Maine Food & Dining News: Lewiston, Waterville, Kittery, Old Orchard Beach, Bangor, Wiscasset, Yarmouth, Freedom, Van Buren, Oxford

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

  • Lewiston coffee roaster Crouse House (website, facebook, instagram) has leased space at 291 Lisbon Street (above) where they plan to open a cafe. They’ve launched a $20k Kickstarter campaign to help fund the buildout of the space and have already received $3,315 in pledges from 17 people. “We have a deep conviction that in this moment, in our city, change happens when people are willing to invest in the places and communities they want to see thrive. We believe in the future of downtown, and we believe that creating a place where people can gather, connect, and feel at home is one small but meaningful way we can help build that future.” Visit the campaign page for additional information.
  • Maine Grains in Skowhegan is collaborating with Colby College to open an outpost of their Miller’s Table restaurant on the college’s Waterville campus in early 2027. “Located at the intersection of Runnals Walk and Cotter Drive on the ground floor of the Charlie Bassett House in Colby’s new residential complex, The Miller’s Table at Colby will bring Maine-grown food, warm hospitality, and a strong sense of place to the heart of campus.”
  • The Portsmouth Herald reports that Perkins Cove-based Foot Bridge Lobster (facebook, instagram) is opening a second location in Kittery in the space formerly occupied by Definitive Brewing. “In the spring of 2027, Foot Bridge Lobster will open a second location at the Kittery Outlets, across from the Kittery Trading Post and Bob’s Clam Hut at 318 Route 1 — and this new spot will offer indoor seating and stay open year‑round.”
  • The Press Herald reports that a new bar and brewery called Old Orchard Brewing (website, instagram) has opened in Old Orchard Beach in the space formerly occupied by Lone Pine. They’re located at 32 East Grand Avenue and are open daily 3 – 8 pm and until 9 pm on Friday and Saturday.
  • Joe Robbins will be the guest chef for a 4-course Native American Heritage Celebration Dinner taking place on November 21st at the Wabanaki Health and Wellness Center in Bangor.
  • Back River Bistro in Wiscasset is closing. Their last day in business will be October 30th. Their announcement reads in part, “As our family continues to grow, with our next child joining us in January, we’ve made the difficult decision to close this chapter and see what the future has in store for our family. While closing Back River is bittersweet, we are excited for what comes next and incredibly grateful for everything that brought us here. There is so much we will miss, but more than anything, we will miss the people who made this place what it became.”
  • Eartha Cafe (facebook, instagram) has opened in Yarmouth in the space formerly occupied by Magno Terra Cafe serving breakfast and lunch with coffee, smoothies, salads, soups and sandwiches.
  • The Boston Globe has published an interview with Erin French from The Lost Kitchen.
  • Mainebiz has published a feature article on Northern Maine Kolache Company (website, facebook, instagram) in Van Buren. “Northern Maine Kolache drives customers from across the region with its scratch-made kolaches and other pastries. Social media helps introduce the bakery to customers who might not otherwise make the trip to the area. Ayotte said the online exposure has helped the bakery attract customers from Bangor, southern Maine and New Hampshire.”
  • Oxbow Brewing is holding a dinner series at their location in Oxford this winter each 4-course dinner themed to the cuisine of a different country: Belgium in November, Japan in January and Italy in February.
  • Wandering Lost and Hungry has published a field report from the Kittery Wine Bar.

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.

Bold Coast – Lobster Vodka

Bold Coast Spirits (website, facebook, instagram) has launched a lobster vodka produced with shells sourced from Luke’s Lobster. Food & Wine has published an article today about the new spirit,

The result is vodka that’s boldly lobster-flavored with a depth of oceanic flavor and a buttery mouthfeel. The spirit is made without any of the artificial colors or flavors typically found in flavored vodkas, and has a natural hue that resembles the melted butter often paired with lobster.

Bold Coast Spirits is located in Oxford and was launched earlier this year by Jay Lombard and Stuart Littlefield. Their first product was an oyster shell rested vodka called Marine 01.

Browne Trading Company

The Press Herald has published a profile of Browne Trading.

Rod Browne Mitchell founded Browne Trading Company in 1991. The high-end seafood and caviar seller has high recognition in the fine-dining world, with customers including Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin and Thomas Keller’s Per Se, both Michelin-starred restaurants. It sources seafood not only from the Portland Fish Exchange right by its brick building on Portland’s waterfront, but from fisheries and farms around the world, including from Spain, Portugal and Japan.

Veranda Kitchen & Bar

The Veranda Group has leased the space at 425 Fore Street next to Barkada where they plan to open Veranda Kitchen & Bar. They shared in a city permit application that the new restaurant will “operate as a full-service, sit-down restaurant, offering our established menu of Thai, Vietnamese, and Asian-inspired cuisine.”

Hai Pham and Sonka Nguyen have operated a Veranda Kitchen & Bar in Westbrook for more than a decade. They hope to launch the 38-seat Portland edition later this year and be open daily for lunch and dinner.

Nguyen and Pham launched their first restaurant, Veranda Thai, in April 2008, followed by Veranda Noodle Bar in 2009, Veranda Market in 2013 and have opened several other restaurants.

The space they’re moving into on Fore Street had been leased by 66S Fusion in 2016 and undergone a full buildout but the business never launched.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

Monday – Ladyfish will be holding an “all-you-can-eat buffet plus passed bites throughout the evening” on their last day in business.

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

Thursday – Adega is holding a pop-up at Lambs.

Thursday-Saturday – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place. Tickets are now on sale for all three events.

Friday – The Pierogi Prince is holding a pop-up at the Local 188 event space.

Saturday – The Maine Tool Library is holding a cider pressing.

Saturday-Sunday – The Messy Cookie is hold the 2nd Annual Cookie Fest.

Sunday – Providence restaurant Frank and Laurie’s (website, instagram) will be at Luncheonette for a pop-up breakfast.

October 21 – Chaval is serving a 4-course Burgundy wine dinner. Root Wild is teaching a fire cider workshop in collaboration with Seed Sound Herbal Apothecary.

October 24 – The 21st Annual Veg Fest is taking place. Sawyer’s is teaching a sausage making class, “The class will give an in depth demonstration of our sausage making process from meat selection, grinding, mixing, stuffing and twisting.”

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

October 27 – Isa is holding a dinner featuring wines from Cantina Flori in Piedmont.

October 28 – Coffee by Design owner Mary Allen Lindemann will be the guest speaker at an event organized by the Maine Trust for Local News.

November 5 – Twelve is holding their 3rd Annual Harvest Dinner.

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

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

November 30 – The deadline for the Open Call for the 2027 Beard Awards process.

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.

Review of Zaitun

The Bollard has published a review of Zaitun, the new Somali restaurant that opened in August on Forest Avenue.

We met in the back parking lot around 5 p.m., and as soon as the doors opened we knew we were in for something good. The scent of roasting meat and exotic (for Maine) spices hit us immediately, and the sight of several mature women sitting on milk crates outside the kitchen showed us we were destined to have an authentic experience at Zaitun.