Maine Food & Dining News: Winslow, Bucksport, Castine, Kittery, Ellsworth, Biddeford

| Posted in Maine

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

  • The Waterville Morning Sentinel has a report on the sudden closure of Big G’s in Winslow. The restaurant launched in 1986 in town and had been at its current location since the mid 1990s.
  • The Bangor Daily News reports that a new “Sicilian-inspired” restaurant called My Buddy’s Place (instagram) has opened in the space formerly occupied by Friar’s Brewhouse Tap Room which closed last year. My Buddy’s Place is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 am – 8 pm and Sunday 8 am – 3 pm.
  • Harbor Burger Shack (instagram) opened last week in Kittery. They’re located at 355 US Route 1. Mainebiz reports that the restaurant is part of the First Serve Hospitality Group which include Bob’s Clam Hut and Mabel’s Lobster Claw. Harbor Burger Shack will be open daily, 11 am – 9 pm.
  • Mainebiz also has a report on the Black Moon Public House (facebook) in Ellsworth which opened in early June.
  • A recent Forbes article about Biddeford and Kennebunkport highlights Magnus on Water, the White Barn Inn, Palace Diner, Elements, Fish & Whistle, Nibblesford, Dizzy Birds Rotisserie, Vietnamese Que Huong, the Chinese Happy Dragon Restaurant, The Jewel of India, Thai ME, Layalina, Batson River, and Mexican Coco Bar & Grill.
  • The Press Herald reports on the relaunch of Dennett’s Wharf (website, facebook, instagram) in Castine.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

Leisure Time Opens Next Week

| Posted in Openings

Leisure Time Cocktail Company (instagram) is set to open on Wednesday next week.  Owners Kai Parrott-Wolfe and Matt Noyes have renovated the 1,400 sq ft former Rwanda Bean coffee shop on Thompson’s Point into a 50-seat bar with a mix of bar, banquette and table seating.

The Leisure Time drinks menu (see below) will feature a range of draft and freezer cocktails like the Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade (top left), Teeny King’s Tea Martini and Negroni (both bottom right). There’s also a selection of wine and beer. The food menu (see below) prepared by chef Emma Reed includes pierogis, salads and house made hot dogs and sausages. Shown above are the Kielbasa sausage sandwich and the wild mushroom and kraut pierogis.

Leisure time will be open Wednesday/Thursday noon – 9 pm,  Friday/Saturday noon – 10 pm, and Sunday noon – 8 pm.

Tiqa Reopening

| Posted in Openings

Owners Deen Haleem and Carol Mitchell are ramping up to reopen Tiqa (website, facebook, instagram). The pan-Mediterranean restaurant on Commercial Street had announced they were temporarily closing back in April 2023 while they “consider all possible future options.”

Haleem shared that after “a year of contemplation and self-reflection” they’ve decided to relaunch the restaurant. Philip Sokowolski will be the new chef at Tiqa. Sokowolski has moved to Maine from Annapolis where he had been the chef at Libations Tavern and previously at The Severn Inn.

Tiqa will be launching with a new menu but with the same concept of exploring the various cuisines of the Mediterranean region. Haleem and Mitchell hope to reopen Tiqa sometime in the next few weeks.

Tiqa originally  opened on January 21, 2015 and the  Tiqa Cafe in the Deering Oaks Castle (now closed) launched the following year.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Thursday – Richard Lee and Clair Guyer from Little Brother Chinese will be the featured chefs at the July taco night at Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham.

Friday – Cafe Mugen (instagram) will be holding a ramen pop-up at Belleville on North Street. Belleville baker and self-described “ramen nerd” Noah Codega will be serving a take on a classic Tokyo-style shoyu ramen with homemade noodles. The menu will also include a blueberry-ginger sorbet for dessert.

Friday-Sunday – The Yarmouth Clam Festival is taking place.

Saturday – The Maine premiere of the movie One Pint at a Time will take place in East Bayside. The screening is part of a two day event in partnership with Toad & Co, Orange Bike Brewing, Black Travel Maine, The Third Place and the National Black Brewers Association.

Saturday/Sunday – It’s the grand opening weekend for Blue Lobster Urban Winery.

July 24 – Christina Zani from Pasta Night (instagram) in Philadelphia will be holding a pasta making workshop and dinner at Subcircle Residency in Biddeford. The Coastal Alchemist in Ogunquit will be serving a 5-course dinner featuring wines from Spain and Portugal.

July 25/26 – The Kneading Conference is taking place in Skowhegan.

July 27 –Andare is holding a pasta pop-up dinner at Otto Pizza. On the menu will be a walnut pesto, Tuscan chicken, and a gochujang arrabbiata.

July 31-August 4 – The Maine Lobster Festival is taking place in Rockland.

August 2 – Crown Jewel is hosting a (sold out) Art of Entertaining dinner in collaboration with Cherry Bombe.

August 3/4 – The Maine Wild Blueberry Weekend is taking place.

August 4 – Yardie Ting will be in Deering Oaks for the 9th Annual Jamaican Independence Day Festival.

August 10 – Space Gallery along with Goodfire Brewing, The Jewel Box and the Ten Mothers food truck will be holding Feastland, a farm dinner, at Broadturn Farm in Scarborough.

August 11/12 – 2Gether is holding their next Secret Table dinner at an as-yet-undisclosed farm in the Portland area.

August 15 – Billy Hager and Hannah Buoye from Waxwing Bakery will be the featured chefs at the August taco night at Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham.

August 30 – September 1 – The Maine Apple Camp is taking place.

September 8 – The Maine Cheese Festival is taking place in Pittsfield.

September 20-22 – The Common Ground Fair will be taking place.

October 13 – The 16th Annual Open Creamery Day is taking place.

October 24-26 – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place.

Planning a wedding, holding a business event, or hosting visitors from away? Our printed guides are a great resource to help your guests explore the Maine restaurant scene.
25-packs of the Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now available on our online store.

Well & Good Brewing Company

| Posted in Openings, Beer

Well & Good Brewing (website, facebook, instagram) opened for business on Saturday. The new brewery is located at 173 Cumberland Road in North Yarmouth.

Owners Byron and Elise Kern have built out a very nice 2-story tasting room that has table and lounge seating, a dedicated children’s area, a wood stove for use in cooler months, and outdoor seating and games. The Kerns and their team are producing a range of beer styles (see menu below) as well as a hard ginger ale. Wine and cider are also available as are some snacks.

The Well & Good tasting room will be open Wednesday through Sunday, noon – 8 pm.

Maine Food & Dining News: Bangor, Camden, Gorham, Union, South Berwick, Van Buren

| Posted in Maine

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

  • The Bangor Daily News reports that a new cocktail lounge called Barliman’s is under construction in Bangor and expected to open in August. “Barliman’s, a new restaurant and bar that will serve cocktails, hearty farm-to-table snacks and plenty of nonalcoholic options, is the brainchild of local developers and a former co-owner of The Fiddlehead, a shuttered Bangor restaurant.”
  • Uncle Willy’s Candy Shoppe in Camden has closed. The building recently sold and the new owner will be using the retail space for a different business. Uncle Willy’s itself has been for sale and remains on the market. According to a report from The Courier-Gazette, July 7th was the last day in business for Uncle Willy’s.
  • The Bier Cellar has announced they’re closing their location in Gorham. “We hope this message finds you well. We wanted to take a moment to express our gratitude for your unwavering support over the past 5 years. It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you that we will be closing the Gorham store at the end of July, with our last day being Sunday the 21st.”
  • The June edition of Down East included articles about Northern Maine Kolache in Van Buren and Alsace restaurant in Union, and the July edition includes an article about the new restaurant in South Berwick, Secundo.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

Dok Mali Noodle Bar Now Open

| Posted in Openings

The new Dok Mali restaurant in South Portland, Dok Mali Noodle Bar (website, facebook, instagram), is now open for business. It is located at 169 Ocean Street in the space formerly occupied by Judy Gibson.

Chef/owner Nonglack Thanephonesy, general manager Khaney Muyderman and their team are serving a menu (see below) that features a pan-Asian selection of noodle-based soups and dishes. Shown above is a Korean dish, Japchae, that’s made with sweet potato glass noodles, red bell peppers, carrots, spinach, mushrooms, onions, scallions and beef. They have a selection of cocktails, wine, beer and nonalcoholic drinks available (see menu below).

The layout of the restaurant has remained largely the same but with an interior design that makes use of photographs and books that highlights the family’s history and Thai culture. The restaurant is open daily 11 am – 9 pm.

Dok Mali on India Street opened in November 2022. Judy Gibson went out of business in November.

Brew on Washington Ave

| Posted in Under Construction


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

| Posted in Under Construction

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.