We’ve begun building the 2025 Maine Thanksgiving List   . It already includes 140+ Thanksgiving dinners, free community meals and food baskets, special takeout and take home options from restaurants, bakeries butcher shops and markets from all of Maine’s 16 counties.
We’re adding to the list every day as businesses and organizations publish details on their plans for the holiday. Please drop us a line if you know of any restaurants, community meals, markets, or other food businesses or events that should get added. |
Maine Food & Dining News: Rockland, Brunswick, South Portland, Sanford, Hallowell, Kittery
New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:
- Carly and Wesley Summers have launched their wine and cocktail bar Lemon Bar (website, instagram) in Rockland. The menu (see below) features natural wines, spirit forward cocktails, spritzs, snacks and a selection of boilermakers. They’ll be open Wednesday through Saturday, 5 – 10 pm. You can read more about the Summers and their plans for Lemon Bar in this Midcoast Villager article from September.
- Kyle Rogers, the baker who formerly operated the Brunswick bakery pop-up Bread Pedlar, is launching a new bakery called Porteur Breads. Porteur will be open beginning this Wednesday with bread, croissants, pastries, and Tandem espresso and drip coffee. Moving forward Porteur will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 7 am – 3 pm.
- Asia House Kitchen and Bar (instagram) are planning to open their Knightville restaurant in South Portland on November 21st. The restaurant is located in the former Judy Gibson space at 171 Ocean St. They’ll be serving a pan-Asian menu and will be open daily 11 am – 9 pm.
- The Sanford Springvale News has published a report on Flat Top Burgers (instagram) which opened in Sanford in late August.
- Belle Boulangerie in Hallowell will be teaching a trio of cooking classes this month on baguettes and sourdough, brioche and challah, and eclairs and dinner rolls.
- Eating Through The Seacoast has posted a look at the new Warren’s Seafood in Kittery. Warren’s relaunched in Kittery under new management with the name Warren’s Seafood and More (website, facebook, instagram). The menu includes a range of lobster dinners, fried seafood, sandwiches and appetizers like clam chowder, steamers and shrimp cocktail. They’re located at 11 Water Street.
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Upcoming Food & Dining Events
All Week – Brunswick Wine Week is taking place.
Monday – Devenish Wines and Lambs are collaborating to hold aholiday wine tasting as a benefit for the Maine Farmland Trust.
Wednesday – Franciska is holding a wine tasting of the wines of Pépin from Alsace.
Thursday – Fish & Whistle will be holding a donut pop-up at Round Turn Distillery in Biddeford. Drink pairing will be available to go with the cocktail-inspired donut flavors.
Saturday – Luncheonette will be holding a pop-up at Lambs in South Portland.
Sunday – Onggi is holding their 5th Annual Kimjang kimchi-making-fest.
November 17 – Pulatan is holding a Filipino pop-up at the Big Tree Event space at the former Local 188. Chefs Nathan Steinauer and Sydney Boulanger are holding a pop-up dinner called Sleepy Fish.
November 21 – It’s the deadline to submit a recommendation to the James Beard Foundation for the 2026 Awards.
November 26 – It’s the last day of the outdoor Portland Farmers’ Market in Deering Oaks Park. Little Spruce will be holding a pop-up at the former Local 188.
Thanksgiving – See the Maine Thanksgiving List for details on 120+ options for 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.
November 28 – The VFW on Forest Ave is holding a tequila tasting.
December 3 – En-Noble and SMCC are holding a taste and talk event focused on the food of Papua New Guinea.
December 6 – The first day of the indoor Portland Farmers’ Market at Stevens Square Community Center (631 Stevens Ave).
January 24 – Courntey Loreg from Woodford’s Food & Beverage will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.
January 30 – Adrian Arvizu from Big Tree Hospitality will be the guest chef at a steakhouse themed Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.
February 8 – Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will be the guest chefs at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner where they’ll celebrate the menu of their former restaurant Piccolo.
February 13 – Devin Finigan from Aragosta on Deer Isle will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.
March 6 – The Maine Craft Brew Summit is taking place.
 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. |
Yankee Food Awards
Yankee magazine has named Ocotillo as New England’s Best New Brunch as part their 2025 food awards. Ocotillo was opened in April 2024 by the owners of Terlingua.
Sister restaurant to Terlingua, the popular Tex-Mex barbecue spot in Munjoy Hill, Ocotillo brings the same warm vibes and south-of-the-border accent to Portland’s West End. Start with a smoked brisket breakfast taco or the huevos rancheros (red and green chili salsas, eggs over easy, corn tortillas, refried beans). Tuck into buttermilk-masa pancakes with caramelized pineapple syrup and maple butter. And don’t forget to finish with the churros.
Two other Maine businesses were also recognized in the Yankee awards list Backriver Blends in Topsham for their Blueberry Jerk Marinade and Skordo in Brunswick for their Cook New England Spice Set.
Upcoming Food & Dining Events
All Week – 207 Beer Week is taking place at breweries, bars and bottle shops across the state.
Monday – Natalie DiBenedetto will be holding a Figgy’s pop-up at Cantina Calafia.
Wednesday – XO Burgers & Wings will be making an appearance at Oxbow for the GZA performance.
Saturday – Maine & Loire is holding a port tasting with winemaker João Roseria of
Quinta do Infantado.
November 10 – Devenish Wines and Lambs are collaborating to hold a ticketed holiday wine tasting as a benefit for the Maine Farmland Trust.
November 10-16 – Brunswick Wine Week is taking place.
November 15 – Luncheonette will be holding a pop-up at Lambs in South Portland.
November 17 – Pulatan is holding a Filipino pop-up at the Big Tree Event space at the former Local 188.
November 21 – The deadline to submit a recommendation to the James Beard Foundation for the 2026 Awards.
November 26 – It’s the last day of the outdoor Portland Farmers’ Market in Deering Oaks Park.
Thanksgiving – See the Maine Thanksgiving List for details on 100+ options for 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.
November 28 – The VFW on Forest Ave is holding a tequila tasting.
December 6 – The first day of the indoor Portland Farmers’ Market at Stevens Square Community Center (631 Stevens Ave).
January 24 – Courntey Loreg from Woodford’s Food & Beverage will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.
January 30 – Adrian Arvizu from Big Tree Hospitality will be the guest chef at a steakhouse themed Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.
February 8 – Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will be the guest chefs at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner where they’ll celebrate the menu of their former restaurant Piccolo.
February 13 – Devin Finigan from Aragosta on Deer Isle will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.
March 6 – The Maine Craft Brew Summit is taking place.
| 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. |
Maine Mocktails
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a feature article about the growing availability and complexity of mocktails.
Like craft cocktails, mocktails have come a long way. For decades, they were little more than afterthoughts or uninspired riffs on a Shirley Temple: fruit juice topped with soda water, or ginger ale with a splash of Luxardo cherry juice. Many bar staffs now take mocktails quite seriously, and the best ones rival alcohol-based cocktails in their flavor complexity.
Restaurant Real Estate: November 2025
Welcome to the November 2025 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/Valley/Libby Town
270 Saint John St – A 2,714 sq ft space in Union Station Plaza is available for $17/sq ft (NNN).
Arts District
540 Congress St – The 27,800 sq ft building currently occupied by Reny’s is for lease for $9.50/sq ft (NNN). Reny’s has decided not to renew their lease when it expires at the end of March.
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
105 Fox St – a 1,950 sq ft space located between Rising Tide and Austin Street is available for $5,220/month (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).
127 Marginal Way – The 3,040 sq ft former All Speed bicycle shop space across the parking lot from Trader Joes is available for $27/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
1 Canal Plaza – 4,284 – 14,412 sq ft of ground floor retail space will be available as part of upcoming renovations; $30/sq ft (NNN).
15 Chestnut St – The building that was home to Grace restaurant is going up for auction on November 13th with a starting bid of $500,000. The restaurant seats 175 and features a large circular bar on the first floor of the former church. The building has 14,358 sq ft of space. It’s for sale for $2,175,000.
383 Commercial St – 1,193 – 4,805 square feet of space in a newly constructed building on Commercial Street is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).
10 Cotton St – The 4,606 sq ft former Thistle and Grouse is available for $19.05/sq ft (MG). It has a fully built out kitchen and the dining room was recently renovated.
8 Exchange St – The 1,800-3,600 sq ft space formerly occupied by The Bar & Bites on lower Exchange Street is available for $25/sq ft (MG).
58 Exchange St – The 1,314 sq ft space formerly occupied by the Cheech & Chong cannabis shop is available for $55/sq ft (MG).
373 Fore St – The 7,500 sq ft former Henry’s Public House building is for lease for $26.50/sq ft (MG).
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).
433 Fore St – A 930 sq ft lounge space on the first floor of the Hyatt is for lease for $60/sq ft (MG).
100 Middle St – A 350 sq ft cafe space on first floor of an Old Port office building is available for $850/month (Gross).
151 Middle St – the 2,741 former Anthony’s Italian Kitchen space is available.
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).
54 York St – A 1,605 sq ft space is available for $30/sq ft (MG). It’s located in the same building as the Weldon Hotel at the corner of York and Maple Streets.
Camp Pennant – this brewery, distillery and restaurant is for sale. Contact Karen Rich for more information at karen@malonecb.com or (207) 210-6637.
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).
503 – 509 Forest Ave – When renovations are completed this year, this building will have 1,268 – 6,313 sq ft of space available for $15/sq ft (NNN). See this feature article 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.
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.
Elsewhere in Portland
1041 Brighton Ave – A 2,429 sq ft space in the same mall as Panda Garden is available for $16-18/sq ft (NNN).
75 Washington Ave – A 770 sq ft kitchen space is available to lease for $1,450/month.
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 – 2,000 – 2,400 sq ft of the former Botto’s bakery is available to lease for $18/sq ft (NNN).
Northgate Shopping Center – 1,700 sq ft of space is available.
Westgate Shopping Center – Three spaces are for lease 1,440, 3,800 and 5,000 sq ft. The lease rates are negotiable.
Navis Cafe, Thames St – Navis Cafe is for sale for $1,299,000. The 36-seat 1,456 sq ft cafe is located in the WEX building along the Eastern Promenade Trail.
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
239 Ocean St, South Portland – The 1,621 sq ft former Pizza Joint building in South Portland is for sale for $695,000.
Elsewhere in Maine
Bandaloop, Arundel – After 20 years in business the owners of Bandaloop have shared plans to sell the restaurant property. It’s priced at $2,100,000.
186 Main St, Auburn – A new building under construction along the Androscoggin River will include a 5,400 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 1,450 sq ft space will also be available when construction is completed later this year.
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.
319 Main St, Cumberland – The 2,148 sq ft former Rise Pizza & Pub building is for sale for $950,000, or available to lease for $5,000/month (NNN).
261 Shore Rd, Ogunquit – The Northern Union restaurant property is for sale for $2,950,000.
23 Terminal Lane, Owls Head – A restaurant space at the Knox County Airport is available. FF&E is $65,000 which comes with a $200/month lease which includes utilities.
In Good Company, Rockland – In Good Company on Main Street in Rockland is for sale for $187,140.
267 Scarborough Downs Rd, Scarborough – Six retail spaces in a new building at The Downs are available. They range in size from 1,091 – 2,208 sq ft. They’ll be available to occupy in the spring of 2027.
60 Mile Rd, Wells – The former Varano’s Restaurant building and a 2 bedroom apartment are for sale for $1,695,000. See this instagram article for additional information on the building and the neighborhood.
863 Main St, Westbrook – The former Frog & Turtle and adjacent retail spaces are for sale for $1,900,000.
4 & 7 Dana St, Westbrook – 2 retail spaces are available in a new building under construction in downtown Westbrook. The building is under construction with plans to open in 2027. 1,250 – 5,085 sq ft of space (NNN).
10 & 16 Hardy Rd, Westbrook – The building, land and business of Lenny’s at Hawkes Plaza is for sale for $689,000.
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.
2025 Lobster Chef of the Year
Congratulation to chef Thomas Barthelmes from Finestkind and to the SMCC Culinary Arts team for their wins at yesterday’s Lobster Chef of the Year competition.
The judge selected Bathelmes as the 2025 Lobster Chef of the Year for his dish of Lobster Custard with poached lobster in XO sauce, young ginger, and crispy tempura.
The SMCC team were voted the People’s Choice for their dish of Madagascar Vanilla Butter-Poached Lobster with parsnip and potato croquette, sweet corn beurre monté, and peppery micro slaw.