Category: Maine

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

• The Boston Globe has published an article about chef Krista Kern Desjarlais and her restaurant The Purple House (website, instagram) in North Yarmouth. “The tasting menu, which will return this fall and is entirely gluten-free, draws on French, Italian, and Spanish influences. Pastry and baked goods still play a starring role – you even get one last goodie as you’re heading out the door after your meal – but the menu represents Desjarlais’s nearly four decades in the business. For the intimate lunches, a small group of strangers sit together at a single table, and have a front-row seat as Desjarlais cooks in a wood-fired brick oven. She makes moving between pastry-making, baking, and cooking savory dishes look effortless.”
• The Bangor Daily News has a feature article on Earth Dharma Winegrowers (website), a new winery run by David McDaniel and Heather Selin in Jackson. “[Oyster River Winegrowers Brian] Smith offered to show McDaniel and Selin how to make Carbonic Nation, a slightly effervescent deep-red wine, which they now do under the name Irina. They also make an amber wine called Vita that gets its apricot color from leaving the skins on white grapes for four days and has been described as having butterscotch flavors balanced by acidity and a suede mouthfeel, McDaniel said.”
• Palace Diner in Biddeford was featured in the ABC show Good Morning America.
• The Pen Bay Pilot and Midcoast Villager have reported on a new restaurant called Sakura Harbour (website, facebook, instagram) that opened late last month in Searsport. The restaurant is located in the building that was the former home of Rio’s Spiked Cafe and has been launched by chef Supannee Saengwong.
• The Bollard has published a review of Bred in the Bone in Damariscotta. “Other main dishes that evening included halibut ($42) with creamy white beans, sautéed kale and fried leeks, and a glisteningly rare duck breast ($38) with celeriac purée and fennel. Both were perfectly hearty in portion and flavor for a May evening in Maine.” The Bollard has also published the latest edition of their annual Smokin’ Sausage Showdown with entries from producers as far away as Ellsworth.
• Himalayas on the Bay (instagram) is holding the grand opening for their Nepali/Tibetan restaurant on August 15th.
• Virginia Shaffer appeared on Friday’s episode of Maine Calling. Shaffer (aka Lady Oyster) operates an oyster tasting room in Bath and is the author of a new book from Islandport Press entitled Oyster Society.
• The owners of Odd Alewives in Waldoboro have announed they’re closing this fall. September 20th will be their last day. “We can’t thank you enough for the years of support you have given us! Many of you we now call good friends. Many summer nights have been spent in the beer garden catching up with friends and family, celebrating your birthdays, upcoming weddings, even honoring the passing of your loved ones, and that has really meant a lot to us.”
• The Holy Donut has announced they’ll be closing their Brunswick donut shop. August 23rd will be the last day in business for the Brunswick location which opened for business in the summer of 2024.
• The Lincoln County News has published an article about the Riverside Butcher Company in Damariscotta which is celebrating their 10th anniversary. “Now, the storefront showcases a variety of meats, wines, and provisions such as pasta and different sauces. Avantaggio said he tries to source the meat as locally as possible, their poultry sourced from Tide Mill Organic Farm in South Trescott.”
• Tickets are now on sale for Oxbow Brewing’s annual Goods from the Woods event in Newcastle. It’s taking place Saturday October 3rd, noon – 5 pm.
• The 3rd Annual Tomato Tasting will be taking place on September 12th at the Merryspring Nature Center in Camden. It will provide an opportunity to try 30 varieties of tomatoes.
• The Sun Journal reports that El Tequila Mexican Restaurant will be moving into the space formerly occupied by the Farmington Diner.
• The Press Herald reports that the Hakuna Matata Sports Bar is under construction in the space formerly occupied by the Adams Street Pub in Biddeford.
• There are 15 new entries on the Maine Food Map: Dreamer Food (above center) and Barliman’s in Bangor, La Laiterie (above right) in Jonesboro, Bold Coast Coffee in East Machias, The Rumery in Eastport (above left), Claire’s Bakery in Lubec, The Biergarten in Skowhegan, Morse’s in Waldoboro, Belle Boulangerie in Hallowell, both First Fig and Paper Plane in Camden, Borderlands Coffee Company in Waterville, Fifth Pillar Tea House in Lewiston, Catbird in South Berwick, and Paolo’s in Brunswick. The statewide dining guide now includes 120 restaurants, bars, bakeries, cafes and and other food and dining establishments from across all of Maine’s 16 counties.

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

• Knead & Nosh (website, facebook, instagram) launched their new Topsham bagel shop on Saturday. It’s located at 4 Bowdoin Mill Island and will initially be open Friday through Sunday 7:30 am – 2 pm. Owner Jeff Mao and his team produce a wide range of flavors from standards like poppyseed and sesame to house specials like Sichuan Dragon. The Knead & Nosh menu (see below) offers a variety of breakfast and lunch sandwiches as well as Dou Shao Bao and Char Siu Bao. Shown above are the Midcoast Heritage sandwich on a Sichuan Dragon bagel, and a photo of Mao and team member Caitlyn Laffley at the bagel shop on opening day.
• A new Indian restaurant called Coastal Curry (website, instagram) is under construction in Scarborough. Owners Kiran Kumar Vellanki and David Patel hope to launch the business on Saturday August 15th. Cosastal Curry will specialize in South Indian cuisine like Hyderabad Dum Biryani and dosas, and will also offer some popular dishes from North India. They’re located at 300 Gallery Blvd, Unit B and they plan to be open Monday through Thursday 11 am – 2:30 pm and 4:30 – 10 pm, and Friday through Sunday 11 am – 10 pm.
• Himalayas on the Bay (instagram) is planning to initially open this Friday, August 7th serving a limited menu. The restaurant is located in Knightville at 60 Ocean Street in the buidling formerly occupied by Taco Trio. It’s is being launched by owners Sachet Timilsina, Pushpa Regmi, and Dipesh Karki with chefs Raj Kumar Karki and Laxman Neupane. Watch for their grand opening announcement when the full menu of Nepali/Tibetan dishes will be available.
• Maine Meat (website, facebook, instagram) has shared a look at the construction site for their new location. Owners Shannon Hill and Jarrod Spangler purchased the 3,400 sq ft former Best Auto space at 5 Whipple Road in Kittery. They anticipate relocating their butcher shop to there and opening a restaurant and bar on Whipple Street.
• A launch party for Virginia Shaffer’s book Oyster Society is taking place at Lambs in South Portland on August 10th. “Part culinary adventure, part personal awakening—one woman’s story of how chasing oysters across North America led her to discover an entire hidden community and her own true path.” The book is being published by Islandport Press.
• Wandering Lost and Hungry has published a field report from the new Kennebunk restaurant Signal (website, instagram). It is located at 27 Western Avenue in the building formerly occupied by Via Sophia by the Sea.
• The Portsmouth Herald has a report on the relaunch of the Five-O restaurant in Ogunquit. Five-O had been put of commission by a fire in March 2025. They’ve relocated to the former Northern Union building and reopened in mid June.
• The Lincoln County News reports that a new gluten-free cafe called the Tin Roof Diner (facebook) recently opened in Dresden Mills. The diner is located at 542 Gardiner Road, and is open Wednesday through Monday, 6 am. – 2 pm. According to the article, “Somerville resident Candice Kennedy is flipping the allergen script. Rather than offering a few options for gluten-free food, at Kennedy’s Tin Roof Diner in Dresden, customers have to specify if they want food containing gluten.”
• The Pen Bay Pilot has published an article about the new Rockport coffee shop, Kiri Coffeehouse in Rockport. “Kirí typically offers two rotating specialty single-origin coffees. Depending on availability, they may feature coffees from Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, or other producing regions. Their program focuses on lighter roast profiles, highlighting the unique characteristics of each origin.”
• The Bangor Daily News reports that a new restaurant called The Cooperage (facebook) opened in Bridgewater earlier this summer. Owners Joe Dube and Amanda Adams moved to Aroostook County from Worcester, Massachusetts “Dube and Adams are developing a new menu and there will be an entire poutine section, including the traditional, country fried chicken with sausage gravy and cheese curds that everyone has loved.”
• The Midcoast Villager has published a feature on Niweskok (website, facebook, instagram), a multifaceted project being run by Wabanaki people in Swanville. The Villager has also publisher articles on the 50th anniversary of the Belfast Co-op (website, facebook, instagram) and an article about Vesper Bread (website, instagram) in Freedom.
• The Lincoln County News reports that Jodie’s in Wiscasset has closed, “Closing Jodie’s Cafe and Bakery wasn’t simply closing a business. It felt like giving up a part of myself,” [Jodie] Roquemore said in the post. “This restaurant has been my heart, my dream, my stress, my pride, and my home for the last several years. Making the decision to let it go has honestly been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
• Town & Country magazine has published A Snob’s Guide to Midcoast Maine.

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.

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

• Madeline Suhr, the owner of Periwinkle Pie Company (website, facebook, instagram) is constructing a building at 28 Bay Point Road in Georgetown where she plans to open a new bakery. Periwinkle currently operating out of the Robinhood Meeting house building and Suhr hopes to move to the new location in early 2027. Periwinkle now offers an assortment of sweet and savory hand pies, other baked goods and coffee. At the new location Suhr plans to expand the range of baked goods produced and to add espresso-based drinks to the beverage menu.
• The Kittery Wine Bar (website, instagram) held their grand opening Friday. The bar and bottle shop is being launched by owners Katie Howard-Smith and Jody Smith along with help from Howard-Smith’s sister Sadie Bell. The menu includes wine by the glass, bottle, and flights along with shareable snacks. The Kittery Wine Bar is located at 10 Walker Street and will be open Thursday through Saturday, 4 –10 pm, and Sunday, 11 am –3 pm. Here’s a look at the wine bar, and a field report from Eating Through the Seacoast. For more information, see this article from the Portsmouth Herald.
• The Bangor Daily News reports that a new food truck called T&D Eatery (facebook) has launched in Madawaska. According to the article, owner Amy Lagasse is serving a menu that includes “a little bit of everything with a focus on traditional Acadian cuisine.”
• The Bowdoinham Country Store (website, facebook, instagram) has opened for business (photos above). The business is being launched by Logan and Ashleigh Feeney with chef Nate Fenn. In addition to a wider range of market goods, the store sells sandwiches, salads, burgers and pizza to enjoy in their seating are or to grab and go. Later in the summer they hope to begin serving a dinner menu Thursday through Saturday.
• The Portsmouth Herald reports that Wiggly Bridge Distillery (website, facebook, instagram) in York has launch a food program named Wiggly Kitchen with a menu developed by chef Scott Samiya.
• The owners of the No Bones Grill (website, facebook, instagram) food truck have leased space in Old Town where they plan to open a brick and mortar restaurant. The Bangor Daily News reports that Daniel and Christine Terrill plan to hold a soft opening on July 14th and a grand opening July 20th.
• The father and daughter team Steve and Emily Brill have announced that the opening date for Brill’s Bakery (instagram) will be September 5th. The bakery is under construction in Wiscasset at 27 Summer Street.
• Kennebunk-based Pinsa has opened a second location in Ogunquit. They’ll be serving the same Roman-style sandwiches and will be open Wednesday through Saturday from their shop at 166 Main Street.
• Eating Through the Seacoast has published a field report from Siren & Sailor (website, instagram), a new cocktail bar and restaurant launched by the  owners of The Travelin Lobster in Bar Harbor.
• A new ice cream food truck called Salty Airs Scoops (instagram) has launched in York. The Ciampa family are serving ice cream from Shaker Pond Ice Cream in Alfred. See this article from the Portmouth Herald for additional information.
• The Portsmout Herald reports that Bandaloop in Arundel is under contract and the sale expected to close later this year. The new owners will be opening a new restaurant and not continuing to operate Bandaloop. Bandaloop has published a statement on facebook.
• Bowen’s Pizzeria & Deli in Belfast has announced they are closing. July 19th will be their last day in business. “We have some news we would like to share with you all. After many weeks of hard conversations and sleepless nights, we have made the difficult decision to close down the pizzeria. There are a lot of factors that led us to this decision. The volatility of the industry has gotten the better of us — the numbers just aren’t in our favor anymore.” For additional reporting see this article in the Bangor Daily News.
• Union Breakfast & Pizza in Lebanon will be going out of business. Their last day of service will be July 26th. The owners are focusing their energy on the launch of their new Azul Agave restaurants in Wells and Ogunquit.
• As previously reported, Banded Brewing in Biddeford will be closing at the end of August.
• The Bollard has published a breakfast review of Hank’s in Scarborough. “My friend ordered Hank’s Breakfast Sammy ($11 with meat, $8 without) with Vermont cheddar cheese. The English muffin from Not a Bakery was outstanding — airy, crisp and slightly chewy. The fried egg was expertly cooked, with lacy browned edges and a just-set yolk, and the irregularly shaped sausage patty was flavorful and well seasoned.”

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.

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

• The New Gloucester Village Store (website, facebook) has re-opened (above). Owner Sam Coggeshall and his team are serving a limited menu that includes pizza (12 and 16 inch pies, slices and Sicilian slabs), salads, sandwiches and entrees like pulled pork plate on polenta with slaw as well as beer, wine and nonalcoholic drinks. Coggershell expects to add additional hours, menu items and to stock their market shelves in the coming weeks. For now they’re open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 am – 8 pm. It’s located at 405 Intervale Road in New Gloucester. This is a relaunch of the village store which Coggershell ran 2008-2022. It has been supported by $250k gathered from members of the local community.
• A new Nigerian-inspired coffee shop called Kirí Coffeehouse (instagram) recently opened in Rockport. The Midcoast Villager reports that owner Ebinumo Amabebe is serving coffee “from a pair of micro-roasters in Brooklyn, Devoción and Sey, that are known for pushing at the margins of what coffee can taste like, with roasts that tend more toward the acidic and fruity side of the flavor spectrum than what most people are accustomed to.” Kirí is located at 47 West Street in Rockport and is open Monday and Wednesday through Saturday, 6:30 am – 2 pm, and Sunday 9 am – 2 pm.
• The Deer Isle Oyster Company has launched The Stoop (instagram). The new Blue Hill oyster bar is serving a menu of tinned fish, cheese, salad, pretzels, and oysters as well as wine, beer and cocktails. It is located at 27 Water Street an will be open Friday through Tuesday, 4 – 8 pm.
• In nearby Brooksville a new coffee and ice cream shop called The Old Post Office (instagram) has opened. They’re serving 44 North coffee, baked goods from Ebee’s Sweets (instagram) in Castine, and ice cream from John’s Ice Cream Factory (instagram) in Liberty. The Old Post Office is located at 715 Coastal Road and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 7:30 am – 4 pm.
• A new food truck called Beaux Reves (facebook, instagram) has launched in Rockland. They’re located at the corner of Park Drive and Main Street and are open daily 11 am – 4 pm (except Wednesday and Sunday). The self described Southern Acadian Street Kitchen is serving a menu that includes po’boys, crab cake sandwiches, lobster rolls, muffulettas, and shrimp and grits.
• Stacy and Radu Fulea have launched The Idle Hour (instagram) in Rockland. It is located at 273 Main Street and open Friday through Tuesday, 11 am – 9 pm.
• The Bangor Daily News reports that a new herb and tea shop called Tender Nettle Herb Company (instagram) has opened in Belfast in the spot formerly occupied by Daily Soup at 118 High Street. The BDN also reports that Lone Star Latte (instagram) has opened at 473 Shore Road in Northport and that The Scone Goddess in Northport will be closing their retail shop at the end of this summer and continue operating out of their production kitchen in Belfast.
• Rabbit Rabbit Wine Company (website, instagram) has released of their first wine. Owners Lindsay Benson-O’Caoimh and Colm O’Caoimh have produced 22 cases of Étaín’s Pour. It is a blend of Verona, LaCrescent, Sabrevois harvested in Maine and Vermont. You can find it at Oyster River Wine Growers in Warren, Crooked Face Creamery in Skowhegan, and at both Winona’s and First Fig in Camden.
• Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery, in collaboration with Mossy Ledge Spirits, has relaunched their award winning Back River Gin.
• The Prentice Hospitality Group has relaunched The Good Table (website, facebook, instagram) in Cape Elizabeth as a pizzeria and pastry cafe. They’re holding a soft opening today (noon – 8 pm) with a full official opening scheduled for Friday. They’re serving pizza, salads, breadsticks, pastries, beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks.
• Morning Glory Natural Foods has announced they’ll be launching their new Brunswick Landing location on August 1st.
• The Midcoast Villager has released the results of their 2026 Best of the Best readership poll. It includes a number of food and beverage categories like Lobster Dinner (Claws), Asian Restaurant (Long Grain) and Cocktails (Lemon Bar).
• The Moxie Festival is taking place in Lisbon this weekend, Friday through Sunday.
• Rachel Alexandrou is holding a Wild Foods Picnic on July 18th at the Langlais Art Preserve in Cushing.
• Circumstance in Swanville is holding a wine dinner on July 18th featuring natural wines from Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary.
• The Animal Welfare Society is holding Woofstock on July 25th in Kennebunk. 10 food trucks and 9 Maine breweries are participating in the event.
• As previously reported, The Rooting Pig in Bristol relaunched on Thursday.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a list of more than 100 coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

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

• Joshua and Dakota’s Cantina (website, facebook) recently opened for business in Belfast Park.  Joshua Kumrits and Dakota Danner are serving a menu of empanadas, sopas, bacalaitos and more. They plan to be open Tuesday through Saturday 11 am – 3 pm.
• The Fifth Pillar Tea House (instagram) has opened for business. It’s located in a 2,000 sq ft space at 191 Lisbon Street in downtown Lewiston. Owner Meg Giossi and her team are serving a menu of herbal and traditional teas as well as tea lattes and a selection of light snacks. Shown above is a pot of Gut Instinct herbal tea (anise, fennel, licorice, dandelion root, ginger) and a lemon basil cookie from Cozy Fox Bakery. Giossi’s goal is to create a place for people who want to get into tea that “feels accessible and natural” and also be a space for members of the community to meet and connect. Fifth Pillar has a variety of comfy lounge and table seating as well as a space with a low table and floor cushions. They will be open Wednesday through Saturday 11 am – 7 pm.
• The Picnic Basket (instagram) held their grand opening this past Saturday in Thomaston. The specialty food and gifts market is located at 185 Main Street on the same side of the road as Crooked Spoon and Flipside Coffee. They’re open Tuesday through Saturday 10 am – 6 pm, and Sunday 10 am – 3 pm.
• Acadia Flatbread Brazilian Soul (facebook, instagram) recently opened in Ellsworth.  They’re located just off Route One at 56 Washington Street. The Bangor Daily News reports that Raquel de Assis and Jesrael Melo will be serving ‘the Brazilian rendition of the traditional Middle Eastern esfiha. Introduced to Brazil by Lebanese and Syrian immigrants in the late 19th century, and colloquially termed the “Arab empanada,” the dish has become a staple in Brazilian bakeries.’
• The Midcoast Villager reports that Tender Nettle Herb Company (instagram), a “herb shop and tea counter” has opened in Belfast in the space formerly occupied by Daily Soup at 118 High Street. They’re open Wednesday through Saturday 11 am – 7 pm, and Sunday 11 am – 4 pm. “[Gabrielle] Aydnwylde, an herbalist, will make custom blends of herbs and preparations for customers and sell brewed teas and a range of salts. Some of the herbs the store stocks have culinary uses, such as grains of paradise and chunks of turmeric root.”
• Former X Vault Pub and Provisions chef Alex White along with Anastasia Creaser have announced the launch of Pine + Plate (facebook, instagram) which will be a “multi faceted project for everyone” that will providing catering, private chef services, hold dinners, and operate a mobile bar called The Draught Horse. X Vault closed in South Paris earlier this month.
• A new ice cream and candy shop called Wilsun’s (instagram) is under construction at 23 Walker St in Kittery. Owners Molly and Chris Jacobson hope to open in August serving locally made ice cream and a variety of candy options.
• A new food truck called Kassa Cafe (instagram) will be launching on Friday July 3rd in Westbrook. Owner Iman Enan aims to bring “Middle Eastern inspired flavors and drinks into the menu”.
• Mainebiz reports that Cafe Luna will be moving their Scarborough location to The Downs. The new location is expected to open in Spring 2027.
• The Barkery, an indoor dog park and eatery in South Portland, has gone out of business. Their last day was June 22nd. The statement from owners Nate and Haley Viens reads in part “This is not the ending we hoped for, and it is not a decision we made lightly. It took nearly two years to bring The Barkery to life, and saying goodbye to this dream is deeply painful. Thank you to every guest who came through our doors, brought your dogs to play, shared a meal with us, joined us for trivia, attended a fundraiser, celebrated with us, told a friend about us, or simply believed in what we were trying to build.”
• The Saco Bay News reports that New Morning Natural Foods in Biddeford is under new ownership and is being renamed to Cousin’s Natural Foods. The article includes the history of the market which has been in business since 1976.
• Eating Through the Seacoast has published a field report from Good Wolf in Northeast Harbor on MDI.
• The USM Free Press has published an article about Vertical Harvest in Westbrook.
• Elise Schloff (instagram) and Meera Chauhan held their event Refectory (see photos below) on the 20th. The “monastic-inspired artist’s meal” featuring a multi-course vegetarian menu served in the church yard of the South Solon Meeting House in Somerset County.
• Down East magazine has published an article about Lee Frank’s in South Berwick. “The menu divides into burgers, chili burgers, hot dogs, sides, and drinks, categories Frank borrowed from Carney’s, another of his favorite LA haunts. A note at the bottom of the board invites customers to make any dish “dirty” with the addition of grilled onions and a house-made Thousand Island–style sauce, a twist on In-N-Out’s “animal-style” offerings. I opted for the chili cheeseburger, which seemed dirty enough with its standard mustard, tomato, raw onion, dill pickle, and chili toppings.”
• As previously reported, The Lost Kitchen has begun serving their summertime counter service lunch, Little Lost Kitchen.
• As previously reported, Sai Guntaka has launched Cobblestone Coffee & Company in South Portland.
• As previously reported, Jeremy and Marina Kratzer have launched their new Italian restaurant Paolo’s in Brunswick.