gardiner.
• As previously reported, the bakery cafe Mère (website, instagram) has opened for business in Cumberland. They’re open daily 7 am – 7 pm.

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.

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

• Harvest Moon Deli (website, facebook, instagram) has leased a 1,450 sq ft space at 245 Center Street in Auburn where they plan to open a new location. Harvest Moon already operates in Bangor, Brewer, Orono, Newport, Augusta and Waterville. They hope to launch the 32-seat Auburn deli in late 2026 or early in 2027 and will be serving the same menu of soups, salads and sandwiches as their other shops.
• A regional TED conference, TEDxCoopersMills (website, facebook, instagram), is taking place on October 18th in the Midcoast. The speakers list includes chefs Paolo Laboa from Solo Italiano in Portland and Melissa Kelly from Primo in Rockland, Sadia Crosby from OystHERS Sea Farm in Georgetown, and Anson Biller from Full Fork Farm in China. Tickets are now on sale.
• The Portland Pie Company in Westbrook (photo above) has closed. Friday was their last day in business. “For the past 20 years, Westbrook has been much more than a restaurant location to us. It has been part of the Portland Pie Company family. We’ve watched families grow, welcomed longtime regulars week after week, celebrated milestones with you, worked alongside local businesses and organizations, and made countless memories within these walls. To everyone who has walked through our doors over the past two decades: thank you.”
• Color Field Coffee (website, facebook, instagram) is planning to launch a second coffee shop in Edgecomb this spring. It will feature “eclectic art, velvet settees, a record player, [and] long barn tables”. It will be located in an historic post and beam barn adjacent to the owners other business Down East Garry. They shared that “visitors can enjoy coffee and relax in both the barn and the farmhouse, and they are welcome to walk the gardens or vineyard as well.” Stay tuned for additional details early next year. The first Color Field Coffee is located in East Boothbay.
• The Bowdoin Orient has published an article about Knead & Nosh which is owned by a member of the Class of 1992.
• The Lincoln County News has published an article about the Maine Ocean Buzz Coffee House (instagram) in Wiscasset.
• The Lewiston Sun Journal published a report on Mel’s Hilltop Restaurant in Poland. It’s located at the Poland Spring Resort property. ‘ The 19th hole at the resort is Mel’s Hilltop Restaurant, where a full bar and restaurant await anyone who wants to come in and enjoy the view, as well as some different menu choices from Executive Chef Robert Gushue. “I put things out to see what they like. So, we’ve been doing wild game burgers, smash burgers. I’ve done camel. People loved it.” ‘
• Rafael Zimmerman will be the guest chef for Pachamanca on September 29th. The dinner is a collaboration with the Biddeford arts organization Subcircle. “Pachamanca is an ancient Andean way of cooking, pacha meaning earth and manca meaning cooking pot. It is our way of giving thanks to mother earth, pachamama. The cooking is done in an underground oven called a huatia, made from fire heated stones layered with meats and vegetables,, wrapped in herbs and banana leaves before finally being sealed in and let cook for a couple of hours.”
• The Green Ladle (website, facebook, instagram) culinary program in Lewiston is holding an open house on October 3rd.
• The Kennebec Valley Community College is offering a 7-week bartending training class in Waterville taking place in October and November.
• Taverna Khione in Brunswick is holding a set of beer and wine dinners in October and November.
• The ice cream and candy shop Wilsun’s (instagram) under construction in Kittery has published and update. They’re hoping to open in the first week of October.

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.