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New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:
- Katie’s Confections (instagram) is scheduled to open for business today. It’s located at 894 Minot Street in Auburn. The grab-and-go market will have sweet and savory items like cinnamon rolls, donuts and cookies and lunch options like chowder, mac and cheese, chicken pot pies, and baked beans on Saturdays. Owner Katie Ray formerly operated Ally Kat’s Farm Land Market in West Gardiner for seven years. The business will be open Thursday through Saturday, 9 am – 5 pm.
- The Velvet Lounge (facebook, instagram) opened for business in Biddeford on Friday. They’re located at 61 Main Street in the space formerly occupied by Lorne Wine. The Velvet Lounge is open daily, 4 pm – 1 am with a focus on being a “nightlife lounge for the LGBTQ+ community”. Check their Facebook page for details on upcoming events.
- Owner Syd Coty has opened Born Yesterday Bakery (website, instagram). You can find Born Yesterday at 11 Mechanic Falls Road in Oxford just down the road from Oxbow Beer Garden with plans to hold a grand opening in January. They’re is now taking preorders for breads (deadline December 20th) for pick-up on the 23rd. Born Yesterday had previously been slated to open in Lewiston.
- Nina June in Rockport is holding a 6-course dinner on December 20th featuring this year’s olive oil vintage from chef Sara Jenkin’s family farm in Italy. The dinner is taking place during Hanukah and Jenkins shared that the dinner will feature Italian Jewish food and traditions.
- Clementina Senatore is moving her Camden cocktail bar (upper left), Paper Plane (website, instagram), from the Lyman Morse Wharf to 47 Bay View Street in the town center. Senatore has bought the former Maine Dog building and plans to operate the 16-seat Paper Plane on the first floor and apartments upstairs. Paper Plane’s last day at their current location will be New Year’s Eve, and Senatore hopes to launch at the new location sometime in February.
- The Morning Sentinel has published a report about Charros Theater Mexican Restaurant (facebook) in Waterville. The restaurant has announced plans to hold a soft opening on Friday, December 19th. “[Owner Juan Carlos] Sanchez, 23, said the restaurant will serve everything from tacos, burritos and fajitas to special offerings such as carnitas, or pork fried pork shoulder that is deep fried and then lightly grilled for a tasty exterior. ‘It’s served with rice and beans on the side and a flour tortilla with green sauce,’ Sanchez said Thursday.”
- Bucks Naked BBQ (website, facebook, instagram) launched their new restaurant in Gardiner on on Tuesday. The restaurant is located 252 Water Street and they will be open Tuesday through Sunday, noon – 8 pm with extended hours until 9 pm on Thursday and until 10 pm on Friday/Saturday.
- The Chef Summit is taking place at Sunday River on January 24th. The event brings together chefs from all over the state and along with it the Grand Tasting event that is open to the public. You can see the full list of participating restaurants and buy tickets on the Sunday River website.
- Down East magazine has published an article about The Omelette Factory (website, facebook, instagram) in Ogunquit. “As we scraped our plates clean, the line of people waiting for a table had started to wind out the door. I expect they were happy to see us getting up to leave. And as we skirted the queue, we overheard one guy toward the back of it talking to the rest of his party. ‘We could go somewhere else,” he said, “but this place is the best.'”
- Tootie’s Tempeh was the recipient of a 2025 Governor’s Award for Business Excellence. The Biddeford company “produces tempeh using a fermentation process that eliminates single-use plastic”.
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.