Two Fat Cats in the West End

Two Fat Cats (website, facebook, instagram) is opening a new location in the West End at 175 Spring Street adjacent to Chocolat Passion.

Owner Stacy Begin shared that the new location will be a bakery, cafe and market which will serve soups, salads and sandwiches, and their house-made baked goods as well as sell market staples, prepared meals. The menu for the cafe is still under development but the draft menu includes items like breakfast sandwiches, overnight oats with buckwheat honey and berries, seasonal salads, soups, a Cape Cod Chicken Salad sandwich, and a Banana Fluffer Nutter sandwich.

The Lancaster Street location in West Bayside will remain the primary production bakery for Two Fat Cats as well as a retail shop and a place where customers can pre-order a custom cake or desserts for events.

Construction has already begun on the 2,477 sq ft space. Begin hopes to open the new Two Fat Cats sometime in October. Initial thoughts on hours of operation are that they’ll be open Tuesday through Saturday, 7:30 am – 4 pm, and Sundays 9 am – 2 pm.

Two Fat Cats was founded on India Street. An outpost in South Portland opened in 2018 and the Portland location moved to West Bayside in 2020. Begin announced the closure of their South Portland location last month.

To learn more about other new food and dining businesses under development visit our Under Construction page.

Restaurant Real Estate: August 2024

Welcome to the August 2024 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 resource gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland (and a few in the surrounding area) that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers and 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.

 

Arts District

547 Congress St – the 1,582 sq ft space formerly occupied by Broken Arrow is for lease for $3,800/month (NNN).

553 Congress St – the commercial kitchen in the former Five Fifty Five space (now leased by the Core Cannabis Museum) is available to a co-tenant for $2,000/month (MG).

554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space for $2,301/month (NNN).

594 Congress St – the 2,592 sq ft space in the Upper H. H. Hay Building formerly occupied by Starbucks is available for $28/sq ft (MG).

602 Congress St – The ~1,500 sq ft ground floor space at the corner of High and Congress is available to lease. The Schwartz Building has been under renovation for a decade. For more info contact Joe Atwood at (207) 899-7373.

Bayside/Inner Washington

219 Anderson St – Blue Lobster’s former tasting room in the Rockingham Electric building is available; 2,700 sq ft for $16/sq ft (NNN).

73 Cove St – a 5,519 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is listed for $35/sq ft; it’s expected to become available later this year.

52 Hanover St – On the first floor of the Armature is 1,500 – 3,000 sq ft of retail space available for $30/sq ft (NNN). One spot in the building has earmarked for a coffee shop.

178 Kennebec St – 2,644 sq ft of space are available in a newly constructed Bayside building for $25/sq ft (NNN).

55 Washington Ave – this 7,815 sq ft space is in the Nissen Bakery building right in between Cong Tu Bot and Hardshore Distillery. It’s available for $13,708/month (NNN).

Old Port

1 Canal Plaza – 4,284 – 14,412 sq ft of ground floor retail space will be available as part of upcoming renovations; $30/sq ft (NNN).

15 Chestnut St – the building that was home to Grace restaurant is for sale. It includes the property, business assets and all FF&E. The restaurant seats 175 and features a large circular bar on the first floor of the former church. The building has 14,358 sq ft of space. It’s for sale for $2,985,000.

185 Commercial St – a new building on Commercial Street has a 2,334 sq ft ground floor retail space that is available for $55/sq ft (NNN).

266 Commercial St – a 6,689 sq ft retail space is available in this new construction building for $20-22/sq ft (NNN).

383 Commercial St – 1,193 – 4,805 square feet of space in a newly constructed building on Commercial Street is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

8 Exchange St – 1,800-3,600 sq ft of space formerly occupied by The Bar & Bites on lower Exchange Street is available for $34.99/sq ft (MG).

201 Federal St – a 2,300 sq ft space in the new 18-story Casco building is available for $40/sq ft (MG). The building owners are looking for someone who wants to open a market in that space.

420 Fore St – the space formerly occupied by the Old Port Slice Bar is for lease. The 2,600 sq ft space is available for $40/sq ft (MG).

477 Fore St – the 1,361 sq ft space formerly occupied by B + B Bakery is available for $30/sq ft (MG).

40 Free St – a 1,511 sq ft space in the new building constructed by JB Brown is available for $27.50/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).

111 Middle St – the 1,622 sq ft former Cabana building is for lease for $3,500/month (NNN). See this post on instagram for more information about the property and its history.

121 Middle St – a 2,482 sq ft retail spot is available for $45/sq ft (MG).

157 Middle St – 2,039 – 5,155 sq ft of retail space is available for $27.95/sq ft (MG).

184 Middle St – this newly renovated space becomes available in August. It was formerly occupied by Blanche & Mimi. It includes 1,169 sq of first floor retail and 808 sq ft of basement storage space all for $48.43/sq ft (MG).

5 Milk St – this 2,199 sq ft former hair salon is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

1 Monument Square – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space adjacent to Cera is available for $25/sq ft (MG).

28 Monument Square – a number of spots on the first and second floors of the Public Market House are available.

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).

3 Spring St – the space formerly occupied by Stage Cannabis is for lease; 2,000 sq ft for $15.50/sq ft (NNN).

144 State St – a retail space is available in the former Mercy Hospital building on State Street. The 2,477 sq ft space are available for $20/sq ft (MG). Chocolate Passions has already moved into the adjacent storefront.

53 Wharf St –a 1,600 sq ft space on the corner of Wharf and Union Streets is available for $30/sq ft (MG).

India Street Area

144 Fore St – the former VA building is near the Portland Foreside development and adjacent to several new office buildings off Thames Street. It has 1,560 – 10,620 sq ft of space available for $22-29/sq ft (NNN).

Outer Forest Ave

503 – 509 Forest Ave – the exterior of this building is slated to be restored to its historic design. It has 1,268 – 6,313 sq ft of space available for $10-15/sq ft (NNN).

Deering

164 Veranda St – the 1,000 sq ft former location of Other Side Deli is available for $2,500/month (Gross).

550 Washington Ave – 2,000 – 2,400 sq ft of the former Botto’s bakery is available to lease for $18/sq ft (NNN).

Elsewhere in Portland

Old Port Bar – an 1,160/sq ft bar/restaurant in the Old Port is for sale for $195,000.

1339 Washington Ave – the 4,150 sq ft former Parker’s Restaurant building in North Deering is for sale for $1,750,000.

Northgate Shopping Center – 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft of space is available.

Westgate Shopping Center – three spaces are for lease 1,400, 3,800 and 5,000 sq ft. The lease rates are negotiable and the property owner has a strong interest in finding a restaurant tenant for the shopping plaza.

Other Spaces – some vacated restaurant spaces haven’t yet been formerly listed for by the owner. Check the closing announcements for the latest information.

Outside of Portland

372 Cottage Rd, South Portland – the building that formerly was home to Omi’s Coffee Shop is for sale for $675,000. Contact Gail Bruzgo at 372maine@gmail.com for more information.

145 Ocean St, South Portland – the BenReuben’s building in South Portland will become available with the closure of the knishery in September. The ~1,000 sq ft space is for lease for $3,000/month (MG). Contact Josh at (207) 408-3879 for more information.

The Downs – A 2,019 sq ft restaurant space is for sale in The Downs mixed use development.

Trudy Birds, North Yarmouth – The business, land and both building are for sale for $1,450,000.

358 Main St, Yarmouth – the building that had housed a collection of gluten-free baking businesses is for sale for $475,000.

Ferry Village – The building that’s been home to the Knitting Nook is available; 500 -1,200 sq ft at $2,000 (MG).

188 Lincoln St, Lewiston – this 2,371 – 5,554 sq ft former fire station has been renovated for use as a retail/restaurant space. It’s listed at $5-14/sq ft (NNN). See this instagram article for additional information on the building and the neighborhood.

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.

Sissle and Daughters Crowdfunding

Mary and Will Sissle, the owners of The Cheese Shop, have launched a crowdfunding campaign on NuMarket to help fund the launch of their new business Sissle and Daughters (instagram). Participants in the campaign will get a credit at the new business valued at 120% of their contribution.

News about Sissle and Daughters was released back in May. The new market/cafe will be located in Woodfords Corner at 634 Forest Ave. Here’s what the Sissles shared then about their plans for the new business,

Expect espresso drinks, wine & light fare in the café, and the same great retail offerings you find at The Cheese Shop with the addition of take-and-heat prepared meals made from those same quality ingredients in the market. So stop to see us on your way to work for a cappuccino & a bite, then in the afternoon for a glass of wine, and grab everything you need for a delicious dinner at home while you’re at it.

VOTEMEAL Dining Club

Rick and Molly Wood, the former owners of Rick’s Lobby Cafe are launching a new dining club for the Portland area. VOTEMEAL (website, instagram) will provide diners a discount at local participating restaurants and with the aim of delivering more local customers to participating businesses all year round.

In addition, $5 of every membership fee will be donated to a local charity that’s addressing food insecurity. The first recipient of those funds will be Westbrook Families Feeding Families.

The Woods are currently recruiting restaurants to participate in the program. They plan to start sales of memberships later this summer with the goal of launching in early this fall.

Brew on Washington Ave


Meagan Waldron has leased the first floor of 34 Washington Ave where she plans to open Brew  (instagram). The hybrid cafe/bar will serve coffee, beer, wine, baked goods and meat and cheese boards. Waldron envisions it as a neighborhood spot that offers simple, reliable and consistent food and drinks.

The 858 sq ft space is under construction (see floor plan below), and when it’s completed will seat 21 overall with an 8-seat bar. Waldron hopes to be ready to open by early September. When Brew does launch it will be open Thursday through Tuesday with extended evening hours Thursday through Saturday with beer and wine.

The city of Portland, especially the food service industry, captured my heart as soon as I moved here. I feel so fortunate to be a part of it. I am so eager to open Brew’s doors and share this space with you all.

Waldron has worked at LB Kitchen as well as at Terlingua. She grew up in Vermont and worked at her parents wood-fired pizzeria and other restaurants in Burlington prior to moving to Maine.

The final menu is still under development but watch for Brew to serve coffee from Crossroads Coffee in Rockland, and beers from Maine as well as from her home state.

Roasty’s on Congress Street

Ada’s Kitchen owner Jennifer Rockwell will be opening a new business called Roasty’s (instagram) at 642 Congress Street.

Roasty’s will be a counter service restaurant that will showcase a variety of regional roast beef sandwiches as well as other sandwiches including vegetarian options. Rockwell is still developing the menu but expects to offer a French dip roast beef sandwich, an Italian beef sandwich, a Beef on Weck sandwich and a Boston Northshore style roast beef sandwich.

We are excited to breathe new life into this space and return to Portland’s food scene with Roasty’s. Portland holds a special place for food enthusiasts, and we’ve been eager to find the perfect moment to rejoin this community. Food tells a story, especially here in Portland, and we’re excited to share some of our favorite nostalgic moments and signature Roast Beef sandwiches with you.

Rockwell had launched a Portland outpost of her Rockland-based restaurant Ada’s Kitchen at 642 Congress Street in early 2020 which closed in late 2021. She plans to keep the layout largely the same as Ada’s Portland with a 7-seat bar and 3 two-top tables and will have the full menu available for takeout. She hopes to launch Roasty’s in August.

Restaurant Real Estate: July 2024

Welcome to the July 2024 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 resource gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland (and a few in the surrounding area) that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers and 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/Parkside

867 Congress St – the 3,200 sq ft former church that had been slated to be a new home of Vena’s is for sale for $725,000.

Arts District

547 Congress St – the 1,582 sq ft space formerly occupied by Broken Arrow is for lease for $3,800/month (NNN).

553 Congress St – the commercial kitchen in the former Five Fifty Five space (now leased by the Core Cannabis Museum) is available to a co-tenant for $2,000/month (MG).

554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space for $2,301/month (NNN).

594 Congress St – the 2,592 sq ft space in the Upper H. H. Hay Building formerly occupied by Starbucks is available for $28/sq ft (MG).

600 Congress St – for lease signs are in the window of the ground floor space at the corner of High and Congress. The Schwartz Building has been under renovation for a decade. For more info call (207) 773-7100.

Bayside/Inner Washington

219 Anderson St – Blue Lobster’s former tasting room in the Rockingham Electric building is available; 2,700 sq ft for $16/sq ft (NNN).

73 Cove St – a 5,519 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is listed for $35/sq ft; it’s expected to become available later this year.

52 Hanover St – On the first floor of the Armature is 1,500 – 3,000 sq ft of retail space available for $30/sq ft (NNN). One spot in the building has earmarked for a coffee shop.

178 Kennebec St – 2,644 sq ft of space are available in a newly constructed Bayside building for $25/sq ft (NNN).

55 Washington Ave – this 7,815 sq ft space is in the Nissen Bakery building right in between Cong Tu Bot and Hardshore Distillery. It’s available for $13,708/month (NNN).

Old Port

1 Canal Plaza – 4,284 – 14,412 sq ft of ground floor retail space will be available as part of upcoming renovations; $30/sq ft (NNN).

15 Chestnut St – the building that was home to Grace restaurant is for sale. It includes the property, business assets and all FF&E. The restaurant seats 175 and features a large circular bar on the first floor of the former church. The building has 14,358 sq ft of space. It’s for sale for $2,985,000.

185 Commercial St – a new building on Commercial Street has a 2,334 sq ft ground floor retail space that is available for $55/sq ft (NNN).

266 Commercial St – a 6,689 sq ft retail space is available in this new construction building for $20-22/sq ft (NNN).

383 Commercial St – 1,193 – 4,805 square feet of space in a newly constructed building on Commercial Street is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

8 Exchange St – 1,800-3,600 sq ft of space formerly occupied by The Bar & Bites on lower Exchange Street is available for $34.99/sq ft (MG).

201 Federal St – a 2,300 sq ft space in the new 18-story Casco building is available for $40/sq ft (MG). The building owners are looking for someone who wants to open a market in that space.

420 Fore St – the space formerly occupied by the Old Port Slice Bar is for lease. The 2,600 sq ft space is available for $40/sq ft (MG).

477 Fore St – the 1,361 sq ft space formerly occupied by B + B Bakery is available for $25-30/sq ft (MG).

40 Free St – a 1,511 sq ft space in the new building constructed by JB Brown is available for $27.50/sq ft (NNN).

55 Market St – this 3,700 sq ft space on Market Street was formerly occupied by the Big Easy. It’s available for $18/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).

111 Middle St – the 1,622 sq ft former Cabana building is for lease for $3,500/month (NNN). See this post on instagram for more information about the property and its history.

121 Middle St – a 2,482 sq ft retail spot is available for $45/sq ft (MG).

157 Middle St – 2,039 – 5,155 sq ft of retail space is available for $27.95/sq ft (MG).

184 Middle St – this newly renovated space becomes available in August. It was formerly occupied by Blanche & Mimi. It includes 1,169 sq of first floor retail and 808 sq ft of basement storage space all for $48.43/sq ft (MG).

5 Milk St – this 2,199 sq ft former hair salon is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

1 Monument Square – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space adjacent to Cera is available for $25/sq ft (MG).

28 Monument Square – a number of spots on the first and second floors of the Public Market House are available.

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).

3 Spring St – the space formerly occupied by Stage Cannabis is for lease; 2,000 sq ft for $15.50/sq ft (NNN).

144 State St – 2 retail spaces are available in the former Mercy Hospital building on State Street. The 1,100 and 2,477 sq ft spaces are available for $20/sq ft (MG). Chocolate Passions occupies the 3rd commercial space in this new development.

53 Wharf St –a 1,600 sq ft space on the corner of Wharf and Union Streets is available for $30/sq ft (MG).

India Street Area

144 Fore St – the former VA building is near the Portland Foreside development and adjacent to several new office buildings off Thames Street. It has 1,560 – 10,620 sq ft of space available for $22-29/sq ft (NNN).

Outer Forest Ave

503 – 509 Forest Ave – the exterior of this building is slated to be restored to its historic design. It has 1,268 – 6,313 sq ft of space available for $10-15/sq ft (NNN).

701 Forest Ave – 3,147 – 6,405 sq ft of space in a former Walgreens building is available for $16/sq ft (NNN). The building has its own parking lot.

Deering

164 Veranda St – the 1,000 sq ft former location of Other Side Deli is available for $2,500/month (Gross).

550 Washington Ave – 1,500 – 2,400 sq ft of the former Botto’s bakery is available to lease for $18/sq ft (NNN).

Elsewhere in Portland

Old Port Bar – an 1,160/sq ft bar/restaurant in the Old Port is for sale for $195,000.

1339 Washington Ave – the 4,150 sq ft former Parker’s Restaurant building in North Deering is for sale for $1,750,000.

Northgate Shopping Center – 2,000 to 3,500 sq ft of space is available.

Westgate Shopping Center – three spaces are for lease 1,400, 3,800 and 5,000 sq ft. The lease rates are negotiable and the property owner has a strong interest in finding a restaurant tenant for the shopping plaza.

Other Spaces – some vacated restaurant spaces haven’t yet been formerly listed for by the owner. Check the closing announcements for the latest information.

Outside of Portland

Trudy Birds, North Yarmouth – The business, land and both building are for sale for $1,625,000.

358 Main St, Yarmouth – the building that had housed a collection of gluten-free baking businesses is for sale for $499,000.

Ferry Village – The building that’s been home to the Knitting Nook is available; 500 -1,200 sq ft at $2,000 (MG).

188 Lincoln St, Lewiston – this 2,371 – 5,554 sq ft former fire station has been renovated for use as a retail/restaurant space. It’s listed at $5-14/sq ft (NNN).

60 Mile Rd, Wells – an 8,684 sq ft turnkey restaurant in Wells is for sale for $2,150,000.

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.

The Send Brewing in Knightville

The Send Brewing Company (instagram) is under construction in the Knightville neighborhood of South Portland. Cole Corbin (linkedin) is the new owner of the former Foulmouthed Brewing property in where he plans to launch a new brewery and restaurant.

The Send will serve a menu of Japanese comfort food and they’ll be brewing a variety of beer styles including some rice-based Japanese-style lagers to complement the food menu.

For 8 years Corbin worked at Maine Beer Company initially as a brewer and then as the director of brewing operations and the technical director for the Freeport-based brewery. He’s since been a prep cook at Nighthawk’s Kitchen and a bartender at Mast Landing. Earlier in his career Corbin was an aerospace engineer at NASA.

He is planning some light renovations to the dining room and hopes to open The Send this fall.

Foulmouthed Brewing closed at the end of April and at the time shared that the business had been sold to someone with “plenty of experience working within the industry here in Maine” planning to reopen the Ocean Street property as a brewery and restaurant under a new name.

Rabelais Books on Washington Ave

Don Lindgren has leased a retail space at The Black Box on Washington Ave which will become a temporary retail shop for his acclaimed culinary bookstore Rabelais Books (website, facebook, instagram) during the months of July, August and September.

The shop will feature a mixture of food and drink-related books, ephemera, and artifacts, mixing new and recent publications with old and rare cookbooks, recipe manuscripts, and culinary ephemera.

Once a behemoth of a cookbook shop in Biddeford’s North Dam Mill, the tiny container space will be a cabinet of curiosities, featuring a mixture of food and drink-related books, ephemera, and artifacts. Mixing new and recent publications with old and rare cookbooks, recipe manuscripts, and culinary ephemera, we expect a visit to Rabelais’ tiny space to make a gargantuan impact on what you think about cookbooks, or food writing, or culinary history.

Lindgren plans to launch this pocket-sized Rabelais on the July 4th weekend. The regular hours of operation will be Wednesday through Monday, 11 am to 7 pm. It will be located in the space immediately to the right of Moonday Coffee.

Rabelais was named to the Saveur 100 list of their favorite foods, people, places, and things, was called the “Best Cookbook Shop in America” by Andrew Knowlton in Bon Appetite, and was featured in the Maine episode of the show of Somebody Feed Phil. Launched in 2007 in the storefront that’s now home to Eventide on Middle Street, Rabelais was in the city to witness and participate in its rise as a culinary destination. In 2012 the bookshop moved to Biddeford. Lindgren closed the Biddeford store in September 2023 and since then has operated Rabelais as a virtual business.

Lindgren has spent an active life in the book trade. He has served on the Board of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of American, was a presenter at the Oxford Food Symposium in 2017 and in 2019, and was named a Literary Lion in the 2023 Readable Feast honors program. He was a contributing author to the Maine Community Cookbooks and currently serves as a Board member of Community Plate, an organization dedicated to facilitating connection and building community through a common language of food, shared food stories and recipes.

Cuties in the Old Port

A group of friends and industry professionals—Bryce Summers, Garrett Lenderman, Ryan Nielsen, Arvid Brown and Nick Coffin—have teamed up to lease the former Petite Jacqueline space where they plan to open Cuties (instagram).

Cuties will be an all-day bar that starts off as a coffee shop in the morning and transitions in the evening into a wine and cocktail bar.  There will be a mix of bar and lounge seating and a drink rail that runs the length of the windows facing Market Street.

The vision for Cuties is to offer a brightly lit and welcoming space for folks to gather over low-ABV drinks, coffee and laptops during the day. Evenings will morph into an unfussy wine and cocktail bar and will highlight an affordable bottle list and playful drinks like unique frozen cocktails, a rotating margarita menu and an espresso martini on nitro. Later into the night Cuties will embrace a “lights down, music up” atmosphere that encourages good times while still offering good product. The food program will be a tight, fresh, and fun selection of snacks that aims to complement the beverage offerings.

Lenderman and Summers currently work at Bar Futo where Summer is the bar manager, Nielsen was the initial chef at Magnus and operates the Wild Haven pop-up series, and Coffin and Brown are the owners of Room for Improvement which launched in 2023.

The team plans to fully launch into renovations this fall and hopes to launch Cuties this winter.