Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

March 1-12 – Maine Restaurant Week is taking place.

March 7 – Sommelier Justin St. Louis at Old Port Sea Grill will be leading a food and wine pairing workshop, and Lenora will be launching their lunch/dinner service.

March 7-11 – Chaval is serving a special menu all week featuring modern interpretations of Classic Alsatian cuisine.

March 8 – Thirst Pig is hosting a line-up of Maine’s 7 newest breweries.

March 9 – the New England Craft Brew Summit is taking place, Fire & Co anAustin Street are collaborating on a Polenta Board Dinner, and Great Wave Sushi is holding a pop-up at Amigo’s.

March 9-12 – Bites & Brews is taking place at the Carnaval Maine event.

March 10 – it’s the first day of the Rose Foods guest chef bagel sandwich series. Participating restaurants include Mr. Tuna, Quiero, Regards, Onggi, Taj, Duckfat, Indy’s and Fish & Whistle.

March 11 – Arabica Coffee is hosting a tea tasting workshop led by the Aera Tea Company, and The Purple House is holding a pop-up.

March 12 – Two events are taking place at Coffee by Design: a coffee cupping with Juan Carlos Arango, owner of Arango Specialty Coffee, and the release of gin barrel-aged Alice Greele coffee. Chefs Fred Eliot and Michael Stokes are serving a 3-course French country dinner at The Blue Spoon.

March 13 – the Greeks of Peaks food truck is holding a pop-up at Hunt & Alpine.

March 15 – the new Puerto Rican-inspired bar and restaurant called Papi (website, facebook, instagram) is scheduled to open.

March 17 – the final Flanagan Farm Supper Club (tickets) is taking place in Buxton. The  cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and multi-course dinner at being produced by Big Tree, the parent company of Eventide and The Honey Paw restaurants.

March 18 – Chris Toy is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.

March 19 – Helm is holding a Prime Night dinner.

March 20 – the Seafood Innovation & Quality Summit is taking place in Portland.

March 22 – Josh Berry will be the guest chef for a Spanish wine dinner at the Maker’s Galley.

March 29 – the James Beard Foundation will release the list of nominees for this year’s awards. There are 11 semifinalists from Maine under consideration.

April 3 – Scratch Baking is teaching a bagel baking class.

April 18 – Avery Yale Kamila will be giving a talk on the 300 year history of vegetarianism in Maine in Buxton.

April 21 – The Good Food Awards will take place, there are 12 finalists from Maine in the running this year.

May 20 – Maine Wild Wine Fest is taking place in Freeport.

June 12-18 – Portland Wine Week is taking place with events at restaurants all over the Portland area.

July 23 – Open Farm Day.

September 10 – Maine Cheese Festival.

October 8 – Maine Open Creamery Day.

Restaurant Real Estate: March 2023

| Posted in Real Estate

Welcome to the March 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 (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

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 $4,950/month (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).

582 Congress St – the longtime home of Harmon’s Floral Company will be available for lease starting in May. The 1,550 sq ft space is for lease for $5,850/month (NNN).

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.

73 Cove St – a 5,519 industrial space in East Bayside is listed for $4/sq ft; it’s expected to become available in 2024.

46 Elm St – this 385 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).

65 Hanover St – 1,800 sq ft of space is available for $20/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 $25/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 St – 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).

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).

215 Commercial St – 2,189 sq ft of retail space near the corner of Commercial and Dana Streets is available for $65/sq ft (MG).

441 Congress St – the 2,400 sq ft former Guitar Grave retail space is available for $15/sq ft (MG).

43 Exchange St – the 1,717 sq ft space occupied by Peruvian Link is for lease for $60/sq ft (MG). It’s located midway down lower Exchange Street.

89 Exchange St – the 1,350 sq ft former Dobra Tea shop is available for $45/sq ft (MG).

176 Exchange St – the former Starbucks store at the crossroads of the Old Port at the intersection of Middle and Exchange Streets is for lease. The 1,675 sq ft space is for lease for $75 (MG).

201 Federal St – 2 retail spaces will be available in the new 18-story building under construction at the corner of Temple and Feral Streets. The 527 and 2,300 sq ft spaces are listed at $40/sq ft (MG).

40 Free St – the new building constructed by JB Brown has four storefronts ranging in size from 1,473 to 3,024 sq ft 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 $24/sq ft (NNN).

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 adjacent to Cera is available for $3,125/month (MG).

28 Monument Square – two spots are available in the Public Market House. A space on the 2nd floor (143 sq ft with a base rent of $1,185 + utilities and CAM charges—call  207-317-9626 for details) and a 400 sq ft space on the first floor available for $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).

144 State St – 3 retail spaces will be available in the development in the former Mercy Hospital building on State Street. The 1,100, 1100 and 2,566 spaces are available for $26/sq ft (MG).

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 Street

140 Fore St – 3,000 sq ft of space in a new building located east of India Street; $30/sq ft (NNN).

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 1,537 – 21,911 sq ft of space available for $24-29/sq ft (NNN).

47 India St – 1,000 sq ft of the former Lois’ Market building is for lease, $3,333/month (NNN).

Forest Ave

500 Forest Ave – the 900 sq ft space formerly occupied by Starbird is for lease for $1,800/month (MG).

671-675 Forest Ave – a retail building in the center of Woodfords Corner is for sale for $675,000.

701 Forest Ave – 3,147 – 6,405 with parking available for $18/sq ft (NNN).

1871 Forest Ave – the former Tortilla Flat building is for sale for $3,300,000.

Deering Center

476 Stevens Ave – the Elsmere BBQ building in Deering Center is for sale for $1,550,000; the sale includes all FF&E inventory.

Elsewhere in Portland

936 Brighton Ave – 2,114 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).

1339 Washington Ave – the 4,068 sq ft former Parker’s Restaurant building in North Deering is for lease ($9-11k/month) or for sale ($2,295,000).

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).

Sammy’s Scoops – the Woodfords Corner ice cream shop is for sale. Call John Medici at (207) 400-7140 for more information.

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

Bath – the former  home of Salt Pine Social is available. The 3,535 sq ft building is available for $23/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 $12/sq ft (NNN).

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.

Cantina Calafia in the West End

| Posted in Under Construction

Bonobo Pizza has been closed since the start of last summer. In the intervening months owners Dominique Gonzalez and Justin Grey have been quietly working on plans to open a new restaurant in its place called Cantina Calafia (instagram).

A complete renovation is underway and when completed (see floorplan below) it will result in a 49-seat restaurant with booths along the Pine Street side, a side and back bar and a raised seating area near the front of the storefront all under a vaulted ceiling.

Gonzalez grew up in San Diego with family on both sides of the border—her father was from Guadalajara and her mother lived in Santa Barbara and was the daughter of Mexican immigrants—and crossed the border often. The restaurant and menu will be a reflection of her personal culinary and cultural roots. The menus is still under development but will include dishes like ceviches, aguachiles, smoked fish, and tacos, sopes, etc produced with house-made corn masa. Chef Natalie DiBenedetto (aka Figgy from Figgy’s Takeout) has joined the team as a chef consultant to assist Gonzalez and Grey in bringing the menu to life.

Gonzalez and Grey have owned Bonobo since 2018 and it’s been a longstanding ambition of theirs to convert the pizzeria to restaurant serving Alta and Baja California Mexican cuisine. They hope to open Catina Calafia as early as May.

Here’s a look at the new floor plan:

Since Bonobo closed, artist Lauren Berg from Botanic Magic (website, instagram) has been decorating the building with her trademark style window murals (see above). The latest design includes the message “The more you look the more you see magic in nature”.

Double Great Coffee on the Hill

| Posted in Under Construction

A new coffee shop is under construction in the former Hilltop Coffee location on Munjoy Hill. Double Great Coffee (website, instagram) is being launched by Carolyn and Michael Force, the co-owners of Portland Dry Goods with Amanda Foreman from Abura Skincare. They hope to open before Memorial Day.

They will be offering a full coffee program and plan to be a multi-roaster shop featuring a rotating selection of coffees from American and European coffee roasteries. The overall aim is to be a comfortable neighborhood spot for the community.

Renovations are just getting underway. When completed the new coffee shop will seat approximately 25 with a dedicated children’s area and plans for outdoor seating in the warmer months.

The adjacent space in the building is being taken over by Abura Skincare which is moving to the hill from Deering Center. As part of a collaboration between the two businesses the Double Great menu will include some Abura-designed wellness drinks.

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

February 26/27 – the first 2023 Science Cafe and associated cooking class is taking place at Canopy Farms in Brunswick.

February 28 – Maine Restaurant Week’s Incredible Breakfast Cook-off is taking place.

March 1-12 – Maine Restaurant Week is taking place.

March 2 – Judy Gibson is holding a 5-course beer dinner in collaboration with Fore River Brewing.

March 5 – Maine Restaurant Week’s Spirit Quest is taking place and Batson River is kicking off the first of 4 weekly cocktail classes.

March 7 – Sommelier Justin St. Louis at Old Port Sea Grill will be leading a food and wine pairing workshop, and Lenora will be launching their lunch/dinner service.

March 9 – the New England Craft Brew Summit is taking place, Fire & Co anAustin Street are collaborating on a Polenta Board Dinner, and Great Wave Sushi is holding a pop-up at Amigo’s.

March 9-12 – Bites & Brews is taking place at the Carnaval Maine event.

March 10 – it’s the first day of the Rose Foods guest chef bagel sandwich series. Participating restaurants include Mr. Tuna, Quiero, Regards, Onggi, Taj, Duckfat, Indy’s and Fish & Whistle.

March 11 – Arabica Coffee is hosting a tea tasting workshop led by the Aera Tea Company.

March 12 – Two events are taking place at Coffee by Design: a coffee cupping with Juan Carlos Arango, owner of Arango Specialty Coffee, and the release of gin barrel-aged Alice Greele coffee.

March 13 – the Greeks of Peaks food truck is holding a pop-up at Hunt & Alpine.

March 17 – the final Flanagan Farm Supper Club (tickets) is taking place in Buxton. The  cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and multi-course dinner at being produced by Big Tree, the parent company of Eventide and The Honey Paw restaurants.

March 18 – Chris Toy is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.

March 29 – the James Beard Foundation will release the list of nominees for this year’s awards. There are 11 semifinalists from Maine under consideration.

April 3 – Scratch Baking is teaching a bagel baking class.

April 21 – The Good Food Awards will take place, there are 12 finalists from Maine in the running this year.

May 20 – Maine Wild Wine Fest is taking place in Freeport.

June 12-18 – Portland Wine Week is taking place with events at restaurants all over the Portland area.

July 23 – Open Farm Day.

September 10 – Maine Cheese Festival.

October 8 – Maine Open Creamery Day.

Soul Food Paradise

| Posted in Under Construction

Soul Food Paradise (website, instagram) owner Martin Beavers has leased 2,835 sq ft of space at 24 Preble Street where he plans to open a second location for his business. The new spot is adjacent to Dutch’s and was the original location for Arcadia.

Beavers plans to add more soul food classic to the menu and provide a more elevated experience. He hopes to open the in-town location by the start of the summer.

Beavers launched Soul Food Paradise in May 2021 as a takeout business at Fork Food Lab. His current restaurant located in the Maine Mall food court launched in October 2021.

Thistle & Grouse

| Posted in Under Construction

A new restaurant called Thistle & Grouse (instagram) is under construction at 10 Cotton Street in the space formerly occupied by Rivalries. According to a report from the Press Herald, the business is being launched by Bobby Will, the chef/owner of Salt & Steel in Bar Harbor.

Will said he hopes to open his “hyper locally sourced gastropub,” which he plans to call Thistle & Grouse, in late June or July but knows that delays are likely. He said he plans “mostly cosmetic” renovations, including replacing the tile floor with wood and installing leather booths. The menu, he said, will include a raw bar, curry pot pie and an extensive cocktail program and Maine craft beer list.

Rivalries owners Amy and Lance Meader announced the sale of the Cotton Street property last week. They will continue to operate the Rivalries in Falmouth.

Nezinscot Farm: America’s Classic Award

| Posted in Reviews, Maine


Congratulations to Nezinscot Farm (website, instagram) for being named a James Beard America’s Classics Award winner.

Today’s announcement from the James Beard Foundation includes this description of the farm:

When Gloria married Gregg Varney, she insisted that they open a café on the farm in Turner, Maine that has been in the Varney family for more than a hundred years. The first organic dairy farm in Maine, Nezinscot Farm takes its name, shared by a nearby river, from the Abenaki word signifying a place to gather. The Abenaki name is seemingly also a mission for the Varneys. In 1987, Nezinscot opened its Café and Coffee shop, and Gloria’s original vision has since expanded to include a bakery, a fromagerie, and charcuterie. The Café has something beautiful and exciting on every shelf—cases of homemade cheeses and meats, bagels, freshly baked pies, and perfect breads rolling out the kitchen, topped with farm eggs and homemade sausage and cheeses. The energy behind it all feels directed at building community, with delicious homemade everything (even the teas, even the crackers) serving as the vital instrument of creating and sustaining that gathering. The Varneys feed the community in many ways, significantly providing a warm space to gather around food on a farm in the middle of Maine.

The America’s Classics Awards are given to “locally owned restaurants that have timeless appeal and are beloved regionally for quality food that reflects the character of its community.” Maine has celebrated two prior award winners in this category: Waterman’s Beach Lobster in South Thomaston in 2001, and Bagaduce Lunch in Penobscot in 2008.

The Varneys will receive their award at the Beard Awards Gala taking place on June 5th at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.

Additionally, 11 Maine restaurants and chefs have been named semifinalists and are in contention for the 2023 awards. The final list of nominees are due out on March 29th with the award winners also being announced in Chicago on June 5th.

Tacos La Poblanita in Westbrook

| Posted in Under Construction

Tacos La Poblanita (facebook, instagram) is opening a new restaurant in Westbrook at 57 Bridge Street across from the Dana Warp Mill. Owners Karina Contreras and Jaime Rodriguez hope to open sometime in March, and will be serving a menu that includes tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and burritos.

Tacos La Poblanita launched as a food truck in the summer of 2019 and in the Maine Mall in summer of 2022.

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

February 20 – chef Sam Fore from Tuk Tuk will be at Crispy Gai for a pop-up dinner.

February 26/27 – the first 2023 Science Cafe and associated cooking class is taking place at Canopy Farms in Brunswick.

February 28 – Maine Restaurant Week’s Incredible Breakfast Cook-off.

March 1-12 – Maine Restaurant Week.

March 2 – Judy Gibson is holding a 5-course beer dinner in collaboration with Fore River Brewing.

March 5 – Maine Restaurant Week’s Spirit Quest.

March 9 – the New England Craft Brew Summit is taking place, and Fire & Co and Austin Street are collaborating on a Polenta Board Dinner.

March 12 – Two events are taking place at Coffee by Design: a coffee cupping with Juan Carlos Arango, owner of Arango Specialty Coffee, and the release of gin barrel-aged Alice Greele coffee.

March 17 – the final Flanagan Farm Supper Club (tickets) is taking place in Buxton. The  cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and multi-course dinner at being produced by Big Tree, the parent company of Eventide and The Honey Paw restaurants.

March 18 – Chris Toy is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.

March 29 – the James Beard Foundation will release the list of nominees for this year’s awards. There are 11 semifinalists from Maine under consideration.

April 3 – Scratch Baking is teaching a bagel baking class.

April 21 – The Good Food Awards will take place, there are 12 finalists from Maine in the running this year.

May 20 – Maine Wild Wine Fest.

June 12-18 – Portland Wine Week.

July 23 – Open Farm Day.

September 10 – Maine Cheese Festival.

October 8 – Maine Open Creamery Day.