Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article on how supply chain issues are impacting the launch of new restaurants in Portland.
Many of the region’s anticipated restaurant and food shop openings this year have become bogged down by big delays, reflecting the hard reality that Belleville ran into headlong. In sum: Workers everywhere and the things they produce are in short supply and running late.
Vena’s Fizz House (website, facebook, instagram) is making good progress in renovating their new location at 867 Congress Street in Parkside and the owners hope to launch in December.
The former church will be home to the expanded Vena’s cocktail/mocktail bar and mixology shop which will eventually span three floors with seating for 129 people. The main floor with bar and mixology shop and the mezzanine seating area will be open for the relaunch of Vena’s.
The mixology shop will offer a similar mix of products as the old Vena’s with bar tools, books, bitters, mixers, and glassware as well as Vena’s branded products. Vena’s will also be hosting their mixology classes on Congress Street and the space will be available for private events.
The draft menu supplied with their liquor license application includes drinks like the Sea Rose (gin, rose petals, apple, hibiscus, tonic, lime, Vena’s meadow bitters), Mezcalcillin (mezcal, drambuie, ancho chili liquer, ginger, sfumato, Vena’s fiesta bitters) and a the Maine Maple Fire mocktail (maple syrup, apple cider syrup, lemon, ghost pepper, Vena’s aromatic bitters).
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Vena’s Fizz House was founded in 2013 and was originally located at the corner of Silver and Fore Streets in the Old Port.
Khanhly Nguyen has applied for a liquor license for the Old Port Noodle House at 245 Commercial Street.
Nguyen is in the process of buying the Veranda Noodle House from family members. He expects to continue to operate the business along the same lines but will rename it as the Old Port Noodle House.
The Veranda Noodle House originally opened in 2015.
A new African restaurant called Merveille is under construction in Woodfords Corner at 683 Forest Ave in the space formerly occupied by the Shawarma & Kebab House.
Owner Liliana Mungongo Da Silva is a recent immigrant who originally hails from Angola. Here’s a bit of her personal history shared in her liquor license application.
Indeed, I embraced commerce, trading and business at an early age in Africa. Coming out from a humble family, armed with a very strong will to succeed in life, my beginning was hard. I endured the hardship from selling water in the street to becoming one of the prominent businesswomen in Luanda, Angola. I became a role-model and led many other women into the field of business, traveled to more than 20 countries around the world; due to political unrest, I finally rested my luggages in the USA.
Da Silva’s goal is for Merveille to be “place where people from different cultures can meet and mingle.” Merveille is intended to be a place where Americans can experience a food culture that may be new to them, and where members of the African immigrant community “can easily find their home foods when going to or coming back from work”.
The draft menu includes some regional dishes like fufu, fumbua, bolino de chuva, kikwanga, plantains and casava leaves along with vegetables, salad, and dishes featuring goat, fish and chicken.
Merveille is a French word that appears to mean a ‘wonder’ or ‘marvel’.
A new Puerto Rican-inspired bar and restaurant called Papi (facebook, instagram) is under construction at 18 Exchange Street. Papi is being launched by Joshua Miranda along with bartender LyAnna Sanabria (instagram).
As you can see, the space is still very much under construction. However, if the remaining work goes according to plan Papi is expected to open in late November or early December. The space will seat 48—15 at the curved bar shown above, 31 in a banquet along the left wall of the space and the 2 remaining seats in a semi enclosed “lover’s booth” with louvered French doors towards the back of the bar.
The menu will feature food and drink inspired by the foodways of Puerto Rican. Sanabria shared, “I remember hearing a Nuyorican say ‘we are our ancestors wildest dreams’ and that is honestly how I envision the cocktail program for Papi. Like most Puerto Ricans I was heavily impacted by watching my family cook and dance. Honoring the diaspora, expect flavors like guava, coconut and sofrito while melding with the fresh and seasonal seaside flavors available here in Maine.”
Here’s a look at the draft food and beverage menus:
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The Papi team will be running a pop-up event on October 10th where you’ll be able to get an early taste of the food and cocktails. The pop-up will raise funds for VisitRico and ConPRmetidos to aid residents of the island as they recover from hurricane Fiona. Tickets are now available.
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Welcome to the October 2022 edition of the Portland Food Map restaurant real estate listings sponsored by The Boulos Company—a commercial real estate brokerage that has helped Maine’s restauranteurs buy and lease restaurant spaces since 1975.
This monthly column gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers/retailers to locate their next business. Finding the right spot is one of the crucial early challenges in launching a new business and hopefully this resource will make that step just a little bit easier.
West End
156 State St – 5,250 sq ft of space on the first floor of the Portland Club is available for $14/sq ft (NNN).
235 Vaughan St – the 700 sq ft space most recently occupied by Other Side Deli and which had been the longtime home of Vaughan Street Variety is for lease. Call (207) 650-0846 for more information.
Arts District
554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space with hood for $2,301/month (NNN).
605 Congress St – a 543 sq ft retail space in the State Theatre building is available for $35/sq ft (MG).
642 Congress St – the former Ada’s space is available to sublet; 2,569 sq ft (MG).
647 Congress St – 1,107 sq ft of space near Longfellow Square is available for $20/sq ft (MG).
649 Congress St – the 3,000 sq ft former Dos Naciones storefront is available for $22/sq ft (MG).
142 High St – a 543 sq ft retail space in the State Theatre building that faces High Street is available for $35/sq ft (MG).
Bayside
75 Chestnut St – a 2,100 sq ft ground floor retail space under construction in Bayside is for sale for $649,999.
31 Diamond St – this 2,800 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is available for $2,500/month.
82 Hanover St – the 3,067 sq ft former Yard space in Bayside is available for $30/sq ft (NNN); the sale includes all FF&E inventory.
127 Marginal Way – 3,040 sq ft of space that’s been the home of Allspeed Cycle & Snow is for lease for $32/ sq ft (NNN).
65 Portland Street – the beautiful restaurant space that was home to Back Bay Grill for 34 years is available; 2,750 sq ft for $22/sq ft (MG).
24 Preble St – the former Arcadia space is available; 2,835 sq ft for $20/sq ft (NNN).
Old Port
1 Commercial St – the original location of Benkay at the corner of Commercial and India Streets is available. The 900-2,950 sq ft is for lease at $35/sq ft (NNN).
383 Commercial St – 2,223 square feet of retail space on Commercial Street is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).
441 Congress St – 2,400 sq ft of retail space is available for $15/sq ft (MG).
443 Congress St – 5,280 sq ft of space for lease for $16-20/sq ft (MG). It’s located across Elm Street from the Portland Public Library.
86 Exchange St – the 1,438 sq ft Swiss Time space on upper Exchange Street is for lease for $31/sq ft.
446 Fore St – 1,600 to 3,400 sq ft of space for lease for $30-40/sq ft (MG). It’s located in the building that was formerly occupied by the Pearl Tap House.
40 Free St – the new building constructed by JB Brown has four storefronts ranging in size from 1,358 to 3,067 sq ft for $30/sq ft (NNN).
38 Market St – a 1,200 sq ft basement space is available for $1,175/month (MG).
55 Market St – this 3,700 sq ft space on Market Street was formerly occupied by the Big Easy. It’s available for $24/sq ft (NNN).
100 Middle St – a 350 sq ft cafe space on first floor of an Old Port office building is available for $850/month (MG).
157 Middle St – 1,091 – 5,155 sq ft of retail space is available for $27 – 29.95/sq ft (MG).
1 Monument Square – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space for $3,125/month (MG).
28 Monument Square – turnkey former Roll Call space in the first floor of the Public Market House, $2,250/month (NNN).
25 Pearl St – 1,689 sq ft former Subway space available for $30/sq ft (MG).
66 Pearl St – 5,796 sq ft of space—the former Bull Moose retail shop—is available for $15.75/sq ft (MG).
1 Pleasant St – an 1,800 sq ft restaurant space in the Cinnamon Building available for $25/sq ft (NNN).
15 Temple St – the 2,086 sq ft space formerly occupied by Bubble Maineia is available for $26/sq ft (MG).
42 Wharf St – this 3,770 sq ft space in the Old Port includes a 2,000 sq ft patio, $45/sq ft (MG).
43 Wharf St – the former 1,350 sq ft Drink Exchange space is for lease for $43/sq ft (MG).
India/Washington Ave
100 Fore St – 1,914 sq ft of space that the listing says is “ideally suited for a restaurant use” is available for $30/sq ft.
5 India St – 1,250 – 2,500 sq ft for $35/sq ft (NNN) in a new building under construction near the intersection with Commercial St.
83 Middle St – 1,480 sq ft of retail space is available in the new building being constructed across the street from Eventide; $30/sq ft (NNN)
Forest Ave
945 Forest Ave – the former Photo Market building is for sale for $995,000.
Other
936 Brighton Ave – 1,995 sq ft of space in an 11k sq ft building that’s the future home of Allspeed Cycle and Snow for $20/sq ft.
155 Riverside St – the Season’s Bar & Grille and Banquet Center is for lease. The 23,750 sq ft facility includes parking and all furniture, fixtures and equipment.
476 Stevens Ave – the Elsmere BBQ building in Deering Center is for sale for $1,650,000; the sale includes all FF&E inventory.
1341 Washington Ave – the former Parker’s restaurant is available for sale for $2,500,000, or for lease for $9,000/month (NNN).
Northgate Shopping Center – 2,200 to 5,700 sq ft of space is available.
Westgate Shopping Center – four spaces are for lease at $18-40/sq ft (NNN).
Biscuits & Co, Biddeford – Biscuits & Co closed on October 16th and the business and equipment is for sale. Contact Biscuitsandcompany@gmail.com for more information.
Buxton – the former Buxton Commons restaurant is available for sale or lease. Lease terms are $4,500/month (NNN) for 3,600 sq ft of space.
Longwoods Preserve – the Longwoods Preserve is seeking a partner to operate a restaurant on their 55-acre property in Cumberland. The 3,500 sq ft building is expected to seat 70-80 indoors plus a three season porch. For more information contact Joe Atwood at (207) 899–7373, 76longwoods@gmail.com.
18 Ocean St, South Portland – the 4,351 sq ft former Snow Squall is for lease for $15/sq ft (NNN).
Other Spaces – some vacated restaurant spaces haven’t yet been formerly listed for by the owner. Check the closing announcements for the latest information.
Glossary
MG – Modified Gross which indicates that the operating expenses (taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc.) for the property are included in the lease rate. The tenant would pay its own utilities, which sometimes includes heat.
NNN – Triple Net which indicates that operating expenses are not included in the lease rate, and the tenant will pay them separately. They are often referred to as CAM (Common Area Maintenance) charges and taxes, which are expressed as $/sf. The tenant is also responsible for utilities.
Gross – Gross indicates all expenses including utilities are included in the lease rate. The tenant would be responsible for phone and internet access, as well as interior janitorial.
Portland bartender Arvid Brown and his business partner Nick Coffin have signed a lease for 41 Wharf Street where they plan to open a new bar called Room for Improvement (instagram).
The cocktail list at Room for Improvement will feature riffs on classic cocktails and some house-designed specialty drinks. The beverage menu will also include local draft beer, and a small and focused by-the-glass wine list, and a selection of temperance cocktails. The owners are hoping to source and reconfigure a Jagermeister shot-chilling machine to set it up as an Allen’s Coffee Brandy dispenser—part of a vision to be a bar that’s serious about cocktails but that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The general concept for Room for Improvement is of a modern dive bar. Renovations have already begun in the former Jaeger/Rogue’s Gallery space and they hope to be open for business by the end of February. Brown and Coffin are positioning Room for improvement as a straight up bar that can be a destination for a pre-dinner drink before a prime time meal in the Old Port and also serve as late night spot that Old Port workers can drop in at after their shifts.
Brown was a co-owner of the Fishin’ Ships food truck when he first moved to Portland. He moved on to work as a bartender at Ebb & Flow, Roustabout before helping open Baharat where his creative use of Middle Eastern ingredients and flavors integrated the bar program with the menu. Brown is currently the bar manager at the popular Exchange Street restaurant and bar Crispy Gai. Coffin is a native of Vermont and has been a partner and manager in bars in Colorado and California prior to moving to Maine.
Mast Landing Brewing has announced plans to open a new tasting room in South Portland at 185 Cottage Road in the space formerly occupied by Rwanda Bean Coffee.
Westbrook-based Mast Landing is expanding to a third tasting room. The forthcoming location sits at 185 Cottage Rd. in South Portland, and was most recently occupied by Rwanda Bean Coffee Roasters. Pending approval from the town, Mast Landing plans to open the location by the end of the year. Moving in to the space is expected to be a fairly seamless transition for Mast Landing given the past use of the building and the team’s experience with their Westbrook and Freeport spaces.
Katahdin (website, facebook) owners Becky Simmons and Winnie Moody have announced they’ll be shutting down their longtime Forest Ave restaurant after service this Saturday. The closure is a result of a building renovation plan by their landlords Portland Stage. Moody and Simmons plan to relocate Katahdin. Details on the new location are TBD.
A new restaurant called Alto Terrace + Kitchen (website, facebook, instagram) is planned for the new Cambria Hotel under construction at 25 Hancock Street. The hotel and restaurant are expected to open this fall.
Welcome to the September 2022 edition of the Portland Food Map restaurant real estate listings sponsored by The Boulos Company—a commercial real estate brokerage that has helped Maine’s restauranteurs buy and lease restaurant spaces since 1975.
This monthly column gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers/retailers to locate their next business. Finding the right spot is one of the crucial early challenges in launching a new business and hopefully this resource will make that step just a little bit easier.
West End
156 State St – 5,250 sq ft of space on the first floor of the Portland Club is available for $14/sq ft (NNN).
235 Vaughan St – the 700 sq ft space most recently occupied by Other Side Deli and which had been the longtime home of Vaughan Street Variety is for lease. Call (207) 650-0846 for more information.
Arts District
554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space with hood for $2,301/month (NNN).
605 Congress St – a 543 sq ft retail space in the State Theatre building is available for $35/sq ft (MG).
642 Congress St – the former Ada’s space is available to sublet; 2,569 sq ft (MG).
647 Congress St – 1,107 sq ft of space near Longfellow Square is available for $20/sq ft (MG).
649 Congress St – this 3,000 sq ft space is available for $22/sq ft (MG).
142 High St – a 543 sq ft retail space in the State Theatre building that faces High Street is available for $35/sq ft (MG).
Bayside
75 Chestnut St – a 2,100 sq ft ground floor retail space under construction in Bayside is for sale for $649,999.
31 Diamond St – this 2,800 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is available for $2,500/month.
127 Marginal Way – 3,040 sq ft of space that’s been the home of Allspeed Cycle & Snow is for lease for $32/ sq ft (NNN).
65 Portland Street – the beautiful restaurant space that was home to Back Bay Grill for 34 years is available; 2,750 sq ft for $22/sq ft (MG).
24 Preble St – the former Arcadia space is available; 2,835 sq ft for $20/sq ft (NNN).
Old Port
1 Commercial St – the original location of Benkay at the corner of Commercial and India Streets is available. The 900-2,950 sq ft is for lease at $35/sq ft (NNN).
195 Commercial St – this 2,000 sq ft retail store that is home to Fish & Bone is available for $45/sq ft (MG).
383 Commercial St – 2,223 square feet of retail space on Commercial Street is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).
443 Congress St – 5,280 sq ft of space for lease for $16-20/sq ft (MG). It’s located across Elm Street from the Portland Public Library.
446 Fore St – 1,600 to 3,400 sq ft of space for lease for $30-40/sq ft (MG). It’s located in the building that was formerly occupied by the Pearl Tap House.
40 Free St – the new building constructed by JB Brown has four storefronts ranging in size from 1,358 to 3,067 sq ft for $30/sq ft (NNN).
38 Market St – a 1,200 sq ft basement space is available for $1,175/month (MG).
55 Market St – this 3,700 sq ft space on Market Street was formerly occupied by the Big Easy. It’s available for $24/sq ft (NNN).
75 Market St – the 5,474 sq ft space on the corner of Market and Middle Streets occupied by Rambler’s Way is for lease for $37/sq ft (MG).
100 Middle St – a 350 sq ft cafe space on first floor of an Old Port office building is available for $850/month (MG).
157 Middle St – 1,091 – 5,155 sq ft of retail space is available for $27 – 29.95/sq ft (MG).
1 Monument Square – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space for $3,125/month (MG).
28 Monument Square – turnkey former Roll Call space in the first floor of the Public Market House, $2,250/month (NNN).
25 Pearl St – 1,689 sq ft former Subway space available for $30/sq ft (MG).
66 Pearl St – 5,796 sq ft of space—the former Bull Moose retail shop—is available for $15.75/sq ft (MG).
1 Pleasant St – an 1,800 sq ft restaurant space in the Cinnamon Building available for $25/sq ft (NNN).
15 Temple St – the 2,086 sq ft space formerly occupied by Bubble Maineia is available for $26/sq ft (MG).
41 Wharf St – the former Jager space is available; 1,107 sq ft for $43/sq ft (MG).
42 Wharf St – this 3,770 sq ft space in the Old Port includes a 2,000 sq ft patio, $45/sq ft (MG).
India/Washington Ave
100 Fore St – 1,914 sq ft of space that the listing says is “ideally suited for a restaurant use” is available for $30/sq ft.
5 India St – 1,250 – 2,500 sq ft for $35/sq ft (NNN) in a new building under construction near the intersection with Commercial St.
83 Middle St – 1,480 sq ft of retail space is available in the new building being constructed across the street from Eventide; $30/sq ft (NNN)
Forest Ave
369 Forest Ave – 5,040 sq ft of space adjacent for Forest Gardens on Forest Ave is available for $15/sq ft.
500 Forest Ave – a 1,500 – 3,200 sq ft space is currently occupied by Starbird. It’s available for $16/sq ft (MG).
945 Forest Ave – the former Photo Market building is for sale for $995,000.
Other
936 Brighton Ave – 1,995 sq ft of space in an 11k sq ft building that’s the future home of Allspeed Cycle and Snow for $20/sq ft.
155 Riverside St – the Season’s Bar & Grille and Banquet Center is for lease. The 23,750 sq ft facility includes parking and all furniture, fixtures and equipment.
1339 Washington Ave – the former Parker’s restaurant is available for sale for $2,750,000, or for lease for $9,000/month (NNN).
Northgate Shopping Center – 2,200 to 5,700 sq ft of space is available.
Westgate Shopping Center – four spaces are for lease at $18-40/sq ft (NNN).
Biscuits & Co, Biddeford – Biscuits & Co closed on October 16th and the business and equipment is for sale. Contact Biscuitsandcompany@gmail.com for more information.
Buxton – the former Buxton Commons restaurant is available for sale or lease. Lease terms are $4,500/month (NNN) for 3,600 sq ft of space.
Longwoods Preserve – the Longwoods Preserve is seeking a partner to operate a restaurant on their 55-acre property in Cumberland. The 3,500 sq ft building is expected to seat 70-80 indoors plus a three season porch. For more information contact Joe Atwood at (207) 899–7373, 76longwoods@gmail.com.
185 Cottage Rd, South Portland – the 2,647 sq ft building that formerly housed Rwanada Bean’s South Portland location is available for $14/sq ft (NNN).
18 Ocean St, South Portland – the 4,351 sq ft former Snow Squall is for lease for $15/sq ft (NNN).
Other Spaces – some vacated restaurant spaces haven’t yet been formerly listed for by the owner. Check the closing announcements for the latest information.
Glossary
MG – Modified Gross which indicates that the operating expenses (taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc.) for the property are included in the lease rate. The tenant would pay its own utilities, which sometimes includes heat.
NNN – Triple Net which indicates that operating expenses are not included in the lease rate, and the tenant will pay them separately. They are often referred to as CAM (Common Area Maintenance) charges and taxes, which are expressed as $/sf. The tenant is also responsible for utilities.
Gross – Gross indicates all expenses including utilities are included in the lease rate. The tenant would be responsible for phone and internet access, as well as interior janitorial.