Category: Under Construction

A “California-Mexican inspired fast casual” restaurant called Mesa Grande Taqueria (website, instagram) is under construction at 140 Fore Street near the Roux Institute. This will be the second location of a business that opened in Auburn, New York in 2010. The Portland location is being launched by Yarmouth resident Collin Henderson.

The Mesa Grande menu will include tacos, burritos, quesadillas, bowls, and salads as well as a children’s menu. They will have a full liquor license.

Renovations are just getting underway but when completed the restaurant will seat (see floor plan below) approximately 40 people with seasonal outdoor seating as well. Henderson hopes to open Mesa Grande in the spring. He chose the location on Fore Street because of its proximity to the businesses located in the area and to the Munjoy Hill neighborhood.

Brickyard Hollow Brewing (website, facebook, instagram) is expanding their Portland location. They’ve leased the adjacent space formerly occupied by Maker’s Galley which closed in September.

Brickyard plans to use the additional room for an event space and overflow seating for their restaurant. They’ll be making some renovations including adding a bar and hope to have the expansion ready for use in the spring.

Rebel Munchies and Libations (instagram) owner Peter Murphy has launched a $45k crowdfunding campaign to support the launch of his new restaurant on Congress Street. Eighteen people have already contributed $2,600 towards the campaign.

We’re growing up, opening a new restaurant, and it turns out that growth is really really hard. Like a teenager desperate to get their braces off we come to you, the community, desperate and riddled with acne. Bills and rent have eaten away at our cash while we dwindled away all summer hoping, waiting, and wishing for a building permit. Now that we finally have the permit, we realize that more bills and costs are heading our way like B.O. after gym class.

Murphy leased the former Dos Naciones space in March. He has been operating his mobile food business Rebel Cheesesteaks for the last four years.

A new business called Good Wine Bar (instagram) is under construction at 172 Main Street in Saco in the space that was formerly the home of Unwind Cocktail Lounge.

Owners Sunny Chung and Kim Lully are hoping to launch the wine bar in November. In addition to wine, Good Wine Bar will also serve classic cocktails, local beers, and a menu of cheese, charcuterie, small plates, and desserts. Lully and Chung anticipate having biodynamic and organic wines on the list which will lean towards Old World wines.

Chung and Lully formerly ran the Korean restaurant Yobo, and were partners with Sarah Gabrielson and chef Tony Pastor in the launch of Main Street Steak & Oyster in Brunswick.

The owners of Unwind Lounge announced back in July that they had sold the business to new owners.

The Bayou Kitchen (website, instagram) has applied for a liquor license. Owner Karl Silander is still working on the final menu but hopes to have some brunch cocktails like bloody marys and mimosas as well as beers from Louisiana.

Thistle & Grouse (instagram), the new restaurant that’s under construction on Cotton Street, is scheduled to open by the end of November. T&G has applied for their liquor license which provides a look at their draft menu and additional information.

Thistle & Grouse will be a gastropub with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients. The bar program is slated to feature “a craft selection of gins and scotches, as well as a full selection of liquor, local beers, hand-crafted cocktails and wines.”

The space will have a large central bar and open kitchen with interior design inspired by the owner’s recent travel to Scotland. The two story dining room will have a combined capacity of 108 seats.

The 7-page menu (click on images below to see full size images) includes oysters and other raw bar options, cheese, charcuterie and sea-cuterie boards, small plates, mains and dessert. The Cornmeal Waffle (with crispy shiitakes, smoked corn butter, fermented pear, bonito) from the small plate menu sounds especially interesting as does the Heritage Pork Meatloaf (lemon grass, ginger and soy, tempura delicata squash, coconut sticky rice, nam chim chaeo glaze) from the main course section.

The restaurant is being launched by Kimberly Kraus and chef Bobby Will. Will has worked at restaurants run by well known chefs like Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Ken Oringer, and Jamie Bissonette. He was the executive chef at Saltaire Oyster Bar in Port Chester when the New York Times gave it a rating of Excellent in 2015. Also on the team are Julia Mcinnis who will be the general manager and bar manager Corey Schallek. All four worked together at Kraus’ and Will’s former restaurant Salt and Steel in Bar Harbor.

The Prentice Hospitality Group has announced their purchase of The Good Table (website, facebook, instagram) in Cape Elizabeth. Prentice is planning some light renovations of the building and then to reopen The Good Table early next year. The press release from Prentice shared this about their approach,

As the new steward of this cherished local establishment, PHG aims to thoughtfully preserve the traditions and warmth that have made The Good Table a beloved gathering place for so many patrons over the past 38 years. “We’re honored to carry on the legacy of this exceptional neighborhood treasure,” said Casey Prentice, CEO of Prentice Hospitality Group. “The Good Table aligns perfectly with our commitment to delicious food, community-focused hospitality, and showcasing local ingredients. Our goal is to nurture the spirit of The Good Table for the next 30 years.”

Tony and Lisa Kostopoulos opened The Good Table in 1986 and their niece Jessica Kostopoulos became a partner and the Good Table’s chef in 2018. Lisa Kostopoulos shared in the press release,

“We have had the time of our lives here at The Good Table. The decision to sell didn’t come easily, knowing that PHG will honor our legacy and build upon it made the transition so much easier. We are thrilled that local folks will be serving our beautiful friends and neighbors for years to come. They are inheriting the best customers anyone could ever hope for. All good things to come for Matt, Casey and the rest of the crew. We can’t wait to come and sit at your table.”

The Prentice Hospitality Group operates, Evo Kitchen + Bar, the Chebeague Island Inn, Twelve and the 58 Culinary catering business.

The Press Herald reports that Joshua Miranda will be renovating the former Lupita’s space and launching a pizzeria. He’ll be partnering in the project with two of his Via Vecchia team—Mark Hibbard and Mitchell Ryan—on the new restaurant.

The yet-to-be-named pizzeria will be located at 15 Exchange St., in the former Lupita’s Taqueria, and will sell New York-style pizza by the slice and foccacia-based sandwiches along with pre-bottled cocktails, beer and wine, though it won’t have a bar.

The pizzeria will be located at 15 Exchange Street in the space that longtime Portland residents will remember as the original location of Walter’s.

The October issue of Portland City Lifestyle magazine includes an article about Rafael Dones and Sangeeta Nasiff’s plans to open Angoor Wine Bar on Fore Street.

Serving a variety of wines in two, four, and six-ounce servings from pre-calibrated self-pour dispensers, the elevated but approachable wine bar will give customers the opportunity to pour as they go. The process is simple: grab a wine card when you walk in, and head to the self-pour dispensers to fill up a glass at your leisure. “This distinctive experience eliminates the need to wait in line or flag down a bartender,” explains Nasiff… 

Dones and Nasiff hope to open Angoor Wine Bar in early 2024.

Update: photograph added October 23rd.