New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:
- Marsh Island Brewing is opening a second location in Hampden which will include a full restaurant. In the lead up to an opening later this year they’re holding pop-ups at the Hogan Road Deli to share items from the menu which has been created by chef Joe Robbins.
- The latest issue of the Midcoast Villager includes a feature on South Thomaston’s “Oyster Doctor” Ralph Hamill who in addition to being a cardiologist runs the Weskaeg Oyster Company.
- Lewiston’s fine dining restaurant Bon Vivant (photo above) has permanently closed. Their message on instagram reads in part, “The national trends in the restaurant industry combined with the physical and financial climate of downtown Lewiston has proven not ready for a high-end restaurant. We had hoped to bring it forward but in the end it was not supported well enough.” Bon Vivant opened in July 2023. Their cocktail bar Sonder and Dram continue to be open. For additional reporting see this article in the Sun Journal.
- The Bangor Daily News includes a feature on a bakery in Liberty called Cyri’s Panadería (facebook). “A Liberty-based family of five, headed by matriarch Liv Sanchez, is bringing a taste of its home country delicacies to the midcoast from the comfort of their own kitchen.”
- The Waterville Sentinel has published a profile of Straight Jamaican Cuisine in Waterville. “Jamie Pomerleau and Clayton Whyte opened Strait Jamaican Cuisine in June. The pair began planning last year to build a restaurant out of the back of Pomerleau’s house, intertwining her Maine-based restaurant experience with Whyte’s decades of cooking at hotels, restaurants and Jamaican street stalls.”
- Stars & Stripes Brewing in Freeport has closed. There last day in business was December 31st. Their Portland tasting room closed in late February.
For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.