Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of Butcher Burger.
Most menu items are underwhelming, like a dry chicken sandwich and gloppy Caesar salad. Somehow, the eponymous Butcher Burgers manage to be the worst thing on the menu. Tough and overcooked, the bacon-and-beef blend in every patty I tried over two recent visits was gray and desiccated – which led me to a Carrie Bradshaw moment where I couldn’t help but wonder, “Is ‘butcher’ in the name supposed to be a verb?”
Welcome to the November 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 – 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).
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.
178 Kennebec St – 2,644 sq ft of space are available in a newly constructed Bayside building for $30/sq ft (NNN).
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).
34 Portland St – the 4,256 sq ft building that was formerly occupied by Candy’s is for sale for $649,000.
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
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).
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).
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).
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.
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.
47 India St – 1,000 sq ft of the former Lois’ Market building is for lease, $3,333/month (NNN).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Owner Garrett Fitzgerald has been renovating his restaurant space on West Commercial Street and expanding the building footprint with prefabricated structures from OpBox. The new complex will be the joint home for Clam Bar (instagram) and the Portland Beer Garden for lunch and dinner, and the Royale Lunch (instagram) for breakfast and lunch service.
Fitzgerald’s Christmas tree business will launch on the property on the day after Thanksgiving. Royale Lunch will likely open this winter and the full ensemble cast to open in the spring.
A new restaurant called Full Turn (instagram) is under construction in the former Baharat space in East Bayside. The launch of Full Turn is being led by Chloe Kessell and Melissa Pappas in collaboration with the owners of Baharat. Josh Lemay will be running the bar program.
Full Turn will be serving seasonal menus that change-up frequently with restaurant concepts that shift with each ‘turn’ of the menu. Pappas and Kessell plan to collaborate with local farms, breweries and other food producers on special items for their menus. They also hope to create opportunities at Full Turn for chef residencies, pop-ups, and special events. While by design the food and concept will change often, the team is aiming for a steady price point, service level and atmosphere.
Kessell has worked in the restaurant industry for 12 years in both Boston and Portland, and most recently was the general manager of Baharat. Pappas comes from a restaurant family and has worked both front and back of house roles most recently the kitchen manager of Baharat. The pair have worked together in the past to organize pop-ups and events and as hospitality consultants through Sate at Home and Sate at Work.
For us, hospitality is about sharing and taking care of each other. Sharing food, sharing drinks, sharing experiences and sharing knowledge, and that care and respect starts in your own house with your own team. We are so fortunate to have a staff of like minded hospitality professionals with incredible skills and ambition. When the opportunity to take this truly collaborative approach both with our staff and the restaurant community came up, we couldn’t turn it down. We’re excited to have the chance and circumstances to make the changes we’ve wanted to see in the industry and get back to the reasons we all love it after such a difficult run. We want to make good food with good people and share it with our great community in an environment focused on the experience and putting locals front of mind.
The owners hope to open Full Turn in December after construction to expand the kitchen and light renovations to the dining room.
The new Thai restaurant Dok Mali (website, instagram) is scheduled to open Tuesday for lunch and dinner 11:30 – 8:30. Dok Mali is located in the former Lois’ Market space at 47 India Street which chef/owner Nonglack Thanephonesy has completely renovated into a 32-seat restaurant.
The menu includes the option of a flight of all seven types of dumplings, grilled okra, corn fritters, six different types of noodle soup, and main courses like Crying Tiger (marinated ribeye, served with sticky rice, veggie skewers and roasted tomato dip) and La La Pork (braised pork belly, bok choi + egg served with ginger rice).
In addition to Dok Mali, Thanephonesy is also the owner of Capital Thai Kitchen and Bar in Exeter, NH. She grew up in Portland and is excited to bring to life a new Thai restaurant in her home town.
Dok Mali will be open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner opening at 11:30 am.
Tuesday – Dok Mali is scheduled to open at 11:30 am.
November 7 – French author and cider producer Claude Jolicoeur will be giving a talk at Urban Farm Fermentory.
November 11-13 – the 5th Annual Downeast Cider and Cheese Festival is taking place in Ellsworth.
November 14 – Cera is hosting a meeting “to start a dialog amongst Portland’s chefs/restauranteurs about sustainability in food systems.”
November 16 – Broken Arrow is serving a 4-course cider dinner, and Evo is holding a 5-course Rhone wine dinner.
November 19 – Lorne is holding their 2nd annual La Fête du Beaujolais.
Thanksgiving – here’s the start of our 2022 Thanksgiving dining and takeout list. Drop us a line if you know of a Thanksgiving-themed offering not yet on the list.
A new distribution company called Fruit Bat Distribution (instagram) has launched. Fruit Bat will exclusively focus on the distribution of hard cider. Owners Jessie Robb and Josh Lemay have a strong passion for cider as well as deep ties in the restaurant industry. Their goal is to create a bridge that helps the growing cider industry thrive.
The first two producers that Fruit Bat are representing in Maine are Sundstrom Cider and Metal House Cider, both located in the Hudson Valley. Lemay and Robb expect to be expanding their portfolio as they build demand for quality ciders and build relationships with restaurants.
Fruit Bat is collaborating with local restaurants on some cider-centric meals. Here are the first two on the schedule:
The Twin Swirls (instagram) ice cream shop is slated to open this Saturday. They’ll be serving a limited menu on Saturday but will eventually have on offer hard serve and soft serve cones and dishes, milkshakes, sundaes and coffee.
The name Twin Swirls is inspired by owner Sarah Palmer’s twin six year old girls, Alex and Sage.
The shop is located at 865 Brighton Ave in the Nason’s Corner neighborhood, and their regular hours will be Thursday through Sunday, noon to 8 pm.
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Zu Bakery (website, instagram) owner Barak Olins is aiming to launch his new West End location in early November.
In the coming two weeks he’ll be holding a series of pop-ups from his bakery at 81 Clark Street on Wednesdays and Fridays, 3 – 5 pm. Stop by to try some of the the breads and baked goods he’ll be featuring in his shop.
When Zu Bakery is fully open Olins and his team will be serving pastries and coffee at the start of the day and with baguettes and other breads going on sale as they come out of the oven and offering two types of pizza alla Romana at the end of the day.
Olins plans to make most of his bakery products with Maine grown grains he mills in-house. In addition to morning pastries and breads, Zu Bakery will also sell biscotti, granola, seasonal pastries and a small selection of bottled wine.
Olins originally launched Zu Bakery in 2000. Previously he was a co-founder/chef of the highly regarded Cafe Uffa, which was located in Longfellow Square and opened in 1995.
Thursday – Saturday – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place. Also, the SMCC culinary and hospitality students are putting on the Grimm & Gore Storybook Dinner.
Saturday – the 17th Annual Veg Fest is taking place, as is the 2022 East Bayside Halloween Fest.
November 19 – Lorne is holding their 2nd annual La Fête du Beaujolais.
Thanksgiving – here’s the start of our 2022 Thanksgiving dining and takeout list. Drop us a line if you know of a Thanksgiving-themed offering not yet on the list.