Category: Openings

The new Cambodian-Chinese restaurant Oun Lido’s (website, instagram, online ordering) is opening for business on Thursday, May 9th. The restaurant is being launched by Vien Dobui and chef Bounahcree Kim from Cong Tu Bot. Oun Lido’s is located at 30 Market Street in the space that was formerly home to Pat’s Pizza.

Kim and Dobui are initially launching the restaurant for take-out (Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am – 8 pm) while they continue to renovate the 2nd floor dining room. Seating, table service and a bar program will launch this fall.

The draft menu (see below) generally reflects the opening day offerings. There are a number of vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan dishes on the menu. A boba-based drinks menu will also be available. Over the coming weeks watch for the menu to expand to include more savory dishes as well as desserts.

Bon Appétit included Oun Lido’s in their short list of the Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2024.

The opening of Oun Lidos, the second restaurant from the team behind popular Portland Vietnamese mainstay Cong Tu Bot, is a good enough reason to book a trip to Maine this spring. Oun Lidos will be a multi-level restaurant in Old Port, with an all-day takeout counter offering Chinatown-style baked goods, rice plates, and boba to-go.

Cong Tu Bot was founded in 2017. Dobui was a James Beard Awards nominee in the Best Chef: Northeast category in 2020 and 2022. The New York Times included it in their 2021 list of the 50 restaurants they were “most excited about right now”.

The Garden, a new 58-seat restaurant at Bissell Brothers on Thompson’s Point, is set to launch this Saturday, May 11th. This second restaurant at the brewery is located in the adjacent room that has previously been the Rosemont Market wine bar.

Chef David Rinaldi will be serving a pan-Adriatic menu (see below) which will include dishes like charred caraflex cabbage with taleggio, bavette steak (shown above) and zeppole for dessert. The bar program includes natural wines and cocktails in addition to Bissell Brothers beer.

The Garden will initially be open Thursday 5 – 8 pm, Friday 5 – 10 pm, Saturday 5 – 10 pm and Sunday 5 – 8 pm.

Jing Yan owners Britt Langford and Leo Zhang, are set to open their new establishment Low Key (instagram) on Thursday, May 9th. The neighborhood bar is located at 89 Congress Street in the space formerly occupied by Blue Spoon.

As you can see from the photos above, Zhang and Langford have completed renovations which have added a bar along the street side of the dining room and updated the aesthetics including wall murals painted by Langford. Low Key will also have an ice cream takeout window facing Merrill Street.

The ~25-seat Low Key will serve (see menu below) classic and signature cocktails, wine, beer with a food menu of bar snacks and sandwiches as well as soft serve ice cream. Shown above is the Pick-Me-Up cocktail which is made with mezcal, strega, green pepper, hot sauce, mint and soda.

They’ll be opening Thursday, May 9th, 4 – 11 pm, and during their first week they’ll be open through Sunday, 4 – 11 pm with the ice cream window open Saturday/Sunday, noon – 3:30. The following week their regular hours of operation will be Wednesday through Sunday, 4 – 11 pm with the ice cream window open Saturday/Sunday, noon – 3:30.

Zhang and Langford launched Jing Yan in November 2020. Blue Spoon closed in April 2023.

The Model T Coffee Company (facebook, instagram) opened for business today. They’re located at 620 Congress Street in the former Coffee by Design space opposite the State Theater. They’ll be open daily 6 am – 3 pm.

Matthew and Stephanie Morgan and their family will be serving Coffee by Design coffee, donuts from Tony’s Donuts as well as baked goods from some other local producers. The Morgans also operate the Bru-Thru Coffee Shack (facebook, instagram), a drive through coffee shop in Cumberland.

Magissa (instagram), the new Greek restaurant under construction in East Bayside, is making good progress towards an opening day. Owners Nancy Klosteridis and Emily Otero have completed a renovation of the former Baharat/Full Turn space at the corner of Anderson and Fox Streets and hope to open by the end of May.

Magissa will initially be open 11 am – 10 pm, Thursday through Monday serving a menu (see below) of contemporary renditions of traditional Greek dishes with mezze, small plates, entrees and flexible gyro and salad options. Across the board the menu taps into the Klosteridis’ family recipes and taste memories as a guide. The bar program will include Greek-inspired cocktails, draft wines by the glass/carafe,  a bottle list and draft beer.

The layout of Magissa is similar to Baharat with a central bar, dining room to the right. The bar itself has been moved further back freeing up room in the front of the restaurant, and a banquet seating area (see above) has been built into the back of the dining area. The kitchen has been expanded and reorganized for a more efficient workflow.

Follow the Magissa instagram account to stay up to date on the restaurant and their opening plans.

Smoked BBQ & Neighborhood Pub (website, facebook, instagram) is now open. They’re located in the former Maelily Ryleigh’s building at 951 Forest Ave. Smoked will be open 11am – 11pm daily.

The menu includes wings, burgers, sandwiches/wraps, apps and more. Shown here are the Smoked Dirty Wings coated in their Jamaican Jerk Dry Rub, a glass of Allagash White and a plate of beef sliders and fries in the background.

The redesigned space has a long bar along the left side of the dining room, with table seating up front, booths along the right wall and high top table towards the back of the room.

Ocotillo (website, instagram), the new brunch restaurant being launched by the owners of Terlingua, is scheduled to open this Thursday. Ocotillo is located at 211 Danforth Street in the space formerly occupied by The Danforth. The space has undergone a renovation, changing the color palette, adding skylights and a variety of other touches that have made it a brighter lighter room in keeping its new mission as a brunch restaurant.

As you can see from the menu (see below), like Terlingua, Ocotillo is taking its culinary cues from the flavors of Mexico and Texas. An agave-focused beverage program with coffee and agua frescas align with a menu that includes a selection of breakfast tacos, sandwiches, churros, chilaquiles and more. See the bottom image below for the dietary restrictions version of their menu.

The restaurant will initially be open Thursday through Sunday, 8 am – 3 pm. They expect to launch their outdoor patio later this spring.

Ocotillo is joining Ugly Duckling, Ruski’s, Zu Baker, Smalls and Oh No Cafe which collectively are establishing this part of the West End as Portland’s Brunch District.

Botanically Curious (website, facebook, instagram) held their grand opening on Friday. The herbal apothecary and mocktail bar is located at 419 Congress Street in the first floor of the Masonic building.

The mocktail menu (see below) includes a drink called the Hibiscus Rose shown above. It’s made with cranberry infused chia seeds, sparkling hibiscus tea, dandelion tincture and a raspberry garnish served on the rocks. The multi-use space is set-up to host workshops, has a selection of herbal products for sale, and a library seating area.

Botanically Curious will initially be open Thursday through Sunday, 11 am – 7 pm.

Freedom’s Edge Cider (website, facebook, instagram) will be holding the grand opening of their new tasting room at 31 Diamond Street in East Bayside on Thursday, April 4th, noon to 8 pm.

The tasting room will serve eleven Freedom’s Edge ciders (see above) on draft as well as can and bottle pours. Also available will be cider cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks, and a draft beer.

The Freedom’s Edge food menu is expected to grow this spring to include cheese plates, charcuterie, olive bowls, mixed nuts and other light snacks. In a collaboration with their 31 Diamond building neighbors, customers will also be able to electronically order from the full Bite Into Maine menu to enjoy at the tasting room.

For the grand opening they will have a fondue option served with bread, apple slices, and brussels sprouts, and other items for dipping into a melted blend of Pineland Farms cheeses including an aged cheddar and a gruyere prepared with Freedom’s Edge cider.

Owners Andrew Kaplan and Ned Ervin have built out a 55-seat tasting room with space for barrel aging and bottle conditioning of their limited release ciders. An additional 35 seats of outdoor seating will be available as warmer weather arrives.

The regular hours for Freedom’s Edge will be Tuesday/Wednesday 2 – 8 pm, Thursday through Saturday noon – 8 pm, and Sunday noon – 6 pm.

31 Diamond Street is also home to Orange Bike Brewing and Bite Into Maine, and is next door to the Three of Strong distillery and tasting room, and Coffee by Design’s roastery and coffee shop.

The wall mural was painted by artists Pat Corrigan.

Don’s Lunch (facebook) opened today in Westbrook. They’re located at 616 Main Street in the space that had been the home of River’s Edge Deli.

Don’s will be open Monday through Friday 6 am – 3 pm and Saturday 7 am – 3 pm. The menu (see above) includes breakfast sandwiches, omelettes, pancakes, French toast, burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs and more. Shown here is the Full Breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, and wheat toast with strawberry jelly.