Category: Closings

The Garrison in Yarmouth is closing. Their last day in business will be this Saturday, July 27th. The restaurant first opened almost exactly 5 years ago on July 25, 2019.

Chef/owner Christian Hayes shared a statement, which in part reads,

To say we have been submerged in an education about life for the last five years is a drastic understatement, and to say we are the same humans we were when we started couldn’t be further from the truth. This journey has been both the absolute definition of the best and worst of times, and an education in not just business but mental health, physical health, expectations, pressure, failure, and success.

The last year has been brutal for so, so many reasons, and for the first time the actual struggles which usually hide within our spreadsheets and behind our facade has spilled over to our dedicated staff and it is not okay to continue on when we struggle to meet payroll and pay bills.

Hayes concludes with,

In the end, we are so proud of what we built, along with our incredible team beside us, and we know that our home on the river has made a nest of core memories and experiences that will carry on after the last plate is cleared. Thank you all for making this so much more than just a place to eat. It’s literally been a dream come true.

Hayes shared that he will be consolidating his efforts into his other businesses Dandy’s Handy (website, instagram) corner store and Thoroughfare (website, facebook, instagram) “and the endless potential to focus solely on creating food and restoration for our community around us through such a special spot.”

Here are a few photos from The Garrison back in 2019.

Maxwell’s Farm shared the sad new that this was the final year in business for their Cape Elizabeth strawberry farm.

…Believe when we say, we feel the weight of nine generations in this decision. The lives of Ken, Elsie, Bill, Lois, Joel, and Joy have revolved around their faith, their family, and this farm. Due to growing challenges for small family farms and increasing barriers at most every turn, we’ve found it impossible to balance these three pillars. We have poured love, stress, sweat, sleepless nights, and so much more into this land, this lifestyle, and this community. After years of painstaking consideration and attempts to adapt to the challenges of farming in the current landscape, we have come to the very hard decision to close Maxwell’s Farm…

See the full announcement on facebook and on instagram.

Broken Arrow (website, facebook, instagram) has gone out of business. The brief post on instagram and facebook reads,

It’s been fun and very hard. Grateful for the memories made and the friends. This journey is at the end.

With gratitude, goodnight Portland one last time.

Lyle and Holly Aker opened Broken Arrow on October 29, 2020. The restaurant received a 4 star review from the Maine Sunday Telegram in 2022. A sale of the restaurant is pending.

Update: See the article from the Press Herald for additional reporting on the closure of Broken Arrow.

Owner Qutaiba Hassoon announced on Wednesday that Falafel Time on Forest Ave has permanently closed.

It has been a pleasure serving the community, but we regret to inform you that Falafel Time has permanently closed. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with the Portland Community, but unfortunately due to my parent’s health and the shortage of staff we made the tough decision to close. We’re truly thankful for all the good times we’ve had together at Falafel Time.

Falafel Time opened on October 18, 2021. Hassoon is a second generation restauranteur. His parents owned Haggarty’s restaurant 2012-2014.

Cara and Cecile Stadler have announced a set of changes at Eighty Ate Hospitality, the parent company of Bao Bao, Tao Yuan, Canopy Farms and ZaoZe Cafe.

The Stadlers will not be reopening Bao Bao Dumpling House in Portland but instead plan to move the restaurant to Brunswick where it will co-located with Tao Yuan. The new restaurant will temporarily named BaoBao @TAO and will serve a similar menu to the Portland location. The Tao Yuan tasting menu will still be available for customers who make reservations and request it in advance. BaoBao @TAO will offer takeout and will have seating available for walk-in customers as well as by reservation.

As part of these changes, the Stadlers are also “starting the process of winding down” Canopy Farms, their aquaponics greenhouse in Brunswick. The email announcement shared that they “would very much like to see the space used and would are willing to effectively rent out the space fully setup at cost for the right institutional partner or NPO.  Please contact cecile@canolyfarms.org if interested.”

The menu at ZaoZe will be unaffected but the cafe and market will be open earlier, 8 am – 4:30 pm. Emily Topaz will continue to be the chef at ZaoZe and Leon Vuong will be the chef of the combined BaoBao/Tao Yuan establishment.

Bao Bao in Portland has been closed since February.

The owners of Thai Esaan, Ben Boonseng and Siwaporn Roberts, have announced they’re closing their Portland Street restaurant. Sunday will be their last day in business.

We want to thank all of our wonderful guests that have chosen us to be a part of their family through the years. We are extremely humbled that so many embraced our restaurant and that we were able to succeed as long as we had. Our goal was to serve good food and it showed through our recognition in various news outlets.

Thai Esaan was originally located on Forest Ave and reopened at 65 Portland Street in March of 2023.

Foulmouthed Brewing has announced plans to close their South Portland brewery at the end of this month.

We are sorry to say that Foulmouthed Brewing will be closing at the end of April. These last 8+ years of brewing, cooking, and neighborhood life have been an amazing experience, but we’ve been offered an opportunity to sell the business and we feel the time is right for us to move on.

Foulmouth’s last day in business will be April 28th.

As for the buyer, Foulmouth shared that,

We can’t reveal all the details, but the buyer is a new, independent brewery with plenty of experience working within the industry here in Maine. They intend to continue operating as a restaurant and brewery and plan to open under their own name as soon as licensing allows.

Pizza Joint (website, facebook, instagram) has announced plans to close both their Portland and South Portland locations this month.

Hello pizza friends,
It is with great sadness that we have made the tough decision to close Pizza Joint.
Our last day of operation will be Sunday, April 14th. This date is subject to change depending on how much crew we have in the last few days.
Get it while you can, folks.
Thank you all for your loyalty and kindness over 47 great years. We couldn’t have done it without you. ♥
-The Pizza Joint