Category: Closings

Tiqa owners Deen Haleem and Carol Mitchell have announced plans to close the restaurant while they “consider all possible future options.”

Over the past three years, since COVID started, we have faced an exhausting ever changing set of dynamics that we have yet to figure out how best to handle – because of this – we have decided to close TIQA and consider all possible future options. We will continue to be closed until a new direction is determined and we do not know how long that will take.

Tiqa opened on January 21, 2015. In 2016 they also opened the Tiqa Cafe in the Deering Oaks Castle.

The owners of Pho Huong have announced they plan to close their restaurant. Pho Huong is located on the second floor of the Public Market House. Their last day in business will be April 21st.

With a heavy heart, we are announcing the closure of PHO HUONG, our last day open will be FRIDAY April 21st. It’s very bittersweet but I am excited for me & my family on our new chapter! I hope I get to see everyone before our last day! Thank you again for all the memories, laughs & friendships! I will miss you all.

Blue Spoon owners Liz Koenigsberg and Will Lavey have announced they’ll be permanently closing the restaurant on April 22nd.

Koenigsberg and Lavey are moving to the Midcoast. They’ve established a catering and pop-up business in Rockport and begun the search for a location to open a new restaurant.

Blue Spoon was founded by chef David Iovino in 2004. He sold the business to Koenigsberg and Lavey in 2018.

As one of the few restaurant spaces at the top of Munjoy Hill, Blue Spoon’s spot at 89 Congress Street is not likely to remain vacant for very long.

We’re always excited to report on new places under development. However at the other end of the small business lifecycle—for a variety of reasons—businesses do eventually close. Here’s news of four spots closing in the greater Portland area:

Bruce’s Burrito’s in Yarmouth has closed and the owners are “searching for the right person” to buy the restaurant and re-open it. For more information read this article in the Press Herald.

The Old Port Pat’s Pizza has announced they’re closing after a final service this Sunday. For more information read this article in the Press Herald.

Louie’s Grill in Yarmouth is closing on April 14th after 10 years in business. The owner is retiring and it sounds like has found a buyer for the restaurant—no details on that just yet. For more information read this article in The Forecaster.

Captain Sam’s has closed their ice cream shop on Commercial Street. The owners are “moving to other businesses.”

Rwanda Bean (website, facebook, instagram) has announced plans to close their cafe on Thompson’s point as of the end of April. They will continue to operate their coffee roasting, packaging and wholesale operations out of their space on Thompson’s Point and also plan to make it available as an event space.

In order to further drive growth and stability for Rwanda Bean and to continue to deliver on our mission to support the community of Rwanda coffee farmers by sharing their harvests with the wider world, we are going to focus exclusively on our roastery operations, production and wholesaling out of our Thompson’s Point location. As of May 1, we will wrap up our retail presence and the Thompson’s Point event team will take over our event and kitchen area as an additional venue offering.

The Rwanda Bean coffee shop on Stevens Ave will be gradually expanding their hours of operation to 7 days per week with expanded menu offerings.

According to reports from the Bangor Daily News and Press Herald Bull Feeney’s will be permanently closing this Sunday.

In a letter sent out on Wednesday, the owner and operator Douglas Fuss wrote that the bar will officially close on Sunday, March 26. He did not cite any particular reasons for stepping away from the business on Wednesday evening.

Fuss opened his two-story Irish-themed bar and restaurant in 2001. He named it after famed Hollywood director — and Portland native — John Ford.

Maples owner Robin Ray has announced plans to close and sell the original Yarmouth location. March 29 is tentatively slated to be the last day of business.

There is big stuff happening and I have been struggling to find the words that will ring true and sound like me but also finding a balance of reality and emotion. I am selling the Maples Yarmouth location. I intended to keep two locations open but as the reality of New Gloucester opening came closer I realized that I could not physically and emotionally keep up with the demands that they both would require.

Ray is in the process of launching a new/second Maples location in New Gloucester which is located at 1055 Lewiston Road. in the building formerly occupied by Rosanna’s.

Maine Mead Works has announced plans to permanently close down operations as of January 31.

It is with a heavy heart that Maine Mead Works announces that we will be closing our doors on January 31st. The last fourteen years have been a wonderful adventure and we are so grateful for all of the friends that we made along the way. Please stop into our tasting room on Washington Ave before so we can offer our thanks in person! We will be open Fridays (12-6) Saturdays, (12-7)and Sundays (12-6) through the end of the month as wells as Monday January 16th. (Hours subject to change).

Maine Mead Works was founded in 2007 by Ben Alexander and Eli Cayer. Alexander has been the sole owner for more than a decade.

Omi’s Coffee Shop in South Portland has gone out of business. A sign in the window reads,

Due to very difficult circumstances we have had to permanently close Omi’s.

We worked very hard to keep it open as long as possible.

We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers and very much appreciate your support over the years.

We did not intend to close suddenly and there is another side to the story.

In the last couple months Little Woodfords and Hilltop Coffee have announced closures, and Dobra has become an online business until they find a new location for their tea shop.

Owners Andrew and TJ Zarro have announced that they’ll be closing Little Woodfords at the end of January.

To our beloved community, it is with a heavy but full heart we share that this will be the last month we are open. The time has come for us to move on to the next chapter of our lives, filled with 5 and a half years worth of memories, friendships, high highs and low lows.