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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:
- Farms are starting to announce their 2026 summer dinner schedules. Lakin’s Gorges Cheese will be holding their Cowside Dinners at their Waldoboro farm June through September. Turning Page Farm and Brewery will be holding farm to table dinners June through September in Monson. Yellow Birch Farm on Deer Isle is holding a series of guest chef dinners July through September—Georgia Macon will be the guest chef for dinners taking place July 30th and 31st. Wanderwood will be holding a dinner series June through October at their farm in Nobleboro with guest chefs from Huskyboi and Greenleaf & Sonder.
- A new cocktail bar called The Rumery (facebook) held their grand opening last Saturday in Eastport. They’re located at 56 Water Street nearly across the street from Phoenix Fine Wines. The Rumery serves a extended selection of martinis and manhattans and signature cocktails as well as raw bar options and small plates like warm olives and a sardine salad.
- Chef Devin Finigan’s new book A Kitchen on Goose Cove: Recipes from the Heart of Maine went on sale last week. Finigan is the chef/owner of Aragosta on Deer Isle. She has been a Beard Award nominee and her restaurant has been recognized by Food & Wine on their Global Tastemakers list for the last three years.
- Hug Sen Noodle Bar (website, facebook) opened recently in Brunswick in the space formerly occupied by Bao Bao and Tao Yuan. They’re open daily, 11 am – 9 pm. The menu includes a range of pan-Asian dishes like ramen, kimchi fried rice, dan dan noodles, and khao soi (shown above).
- The Maine Jamaican Kitchen recently opened in Souht Portland. They’re located at 85 Western Avenue in the space formerly occupied by Elevation Burger. The menu includes options like jerk chicken wings, a chickpeas and cabbage stir fry, fried plantains and a kid’s menu.
- A new restaurant called Woody’s Seafood Shake (website, facebook) is slated to open soon in Old Orchard Beach. Billed as a Cajun-style seafood restaurant and bar, the menu includes items like po’boys, jambalya, and crawfish fried rice.
- Swell Kitchen (instagram) has opened for business in Cape Neddick. As we previously reported, it’s being launched by Swell House (website, instagram) offering grab-and-go foods as well a build-a-bowl option and house signature bowls. Eating Through the Seacoast has published a field report from Swell Kitchen.
- The Bridgton restaurant Standard Gastropub in Bridgton is rebranding their business and will now be known as The Last Chair. They shared that they’ve “always really been an Aprés ski bar at heart” and that the new business name better reflects that. The Last Chair will be serving the same menu that their Standard Gastropub customers already enjoy. Watch for their new covered outdoor oyster and cocktail bar to launch in the next few weeks. The interior design of the restaurant will shift towards the new brand’s ski theme over the next several months.
- Moderation Brewing (website, facebook, instagram) in Brunswick has been holding a series of soft openings at their new location at 21 Town Hall Place. Watch their social media for an announcement on their grand opening. The Maine Brewers Guild has published a field report with photos from the soft opening.
- Two new businesses being launched by the owners of the Sand Dollar Bar & Grille (instagram) have opened in York Beach. The Flounder (instagram) is a counter service cafe serving sushi, poke, lobster rolls, chowder, and offering a raw bar. Shorties Beach Cafe (instagram) is a coffee and bagel shop with full line of brewed and espresso coffee drinks plus breakfast sandwiches and burritos.
- A new restaurant called Signal (website, instagram) is under construction at 27 Western Avenue in Kennebunk. It will be in the building formerly occupied by Via Sophia by the Sea. Their website shares that the menu will be “anchored in responsibly sourced local seafood and premium cuts of steak – prepared with a balance of simplicity and refinement.” The owners hope to open Signal in June.
- A new bar and restaurant called The Idle Hour (instagram) is under construction in Rockland. Owners Stacy and Radu Fulea have been longtime members of staff at Ada’s. The Idle Hour will be located at 273 Main Street.
- Cellardoor owner Bettina Doulton has announced that she’s sold the winery’s farmhouse and vineyard to Matt and Evalina Haskell. The announcement reads in part, “Over the past several months, a confluence of events, many gut-wrenching and others simply forcing reflection, has led me to step aside now so two eager, next-generation people can assume the mantle of caretaking for this beautiful place. Matt and Evalina Haskell have purchased the Farmhouse and Vineyard property, to be called Cellardoor Farm. Matt sees what this property can be in its next phase – it speaks to him, as it has spoken to me.”
- The Biddeford Gazette reports that longtime Biddeford pub Mulligan’s closing. Their last day in business will be Sunday. Mulligan’s originally opened in 1997.
- As previously reported, there was a fire Makoto in South Portland. A timeframe for the relaunch of the restaurant is still to be determined.
- The 5th Annual Rhubarb Festival is taking place on June 6th in Perry. There will be classes on baking with rhubarb and making rhubarb wine and using it in coktails as well as talks on growing rhubarb and other topics all celebrating this year’s them of “Rhubarb is Sexy”.
- The Maine Tasting Center in Wiscasset is holding a series of events on edible insects this year. The event series is kicking off on May 30th with a Edible Insect Happy Hour. For more reporting on the subject, see this article from The Lincoln County News.
- The Sun Journal has published an article about Alicia Plummer and John Avola and their business the Norway Pizza Exchange.
- Five new entries have been added to the Maine Food Map: Perch in Waldoboro, Suzuki in Rockland, Saint George Pizza in Warren, The Parlor in Bath, and Walkers Maine in Cape Neddick.
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.