Category: Under Construction

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.

Restaurant Real Estate: November 2024

| Posted in Under Construction, Real Estate

Welcome to the November 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 – Ohno Cafe is closing the day before Thanksgiving and the owners are seeking someone who might want to take it over.

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

1227 Congress St – Anania’s on Congress Street is set to close on Christmas Eve. The business and property is for sale for $1,235,000.

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

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 17,000 sq ft space is for lease for $5/sq ft (NNN). Call (207) 761-6500 for additional details.

Bayside/Inner Washington

170 Anderson St – a 5,519 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is listed for $35/sq ft (NNN).

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.

65 Hanover St – the 1,800 space formerly occupied by the When Pigs Fly bake shop is for lease for $24, sq ft.

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

55 Washington Ave – this 7,815 sq ft space is in the Nissen Bakery building right in between Cong Tu Bot and Hardshore Distillery. It’s available for $21.05/sq ft (NNN).

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 oval-shaped build in Canal Plaza is for lease for $60/sq ft (NNN). Nosh Taco continues to operate in that space but the owners are open to speaking with people who may be interested in the space.

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).

89 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.

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 – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space adjacent to Cera is available for $25/sq ft (MG).

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

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.

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 1,400, 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.

Outside of Portland

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.

372 Cottage Rd, South Portland – The building that formerly was home to Omi’s Coffee Shop is for sale for $675,000. Contact Gail Bruzgo at 372maine@gmail.com for more information.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Trudy Birds, North Yarmouth – The business, land and both building are for sale for $1,450,000.

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

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.

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.

Cargo Pizza on Forest Ave

| Posted in Under Construction

Gregory Mihos, the owner of the Cargo Pizza Company (website, facebook, instagram) food truck, has leased the former Falafel Time space at 1053 Forest Ave where he plans to open a pizzeria. He hopes to launch the new restaurant in December.

Cargo Pizza will be serving “Neo-Neapolitan/New Haven-style brick oven pizza”, smash burgers, and house-made fried foods (mozzarella sticks, fries, wings, etc.)  for lunch and dinner. Mihos is also developing a breakfast menu with breakfast sandwiches and coffee to go. He shared,

Our goal is for as many items as possible to be made in-house, delivering a quality product free from fillers, preservatives, and unnecessary ingredients. We aim to create options that are mindful of health and autoimmune considerations, allowing people to enjoy their favorite foods without compromising their wallet or well-being.

The counter service pizzeria will have seating for 20 people with additional outdoor seating in warmer months. The menu will also be available for takeout and delivery.

Mihos launched the Cargo Pizza food truck in 2019. His father Dimitrios Mihos owns Romeos Pizza, and the younger Mihos gained experience working at a number of their locations and managing the Scarborough Romeos.

Ocotillo Adding Dinner in November

| Posted in Under Construction

Ocotillo has shared plans to begin serving dinner—in addition to brunch—starting on November 21st. Dinner will be available 5 – 9 pm with a happy hour 3 – 5 pm during the post-brunch/pre-dinner part of their day. The restaurant will be open Thursday through Monday. Reservations are now available via Resy.

The dinner menu will feature Southwestern and Mexican-inspired dishes like their Cowboy Cassoulet (frijoles a la charra, smoked chicken drumstick, house sausage, smoked pork belly, cornbread) and Enchiladas Suiza (potato and corn enchiladas, creamy pumpkin seed suiza sauce, chihuahua cheese, cilantro).

Owners Melanie and Pliny Reynolds launched Ocotillo on April 11. The Reynolds launch their first restaurant, Terlingua, in 2015.

Lay Day Roasters

| Posted in Under Construction

A new coffee roaster is under development in West Bayside. Lay Day Roasters (website, instagram) is the creation of Cashel Stewart and former Buzz Coffee owner Corey Koch. It’s located at 150 Preble Street near Trader Joe’s and will launch next week.

Lay Day is a new coffee roastery anchored by high quality roasted coffee offered affordably to the Maine community as wholesale, bulk, in retail bags, and as a delivery subscription. Lay Day’s coffee emphasizes rich, complex flavors of coffee from all over the world. The initial launch features coffee from Santa Maria in the Huila region of Colombia, in light and medium roast profiles. Later this month, Lay Day will introduce coffee from Guji in the Sidamo region of Ethiopia, darker roast profiles, and cold brew (brewed in-house) on tap available at the roastery. A standard 12 oz bag will be $15, and customers are encouraged to visit the roastery bulk station, a partnership with GoGo Refill, where customers can reduce their waste and save up to 20% on their beans.

Future plans for Lay Day include the launch of a cold brew coffee truck for events, wholesale cold brew kegs, getting Lay Day coffee on shelves at local retail shops and on the menu at local establishments. Koch and Stewart also hope to hold coffee tastings and community events at the roastery.

Online ordering for Lay Day will become available Friday, October 25th, and the retail shop at the roastery will open the following week Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 7 – 10 am, and Wednesday, 3 – 6 pm. Watch their instagram account for news about the launch of the cold brew coffee service at the roastery.

Congress Street Anania’s Closing in December

| Posted in Under Construction, Closings

Ed and Barbara Anania are planning to retire in December and have put the Congress Street Anania’s (website, facebook, instagram) building and business up for sale with plans to close the landmark store on Christmas Eve. Additionally, they’re in the process of selling their Washington Ave location to their store manager and partner Zach Lord who plans to continue to operate it under the Anania’s name.

Ed shared that he’s been working at the family business since he was 10 years old, and Barbara has been involved in the business since 1989. It was Ed’s father, also named Edward, opened the first Anania’s market in 1963. Over the years they expanded to South Portland and Washington Ave. The South Portland location was sold a few years ago and reopened as the Ferry Village Market in 2020.

The Asador Grill at Rock Row

| Posted in Under Construction

Chef Germán Lucarelli, owner of The Lost Fire in Kennebunkport, has leased space at Rock Row where he is planning to open The Asador Grill (instagram). The restaurant will specialize in Patagonian cuisine featuring traditional open-flame cooking.

“The Lost Fire began as a means of reconnecting with the tastes of my home and introducing people to the unique style of grilling Argentinians have mastered, “ said Chef Germán Lucarelli. “The Asador Grill will bring guests closer to the wonder of authentic open fire cooking than ever before.”

Lucarelli opened The Lost Fire in 2018, two seafood restaurants Casa Seventy-Seven and Ultramar in 2023, and he launched an ice cream food truck in 2024 called Dos Elenas Gelato. The Asador Grill will be his first business in the Portland area.

Construction of the 7,000 square foot restaurant is expected to start in 2025. An opening timeframe is TBD.

Benny’s on Congress Street

| Posted in Under Construction

Ramona’s owner Josh Sobel has leased the former Broken Arrow space at 545 Congress Street where he plans to open a second restaurant called Benny’s (instagram). Renovations will be taking place during the winter and Sobel hopes to open Benny’s in early spring.

Benny’s will be open for lunch and dinner operating as a Philly-inspired sandwich shop with counter service by day, and transitioning into a sit down restaurant serving pasta and salads for dinner. Benny’s will also have a small cocktail menu. Sobel shared,

I’m excited to be in a neighborhood with so many other great small businesses and restaurants.
I’ve wanted to make cheesesteaks and cutlets since we opened Ramona’s, but the limitations of the space always made it impossible.

Benny’s feels like the natural evolution of our business. We hope to be a place that can service the neighborhood throughout the day. We want to start dinner service a bit earlier so that young families can join us. As a parent of young kids, it’s important to me that we are able to provide a great dining experience for kids as well as adults.

Carrie Dessertine from Mey & Co. has been hired to design the restaurant. Dessertine has designed a number of restaurants in Maine including Ramona’s, Bread & Friends, Elda in Biddeford, and the new Mr. Tuna.

Sobel and Chad Conley launched Ramona’s as a takeout service in April 2020 and opened with indoor seating in March 2022. Conley sold his interest in the company to Sobel in 2023.

Dry Dock 2.0 Under Development

| Posted in Under Construction

Luke Holden, Ben Conniff, Bryan Holden—co-owners of Luke’s Lobster— have leased 84 Commercial Street where they plan to relaunch the Dry Dock (instagram) as a seafood tavern with a full bar program. The team expects to renovate and restore the building this winter and open the new Dry Dock in time for the summer of 2025.

Jeff Holden, managing partner at Luke’s Lobster commented, “Our family has loved the Dry Dock location for decades. I was a regular when I had my business here on Commercial Street back in the 1980s and 90s. We feel truly grateful to work with Steve [Goodrich] on the opportunity to bring the legacy of Dry Dock restaurant back to life here – preserving it for the people of Portland and its visitors is as much sentimental to us as it is good business.”

The Dry Dock was a fixture on the Portland waterfront since it launched in 1983. It’s been closed since 2018 and while there have been some plans in the past to redesign and relaunch it, they have not come to fruition.

The Luke’s on Portland Pier will continue to operate where it is and the Dry Dock will open with a separate menu and concept.

Leisure Time Canning Line

| Posted in Under Construction

Leisure Time Cocktail Company (website, instagram) has launched a $45k crowdfunding campaign on NuMarket to raise funds for a cocktail canning line. Contributors will get $1.20 in credits at Leisure Time for every $1 they contribute to the campaign.

We did it! Our tasting room and cocktail laboratory is officially open, and it’s been an honor to serve great cocktails and good times to the Portland, Maine community. Now, we’re ready to expand our production facility so we can share our love for delicious cocktails far and wide — but we need your help…Your support will help us purchase a canning line, Brite tanks for carbonating our cocktails, and provide the runway we need to secure licensing for the new facility. Want to taste what’s going in the cans? Head down to the Lounge at Thompson’s Point, where we’ve already got these delicious beverages on tap!

Leisure Time owners Kai Parrott-Wolfe and Matt Noyes opened their 50-seat cocktail bar on Thompson’s Point in July. The menu features a range of draft and freezer cocktails as well as a selection of wine and beer, pierogis, salads, hot dogs and sausages.