Thistle & Grouse (website, facebook, instagram) has permanently closed. Their last day in business was this past weekend. A statement from owners Kimberly Kraus and chef Bobby Will reads in part,
Unfortunately not all things in life are meant to be and this is one of those moments. We set out to Portland from Bar Harbor with a dream of opening a neighborhood gastropub that brought creative comfort food into a warm inviting environment for friends to share libations, laughs and memories.
But a difficult path of remodel met with multiple delays and permitting hurdles, a terrible first winter full of flooded downtowns and snow, combined with a crippling inflation that made it nearly impossible to keep it together, painted a different picture for us.
Will, Kraus and key members of the staff had previously worked together at Kraus’ and Will’s former restaurant Salt and Steel in Bar Harbor.
Thistle & Grouse opened at 10 Cotton Street on December 1, 2023. The restaurant received 3½ stars in a review published by the Maine Sunday Telegram in March. The business is now for sale.
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