A restaurant called Riverton Station (facebook) opened this past Friday. As the name would suggest Riverton Station is located at 1569 Forest Ave in the Riverton neighborhood of Portland.
The menu includes sandwiches, salads, pizza, burgers, wings and more. Riverton Station will be open 7 days a week starting on Wednesday.
Friday – Bar Futo (instagram) is scheduled to open.
Saturday – a new food cart called Zeerox BBQ (instagram) will be launching at Goodfire Brewing.
Sunday – Helm is holding a prime rib dinner, Nosh will be holding a cider brunch in collaboration with Fruit Bat Distribution, and Jackrabbit is serving a 3-course Julefrokost dinner.
December 20 – Crispy Gai will be hosting Chicago sandwich shop Big Kids (website, instagram) for a pop-up dinner, and Sacred Profane will be holding a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner.
Christmas Eve
Christmas – here’s the start of our Christmas list. We’ll be adding entries as businesses announce their plans. Drop us a line if you know of a Christmas offering not yet on the list.
December 26 – Oxbow and Eaux are collaborating on an Oxbeaux Brunch taking place at Cafe Louis in South Portland.
New Year’s Eve – here is the start of our NYE list. We’ll be adding entries as businesses announce their plans. Drop us a line if you know of a New Year’s Eve offering not yet on the list.
January 28 – Sam Hayward is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.
February 11 – Ali Waks Adams is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.
February 14 – Broken Arrow will be serving a Valentine’s Day dinner.
March 18 – Chris Toy is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.
The latest edition of Mainer includes an evaluation of many of the local bagel options in the Portland area.
Bagels are kind of like pizza, in that both inspire passionate debate. Multiple cities claim to have the best style, and like pizza, even a mediocre bagel is still OK if you hide it under enough toppings.
To my taste, the perfect bagel starts with a contrast of textures. The outside should be crunchy but not tough; the inside chewy, well risen, and slightly dense. Toppings should complement the subtle, sweet maltiness of the bagel without overpowering it.
Forage came in first place. Check the article to see how your favorite bagels rated.
The monthly Eat Drink Lucky Tea Towel subscription service got a shout out in the Ruth Reichel holiday gift guide.
Have you every thought about how useful your tea towels are – or how much they say about you? There they are, sitting in the kitchen, for all the world to see. Mine were pretty dull until I discovered Artist Series Tea Towels: created by women in Maine they are lovely to look at. The perfect present for people unwilling to waste a single opportunity to display art. There’s even a tea-towel-of-the-month club.
Sharon Kitchens has published this interview with Tandem baker Briana Holt which includes her recipe for Swedish Coconut Cherry Cookies which were a classic Christmas cookie in her household growing up.
One of the most memorable ones for me were these coconut cookies. My nana made them every year. She was Austrian, but she would call them Swedish Coconut Cookies, which the last few years of me looking they kind of are. They are also this very American 1950s like coconut macaroon cookie. The kind you find in bakeries – big hunks of coconut sometimes covered in chocolate. They were my favorite. They were so cute. All the other cookies are different shades of brown, but these were snow white coconut mounds with a bright maraschino cherry in the middle. They stuck out to me and coconut is one of my favorite flavors. I love those so much and make them every year for the staff cookie boxes.
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram has an article about Papi and the growing Latin food scene in Portland.
Papi is the latest addition to the area’s growing and diversifying Latin food scene, a reflection of diners’ appetites for new culinary experiences that also provides the local Latino community the comforting tastes of their culture. While Mexican cuisine has long held significant space in the restaurant scene, here and nationally, representation of other Latin American countries on Maine menus is more recent.
Edible Maine has published an article about South Portland’s evolving restaurant row in Knightville.
Culinary businesses are the lifeblood of this neighborhood, giving tourists and locals a slower-paced alternative to Portland. Each establishment, in its own way, invites passersby inside to warm up on a cold winter’s day.
Saturday – Bissell Brothers is serving a traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner, the Feast of the Seven Fishes., and The Purple House will be holding a wood-fired bagel pop-up in North Yarmouth.
Sunday – Koji Alchemy author Rich Shih will be at Judy Gibson for a koji workshop and fermentation dinner.
December 18 – Helm is holding a prime rib dinner, Nosh will be holding a cider brunch in collaboration with Fruit Bat Distribution, and Jackrabbit is serving a 3-course Julefrokost dinner.
December 20 – Crispy Gai will be hosting Chicago sandwich shop Big Kids (website, instagram) for a pop-up dinner.
Christmas Eve
Christmas – here’s the start of our Christmas list. We’ll be adding entries as businesses announce their plans. Drop us a line if you know of a Christmas offering not yet on the list.
New Year’s Eve – here is the start of our NYE list. We’ll be adding entries as businesses announce their plans. Drop us a line if you know of a New Year’s Eve offering not yet on the list.
January 28 – Sam Hayward is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.
February 11 – Ali Waks Adams is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.
March 18 – Chris Toy is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed of the Mr. Tuna restaurant in the Public Market House.
If you’re a fan of Mr. Tuna and you haven’t been to the Monument Square location inside the Portland Public Market, drop what you’re doing. The restaurant’s menu is medium-sized and includes some of Southern Maine’s best sushi, including tightly rolled, thoughtfully composed maki like spicy scallop and Maine crab; hamachi with marinated shishito peppers ($11 for six pieces); and smoky-sweet, pineapple-topped Blackbeard’s Delight. Consistency and execution are phenomenal at Mr. Tuna, which allows them to pull off high-wire dishes like Edo-style yellowtail nigiri, simple salmon belly, and luxuriously creamy sea urchin. For a casual restaurant in a shared building, the quality of food at Mr. Tuna is unparalleled. Don’t miss out.
Welcome to the December 2022 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 monthly column gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers/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
156 State St – 1,250 – 7,550 sq ft of space on the first floor of the Portland Club is available for $13.50 – 24/sq ft (NNN).
235 Vaughan St – the 700 sq ft space most recently occupied by Other Side Deli and which had been the longtime home of Vaughan Street Variety is for lease. Call (207) 650-0846 for more information.
Arts District
554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space with hood for $2,301/month (NNN).
642 Congress St – the former Ada’s space is available to sublet; 2,569 sq ft (MG).
649 Congress St – the 3,000 sq ft former Dos Naciones storefront is available for $22/sq ft (MG).
142 High St – a 543 sq ft retail space in the State Theatre building that faces High Street is available for $35/sq ft (MG).
44 Oak St – 4,347 sq ft of space in a beautiful historic building at the corner of Oak and Free Streets is available for $20/sq ft (NNN).
Bayside
75 Chestnut St – a 2,100 sq ft ground floor retail space under construction in Bayside is for sale for $649,999.
31 Diamond St – this 2,800 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is available for $2,500/month.
46 Elm St – this 2,400 sq ft corner space in the parking garage at the corner of Elm Street and Cumberland Ave. It’s available for $13/sq ft (MG).
52 Hanover St – a new building set to open in April 2023. On the first floor will be 1,500 – 4,500 sq ft retail space available for $30/sq ft (NNN).
82 Hanover St – the 3,067 sq ft former Yard space in Bayside is available for $30/sq ft (NNN); the sale includes all FF&E inventory.
178 Kennebec St – 2,644 sq ft of space are available in a newly constructed Bayside building for $30/sq ft (NNN).
127 Marginal Way – 3,040 sq ft of space that’s been the home of Allspeed Cycle & Snow is for lease for $32/ sq ft (NNN).
34 Portland St – the 4,256 sq ft building that was formerly occupied by Candy’s is for sale for $649,000.
65 Portland Street – the beautiful restaurant space that was home to Back Bay Grill for 34 years is available; 2,750 sq ft for $22/sq ft (MG).
24 Preble St – the former Arcadia space is available; 2,835 sq ft for $20/sq ft (NNN).
Old Port
Canal Plaza – the former Copper Branch building in Canal Plaza is available for $60/sq ft (NNN).
1 Commercial St – the original location of Benkay at the corner of Commercial and India Streets is undergoing renovations and is expected to be available in 2023. The 900-2,950 sq ft is for lease at $35/sq ft (NNN).
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).
441 Congress St – 2,400 sq ft of retail space is available for $15/sq ft (MG).
443 Congress St – 5,280 sq ft of space for lease for $16-20/sq ft (MG). It’s located across Elm Street from the Portland Public Library.
86 Exchange St – the 1,438 sq ft Swiss Time space on upper Exchange Street is for lease for $31/sq ft.
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 2,500 – 21,911 sq ft of space available for $24-27.50/sq ft (NNN).
40 Free St – the new building constructed by JB Brown has four storefronts ranging in size from 1,358 to 3,067 sq ft for $30/sq ft (NNN).
55 Market St – this 3,700 sq ft space on Market Street was formerly occupied by the Big Easy. It’s available for $24/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).
157 Middle St – 1,091 – 5,155 sq ft of retail space is available for $27 – 29.95/sq ft (MG).
1 Monument Square – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space for $3,125/month (MG).
25 Pearl St – 1,689 sq ft former Subway space available for $30/sq ft (MG).
66 Pearl St – 5,796 sq ft of space—the former Bull Moose retail shop—is available for $15.75/sq ft (MG).
1 Pleasant St – an 1,800 sq ft restaurant space in the Cinnamon Building available for $25/sq ft (NNN).
15 Temple St – the 2,086 sq ft space formerly occupied by Bubble Maineia is available for $26/sq ft (MG).
110 Thames St – two spots (2,700 and 3,200 sq ft) are now available in the newly constructed building in the Portland Foreside development. Both are listed at $35/sq ft (NNN).
42 Wharf St – this 3,770 sq ft space in the Old Port includes a 2,000 sq ft patio, $45/sq ft (MG).
43 Wharf St – the former 1,350 sq ft Drink Exchange space is for lease for $43/sq ft (MG).
India/Washington Ave
100 Fore St – 1,914 sq ft of space that the listing says is “ideally suited for a restaurant use” is available for $30/sq ft.
47 India St – 1,000 sq ft of the former Lois’ Market building is for lease, $3,333/month (NNN).
Forest Ave
945 Forest Ave – the former Photo Market building is for sale for $995,000.
1871 Forest Ave – the former Tortilla Flat building is for sale for $3,800,000.
Other
936 Brighton Ave – 1,995 sq ft of space in an 11k sq ft building that’s the future home of Allspeed Cycle and Snow for $20/sq ft.
1091 Congress St – the former Denny’s building and parking lot are available to lease; 4,901 sq ft at $25.50/sq ft (NNN).
476 Stevens Ave – the Elsmere BBQ building in Deering Center is for sale for $1,599,000; the sale includes all FF&E inventory.
Northgate Shopping Center – 2,200 to 5,700 sq ft of space is available.
Westgate Shopping Center – four spaces are for lease at $18-40/sq ft (NNN).
Biscuits & Co, Biddeford – Biscuits & Co closed on October 16th and the business and equipment is for sale. Contact Biscuitsandcompany@gmail.com for more information.
Buxton – the former Buxton Commons restaurant is available for sale or lease. Lease terms are $4,500/month (NNN) for 3,600 sq ft of space.
Longwoods Preserve – the Longwoods Preserve is seeking a partner to operate a restaurant on their 55-acre property in Cumberland. The 3,500 sq ft building is expected to seat 70-80 indoors plus a three season porch. For more information contact Joe Atwood at (207) 899–7373, 76longwoods@gmail.com.
18 Ocean St, South Portland – the 4,351 sq ft former Snow Squall is for lease for $15/sq ft (NNN).
Other Spaces – some vacated restaurant spaces haven’t yet been formerly listed for by the owner. Check the closing announcements for the latest 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.