Maine Food & Dining News: Freeport, Durham, Freeport, Brunswick, Warren, South Portland, Pownal, South Paris, Rockport, Waldoboro, Augusta, Deer Isle, New Gloucester, Wells, Belfast

| 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:

  • Love Point Oysters has launched their new oyster shop and market, Love Point Provisions (instagram). It is located at 43 Old South Freeport Road in Freeport selling tinned fish, wine, beer, and, of course, LP oysters. They’ll be open Wednesday through Saturiday, 11 am – 6 pm.
  • Nikaline Iacono , the owner of Vessel & Vine in Brunswick, has launched Full Hearts Farm Store (facebook, instagram) in Durham (above, right). It’s located at the former site of the Replanova Farm store and will continue to sell Replanova’s organic produce. Full Hearts is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 am – 6:30 pm, and 11 am – 5 pm on the weekends. The market sells Maine raised meats, locally baked bread and pastries, dairy products and eggs, and a selection of other locally produced foods. There’s a menu of sandwiches and salads liked smoked bluefish and a meatball sub to grab-and-go or to enjoy on the back deck which looks out over the farm. The kid’s menu offers PBJs and grilled cheese sandwiches. Iacono is working with the local historical society to develop names for sandwiches that connect with history of the community. Starting next month she plans to hold classes at Full Hearts and hopes the store will become a gathering space for the community.
  •  Sodt (website, facebook, instagram) plans to launch their new store in Freeport on Saturday. It is located at 58 Main Street downstairs from Vineyard Vines and will be open that day 10 am – 7 pm.
  • Moderation Brewing (website, facebook, instagram) will be holding the grand opening for their new location in Brunswick on June 19th at 4 pm with food trucks, live music and an official ribbon cutting.
  • The 2026 edition of our Midcoast dining guide has been released.
  • The owners of Saint George Pizza have shared plans to launch Upstairs Books (instagram) in Warren. The stock is expected to have “a heavy focus on cookbooks”. They expect to launch Upstairs Books this summer.
  • As previously reported, a new restaurant that will serve Nepali and Tibetan cuisine called Himalayas on the Bay (instagram) is under development at 60 Ocean Street in South Portland.
  • Portersfield Cider (instagram) will close at the end of this year. David Buchanan founded Portersfield in 2015 and initially began selling his cider at the Portland Farmers’ Market. The tasting room at the Portersfield orchard in Pownal launched in 2017. Portersfield received a Good Food Award in 2019 for their Ridlon 16/2 cider. Buchanan shared “When I started collecting apple trees and making cider 16 years ago, I had only a vague idea where wild and heirloom apples might lead. It’s been a wonderful run, more gratifying and fulfilling than I’d imagined. Part of the reason I’m stepping back now is that I feel satisfied with the ciders I’ve made, happy with the way things have turned out. I’m ready for something new, and prefer to end on a high note. Although this year will be my last for alcohol sales, I don’t intend to give up the community presence at my farm. I’m excited to develop new uses for the tasting room and outdoor gathering spaces, and I look forward to exploring ways to collaborate with other food businesses in the years ahead.” The photo above (left) shows Buchanan preparing buckwheat galettes at the Portersfield tasting room in 2022.
  • The owners of X Vault Pub and Provisions have announced they’re is closing their South Paris restaurant. Their last day in business will be Saturday. Their statement reads in part “A restaurant is never just a restaurant. It’s the people who walk through the doors every day, the staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes, and the community that chooses to support it. We want to thank our community for always being our biggest supporter. Thank you for trusting us, whether that meant ordering your usual favorite or stepping outside your comfort zone to try something new. From oysters and sushi to craft cocktails and chef-driven specials, your willingness to embrace new flavors allowed us to create, experiment, and share our passion for food with all of you.” The statement also mentions that a new restaurant is expected to move into the space next year—more details on that are TBD.
  • The Rockport Donut Festival (website, facebook, instagram) is taking place Friday and Saturday. Ruckus Donuts, Old Time Donuts, The Only Doughnut, Eighty 8 Donut Cafe, Graffiti Donuts, The Donut Grove, and The Holy Donut will be taking place in the event.
  • The Waldo Theatre in Waldoboro is staging a production of Don’t Dress for Dinner on June 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th.
  • In celebration fo the Common Ground Fair’s 50th anniversary, MOFGA has produced an exhibit of the fair’s posters from the last 5 decades. “Fifty Years of Common Ground, an exhibition of five decades of the posters of the Common Ground Country Fair, is free and open to the public, now in Augusta until August 30th; then moving to Waterville September 4 through 30, in partnership with the Maine Arts Commission and Waterville Creates.”
  • The Ark restaurant on Deer Isle has released the details for this year’s guest chef series. Lucy Gibson will be at The Ark mid-June to mid-July, followed by Sam Fore, Neftalí Duran, and then Justin Tootla and Jennifer Jackson. See The Ark website for all the details on the chefs and their upcoming tenures.
  • The Graze dinner series is once again taking place at Pineland Farms. Dinners are taking place this Friday as well as dates in July, August and September.
  • Three more dinners in the Wolfe’s Neck Center farm-to-table dinner series are taking place in Freeport this September, October and November with guest chefs from Sawyer’s, Fire & Company, and Douro.
  • The Portsmouth Herald reports that Feile Irish Pub in Wells is expected to reopen later this month.
  • The Bangor Daily News reports that the Dockside Family Restaurant—which went of business last year after a 36-year run—will be reopening in June.
  • Maine Famous has assembled a list of festivals and events taking place across the state this summer.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

Review of Gill’s

| Posted in Reviews

The Bollard has published a review of Gill’s.

If you’re looking for a light appetizer, definitely don’t get the Moxie Pork Ribs ($15), which were so tender that I managed to eat them only an hour after getting two dental crowns. Or do, and bring home the other half of your turkey sandwich ($15) with aged gouda, banana peppers and club sauce as “second dinner,” like I did. 

2026 SBIF Dining Guide

| Posted in Reviews

Trent Pheifer author of the blog Store Bought Is Fine has published the 2026 edition of his Portland dining guide. It includes of great choices for finding a meal, drinks and treats in the Portland area.

This is my personal, very opinionated guide to the places I actually recommend: special-occasion dinners, lobster rolls, bakeries, pizza, cocktails, food shops, and the casual spots I return to again and again. I’ve only included places I’ve personally visited, many of which I revisited this year to see if they still hold up, so this isn’t meant to be exhaustive.

Himalayas on the Bay in Knightville

| Posted in Under Construction

A new restaurant called Himalayas on the Bay (instagram) is under development in South Portland. It will be located in Knightville at 60 Ocean Street in the buidling formerly occupied by Taco Trio.

Owners Sachet Timilsina, Pushpa Regmi, and Dipesh Karki plan to focus on Nepali and Tibetan cuisine. Chefs Raj Kumar Karki and Laxman Neupane will serve a menu that includes dishes like momo, thali, thukpa, and chow mein as well as some Indian options from the menu at its sister establishment Hi Bombay in Portland.

Renovations to the 6,006 sq ft space is underway with the hope of launching in mid-July. Between the bar, tables and outdoor seating Himalayas on the Bay is expected to seat ~80 people.

Timilsina shared that having been born in Nepal he’s wanted to open a Nepali restaurant in the Portland area. The team sees Knightville as a good fit for their new restaurant because it’s a walkable area with a nearby residential community.

Taco Trio returned to their original location at 119 Ocean Street in 2025.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Monday – Scratch Baking Company is teaching a corn baking workshop.

Thursday – Browne Trading is holding their Annual Sushi and Sake Tasting. Lucky Cheetah will be holding a Champagne tasting class.

Saturday – It’s the opening day of Reef’s Real Fruit Ice Cream (facebook, instagram) food truck at Rising Tide.

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.

June 17 – Twelve is holding a 5-course dinner featuring wines from Staglin Family Vineyards.

June 22-28 – Green Crab Week is taking place.

June 24 – The Portland Wild Food Meetup is taking place at Anoche.

June 25-27 – The Greek Festival is taking place.

June 27 – Mast Landing is holding the 2026 Wavy Days Beer Fest at Thompson’s Point.

July 24-26 – The Kneading Conference is taking place in Skowhegan.

August 22 – The Maine State Cake Decorating Championship is taking place in South Paris.

August 28-30 – Maine Apple Camp is taking place in Hope. The biennial event covers a wide range of topics including “innovative orcharding methods, identifying and preserving heritage varieties, foraging wild fruit, cider making and lots more.”

September 25-27 – The 50th Annual 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 2026 Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now for sale in packs of 25 on our online store.

Restaurant Real Estate: June 2026

| Posted in Real Estate

Welcome to the June 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

770 Congress St – A 2,602 sq ft building near Bramhall Square is for sale for $850,000.

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

251 Danforth St – A 1,143 sq ft retail space across the street from Ugly Duckling is available for $2,500/month (MG).

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.

25 Casco St – A 627 sq ft cafe space in the Equality Commons building is available to lease for $20/sq ft (MG).

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). The entire building at 55 Congress St is for sale for $1M.

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).

Bayside/Inner Washington

239 Congress St – The Tiny Tim’s space is available. Call (207) 450-6610 for more information.

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 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).

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 $25/sq ft (NNN). The sale price is $2,900,000.

57 Exchange St – The 2,754 sq ft former Gross Confection space is available for $45/sq ft (MG). For more information contact Peter Harrington (207) 772-2422.

368 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 for $26.50/sq ft (NNN).

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).

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

127 Middle St –The 3,512 sq ft former Cellardoor tasting room is for lease for $43/sq ft (NNN).

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), 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 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).

634 Forest Ave – the 1,364 former Abbiocco space is for $3,000/month (NNN). The property includes 13 parking spots and a fully built out kitchen and cafe space. Contact Mary@sissleanddaughters.com for more information.

683 Forest Ave – a space in Woodford’s Corner most recently occupied by a restaurant called Merveille is for lease. Call (207) 766-8845 for more information.

948 Forest Ave – The 1,010 sq ft former Vivian’s Drive-In space is available for $2,900/month (MG).

1569 Forest Ave – The Riverton Station Pizza, Bar & Grill and the property it is on are for sale for $1,400,000.

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.

1435 Forest Ave – The 2,910 sq ft former Fortune Garden building is for sale for $550,000.

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 space formerly occupied by Maine Craft Distilling is being subdivided into 4 retail spaces and 2 earmarked for bars or restaurants. They range in size from 1,005 to 2,542 sq ft and are available for $18 – $33 (NNN). For more information contact Brice O’Connor at (207) 553-1725 or boconnor@boulos.com.

Westgate Shopping Center – 1,340 – 3,200 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

725 Broadway – The 15,524 sq ft former Broadway Bowl building is for sale for $3,200,000, and also available to lease.

185 Cottage Rd – 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 – a 6,250 sq ft restaurant building formerly occupied by Chili’s is available for $35/sq ft.

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 $695,000. 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 for sale for $497,000. See photos in the listing for a look at the current state of construction.

200 US Route One, Scarborough – The 1,421 sq ft space formerly occupied by The Cheese Iron is available for $32/sq ft (NNN).

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.

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.

2026 Midcoast Pocket Guide

| Posted in PFM

The 2026 Midcoast Pocket Guide is now available—see below for where to pick one up. The guide highlights a cross section of the restaurants, bakeries, breweries, coffee shops, cocktail bars, and cafes that make eating and drinking in the Midcoast so compelling.

28 cities and towns are represented from smaller communities like Union, Palermo and Owls Head along with the bigger cities and towns along the coast and some inland locations like Swanville and Whitefield. The list features both longtime mainstays of the Midcoast food scene and newer spots that have launched in recent years. We hope that no matter where you live or are traveling to in the Midcoast that this guide has something to offer.

Are you holding a wedding, running a business event, operating a hotel, or simply want a bunch of the guides on hand for out of town visitors? The pocket guides are now for sale online in packs of 25 at our online store.

Many thanks to the Pocket Guide sponsors! Their support is essential in making this resource available: Evergreen Credit Union, The Boulos Company, Allagash Brewing Company, and Great Pine Financial Services.

While supplies last you can pick-up a free copy of the guide at these locations: Vessel & Vine in Brunswick, Treats in Wiscasset, The Alna Store, Salt and Pepper Social in Newcastle, Ida’s at The Waldoboro Inn, Honey’s in Thomaston, Cafe Grazie in Rockland, the Villager Cafe in Camden, and Dot’s Market in Lincolnville. In Portland, you can find a copy at Allagash Brewing, the Portland Trading Company, and Total Loss Books. They’re also available at Bresca and the Honey Bee in New Gloucester, and at Table Bar in Gardiner.

One final note: This dining guide wouldn’t be as good as it, in fact it wouldn’t exist at all, without the skills and contributions of graphic designer Sofija Razgaitis and of Dawn Hagin. Congratulate them on their work the next time you see them.