Bloomberg has included Maine in their Where to Go in 2023 list.
For Americans, visiting the Pine Tree State is a little like taking a quick trip to a foreign country. There’s the distinctive geographical blend of craggy stone beaches, storm-blue lakes and fuzzy, fir-topped mountains. The local cuisine, of fresh seafood augmented by hardy farm-to-table veggies and berries, is likewise famous beyond its borders.
Mentioned in the article are: Twelve, The Danforth, Luna, and Aragosta.
Welcome to the January 2023 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
2 Pine St – the former Treasure Chest space in Longfellow Square is for lease. Call (207) 773-7100 for more details.
64 Pine St – The former Aurora Provisions space is for lease. The 4,629 sq ft is listed at $20.61/sq ft (NNN).
156 State St – 1,250 – 7,550 sq ft of space on the first floor of the Portland Club is available for $13.50 – 24/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).
642 Congress St – the former Ada’s space is available to sublet; 2,569 sq ft (MG).
649 Congress St – the 3,000 sq ft former Dos Naciones storefront is available for $22/sq ft (MG).
44 Oak St – 4,347 sq ft of space in a beautiful historic building at the corner of Oak and Free Streets is available for $20/sq ft (NNN).
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.
46 Elm St – this 2,400 sq ft corner space in the parking garage at the corner of Elm Street and Cumberland Ave. It’s available for $13/sq ft (MG).
52 Hanover St – a new building set to open in April 2023. On the first floor will be 1,500 – 4,500 sq ft retail space available for $30/sq ft (NNN).
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.
178 Kennebec St – 2,644 sq ft of space are available in a newly constructed Bayside building for $30/sq ft (NNN).
34 Portland St – the 4,256 sq ft building that was formerly occupied by Candy’s is for sale for $649,000.
24 Preble St – the former Arcadia space is available; 2,835 sq ft for $20/sq ft (NNN).
Old Port
Canal Plaza – the former Copper Branch building in Canal Plaza is available for $60/sq ft (NNN).
1 Commercial St – the original location of Benkay at the corner of Commercial and India Streets is undergoing renovations and is expected to be available in 2023. The 900-2,950 sq ft is for lease at $35/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).
86 Exchange St – the 1,438 sq ft Swiss Time space on upper Exchange Street is for lease for $31/sq ft.
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 2,500 – 21,911 sq ft of space available for $24-29/sq ft (NNN).
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).
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 – a booth in the 2nd floor of the Public Market House. Call 207-317-9626 for details.
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).
110 Thames St – two spots (2,700 and 3,200 sq ft) are now available in the newly constructed building in the Portland Foreside development. Both are listed at $35/sq ft (NNN).
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.
47 India St – 1,000 sq ft of the former Lois’ Market building is for lease, $3,333/month (NNN).
Forest Ave
945 Forest Ave – the former Photo Market building is for sale for $899,000.
1871 Forest Ave – the former Tortilla Flat building is for sale for $3,800,000.
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.
1091 Congress St – the former Denny’s building and parking lot are available to lease; 4,901 sq ft at $25.50/sq ft (NNN).
476 Stevens Ave – the Elsmere BBQ building in Deering Center is for sale for $1,550,000; the sale includes all FF&E inventory.
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.
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.
January 28 – Sam Hayward is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.
February 11 – Ali Waks Adams is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.
February 14 – Broken Arrow will be serving a Valentine’s Day dinner.
March 18 – Chris Toy is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.
Here’s a look at the highlights, themes and key moments from the 2022 year in food:
Concept Shift – with the pre-pandemic closure of Five Fifty-Five and the 2022 shuttering of Back Bay Grill and Hugo’s, Portland’s fine dining ranks have thinned quite a bit. Twelve is the new standard bearer for white table cloth dining in Portland. In the meantime, daytime cafes and combination restaurant/markets are increasing in number. Smalls and Friends & Family are a prime examples, and coming online in 2023 are the Bread and Friends bakery/cafe, The Ugly Duckling in the West End, the Night Moves/Lambs collaboration, and the new LB Kitchen.
National Recognition – while none of the nominees came home with the gold in June, the 2022 James Beard Awards season saw Maine honored with 10 semifinalists (just shy of the record 11 set in 2020) and a record 5 finalist nominees—a confirmation of the strength of the Maine restaurant industry and hopefully an indication of what’s to come (watch for the 2023 semifinalists list in February). National recognition came in other forms as well this year: Bon Appetit included Regards on their list of the Best New Restaurants in America, the NY Times identified Leeward and Twelve as two of the “50 places in America we’re most excited about right now,” Food & Wine and CN Traveler shared their love of Biddeford, and Esquire magazine has named Twelve to their 2022 list of the Best New Restaurants in America.
Maine Food Map –Biddeford will continue to be a hot spot, and new restaurants are opening in South Portland and the Portland suburbs. However, there’s also been a growing drumbeat of new and interesting food and beverages businesses opening outside the Portland area, and in 2022 that seemed to have gone into a higher gear…here are just a few examples from the past year: Table Bar in Gardiner, Aboslem Cider in Winthrop, Nomad in Brunswick, Solo Pane in Bath, the new Dennett’s Wharf in Castine, The Alna Store in Alna, Sidereal Brewing in Vassalboro, Wolfpeach in Camden, Sophia in Belfast, Perch in Waldoboro, Hey Sailor in Searsport, and The Rooting Pig in Bristol.
Upcoming in 2023 – For a rundown of new food businesses under development see PFM Under Construction list. Here are some of the more exciting ones in the pipeline:
There are also several other exciting new projects that are currently under wraps but will go public soon. Check back later this year for details.
The most popular articles published on Portland Food Map in the past year.
January – The Upward Management Group bought The Porthole, the Bangor Daily News and Press Herald both reported on how restaurants were responding to the challenge of operating during the pandemic, Brea Lu held a fundraiser to support Sinful Kitchen staff impacted by a fire, Vogue named Twelve to their list of the most anticipated restaurants in 2022, The Lost Llama held a Peruvian food pop-up, and four Maine businesses were Good Food Awards winners; Smalls, The Frying Dutchman, and Regards, opened; Sebago Brewing closed their Fore Street location and Luis’ Arepera closed.
March – Christian Hayes departed to Poland to cook for World Central Kitchen’s Ukranian relief effort, 5 Maine chefs and restaurants were named James Beard nominees, and Chase Rochon became a Certified Pommelier; Moonday Coffee, Paper Tiger, Moonday Coffee on Washington Ave, and the WingIt food truck opened, and Back Bay Grill closed.
May – The Maine episode of Somebody Feed Phil aired, CN Traveler published an article about Biddeford, the inaugural Wild Wine Fest took place, Portland Hunt & Alpine Club was an honoree in the Best Cocktail Bar (East Coast) category as part of the 16th Annual Spirit Awards, 2.3k people signed a food truck petition; Little Tandem and Scratch reopened, and Roll Call and The Maine Donut Tour opened.
August – Maine Standard Biofuels bought Urban Farm Fermentory from Eli Cayer, and Nosh changed hands; Cabana, Bread & Olive and Keg & Kraken opened, and Bull Fenney’s reopened.
November – Botto’s announced plans to move to Westbrook, Esquire magazine named Twelve to their 2022 list of the Best New Restaurants in America; Dok Mali, Zu Bakery, and Goodfire Brewing in Freeport opened, and Miyake reopened.For an additional perspective on the past year in food see the Maine Sunday Telegram Best of 2022 article.
This is the 13th year running that Portland Food Map has published a year in review article. Take a walk down memory lane by checking out these past editions that covered 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010.
Dedalus Wine (website, facebook, instagram) from Burlington, Vermont has leased a 3,040 sq ft space at 127 Marginal Way where they are expected to open a Portland outpost of their business. They filed as an LLC in Maine in September 2021.
Dedalus was founded by Jason Zuliani in Burlington in 2007 and has since added shops in Stowe and Middlebury. Dedalus acquired Cured in Boulder, Colorado and it became the base for them to expand into Colorado. Dedalus has also reportedly bought a property in Brooklyn in August.
Allspeed Cycle and Snow will be moving into a new building on Brighton Ave that they purchased earlier this year.
The Press Herald reports that the Old Port Tavern is closing. New Year’s Eve will be their last day in business.
The Old Port Tavern on Moulton Street will close its doors on Saturday night, New Year’s Eve, ending a 50-year stay in the heart of a waterfront district known for its lively nightlife and plethora of dining options.
Housed in the basement of the historic Mariners Church Building, the Old Port Tavern opened as a restaurant and bar in 1973. Richard Herrera, 71, and his business partner, Charlie McGee, 75, have operated the tavern for five decades, but have decided to retire after the business serves its last round of drinks Saturday night.
A new coffee shop called Tar Coffee (website, facebook, instagram) opened this morning in the Public Market House in Monument Square.
They’re serving a full spectrum of brewed and espresso-based beverages, along with a menu (see below) of sandwiches, house-made cinnamon rolls, beignets, and New York-style bagels. The beans for Tar are initially being sourced from Carpe Diem from North Berwick but Tar plans to eventually set up an in-house roastery.
The owners previously operated a coffee shop called Dermody Road in Gorham, New Hampshire.
Co-owners Jordan Rubin and Marisa Lewiecki have leased space in the new building under construction at 83 Middle Street where they plan to relocate Mr. Tuna (website, facebook, instagram) from Monument Square.
The new restaurant will serve an updated Mr. Tuna menu with the addition of a full bar program of cocktails, sake, beer, wine. Rubin shared that the new restaurant will bring to life the full vision he had for Mr. Tuna when he first launched the business as a food cart in 2017. The space will have 25 indoor seats (see draft floor plan below) with additional sidewalk seating in season.
Lewiecki and Rubin hope to open the new Mr. Tuna this summer. The current Mr. Tuna location in the Public Market House will continue to serve as a commissary kitchen for the Mr. Tuna food trucks and catering operation, and may also be a pick-up spot for Mr. Tuna takeout.
Rubin launched Mr. Tuna as a food cart in 2017. The Mr. Tuna sushi counter opened in the Public Market House in 2018. Rubin, Lewiecki Sasha Brouillard, and chef Cyle Reynolds launched Crispy Gai in the summer of 2021. Rubin and Lewiecki launched Bar Futo on Fore Street earlier this month.
The Alna Store (website, facebook, instagram) held the grand opening for their Midcoast Maine market and 36-seat restaurant this past Thursday with the official launch of their dinner service.
The opening night menu (see below) includes a not-to-be-missed dish of charred chioggia beets, a choice of lamb with yellow-eyed beans, a vegetable tangine or burger and fries for a main course and an amaro chocolate torte accented with sumac and pink peppercorns for dessert. There’s a small set of wines by the glass, beers, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks to go with dinner (see drinks menu below).
The market side of the business sells wines, beers and locally sourced produce and foods. Portland goods for sale include Tandem coffee, Dear Dairy ice cream, and wines from Devenish.
Owners Jasper Ludwig and Brian Haskins took over the store from the prior owners earlier this year and have completely renovated the space. Ludwig hails from Newcastle and the couple moved to the Midcoast in 2020 from their home in Tucson, Arizona where they founded and operate the Five Points Market and Restaurant. Devin Dearden (instagram) has joined Haskins and Ludwig as the chef for The Alna Store. He comes to The Alna Store from Evo and has also worked in Portland at Scales and Hearth in NYC.
The Alna Store is located at 2 Dock Rd in Alna, Maine (just north of Wiscasset). Dinner is served Thursday through Saturday 4 – 8 pm and brunch is available Thursday through Monday, 8 am – 2 pm. Follow their instagram account for updates on hours and the evolving menu.
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Monday – Oxbow and Eaux are collaborating on an Oxbeaux Brunch taking place at Cafe Louis in South Portland.
Tuesday – Liu Bian Tan will be holding a Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup pop-up at Cong Tu Bot.
Wednesday – Browne Trading is holding a champagne and caviar tasting.
New Year’s Eve – here is the start of our NYE list. We’ll be adding entries as businesses announce their plans. Drop us a line if you know of a New Year’s Eve offering not yet on the list.
January 7 – Dobra Tea is holding a tea tasting.
January 28 – Sam Hayward is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.
February 11 – Ali Waks Adams is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.
February 14 – Broken Arrow will be serving a Valentine’s Day dinner.
March 18 – Chris Toy is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.