Category: Under Construction

The Send Brewing Launching Soon

| Posted in Under Construction

Preparations for the launch of The Send Brewing Company (instagram) are wrapping up. Owner Cole Corbin (linkedin) hopes to open his Knightville brewery and restaurant within the next few weeks.

The Send will have their own IPA, pale ale and stout on tap as well as Sapporo and an additional guest tap—house-made Japanese-style lagers will eventually be added to the tap list. Chef Jayde Miller will be serving a menu of Japanese comfort food including onigiri, fried chicken, curry korokke, gyudon, daikon salad. Miller is a graduate of Johnson & Wales and spent a year living in Japan.

Corbin worked for 8 years at Maine Beer Company initially as a brewer and then as the director of brewing operations and the technical director for the Freeport-based brewery. He’s also worked as a bartender and prep cook at Mast Landing and Knighthawk’s Kitchen. Earlier in his career Corbin was an aerospace engineer at NASA.

The 50-seat space retains the same layout as Foulmouthed Brewing which previously occupied the building. It now features a neon/mural installation co-created by David Johansen (aka Neon Dave) and Jill Perry from Third Bird Creative.

To get caught up on all the new restaurants, bars, breweries, bakeries and other businesses under development visit the Portland Food Map Under Construction List.

Tuan Yuan Hotpot on Forest Ave

| Posted in Under Construction

Qi Shen, the owner of Sichuan Kitchen, is working on a second restaurant. Tuan Yuan Hotpot (facebook) will be located at 29 Forest Ave in the former Able Baker space on the first floor of the Portland Stage building. The name of the restaurants means reunion dinner.

Shen launched Sichuan Kitchen in 2017, and had offered hot pot dinners on Wednesday nights prior to 2020. Shen is excited to introduce the Sichuan variation of hot pot dining to her customers and to bring to life a dedicated hot pot restaurant in Portland. She hopes to launch Tuan Yuan by the end of February.

The draft menu for Tuan Yuan includes a variety of broth options like Seafood Kimchee and Chinese Sichuan Spicy and a wide assortment of meats, seafood and vegetables for the hot pot as well as appetizers and desserts (shaved ice and mochi with rice wine).

Tuan Yuan will seat 56 (see the floor plan below). The first floor has a 9-seat bar and seating in booths and tables for an addition 29 people. The mezzanine dining are offers two 6-seat round tables and three small tables.

Taco Trio Returning Home

| Posted in Under Construction

Taco Trio is returning to their original location at 119 Ocean Street (right). The building is currently under renovation and owner Karen Rasmussen hopes to open the new Taco Trio by the end of January.

Rasmussen’s late husband and co-founder of Taco Trio Manuel Peña passed away in October after a long battle with cancer. Peña and Rasmussen had been discussing a return to their original spot for the last few years. They had been able to start on a redesign and the renovations in 2024 with the help of their friends Carlos Guzman and Alejandra Herrera who are the owners of Quiero Cafe. Guzman was a former chef and manager at Taco Trio before opening Quiero Cafe.

One of the original goals of the move to their current larger quarters was to add a bar program and Rasmussen plans to retain that come January. The redesigned space has an open kitchen (left), a 9-seat bar as well as counter and table seating totaling ~27 seats overall. There will also be room for 30+ people in their outdoor seating area during the warmer months. Taco Trio will continue to serve the menu they currently have available.

Taco Trio originally opened in 2011, and moved to 60 Ocean Street in 2021 into the building that had formerly housed Big Babe’s Tavern. Taco Trio had also operated a second location on Forest Ave at one time. The restaurant space at 60 Ocean Street is now available for lease.

Luncheonette on Cumberland Ave

| Posted in Under Construction

Angela Lee and Alex LeBlanc have leased 147 Cumberland Ave where they plan to open Luncheonette (website, instagram). Luncheonette will be a counter service cafe and take-out spot serving a salad-centric menu along with sandwiches and a daily selection of house-made breads and pastries. Luncheonette will have draft beer, wine, house-made sodas, drip coffee and tea.

A sample menu on the Luncheonette website includes a Shredded Beetroot Salad plated with yogurt, dill and pistachio as well as an Eggplant Sandwich made with golden fried eggplant, baba ganoush and cabbage slaw. The daily selection of six salads can be ordered as described but customers can also choose to add on proteins like smoked salmon or roast chicken.

LeBlanc and Lee are just starting to plan out the renovation for 147 Cumberland Ave. They anticipate some additional indoor seating and making use of the back patio during warmer months, and hope to launch Luncheonette in late spring.

They have moved to Portland from New York. For LeBlanc who grew up in South Portland it’s a return home. Lee’s culinary career started in NYC baking at Petee’s Pie Co from there she went on to work as a whole animal butcher at Meat Hook and as a fish butcher at Osakana. LeBlanc’s most recent position was as the sous chef at Sailor in Brooklyn, and previously was the chef de cuisine at Gus’s. When he last lived in Portland, LeBlanc had worked for Abby Harmon at Caiola’s and for Matt Ginn at Evo Kitchen + Bar.

147 Cumberland Ave has most recently been the home of Union Bagel which is now located in Falmouth. Looking further back in the past it was also been a launchpad for Katie Made and Silly’s, and was the location of Peddleman’s/Falafel Underground. Here’s a look at what it looked like a century ago. The photo above is from September 2018.

Restaurant Real Estate: December 2024

| Posted in Under Construction, Real Estate

Welcome to the December 2024 edition of the Portland Food Map restaurant real estate listings sponsored by The Boulos Company—a commercial real estate brokerage that has helped Maine’s restauranteurs buy and lease restaurant spaces since 1975.

This resource gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland (and a few in the surrounding area) that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers and retailers to locate their next business. Finding the right spot is one of the crucial early challenges in launching a new business and hopefully this resource will make that step just a little bit easier.

West End/Valley/Libby Town

87 Brackett St – the 1,077 sq ft former OhNo Cafe is for lease for $2,700/month +utilities (MG). The space also includes a 825 sq ft basement area. It is available as of February 1, 2025.

919 Congress St – the 9,540 sq ft former Salvage BBQ building is available. Lease terms are negotiable.

270 Saint John St – a 2,714 sq ft space in Union Station Plaza is available for $17/sq ft (NNN).

211 Valley St – a 1,260 sq ft former garage and the .13 acres it is on are for sale on Valley Street for $1,300,000.

235 Vaughan St – the former Vaughan Street Variety storefront in the West End has been completely renovated. The 620 sq ft space is available for $2500/month (MG). Call (207) 650-0846 for more information.

Arts District

511 Congress St – the 2,875 sq ft former Golden Lotus space is available for $16.50/sq ft.

554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space for $17.04/sq ft (NNN).

555 Congress St – the 1,908 sq ft former 555 dining room and mezzanine are available to lease for $20/sq ft (NNN).

594 Congress St – the 2,592 sq ft space in the Upper H. H. Hay Building formerly occupied by Starbucks is available for $28/sq ft (MG).

602 Congress St – The ~1,500 sq ft ground floor space at the corner of High and Congress is available to lease. The Schwartz Building has been under renovation for more than a decade. For more info contact Joe Atwood at (207) 899-7373.

77 Free St – the space previously occupied by the Free Street restaurant and bar is available. The 8,500 – 17,000 sq ft space is for lease for $5/sq ft (NNN). Call (207) 761-6500 for additional details.

Bayside/Inner Washington

52 Hanover St – On the first floor of the Armature is 1,500 – 3,000 sq ft of retail space available for $30/sq ft (NNN). One spot in the building has earmarked for a coffee shop.

178 Kennebec St – 2,644 sq ft of space are available in a newly constructed Bayside building for $25/sq ft (NNN).

114 Preble St – The building formerly occupied by Coals is for sale for $1,475,000.

186 Washington Ave – the 7,620 sq ft Am Vets building is for sale for $1,600,000. See the listing for photos of the bar and seating area.

Old Port

0 Canal Plaza – the 1,350 sq ft former Nosh Taco build in Canal Plaza is for lease for $60/sq ft (NNN).

1 Canal Plaza – 4,284 – 14,412 sq ft of ground floor retail space will be available as part of upcoming renovations; $30/sq ft (NNN).

15 Chestnut St – the building that was home to Grace restaurant is for sale. It includes the property, business assets and all FF&E. The restaurant seats 175 and features a large circular bar on the first floor of the former church. The building has 14,358 sq ft of space. It’s for sale for $2,595,000.

185 Commercial St – a new building on Commercial Street has a 2,334 sq ft ground floor retail space that is available for $55/sq ft (NNN).

266 Commercial St – a 6,689 sq ft retail space is available in this new construction building for $20-22/sq ft (NNN).

327 Commercial St – the 6,981 – 7,981 sq ft space currently occupied by Tiqa is available for lease or to buy. The lease rate is $30/sq ft (NNN). The sale price is $3,500,000.

383 Commercial St – 1,193 – 4,805 square feet of space in a newly constructed building on Commercial Street is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

10 Cotton St – Thistle & Grouse closed in September. The business is now for sale for $975,000.

8 Exchange St – 1,800-3,600 sq ft of space formerly occupied by The Bar & Bites on lower Exchange Street is available for $34.99/sq ft (MG).

85 Exchange St – The space that had previously been the home of Dobra Tea is back on the market. The 1,350 sq ft space is available for $45/sq ft (MG).

201 Federal St – a 2,300 sq ft space in the new 18-story Casco building is available for $40/sq ft (MG). The building owners are looking for someone who wants to open a market in that space.

340 Fore St – a 932 retail space at the corner of Fore and Silver Streets is available to lease for $35/sq ft (MG).

433 Fore St – a 930 sq ft space on the first floor of the Hyatt is for lease for $60/sq ft (MG).

477 Fore St – the 1,361 sq ft space formerly occupied by B + B Bakery is available for $30/sq ft (MG).

40 Free St – a 1,511 sq ft space in the new building constructed by JB Brown is available for $27.50/sq ft (NNN).

127 Marginal Way – the 3,040 sq ft former All Speed bicycle shop space across the parking lot from Trader Joes is available for $35/sq ft (NNN).

100 Middle St – a 350 sq ft cafe space on first floor of an Old Port office building is available for $850/month (MG).

115 Middle St – the 2,065 sq ft space formerly occupied by Beach Boys Cannabis is for lease for $6,840/month (MG). Back in the 1970s it had been the home of Model Food Importers which retailed wine, cheese and other imported foods.

121 Middle St – a 2,482 sq ft retail spot is available for $45/sq ft (MG).

157 Middle St – 2,039 – 5,155 sq ft of retail space is available for $27.95/sq ft (MG).

184 Middle St – this newly renovated space was formerly occupied by Blanche & Mimi. It includes 1,169 sq of first floor retail and 808 sq ft of basement storage space all for $48.43/sq ft (MG).

5 Milk St – this 2,199 sq ft former hair salon is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

1 Monument Square – 1,530 sq ft of first floor space adjacent to Cera is available for $25/sq ft (MG).

15 Monument Square – the former Sisters Gourmet Deli space is available to lease. Contact Core at (207) 744-3084 for more information.

28 Monument Square – a number of spots on the first and second floors of the Public Market House are available.

25 Pearl St – 1,689 sq ft former Subway space available for $30/sq ft (MG).

66 Pearl St – the 5,796 sq ft space that was formerly the home of Bull Moose is available for $15.75/sq ft (MG).

35 Silver St – The North Point closed in October. The business is now for sale for $75,000.

3 Spring St – the space formerly occupied by Stage Cannabis is for lease; 2,000 sq ft for $15.50/sq ft (NNN).

54 York St – a 1,605 sq ft space is available for $30/sq ft (MG). It’s located in the same building as the new Weldon Hotel at the corner of York and Maple Streets.

Old Port Bar – an undisclosed 1,160/sq ft bar/restaurant in the Old Port is for sale for $195,000.

India Street Area

239 Congress St –the 780 sq ft space formerly occupied by Tiny Tims is available for $2,500/month (Absolute Gross). It’s nearby Cocktail Mary, The End of Portland, Quanto Basta and LB Kitchen.

144 Fore St – the former VA building is near the Portland Foreside development and adjacent to several new office buildings off Thames Street. It has 1,560 – 10,620 sq ft of space available for $22-29/sq ft (NNN).

Outer Forest Ave

332 Forest Ave – two spaces (1,992 and 1,962 sq ft) in a building at the corner of Bedford Street and Forest Ave are available for $16/sq ft (NNN).

503 – 509 Forest Ave – the exterior of this building is slated to be restored to its historic design. It has 1,268 – 6,313 sq ft of space available for $10-15/sq ft (NNN). See this feature article for more information.

630 Forest Ave – a 1,440 sq ft retail space in Woodfords Corner is available for $17 (NNN).

1871 Forest Ave – the former Tortilla Flats is for sale. The 8,771 sq ft building is on 3.43 acres of property and is listed for $1,750,000.

Deering

164 Veranda St – the 1,000 sq ft former location of Other Side Deli is available for $2,500/month (Gross).

550 Washington Ave – 2,000 – 2,400 sq ft of the former Botto’s bakery is available to lease for $18/sq ft (NNN).

Elsewhere in Portland

Northgate Shopping Center – 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft of space is available.

Westgate Shopping Center – three spaces are for lease 1,440, 3,800 and 5,000 sq ft. The lease rates are negotiable and the property owner has a strong interest in finding a restaurant tenant for the shopping plaza.

Other Spaces – some vacated restaurant spaces haven’t yet been formerly listed for by the owner. Check the closing announcements for insights on where those opportunities may be.

South Portland

449 Main St, South Portland – The former Rudy’s Diner and an adjacent home are for sale for $849,000.

60 Ocean St, South Portland – The restaurant space currently occupied by Taco Trio is for lease. The 6,006 sq ft space is available for $19.98/sq ft (NNN).

145 Ocean St, South Portland – The BenReuben’s building in South Portland will become available with the closure of the knishery in September. The ~1,000 sq ft space is for lease for $3,000/month (MG). Contact Josh at (207) 408-3879 for more information.

239 Ocean St, South Portland – the 1,621 sq ft former Pizza Joint building in South Portland is for sale for $895,000.

Elevation Burger, South Portland – the business franchise, infrastructure, equipment and lease for 2,600 sq ft space are for sale for $250,000. Call (207) 838-2274 for more information.

Elsewhere in Maine

The Downs – A 2,019 sq ft restaurant space is for sale in The Downs mixed use development.

881 Route 1, Yarmouth – Shared kitchen space formerly utilized by MaineFlavor before they moved to the West End is available.

188 Lincoln St, Lewiston – This 2,371 – 5,554 sq ft former fire station has been renovated for use as a retail/restaurant space. It’s listed at $5-14/sq ft (NNN). See this instagram article for additional information on the building and the neighborhood.

449 Main St, South Portland – The former Rudy’s Diner and an adjacent home are for sale for $849,000.

60 Mile Rd, Wells – The former Varano’s Restaurant building and a 2 bed room apartment are for sale for $2,095,000. See this instagram article for additional information on the building and the neighborhood.

358 Main St, Yarmouth – The building that had housed a collection of gluten-free baking businesses is for sale for $440,000.

Billy’s Chowder House – Both the building and business of Billy’s Chowder House in Wells is for sale. The ~200 seat restaurant comes with a 62-car parking lot and sits on Mile Road which connects Route 1 with Wells Beach. See this instagram article for additional information on the building and the neighborhood.

111 Bath Rd, Brunswick – The Fat Boy Drive-In business and property is for sale for $875,000. Fat Boy has been in business since 1955.

Bayley’s Seafood, Scarborough – This 3,018 sq ft turnkey seafood restaurant is available to lease for $24/sq ft.

1200 Portland Rd, Arundel – An undisclosed turnkey 9,938 sq ft restaurant is for sale for $2,500,000.

1575 Bridgton Rd, Westbrook – the former Pine Tree Bakery building is for sale for $470,000. The 1,620 sq ft building is on 7.32 acres and has a 20+ spot parking lot. Visit ateammaine.com for additional information.

Glossary

MG – Modified Gross which indicates that the operating expenses (taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc.) for the property are included in the lease rate. The tenant would pay its own utilities, which sometimes includes heat.

NNN – Triple Net which indicates that operating expenses are not included in the lease rate, and the tenant will pay them separately. They are often referred to as CAM (Common Area Maintenance) charges and taxes, which are expressed as $/sf. The tenant is also responsible for utilities.

Gross – Gross indicates all expenses including utilities are included in the lease rate. The tenant would be responsible for phone and internet access, as well as interior janitorial.

Big Tree @ Local 188

| Posted in Under Construction

Big Tree Hospitality will be leasing the former Local 188 which they plan to use as an event space and a kitchen for their catering operations.

Big Tree Hospitality is excited to announce that they will be the new stewards of the Local 188 space at 685 Congress St. in Portland which will be used as an event venue and home base for Big Tree Catering. Jay Villani’s Local 188 has been a beloved food and beverage institution since 1999 and many of Big Tree’s family and friends, including co-owner Arlin Smith, worked for Villani during that time. “This opportunity is especially meaningful to us, and we’re honored to carry the torch, preserving this iconic space while creating a new venue to celebrate weddings, host pop-ups, guest chef dinners, and give our catering team a home of their own.” says Smith.

Local 188 chef/owner Jay Villani will be working with Big Tree to help them adapt the space. He shared, “I’m excited to help Big Tree Catering preserve the elegance and warmth of this vibrant room and gently transform it into a dynamic setting that retains the communal feel of Local.” Renovations will be taking place over the winter. Stay tuned to the Big Tree Catering instagram account for updates.

Big Tree Hospitality launched Eventide in 2012 and The Honey Paw in 2015. They also operate three local markets South Freeport, Scarborough and Falmouth. The Big Tree team is led by Arlin Smith and James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Taylor.

Local 188 closed earlier this year after 25 years in business.

Cocktail Mary 2.0

| Posted in Under Construction

Cocktail Mary (website, instagram) has announced plans to move the cocktail bar to a new larger location in Portland. Founder Isaac MacDougal has launched a $100k campaign on NuMarket—a platform that specializes in helps food and beverage businesses—to finance the move. Contributors to NuMarket campaigns are granted a business credit—for every $100 you commit to Cocktail Mary you’ll  get a $120 credit at the new location.

We have officially outgrown our current location and are looking for the community to invest in the future of Cocktail Mary. A place where we have the space to throw the dance parties of all of our dreams! We are always looking for ways to provide to our community with more and have so many exciting things in the works but need your help. This is a bit of a heavy lift but we are looking to raise $100,000 in order to complete the build out of a the new space. We’re reaching out to you, our awesome community members, to help with this growth we so desperately need and are so excited to give you something in return. 

On a separate track, MacDougal and a set of business partners are launching a new establishment at 441 Congress Street called Supper Club Cocktail Lounge which is expected to open by the end of March.

Minervino Moves

| Posted in Under Construction

Members of the Minervino family are involved in a pair of new restaurants projects: the transformation of The Rathskeller into Tomaso’s Pizza and Burger Bar, and the launch of North Deering Tavern.

Sam Minervino along with business partner Scott Olsen have taken over The Rathskeller space on Wharf Street where they plan to open Tomaso’s Pizza and Burger Bar. Dana Bernard who is the currently the bar manager at Samuel’s is moving over to become the bar manager at the new Tomaso’s. They hope to launch the new eatery in early 2025. The Rathskeller was launched in October 2021 by Mivernino’s son and daughter Tom and Meg Minervino and their business partner Mike Barton. Tomaso’s Canteen which launched in 2015 will continue to operate as it currently does. Tom, Meg and Mike Barton also operate Legends Rest and Paper City BBQ in Westbrook.

Brothers Sam and Rob Minervino along with Marcus Bailey and Anthony Peters have taken over the former Parker’s building in North Deering where they plan to launch the North Deering Tavern. Renovations are already underway with plans to open the Tavern in early 2025. The new establishment will serve a menu similar to Samuel’s featuring wings, pizza, entrees as well as some selected dishes from the Pizza Villa and Tomaso’s Canteen menus. The Tavern menu will have some gluten-free options. The North Deering Tavern will be more of a sports bar with 21 television screens. A closing date for Samuel’s is TBD. Sam Minervino founded Samuel’s Bar & Grill in 1996, and along with his brother Rob took over Pizza Villa in 2019.

Vesta Coming to North Yarmouth

| Posted in Under Construction, Maine

A new restaurant is under development in North Yarmouth at the location formerly occupied by Trudy Birds at 424 Walnut Hill Road. Kristen Mixter, Michael Christina and Ramsey Fakhouri have leased the main building and adjacent event space where they plan to open a restaurant called Vesta (instagram).

Vesta will draw its inspiration from the Eastern Mediterranean as well as from traditional Italian cuisine. The team plans to serve a seasonal menu with an approachable selection of appetizers, Roman-style pizza, house-made pasta and sandwiches. Vesta will have wine, beer, and a line-up of draft cocktails. Plans are also in the works to retail their pasta and naturally leavened breads.

Some light renovations are planned for the restaurant. The main dining room will seat 55 with room for an addition 30 in the adjacent event space and outdoor seating for 20 during the warmer months of the year. When Vesta launches early next year it will be open Thursday through Monday, noon – 9 pm. The team hopes to launch Vesta sometime in January.

Mixter and Fakhouri have worked together at Crispy Gai where she was the bar manager and he was the sous chef. Mixter previously was the bar manager at Tipo where she gained an appreciation for Italian cuisine. Christina has been the general manager at CBG for the last four years and has nearly two decades of experience in the hospitality industry.