Category: Openings

Big Tree Hospitality is opening the new South Freeport Village Market (website, instagram) this weekend. The building is owned and recently renovated by Mary Beth and Chris Lorenz, and is located a few blocks away from the Freeport Town Wharf and Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster.

The South Freeport Village market has been a staple in the community since the 1950’s and we are excited to be a part of this revitalization project. The market will have a café and a bean to cup coffee program featuring Rwanda Bean. Offerings will include pastries and breads from Little Spruce Baking Co. The Market will focus on breakfast and lunch as well as, local produce, beer and wine, fresh flowers and sundries.

The market will be open daily 7 am – 8 pm.

Big Tree Hospitality bought Hugo’s from Rob Evans and Nancy Pugh and launched Eventide Oyster Company in 2012, they opened The Honey Paw in 2015, and then Eventide Fenway in 2017. In addition to the South Freeport Village Market they also operate the Higgins Beach Market in Scarborough and the Town Landing Market in Falmouth.

Lecha (instagram), the new bubble tea cafe and ice cream shop in Deering Center, is scheduled to open this Saturday. Lecha is located at 502 Stevens Ave near Pat’s Meat Market and Norimoto Baking.

Owners Som Mantasut and Genko Stanilov will be serving a selection of hard serve ice cream from Gifford’s, house made Thai ice tea and vanilla soft serve, bubble tea (their brown sugar bubble tea shown above), and coffee. Later this year they hope to add some baked goods to the menu including waffles.

Starting this Saturday Lecha will be open Thursday through Tuesday, 11 am – 7 pm.

To get caught up on all the new restaurants, bars and other hospitality businesses in development visit our Under Construction List.

The new Eaux (website, instagram) food truck is set to open this Thursday at 4 pm. Eaux will be located  in the Oxbow/Hardshore parking lot. Here’s an advance look at the menu:

Chicken and Waffles – with Steen’s cane syrup, pickled fresno chiles, fried sage and apples.

“Hen” and Waffles – Maitake mushrooms, Steen’s cane syrup, pickled fresno chiles, fried sage and apples.

Pimento Cheese and Firecrackers – Smoked Gouda, roasted garlic, pimento peppers and crystal hot sauce, served with baked and seasoned saltines.

Khmer Kitchen (facebook) opened last week initially serving a selection of Cambodian sandwiches. Shown above is a delicious Pork Belly sandwich from the opening week menu.

The menu has been expanding and starting Tuesday, chef/owner Khanya Mimande will begin serving three different types of Katiew soup (Phonm Penh, Sach Ko, Sach Muon), a beef stew with noodles, and Bah Bor which is a rice porridge dish served with chicken, fried garlic and sprouts.

Khmer Kitchen is located on the 2nd floor of the Public Market House in Monument Square. Their hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 am – 9 pm.

Owl & Elm (website, facebook, instagram) in Yarmouth has transitioned to a new set of owners and is scheduled to open next week, Tuesday through Saturday, 4 – 9 pm. The restaurant sports a cozy neighborhood restaurant vibe and has outdoor seating along Main Street and on a back deck.

There is a full bar with a set of house designed cocktails like the Hey Jealousy (Barr Hill Gin, Strega, Cynar, Lemon and Honey Syrup, Saline), mocktails, wines by the glass and draft and packaged beer. The menu of apps, salads, entrees and desserts includes a number of gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options as well as the option of kids-sized portions for the entrees.

The new team from Scorched Earth Hospitality are Alli Bibaud, Jenna Croteau, Adam Croteau, and Christopher Doughty who bought the restaurant from its founders.

Owl & Elm was founded by Caitlin Henningsen and Keith Johnson in 2016. Henningsen has recently launched Little Bird (instagram) a gluten-free bakehouse in Yarmouth.

To get caught up on all the new restaurants, bars and other hospitality businesses in development visit our Under Construction List.

Tally’s Kitchen (website, instagram) has opened a second location in the Stevens Square Community Center. The new Tally’s serves the same menu (see below) as their original location on Marginal Way which includes breakfast sandwiches, bakery items, salads, wraps and lunch sandwiches. It features seating in the entry courtyard and in a sunny balcony overlooking the cafe.

Tally’s Kitchen was founded by Julie Taliento Walsh in 2018. The Stevens Square Community Center is a new mixed use development located in the former Catherine McAuley High School.

The Stevens Square Tally’s is open 7 am – 3 pm (and until 6 for prepared meal pickup and 2DineIn meal deliveries) on weekdays and 9 am – 3 pm on Saturdays.

A new bar called The End of Portland (instagram) opened this week. It’s located at 229 Congress Street in the space formerly occupied by Saint Joe’s Restobar. The bar’s name is a nod to being located across the street from the Eastern Cemetery.

The bar has been launched by Johnny Althoff, Andrew Roseman, Celeste Parke, and Benbazi.

As you can see below the menu includes a line-up of house cocktails, a couple of snacks, beer, wine, cider and some “extra curriculars” modified beer drinks. They’re also serving Allen’s Coffee Brandy cupcakes from Clementine Cake Company.