Bird & Co. Taco Oils

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

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

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

The owners of OhNo Cafe have announced plans to open a new businessThe 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

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

WednesdayOrange Bike Brewing is releasing a stout produced in collaboration with Tandem Coffee.

ThursdayTwelve 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.

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

SundayMe 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 16Douro 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 22Fermin Nunez from Austin, Texas will be the guest chef at an upcoming Tuna & Friends dinner.

April 24May 3Maine Seaweed Week is taking place.

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

May 2SeaFest is taking place.

May 3CiderFeast is taking place.

May 4Chaval 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 17Cafe 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 24-26The 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.

Restaurant Real Estate: April 2026

Welcome to the April 2026 edition of the Portland Food Map restaurant real estate listings sponsored by The Boulos Company—a commercial real estate brokerage that has helped Maine’s restauranteurs buy and lease restaurant spaces since 1975.

This resource gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland (and a few in the surrounding area) that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers and retailers to locate their next business. Finding the right spot is one of the crucial early challenges in launching a new business and hopefully this resource will make that step just a little bit easier.

West End/Libby Town/Parkside

785 Congress St – A 1,619 sq ft retail space near Bramhall Square is available for $23/sq ft (NNN).

867 Congress St – A former church which at one time was slated to be the future home of Vena’s is for sale for $525,000. The interior has already (see photos on listing) been partially renovated to include a bar/counter.

Arts District

11 Brown St – The 5,352 sq ft restaurant space currently occupied by Tokyo Sushi Ramen is for sale for $725,000. It comes with a fully equipped kitchen.

540 Congress St – The 25,800 sq ft building formerly occupied by Reny’s is for lease for $7.50/sq ft (NNN).

555 Congress St – The 1,908 sq ft former Five Fifty-Five dining room and mezzanine are available to lease for $20/sq ft (NNN).

582-584 Congress St – The 680-1,555 sq ft space formerly occupied by Harmon’s is for lease for $2,500 – $5,850/month (NNN).

Bayside/Inner Washington

31 Diamond St – the 3,288 sq ft former Freedom’s Edge tasting room is available for $18/sq ft (NNN).

52 Hanover St – 1,500 sq ft of retail space on the first floor of the Armature building is available for $30/sq ft (NNN).

65-67 Portland St – The 2,750 sq ft former Thai Esaan/Back Bay Grill space is available for $16/sq ft (MG).

114 Preble St – The former Coals building is available to lease. The 4,424 sq ft turnkey restaurant is listed at $26/sq ft (NNN) and includes onsite parking and outdoor seating.  For more information on the building and its history see this post on instagram.

Old Port

327 Commercial St – The 6,981 – 7,981 sq ft space currently occupied by Tiqa is available for lease or to buy. The lease rate is $30/sq ft (NNN). The sale price is $3,250,000.

375 Fore St – The 2,500 sq ft central bar and dining area of the former Henry’s Public House is available to lease for $26.50/sq ft (NNN).

425 Fore St – This 1,548 sq ft space had been built as a restaurant which never opened. It’s now available for $70/sq ft (MG).

157 Middle St – A 2,039 – 5,155 sq ft retail space is available for $27.95/sq ft (MG).

191 Middle St – The 1,500 sq ft retail space formerly occupied by Crystal Joys is for lease for $60/sq ft (MG).

15 Monument Square – The 1,000 sq ft former Sisters Gourmet Deli space is available to lease for $3,600/month (NNN).

28 Monument Square – The building owner is seeking someone to lease the Public Market House and develop the food hall as an incubator space for new food businesses. The 8,064 sq ft space spans the 1st and 2nd floors and has a commercial kitchen in the basement. The well-loved Jamaican restaurant Yardie Ting already occupies part of the first floor and Bub’s Home Kitchen has moved in on the second floor with the remainder of the building vacant and already built out with kitchen infrastructure needed for new businesses. 28 Monument Square is listed at $12/sq ft (NNN). For more information on the building and its history see this post on instagram.

66 Pearl St – The 5,796 sq ft space that was the former home of Bull Moose is available for $15.75/sq ft (MG).

110 Thames St – Two spaces in the Sun Life building are available: a 5,772 sq ft space for $35/sq ft (NNN) and 2,575 sq ft space for $35/sq ft (NNN).

Outer Forest Ave Area

332 Forest Ave – A 2,309 sq ft space in a building at the corner of Bedford Street and Forest Ave is available for $16/sq ft (NNN).

1569 Forest Ave – The Riverton Station Pizza, Bar & Grill and the property it is on are for sale for $1,700,000.

1871 Forest Ave – The former Tortilla Flats is for sale. The 8,771 sq ft building is on 3.43 acres of property and is listed for $1,750,000.

631 Stevens Ave – The 1,000 sq ft cafe space inside the Stevens Square Community Center is for lease.

1435 Forest Ave – The 2,910 sq ft former Fortune Garden building is for sale for $599,000.

Elsewhere in Portland

144 Fore St – several retail space in the same building as Madrid’s are available. They run from 1,527 to 3,544 sq ft and are listed at $17.50 – $19/sq ft.

375 Riverside St – several retail spots ranging from 3,050 – 26,285 sq ft are available to lease for $16-19/sq ft (NNN).

123 Washington Ave – The 10,894 sq ft space formerly occupied by Maine Craft Distilling is available for $16/sq ft (NNN). It includes a restaurant, an outdoor seating area and onsite parking.

550 Washington Ave – 2,722 sq ft of the former Botto’s bakery is available to lease for $17.50/sq ft (NNN).

Westgate Shopping Center – 1,340-4,921 sq ft of space are available. The lease rates are negotiable.

Other Spaces – Some vacated restaurant spaces haven’t yet been formerly listed for by the owner. Check the closing announcements for insights on where those opportunities may be.

South Portland

1422 Broadway, South Portland – This 1,440 sq ft restaurant building in Cash Corner is for lease for $27/sq ft (NNN).

185 Cottage Rd, South Portland – The 2,647 sq ft former Mast Landing tasting room is for lease for $15.30/sq ft (NNN). It includes 20 parking spaces.

465 Maine Mall Rd, South Portland – a 6,250 sq ft restaurant building formerly occupied by Chili’s is available for $35/sq ft.

60 Ocean St, South Portland – The restaurant space had been occupied by Taco Trio is for lease. The 6,006 sq ft space is available for $9.99/sq ft (NNN). Taco Trio has returned to their original location at 119 Ocean Street.

Elsewhere in Maine

Bandaloop, Arundel – After 20 years in business the owners of Bandaloop have shared plans to sell the restaurant property.

186 Main St, Auburn – A new building under construction along the Androscoggin River will include a 4,776 sq ft space that the owners hope to lease to a brewery or restaurant. It’s available for $18.50/sq ft (NNN). An additional 1,340 sq ft space will also be available when construction is completed.

111 Bath Rd, Brunswick – The Fat Boy Drive-In business and property is for sale for $775,000. Fat Boy has been in business since 1955.

137 Longwood Rd, Cumberland – A 2,110 sq ft building that’s been partially converted for use as a restaurant is available for $20/sq ft (NNN). See photos in the listing for a look at the current state of construction.

130 Wardtown Rd, Freeport – The 2,400 sq ft North Freeport Store building, equipment and 3 acres of sorrounding land are for sale for $525,000.

267 Scarborough Downs Rd, Scarborough – Six retail spaces in a new building at The Downs are available. They range in size from 1,091 – 5,248 sq ft. They’ll be available to occupy in the spring of 2027.

4 & 7 Dana St, Westbrook – A 5,085 sq ft restaurant space is available in a new building that is under construction with plans to open in 2027.

161 Main St, Woolwich – The Taste of Maine restaurant on Route One is for sale.

1335 Route 1, Yarmouth – The 6,884 sq ft former Muddy Rudder building is for lease.

Glossary

MG – Modified Gross which indicates that the operating expenses (taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc.) for the property are included in the lease rate. The tenant would pay its own utilities, which sometimes includes heat.

NNN – Triple Net which indicates that operating expenses are not included in the lease rate, and the tenant will pay them separately. They are often referred to as CAM (Common Area Maintenance) charges and taxes, which are expressed as $/sf. The tenant is also responsible for utilities.

Gross – Gross indicates all expenses including utilities are included in the lease rate. The tenant would be responsible for phone and internet access, as well as interior janitorial.