Category: Closings

Owners Michelle and Steve Corry have shared a statement on instagram about the future for their Old Port restaurant.

After several months of careful consideration, we have come to the very difficult decision to sell our beloved Petite Jacqueline. As of now we plan to continue to operate through September and hope that someone that is equally as passionate about French food and culture will continue our vision.

As most of you know, this restaurant has always been special to us as it was created in homage to my grandmother Jacqueline Derasse. Thanks to the skill and dedication of our staff we weathered COVID, however, this last year has been extremely difficult with rising costs and equipment issues.

Steve and I attempted to remain open as long as possible but have realized that we can no longer focus on the business as much as we once did. We want to put our family first. We are extremely grateful to our loyal customers who have been incredibly supportive over the past 12 years. We will miss the daily interaction with our friends of Bistro PJ and, especially, our team – some of whom have been with us for many years.

Our staff has been EXTREMELY dedicated to this special place and it is the thought of not seeing them and our guests on a regular basis that will be the most difficult part of this decision.

Again, we cannot thank the community enough for the past 12 years, it has been a truly special experience.

Petite Jacqueline opened in Longfellow Square in 2011 to rave reviews. The Corry’s moved the restaurant to its present location in 2016. They opened a new rendition of their restaurant Five Fifty-Five in Brunswick in 2022.

 

Today’s Press Herald reports on the closure of Rick’s Lobby Cafe.

But their gracious presence in the building soon will come to an end. In May, as the couple were celebrating the cafe’s eighth anniversary, the building owners informed them that their lease would not be renewed, and that they would need to vacate by the end of October. The Woods have set Friday, Sept. 1, as the cafe’s last day.

WGME and the Press Herald have reported that Queenie’s Castle in Deering Oaks has closed.

The owner of Queenie’s Castle in Deering Oaks Park says they have closed for good after ongoing issues with the unhoused population for more than a year now.

Tiqa owners Deen and Carol Haleem have announced plans to close the restaurant while they “consider all possible future options.”

Over the past three years, since COVID started, we have faced an exhausting ever changing set of dynamics that we have yet to figure out how best to handle – because of this – we have decided to close TIQA and consider all possible future options. We will continue to be closed until a new direction is determined and we do not know how long that will take.

Tiqa opened on January 21, 2015. In 2016 they also opened the Tiqa Cafe in the Deering Oaks Castle.

The owners of Pho Huong have announced they plan to close their restaurant. Pho Huong is located on the second floor of the Public Market House. Their last day in business will be April 21st.

With a heavy heart, we are announcing the closure of PHO HUONG, our last day open will be FRIDAY April 21st. It’s very bittersweet but I am excited for me & my family on our new chapter! I hope I get to see everyone before our last day! Thank you again for all the memories, laughs & friendships! I will miss you all.

Blue Spoon owners Liz Koenigsberg and Will Lavey have announced they’ll be permanently closing the restaurant on April 22nd.

Koenigsberg and Lavey are moving to the Midcoast. They’ve established a catering and pop-up business in Rockport and begun the search for a location to open a new restaurant.

Blue Spoon was founded by chef David Iovino in 2004. He sold the business to Koenigsberg and Lavey in 2018.

As one of the few restaurant spaces at the top of Munjoy Hill, Blue Spoon’s spot at 89 Congress Street is not likely to remain vacant for very long.

We’re always excited to report on new places under development. However at the other end of the small business lifecycle—for a variety of reasons—businesses do eventually close. Here’s news of four spots closing in the greater Portland area:

Bruce’s Burrito’s in Yarmouth has closed and the owners are “searching for the right person” to buy the restaurant and re-open it. For more information read this article in the Press Herald.

The Old Port Pat’s Pizza has announced they’re closing after a final service this Sunday. For more information read this article in the Press Herald.

Louie’s Grill in Yarmouth is closing on April 14th after 10 years in business. The owner is retiring and it sounds like has found a buyer for the restaurant—no details on that just yet. For more information read this article in The Forecaster.

Captain Sam’s has closed their ice cream shop on Commercial Street. The owners are “moving to other businesses.”

Rwanda Bean (website, facebook, instagram) has announced plans to close their cafe on Thompson’s point as of the end of April. They will continue to operate their coffee roasting, packaging and wholesale operations out of their space on Thompson’s Point and also plan to make it available as an event space.

In order to further drive growth and stability for Rwanda Bean and to continue to deliver on our mission to support the community of Rwanda coffee farmers by sharing their harvests with the wider world, we are going to focus exclusively on our roastery operations, production and wholesaling out of our Thompson’s Point location. As of May 1, we will wrap up our retail presence and the Thompson’s Point event team will take over our event and kitchen area as an additional venue offering.

The Rwanda Bean coffee shop on Stevens Ave will be gradually expanding their hours of operation to 7 days per week with expanded menu offerings.

According to reports from the Bangor Daily News and Press Herald Bull Feeney’s will be permanently closing this Sunday.

In a letter sent out on Wednesday, the owner and operator Douglas Fuss wrote that the bar will officially close on Sunday, March 26. He did not cite any particular reasons for stepping away from the business on Wednesday evening.

Fuss opened his two-story Irish-themed bar and restaurant in 2001. He named it after famed Hollywood director — and Portland native — John Ford.