Category: Openings

Buzz Coffee (website, instagram) will be launching their new coffee shop on Wednesday. Buzz is located at 19 Exchange Street in the underground space formerly occupied by Blake Orchard.

Buzz Coffee will be serving coffee brewed with beans from Little Wolf with an expanded menu that includes drip coffee, cold brew, teas and the full range of espresso-based drinks.

The cafe will be open 8 am to 2 pm.

Buzz launched this past May as a coffee cart. The coffee cart will be back on the streets this spring.

Dirty Dove (instagram) is scheduled to launch this Thursday when they’ll be open noon to 11 pm. The bar is located at 229 Congress in the space formerly occupied by Sip of Europe.

Dirty Dove is being launched by Joe Fournier from A&C Grocery with Owl & Whale owner and bartender Michael Gatlin.

The cocktail menu includes options such as the Electric Warrior (mezcal, select, vanilla,  lemon, hot pepper bitters) and Intangible Climax (green chartreuse, fernet branca, lime, apple basil honey, genepy des chambois). There’s also a wine list, beer and cider and an extended list of mocktails. The food menu has some carryovers from A&C like the Real Italian with new items like duck soup and a latke waffle with caviar and quark cheese.

Dirty Dove is scheduled to operate Thursday through Monday.

A new business called Old Port Nutrition (instagram) opened on Monday at 23 Temple Street. They are open Monday thru Friday 7 – 3.

Owner Angie Drinkwater is serving up a menu of tea and shakes with flavors like Sour Gummy Worm (tea) and Lemon Pound Cake (shake). With add-ons like collagen and probiotics for the teas, and protein and fiber for the shakes.

Cellardoor Winery (website, facebook, instagram) is opening their Portland tasting room on Thursday. The new tasting room is located at the corner of Middle and Church Streets in the Old Port. Cellardoor shut down their  former tasting room on Thompson’s Point late last year.

They plan to be open Thursday, 3 – 7, Friday and Saturday, 12 – 7, and Sunday, 12 – 5.

The Maker’s Galley (website, facebook, instagram) is set to open this Saturday at 5 Commercial Street. The Maker’s Galley is billed as a “tasting lounge, café, and marketplace” that is an “experiential space showcasing products by Maine makers, artisans, and farmers.”

The Maker’s Galley is a multi-functional venue which includes a café, gift shop, full-service chefs’ kitchen, tasting tables, and casual seating. Open Tuesday through Sunday, the café offers Maine specialty coffees, as well as pastries and homemade bagels made by executive chef, Arianna Stefanilo. A curated collection of Maine-made food products including local cheeses, meats, and pantry products will also be available. The gift shop will feature unique products created by Maine makers and artisans.

Stefanilo was previously the executive chef at Blyth & Burrows and Novare Res, and a pastry chef at Becky’s Diner. The opening menu for Maker’s Galley includes a chacuterie board, whipped feta with tomato jam, mushrooms sautéed with sherry and garlic, and lobster lettuce wraps.

The Maker’s Galley plans to launch an event series in January that will include monthly guest chef experiences, wine dinners, cooking classes and Meet the Makers and Meet the Author events. Starting Saturday its hours will be 9 – 6 on Tuesday, 9 – 8 on Wednesday through Saturday, and 10 – 5 on Sunday.

Daybreak Growers Alliance (website, instagram) and CarHop (website, instagram) are teaming up to deliver produce, meats  and other products from 60+ Maine farmers and food producers to homes in the Greater Portland area.

Daybreak represents a group of Maine farms and independently owned food producers working together to bring you the best of Maine’s harvest. A Maine and women-owned and managed company, Daybreak distributes 300+ local and organic products from 60+ Maine farmers and food producers year round to Maine families through their Farm Box program and wholesale to Maine restaurants and retailers.

The new service will launch just in time for Thanksgiving—see the list in the article above for how to order farm and butcher boxes for your Thanksgiving meal through CarHop.

A new food truck called Brunch Truck 207 (instagram) recently launched in South Portland. The truck is located at 121 Sawyer Street in Ferry Village in the parking lot of Evelyn’s Tavern.

Brunch Truck 207 promises “breakfast and lunch favorites without gettin’ too fancy” with a menu that includes breakfast sandwiches, omelletes, breakfast burgers, steak bombs, burgers and hot dogs.

A new restaurant called Butcher Burger (instagram) has opened at 7 Union Street in the space formerly occupied by the Royale Lunch Bar. You can see from the menu below (click to enlarge) that they serve a wide assortment of burgers, plus sandwiches, lobster rolls, salads and fries by the pound or half pound.

Butcher Burger plans to be open Monday 11:30 – 9, Tuesday through Thursday 4 – 9, Friday and Saturday 11:30 – 10 and Sunday 11:30 – 9. This is  the third Butcher Burger location. Owner Kevin McAllister operates a location in Bethel and the original Butcher Burger in Old Orchard Beach.