Category: Openings

A new bar called Night Mares (instagram) is scheduled to open today at 5 pm. It is located on the far side of the old Nissen Bakery Building at 44 Romasco Lane. Hours will be Thursday through Sunday, 5 pm – 1 am.

The menu (see below) includes a variety of house cocktails, beer, wine, mocktails, as well as some sweet and savory snacks. The gougeres are especially tasty. Shown here are the Night Mares on the Prairie cocktail and the beet and chevre tartine.

Night Mares occupies the same space as the cafe/bakery being launched later this year by Prairie Baking Company. The owner of Prairie Baking, Elizabeth Rzoska, along with Louis Masi, Devan Marr, and Christian Roadman are the co-founders of the bar.

The name of the bar is meant to “acknowledge the serious, refined aspects of a bar slightly mysterious and intriguing with a lighthearted, welcoming touch.”

The Continental (instagram) launched on Thursday. It is located at 170 Brighton Ave at the intersection of Brighton and Saint John. The Continental will initially be open Tuesday through Saturday 4 – 11.

The concept is inspired by English and Irish pubs. The 2,200 sq ft former 7-11 building has been completely renovated. The dining room features dark wood along the bar and booths, blue and gold wall paper throughout and a polished and painted concrete floor. A rarity for a Portland restaurant, The Continental has a large parking lot in front of the building.

The beverage menu (see below) includes a variety of draft and packaged beers and wines by the glass. The Continental has a full liquor license as well. The initial food menu trends to comfort food pub dishes like scotch eggs, boxty, fish and chips (see below) and shepherds pie.

Michael Barbuto and Kevin Doyle are the founders of The Continental. Doyle and Barbuto along with Michael Fraser are co-owners of CBG and of Nosh Kitchen Bar.

The newest restaurantand bar from The Miranda Group, Henry’s Public House (instagram), is now open. It’s located in the former Bull Feeney’s building at 375 Fore Street.

The menu includes appetizers like coconut shrimp and wings, sandwiches, salads, and some mains like surf and turf, fish and chips and moules frites.

The beverage program includes beer and wine with a strong focus on cocktails. The 16 house cocktail options are divided into categories titled: Dead Poet’s Society (try the Cease & Desist), From the Cannon, Writer’s Block and Martini Lunch. Shown below is a Bamboo (sherry, vermouth blend, cucumber, eucalyptus) from the Martini Lunch section and an off-menu Perfect Martinez.

The two-story restaurant offers a variety of room styles with an overall layout that remains true to what Bull Feeney’s customers were familiar with. On the first floor is a central bar with table/booth seating along the edges of the room and in the front windows. At the top of the stairs is a pair of rooms with a library theme (blue room show below); there is a second bar on the second floor and on the corner overlooking the intersection of Fore and Exchange is a upscale lounge.

Henry’s will be open 7 days a week: 4 – 11 pm on Mondays through Thursdays, 4 pm – 1 am on Fridays, 11 – 1 am on Saturdays, and 11 am – 11 pm on Sundays.

The Miranda Group also operates Blyth & Burrows (2017), Via Vecchia (2020) and Papi (2023). Bull Feeney’s closed earlier this year.

The Clam Bar (website, facebook, instagram) is scheduled to open today. The new seafood shack is located at 199 West Commercial Street on the site that was the longtime home of Benny’s Famous Fried Calms.

The initial menu (see below) covers all the seafood shack classics like steamers, fish and chips, a lobster roll, and fried clams each prepared with a little bit novel twist. The Clam Shack has a full liquor license and is serving cocktails, beer and wine. The adjacent Beer Garden shed has a selection of Maine draft beers.

Owner Garrett Fitzgerald has completely renovated the property to include Clam Bar, draft beer shed, the Royale Kitchen (instagram) food truck (opens daily at 8 am), indoor seating, picnic tables all connected by a set of wooden decks.

Clam Bar is open daily for lunch and dinner, 11 am – close.

Update: There was such an enthusiastic response over the weekend, the Clam Bar is taking Monday to prep and will re-open on Tuesday.

 

The new Bite Into Maine (website, facebook, instagram) in East Bayside is opening today. The 26-seat counter service cafe is located at 31 Diamond Street. A 14-seat deck and takeout window are in the final stages of being completed as well.

The menu (see below) includes their line-up of lobster rolls (try the Picnic) as well as a growing roster of sandwiches, soups, sides and whoopie pies for dessert. The cafe is BYOB.

Also under construction at 31 Diamond Street are Orange Bike Brewing, a gluten-free brewery, and Freedom’s Edge, a cider company headquartered in Albion, Maine. Both plan to open later this year.

Owners Sarah and Karl Sutton launched the Bite Into Maine food truck in Fort Williams Park in 2011. They also have a second truck at the Allagash Brewing tasting room. The cafe’s kitchen is serving as the production kitchen for both locations.

The East Bayside cafe will initially be open Thursday through Sunday, 11 am – 8 pm.

Quanto Basta (website, instagram) is scheduled to open this Thursday, 5 – 10 pm. The Neapolitan pizzeria is located at 249 Congress Street in the original LB Kitchen space. It has room for 20 to sit comfortably indoors and there’s outdoor seating out the back door of the kitchen.

In addition to the Neapolitan pizza that Quanto Basta is known for, the menu (see below) includes appetizers, desserts, Southern Italian wines, spritzs and sparking water. Shown above are Salsiccia pizza (garlic confit, Italian sausage, broccolini ripassata) and seasonal specialty pizza (basil pesto, zucchini, peas), caccio e pepe suppli, bagna cauda, and both desserts.

Owner Betsy English along with front of house manager Adam Carlow will be operating QB  Thursday through Saturday 5 – 10 pm, Sunday 11 – 4 pm, and Monday 5 – 10 pm. Quanto Basta is walk-in only with a wait list and operating on a counter service model—see their recent instagram post for more details.

English launched the Quanto Basta food truck in August 2021, and very quickly built a strong following for the mobile pizza operation.