Category: Maine

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

• Sun Korean Ramen House (website, facebook, instagram) opened last weekend. They’re located at 209 Western Ave in South Portland. They’re open noon – 10 pm on Sundays, Monday through Thursday, 11 am – 10 pm, and Friday/Saturday, 11 am – 10:30 pm. Along with a variety of appetizers and rice and noodle dishes they also offer hot pot (shown above).
• Owner Marina Pensinger has been building out a new restaurant called North Star Cantina (instagram). It’s located in Wells in the building formerly occupied by Fotogo at 1574 Post Road. You can see some photos of interior here and here. Pensinger is planning to launch North Star on November 7th.
• The Biergarten (website, facebook, instagram) is planning to launch their Skowhegan restaurant this Monday, October 20th. They’ll be open Sunday through Thursday, 7 am –8 pm, and Friday/Saturday, 7 am –9 pm. They serve a continental breakfast until noon and then their lunch/dinner menu until close. It’s located at 7 Island Ave at The Spinning Mill development.
• A new brewery called Auxiliary Brewing Company (website, facebook, instagram) is under development. They’re located in Limerick in the space formerly occupied by Gneiss Brewing which closed in 2024. An opening date is still TBD but the last word was that owners Elliot Dearborn and Korali Day are hoping to open in November.
• The Sanford Springvale News has published an article about the Baking and Pastry Program at Sanford Regional Technical Center which is led by chef Kristin Perry. “At the heart of the program is practical, immersive training in the fundamentals of baking and pastry. Students gain experience with professional techniques and equipment, developing skills that translate directly to careers in bakeries, restaurants, and pastry shops. This hands-on approach gives students a complete understanding of the modern baking industry, from preparation to presentation.”
• Civil Eats reports that wild oyster populations are re-establishing in Maine. “While wild oysters were an important part of an Indigenous diet in what is now Maine, by the 1900s they had all but disappeared. Most people considered them functionally extinct, in fact, until this spring, when researchers from the University of Maine published a study confirming their return, often in close proximity to the oyster farms that have populated the waterfront over the last few decades.”
• The Lincoln County News has published an article about Medicini, a new Italian restaurant that opened this summer in Newcastle.
• Rocky Ground will be holding a 6-course cider dinner on October 24th at their location in Newburgh.
• The Portsmouth Herald has published an article about Food for Thought which moved from Ogunquit to York earlier this year.

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:

• Buena Vista Filipino Food Market has leased space at 1012 Stillwater Avenue in Bangor where they’ll be opening a second location. Buena Vista opened their first market in South Portland in 2022.
• The Wall Street Journal has published an article about Maine’s ‘apple renaissance’. “Walking past the Galas and Fujis at McDougal Orchards in Springvale, Maine, I slipped past a fence to find the apples I’d come for: Black Oxfords glossy as new shoes, yellow-fleshed Esopus Spitzenburgs and Blue Pearmains stippled with green dots. The orchard’s 16 heirloom varieties, older cultivars passed down by generations of farmers, are fenced to keep out the crowd. Sold only in the farm store, they star at annual tastings that draw aficionados.”
• The October issue of Down East magazine includes an article about Maine’s preeminent apple expert John Bunker. “Today, Bunker’s Palermo orchards are a living library of more than 500 rare and historic apple types, collected over a half century scouring the state for antique specimens he preserves by grafting twigs from heritage trees onto rootstock, and working with breeders to create new cultivars. Often, he’s searching for surviving examples of cultivars named in old fair records or pomological reports. Other times, he’s working to identify the name of an old tree through research or DNA analysis.”
• The new Falmouth Mornings in Paris has opened. It’s located at 240 US Route One and is open daily 7 am – 5 pm.
• The Harpswell Anchor reports that Morning Glory Natural Foods is planning to open a second location at Brunswick Landing. “The new space will include a butcher counter and a seafood counter, he said. It will have a bigger produce department and more refrigeration than the downtown store, but prices and “everything else” will stay the same.”
• Warren’s Lobster House has relaunched in Kittery under new management with the name Warren’s Seafood and More (website, facebook, instagram) has re-opened in Kittery. Warren’s was opened by Warren “Pete” Wurm in the 1940s. 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.
• Dolce Amici in Norway has hired Clinton Jones as their new chef.
• Rail Yard Brewing and the Rusty Rail restaurant are under development in Milo in the space formerly occupied by Bissell Brothers Three Rivers.
• The Maine Sunday Telegram has given Rosella KPT in Kennebunk a 4 star rating.

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:

• Sumo Sushi & Grill (website) opened in Westbrook on Thursday. It’s located at 57 Bridge Street in the space most recently occupied Tacos La Poblanita. They’re serving an extensive menu that includes sushi, poke bowls, noodle and rice based dishes.
• Bao & Beyond opened their new restaurant in Augusta on Thursday. It’s located at 1 Hichborn Street and is open for lunch 11 am – 3 pm, and for dinner 4 – 8 pm. The menu includes bao, appetizers, salads, rice bowls and entrees.
• Bay Bowls is planning to open their new location in Freeport today. They also have locations in Bath, Brunswick and Portland.
• Smithereen Farm in Washington County will be holding a 2-day cider making workshop on October 11th and 12th in collaboration with Angus Deighan from Rocky Ground Cider.
• Catbird Restaurant in South Berwick has begun taking reservations for their opening day, October 16th.
• The Harpswell Anchor has published an article about the 25-year history of Island Candy.
• The Portsmouth Herald reports that Lorena’s in York has closed, and that the Lee Frank’s location in Wells has closed.
• Trinken Brewing Company in West Bath have announced they’ll be closing down operations. Their last day in business will be October 31st when they’ll hold a Halloween party. Their statement reads in-part, “We are deeply grateful to our amazing customers— you’ve been more than patrons; you’ve been loyal friends, the heart of our community, and the reason behind countless unforgettable memories. Your unwavering support and enthusiasm have made every day at Trinken special. A heartfelt thank you to our past and present staff-you’ve been the absolute best, a dedicated and talented team that worked tirelessly with passion, creativity, and camaraderie, turning our vision into reality and treating everyone like family.”

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 latest episode of The Road Less Eaten (above) travelled to Freeport, Camden and Biddeford where host Biju Thomas visits with Spartan Sea Farms, the Freeport Oyster Bar, Brodi’s Blueberries, Blue Barren Distillery, Fish & Whistle and Magnus on Water.
• Seacoast Stories has publish a podcast interview with Black Birch co-founder Ben Lord.
• Maine Macarons has run into a setback in the final run to launching their new bakery in Auburn. They’ve launched a GoFundMe campaign for help to pay for some unexpected rework on the bakery.
• Perch in Waldoboro has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise the money to replace their espresso machine. $11,914 has been raised so far towards a $16k goal.
• Parade magazine has published an article about Biddeford. It highlights Palace Diner, Time & Tide Coffee, Elements, Edelweiss, Fish & Whistle, Magnus on Water, Reilly’s Bakery, Pizza by Alex, Colleti’s, Sacred Profane, Banded Brewing and Lucky Pigeon, Round Turn, Nibblesford, Rover and Sweetcream, Batson River and the Lobby Bar at the Lincoln Hotel.
• Eighty Ate Hospitality in Brunswick has announced plans to merge their restaurant operations under one roof. Bao Bao is shutting down on September 27th. Then starting October 1st ZaoZe Cafe and market will reopen for counter service lunch, and in the evenings ZaoZe Dreamscape will take over the space with a table service dinner menu prepared by chef Leon Vuong. The former Tao Yuan/Bao Bao space will transition to being used as an event space.
• The Midcoast Villager has published an article about the New York Times recent recognition of Sammy’s Deluxe in Rockland.
• The Biddo Foodies have shared a set of photos from Spanish Point which opened in Scarborough this summer.
• Nikaline Iacono from Vessel & Vine will be teaching a Vermouth making class at Full Hearts Farm at Durham this Sunday.
• The Pemaquid Oyster Festival is taking place this weekend in Boothbay Harbor. Ten Maine oyster farms will be participating in the festival on Sunday and an oyster wine dinner is taking place Saturday night.
• A Longer Table Homestead in Bethel is holding a farm dinner on Saturday. The meal is a collaboration with Morning Glory Farm and will feature dishes using recipes from a Kurdish family living in Lewiston.
• My Buddy’s Place has announced they’ll be closing their Bucksport restaurant at the end of September. “It is with heavy hearts that we share we will be closing our doors on September 30, 2025, due to a variety of ongoing issues, one of them being health. This has not been an easy decision, as this restaurant has been more than a business—it has been a place where we’ve shared meals, laughter, stories and memories with all of you. I truly love the community that has been made, each of you individually have a purpose, place and belong. Thank you.” The announcement goes on to say that the owners open another restaurant someday in the future. My Buddy’s Place opened in July 2024.
• The Bangor Daily News reports that Evenrood in Bangor is planning to close at the end of the year, that Serendib in Ellsworth plans to close December 20th, and that MeMe G’s Bakery in Old Town has closed. They’ve also explored what might be driving this recent set of closings.

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:

• Marsh Island Kitchen (website, facebook, instagram) has launched in Hampden. The menu includes soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, wings, poutine and entrees like fish and chips and ribeye steaks. Joe Robbins joined the team earlier this year as the executive chef for Marsh Island Kitchen. Robbins was a 2024 Beard Awards semifinalist in the Emerging Chef category, and has cooked at the White House Tribal Nations Summit in 2023 and 2024. This is the second Marsh Island Brewing location, they were founded in 2016 in Orono.
• A breakfast food truck called Actual Foods (instagram)  launch yesterday in Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island. Owner Steffy Amondi is serving a build-your-own menu from which customers choose the bread, protein, vegetables and sauce for a breakfast scramble. The menu also includes the egg dish shakshuka. Actual Foods is located next to the ferry terminal in Bass Harbor at 53 Granville Road, and is open Thursday through Sunday, 7 am – 1 pm. Amondi had operated a earlier iteration Actual Foods truck in in Portland in 2020.
• A wine and cocktail bar called Lemon Bar (instagram) is under construction in Rockland. As reported by the Midcoast Villager, “[Co-owner] Carly Summers said Lemon Bar will be an intimate bar/lounge with an extensive focus on wines and cocktails. ‘The real focus will be a multi-faceted space where you can come for a date night, or a book club can meet,’ she said.” Lemon Bar will be located in the former Brass Compass Cafe at 305 Main Street. The space is under renovation and owners Carly and Wesley Summers hope to open for business this fall.
• The Lincoln County News reports that a bakery called Savory Moose has (re)opened in Nobleboro. “Close to a year after they shuttered Ginger Mousse Bakery, Karen and John Kelly have reopened the business with a new name and some familiar favorites.”
• Down East magazine has published an article about Watershed in Bethel. “Up the front steps and inside, the atmosphere is relaxed, the layout is snug, the pastas are house-made, and the chocolate pot de crème is served in vintage Italian espresso cups, quite a few of which have been in chef-owner Victoria Fimiani’s family for generations. What the place is, in essence, is a proper trattoria.”
• The New York Times has included Sammy’s Deluxe in Rockland and Pilgrim’s Inn on Deer Isle in their 2025 Restaurant List of the “50 best places in America right now.”
• The Bangor Daily News has word on Yahweh Cafe and Bakery which is set to open this Saturday in Old Town, and a report on the closure of Safe Harbor Cafe in Castine.
• The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a 3½ star review of the Ram & Bull in Brunswick. “The menu includes classic pub fare like fish and chips, mussels, a variety of sandwiches and burgers — including a cheese-stuffed Juicy Lucy, in a nod to Khristine [Leeman]’s native Minnesota.”
• New England Fishmongers has announced plans to close their shop in Kittery which opened in 2021. “We’ve made the tough choice to not renew our lease so that we can return to our roots, commercial fishing. This shift will give us more time on the water and allow us to bring you even more seafood directly from our vessel.”
• Eating Through the Seacoast has provided a look at Color Field Coffee Company (instagram), a honor system self serve coffee shop in East Boothbay. Colorfield is a micro-roastery run by a “family of artists”.

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.