| We’ve begun building the 2026 Maine Thanksgiving List. It already includes 135 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. We’ll be adding to the list as businesses and organizations publish details on their plans for the holiday. Drop us a line if you know of any local resources that should be included. |
Maine Food & Dining News: Westbrook, Wiscasset, Damariscotta, South Portland, Biddeford, Skowhegan
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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.
Restaurant Real Estate: November 2026
Welcome to the November 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
794 Congress St – A 6,960 sq ft space on the ground floor of Holt Hall in Bramhall Square is available for
Arts District
16 Casco St – A 2,500 sq ft spot across from Equality Community Center is available for $25/sq ft (NNN).
540 Congress St – The 25,800 sq ft building formerly occupied by Reny’s is for lease for $7.50/sq ft (NNN). The building is also for sale for $2,975,000.
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).
649 Congress St – The 3,850 sq ft former Novel is available for $20/sq ft (MG).
15 Free St – The 1,000 sq ft former Maine Surfer’s Union space is available for $29.50/sq ft (NNN).
18 Free St – The 3,586 sq ft former Wigon Office Supplies space is available for $35/sq ft (MG).
133 Free St – The 7,969 sq ft building partly occupied by Mathews is for sale for $2,365,000. The listing indicates “If desired, sale includes business establishment.”
Bayside/Inner Washington
251 Congress St – LB Kitchen is making this space adjacent to their restaurant available for pop-ups.
52 Hanover St – Two 1,500 sq ft retail spaces (Suite 1, suite 2) on the first floor of the Armature building is available for $30/sq ft (NNN). They’re adjacent to the Aomori restaurant and market.
65 Hanover St – The 1,800 sq ft space that had formerly been occupied by the When Pigs Fly retail shop in 2024 is available for $25/sq ft (NNN).
127 Marginal Way – The 8,170 sq ft space formerly occupied by West Marine is available for $32/sq ft (NNN).
265 Marginal Way – The dining room and kitchen at Minibar are available to sublease to an operator looking to launch a new business in the space, for use as a commercial kitchen, or in partnership to operate food service for Minibar.
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.
375 Riverside St – A 7,311 sq ft retail space is available to lease for $16-19/sq ft (NNN).
123 Washington Ave – The space formerly occupied by Maine Craft Distilling has been subdivided into a set of six retail and restaurant spaces with five remaining available. They range in size from 939 to 2,020 sq ft and are available for $18 – $30 (NNN). For more information contact Brice O’Connor at (207) 553-1725 or boconnor@boulos.com. See this instagram post for some history of the building and neighborhood.
186 Washington Ave – The 7,620 sq ft Am Vets building is for sale for $990,000.
Old Port
266 Commercial St – Plans for a new building on Commercial Street include a 6,689 sq ft retail space on the first floor.
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 $25/sq ft (NNN). The sale price is $2,900,000.
57 Exchange St – The 1,341-3,015 sq ft former Gross Confection space is available for $45/sq ft (MG).
201 Federal St – The 2,300 sq ft space with a patio in the Casco building formerly occupied by Milly’s Market is available for $25/sq ft (MG). The building owners are seeking a business to open a market in that space.
366 Fore St – The 5,458 sq ft former Old Port Billiards space is available for $20/sq ft (NNN).
375 Fore St – The 2,500 sq ft central bar and dining area of the former Henry’s Public House is available to lease.
416 Fore St – The 1,100 sq ft former Mark’s Place is available for $5,500/month (MG).
420 Fore St – The 2,200 sq ft former Old Port Slice Bar space is available for $50/sq ft (MG).
433 Fore St – A 930 sq ft lounge space on the first floor of the Hyatt is for lease for $60/sq ft (MG).
442 Fore St – A 1,200 – 2,400 sq ft space across from the Hyatt is available for $45-60/sq ft (MG).
46 Market St – The 2,100 sq ft former Blind Pig basement space is available for $35/sq ft (NNN).
115 Middle St– A 2,065 sq ft retail space is available for $39.75/sq ft (MG). Many years ago this was the home of the Model Foods Market.
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).
1 Monument Square – The 1,588 sq ft space formerly occupied by an Oola Bowls franchise is available for $19/sq ft (MG).
15 Monument Square – The 1,000 sq ft space former Sisters Gourmet Deli is available.
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), the market portion of the building is also for sale for $1,699,000. For more information on the building and its history see this post on instagram.
66 Pearl St – The 8,537 sq ft of space that had formerly been home to Bull Moose and Anthony’s are available for $18.50/sq ft (MG).
51 Wharf St – The 2,340 sq ft former Tomaso’s Pizza and Burger Bar space is available for $36/sq ft (MG).
Outer Forest Ave Area
634 Forest Ave – the 1,364 former Abbiocco space is available. The property includes 13 parking spots and a fully built out kitchen and cafe space.
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.
Elsewhere in Portland
91 Auburn St – A pair of retail spaces (1,500 and 5,000 sq ft) are available in the Northgate Shopping Plaza for
144 Fore St – A 1,527 sq ft space in the same building as Madrid’s is available for $17.50 – $25/sq ft (NNN).
1364 Congress St – An 1,864 sq ft retail space is available in the Westgate Shopping Plaza.
550 Washington Ave – The 1,477 sq ft space formerly occupied by the Lava Kava cafe is for lease for $2,500/month (MG).
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
323 Broadway – The Ferry Village Market and the building/land it occupies is for sale for $1,300,000.
725 Broadway – The 15,524 sq ft former Broadway Bowl building is for sale for $2,500,000, and also available to lease.
185 Cottage Rd – The 2,646 sq ft former Mast Landing tasting room is for lease for $16/sq ft (NNN). It includes 20 parking spaces.
Elsewhere in Maine
111 Bath Rd, Brunswick – The Fat Boy Drive-In business and property are for sale for $695,000. Fat Boy has been in business since 1955.
7 Dunlap St, Brunswick – The 4,635 sq ft former Tonic at Bolos space is for sale for $799,000.
147 Pleasant St, Brunswick – The 2,400 sq ft former Holy Donut building is for lease for $32.50/sq ft (NNN).
11 Town Hall Place – A 3,222 sq ft former restaurant space near the new Moderation Brewing tasting room is available for $10/sq ft (NNN).
286 Main St, Kingfield – The Rolling Fatties property and business are for sale for $550,000. You can read the owner’s statement about their plans here.
53 Pleasant St, Lubec – The 400 sq ft former Morano’s Authentic Pizza building is for sale for $349,900.
200 US Route One, Scarborough – The 1,421 sq ft space formerly occupied by The Cheese Iron is available.
276 Scarborough Downs Rd, Scarborough – Six retail spaces in a new building at The Downs are available. They include two designated as restaurant spaces that are 2,498 and 5,148 sq ft. They’ll be available to occupy in the spring of 2027.
1574 Post Rd, Wells – The building formerly occupied by the North Star Lounge is for sale for $1,399,000.
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.
947 Main St, Westbrook– The 800 sq ft space formerly occupied by Honey Boba is available for $1,750/month (MG).
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.
Minibar to Close Sunday
Kevin Moschella has announced plans to close Minibar, his restaurant and indoor 18-hole minigolf course. Sunday will be their last day in business.
Since opening last October, minibar’s primary goal has been to spread fun, flavor, and joy to the community and visitors of Portland, ME.
While I feel like we largely met those goals, financial reality has unfortunately made it so I’m unable to continue to achieve that mission.
Sunday, November 1 will be the last day minibar will be open to the public for the foreseeable future.
Minibar is located in a 15,000 sq ft space at 270 Marginal Way in East Bayside. It opened for business on October 16, 2025.
An Heirloom Apple Celebration
Mari Bakery is organizing a multifaceted apple event on Saturday and Sunday at Moonday Coffee. Baker Kelsey Mari Morgan will have apple turnovers and other baked goods made with Black Oxfords, Northern Spys, Golden Russets, and Macintoshs.
Several varieties of whole apples will be for sale: Blue Pearmains, Redfields, Esopus Spitzenburgs, and Roxbury Russets as will cold cider from Snell Family Farm and an apple cider caramel latte produced by Moonday.
Apple books by three Maine authors will be available to purchase:
- Apples and the Art of Detection by John Bunker
- Practical Pomology by Sean Turley
- The Artist and the Orchard by Linda Hoffman
Finally, Rebecca Perea-Kane from Thicket (which is co-located with Moonday) will be selling a line of jewelry made from castings of Golden Russet, Blue Pearmain, and Baldwin apple seeds.
Jing Yan to Close Saturday
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Britt Langford has announced plans to close her Munjoy Hill restaurant Jing Yan. Its last day in business will be Saturday.
With a heavy heart we announce our last day of operations as Saturday, October 31st. Thank you for the past six years and the countless memories. We appreciate everyone that has walked through our door since day one.
To the team through the years: thank you, thank you, thank you for giving this tiny restaurant such a big soul. Each of you gave small pieces of your experience and passion, and it wouldn’t have been the same restaurant without you.
Langford will continue to operate Low Key which launched in 2024. Jing Yan opened for business in November 2020.
Harvest to Home
The Press Herald has published a report on the new Harvest to Home program that’s been launch by Preble Street, the Good Shepherd Food Bank and Hannaford.
Two local nonprofits and a regional supermarket have launched a pilot program to get 100,000 frozen, scratch-made meals to Mainers at risk of going hungry over the next year to offset high grocery prices and federal benefit cuts.
For additional information see the press release issued by Preble Street yesterday.
Upcoming Food & Dining Events
Tuesday – Isa is holding a dinner featuring wines from Cantina Flori in Piedmont.
Wednesday – Coffee by Design owner Mary Allen Lindemann will be the guest speaker at an event organized by the Maine Trust for Local News. Winemaker and author Peter Hahn will be at Marquis for a book signing for Angels in the Cellar.
Saturday/Sunday – Rockland’s Ruckus Donuts will be at Thompson’s Point for the Lost & Found Market.
Sunday – Mr. Tuna is kicking off their Toastie Takes series with a special version of their toastie ice cream dessert developed by Luncheonette.
November 5 – Twelve is holding their 3rd Annual Harvest Dinner.
November 7 – The 4th Annual Potato Palooza is taking place at DiMillo’s.
November 16 – The 2026 Hospitality Maine Summit and Awards Gala is taking place.
November 25 – It’s the last day of the year for the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market.
Thanksgiving – See the Maine Thanksgiving List for a statewide list of community meals, restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinners and buffets, and where you can pre-order turkeys, sides, pies and other dishes to serve at your home meal. We’re adding to the list as businesses and organizations publish details on their plans for the holiday.
November 30 – The deadline for the Open Call for the 2027 Beard Awards process.
December 5 – It’s the first day of the 2026/27 Winter Farmers’ Market at Stevens Square Community Center at the corner of Stevens Avenue and Walton Street.
January 8 – The 7th Biennial Maine Aquaculture Research, Development & Education Summit is taking place at UNE in Biddeford.
 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. |