Slab Closing Saturday

| Posted in Closings

Slab Sicilian Street Food is closing. The restaurant’s last day in business will be this Saturday October 12th. A statement from the owners reads in part,

For over a decade, we’ve had the privilege to bring Stephen Lanzalotta’s masterpiece to the masses, and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive! We’re so grateful for the national recognition we’ve received and for our fans far and wide – we cannot thank you enough for your support and kind words through the years. ⁣
⁣
We also want to give huge props to our dedicated staff who have enthusiastically embraced the art & science behind creating the most luscious pizza in all the land.⁣

Slab was launched in June 2014 by Stephen Lanzalotta, Jason Loring, Matt Moran, Tobey Moulton and Emily Kingsbury. Lanzalotta had previously been the baker at Micucci’s where Portlanders were introduced to his version of a slab-based pizza. Lanzalotta passed away in 2022. While best known for their rectangular slices of pizza, the menu has also included salads, sandwiches, a great beer selection, desserts and thin-crust pizzas.

While the restaurant is closing the frozen pizza part of the business will continue on. You’ll be able to find the Slab rising crust pizzas at dozens of locations in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire—a full list is available on slabportland.com.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Monday – a Goldie’s Gin release party is taking place at Blyth and Burrows. Goldie’s is produced by a new Portland distillery that launched earlier this year.

Thursday – Apres is holding their annual Apple Tasting, 4 – 7 pm.

Saturday – Waxwing Bakery is holding a pop-up at Bumbleroot Farm in Windham. Waxwing is building out a bakery Cafe on Route 302 in Windham. The Tate House in Portland is holding ColoniAle 2024, a 1-hour beer-centric house tour.

Saturday/Sunday – Cider Camp is taking place at Smithereen Farm in Pembroke in Washington County.

Sunday – The 16th Annual Open Creamery Day is taking place. Dandelion Spring Farm is holding a Harvest Dinner. Salt Wharf is holding the 2nd Annual Camden Oyster Festival.

October 15 – Master Sommelier Jonathan Eichholz and Butter + Kale are holding 5-course wine dinner at Magnus on Water.

October 17/18 – SMCC culinary and hospitality students are serving a 5-course Dining with the Departed dinner.

October 18 – Author Corrie Locke-Hardy will be at the Equality Community Center for a reading from their new cookbook The Revolution Will be Well Fed and herbal tea workshop.

October 19 – McDougal Orchards in Springvale is holding their 5th Annual Apple Tasting.

October 20 – Great Maine Apple Day is taking place in Unity.

October 23 – Mrs. Gee Free Living and Sur Lie are collaborating on a gluten-free dinner. GMRI is hosting a talk about sustainable seafood with guest Ben Conniff, co-owner of Luke’s Lobster.

October 24 – The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs is holding the biennial Maine Food Producer Showcase & Golden Fork Awards at Brick South on Thompson’s Point. Farms for Food Equity is holding their Fall Harvest Gathering fundraiser with food from Big Tree Catering and Harbor Fish, wines from National Distributors and beer from Oxbow.

October 25 – Kasha’s Kitchen in Kittery is holding a Polish dinner.

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

October 27 – Victoria Nam from Siblings Bakery is teaching a virtual class on Spiking Your Cakes With Whole Grains for the Maine Grains Alliance.

October 29 – The annual HospitalityMaine summit is taking place at Sugarloaf.

November 5 – Gross Confection Bar is holding a (sold out) pastry baking class.

November 20 – GMRI is holding an event to discuss Climate Resilience Potential in Gulf of Maine Fisheries.

November 29 – The deadline to submit recommendations for the 2025 Beard Awards.

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.

Restaurant Real Estate: October 2024

| Posted in Under Construction, Real Estate

Welcome to the October 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/Saint John/Valley

87 Brackett St – Ohno Cafe is closing the day before Thanksgiving and the owners are seeking someone who might want to take it over.

211 Valley St – a 1,260 sq ft former garage and the .13 acres it is on are for sale on Valley Street for $1,300,000.

235 Vaughan St – the former Vaughan Street Variety storefront in the West End has been completely renovated. The 620 sq ft space is available for $2500/month (MG). Call (207) 650-0846 for more information.

Arts District

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 $17.04/sq ft (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.

77 Free St – the space previously occupied by the Free Street restaurant and bar is available. The 17,000 sq ft space is for lease for $5/sq ft (NNN). Call (207) 761-6500 for additional details.

Bayside/Inner Washington

170 Anderson St – a 5,519 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is listed for $35/sq ft (NNN).

147 Cumberland Ave – the Union Bagel Co. space is available to lease for $1,750/month (MG). Over all the building has ~600 sq ft of space between the first floor and basement. It also features a fenced in back deck area that can seat 20+ people. Some equipment from the bagel bakery is also for sale. For more information contact unionbagelco@gmail.com. Union Bagel has moved their production facility to Falmouth.

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).

186 Washington Ave – the 7,620 sq ft Am Vets building is for sale for $1,600,000. See the listing for photos of the bar and seating area.

Old Port

0 Canal Plaza – the 1,350 sq ft oval-shaped build in Canal Plaza is for lease for $60/sq ft (NNN). Nosh Taco continues to operate in that space but the owners are open to speaking with people who may be interested in the space.

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).

230 Commercial St – the 2,655 sq ft building that’s been the longtime home of Sapporo is for lease for $50/sq ft (NNN). Sapporo is moving to Falmouth.

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).

10 Cotton St – Thistle & Grouse closed in September. The business is now for sale for $975,000.

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).

89 Exchange St – The space that had previously been the home of Dobra Tea is back on the market. The 1,350 sq ft space is available for $45/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.

433 Fore St – a 930 sq ft space on the first floor of the Hyatt is for lease for $60/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).

127 Marginal Way – the 3,040 sq ft former All Speed bicycle shop space across the parking lot from Trader Joes is available for $35/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.

115 Middle St – the 2,065 sq ft space formerly occupied by Beach Boys Cannabis is for lease for $6,840/month (MG). Back in the 1970s it had been the home of Model Food Importers which retailed wine, cheese and other imported foods.

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 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 – the 5,796 sq ft space that was formerly the home of Bull Moose 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).

54 York St – a 1,650 sq ft space is available for $30/sq ft (MG). It’s located in the same building as the new Weldon Hotel at the corner of York and Maple Streets.

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

India Street Area

239 Congress St –the 780 sq ft space formerly occupied by Tiny Tims is available for $2,500/month (Absolute Gross). It’s nearby Cocktail Mary, The End of Portland, Quanto Basta and LB Kitchen.

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).

1871 Forest Ave – the former Tortilla Flats is for sale. The 8,771 sq ft building is on 3.43 acres of property and is listed for $1,750,000.

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).

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

Elsewhere in Portland

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

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

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.

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.

60 Mile Rd, Wells – the former Varano’s Restaurant building and a 2 bed room apartment are for sale for $2,095,000. See this instagram article for additional information on the building and the neighborhood.

449 Main St, South Portland – the former Rudy’s Diner and an adjacent home are for sale for $975,000.

Billy’s Chowder House – both the building and business of Billy’s Chowder House in Wells is for sale. The ~200 seat restaurant comes with a 62-car parking lot and sits on Mile Road which connects Route 1 with Wells Beach. See this instagram article for additional information on the building and the neighborhood.

Joshua’s in Brunswick – Joshua’s Tavern at 121 Maine Street is closing at the end of this month and the 4,500 sq ft restaurant is available to lease for $20-25/sq ft (NNN).

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.

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.

Bayley’s Seafood, Scarborough – this 3,018 sq ft turnkey seafood restaurant is available to lease for $24/sq ft.

1200 Portland Rd, Arundel – a turnkey 9,938 sq ft restaurant is for sale for $2,500,000.

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.

Why Are Restaurants Closing

| Posted in Closings

The Press Herald has explored why so many restaurants are closing.

A surge of restaurant closures in Greater Portland that started in early September accelerated in recent weeks when a popular Bayside pizzeria, a recently opened Old Port gastropub and a longtime Yarmouth landmark all announced they were shutting down. With food and labor costs rising as the industry’s slowest season approaches, more could be coming.

For some further discussion see these three threads on Reddit.

Maine Food & Dining News: Scarborough, Yarmouth, Winthrop, Walpole, Searsport, Fairfield, Camden

| 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:

    • Mainebiz reports that Big Tree Hospitality plans to replace the current Higgins Beach Market building with a new structure.
    • On Thursday owners of the Muddy Rudder in Yarmouth shared on facebook that “[w]ith a broken heart I am announcing the Muddy Rudder is closing indefinitely effective immediately.” See this Press Herald article about the closure and potential sale of the business.
    • Sunrise Bagel is closing down their location in Winthrop. Thursday October 10th will be there last day in business.
    • The Maine Monitor has a report on the Caribou Russet potato which was developed at the University of Maine and “has overtaken the state’s potato market, edging out breeds that dominated the market for over a century.”
    • The Lincoln County News has published an article about Walpole Wildflours, a home bakery in Walpole that sells to several businesses in South Bristol and through an honor system pick-up location in Damariscotta.
    • The Bangor Daily News reports that Rio’s in Searsport has closed. Their last day in business was October 1st. Amadine Bakery (website, facebook, instagram) which is operated by the same owners remains in business.
    • In the better late than never category, we’re happy to report that Meridian’s (website, facebook, instagram) reopened for business in June. Both the bottle shop and restaurant (photo above) are now co-located at 166 Maine Street in Fairfield. The owners had shut down both the restaurant and retail shop back in January, and at the time shared “in order to move forward and properly maintain our commitment to our mission and our community, we are taking time to regroup and reflect…”
    • Winona’s (instagram) opened for business on Thursday. The new restaurant is located on Elm Street in Camden. For some additional reporting on Winona’s see this recent article from the Midcoast Villager. You can make a reservation for Winona’s online.

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.

Winona’s Opens in Camden

| Posted in Openings

Winona’s (instagram) has opened for business. The ~20-seat restaurant is located at 31 Elm Street in Camden in the space formerly occupied by Goods. It’s being launched by Hannah Adams and chef Devin Dearden.

They’re serving a menu of six dishes (see menu below) along with beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks. Shown above are the Egg Custard which is plated with shaved cabbage and topped with a sunflower chili crisp(top left), Sumac Cured Salmon with carrots and seasoned yogurt (mid left), and a Cod en Papillotte prepared with mushrooms and tomato butter and plated with shaved and whole radishes.

Prior to Winona’s Dearden had been the chef at The Alna Store since the acclaimed restaurant launched in late 2022. He’s previously worked in Cambridge, New York, and in Portland where he was on the staff at Scales and Evo. Adams had also been on staff at The Alna Store and previously worked front of house in Portland at Little Giant, The Honey Paw, and Evo.

Winona’s will be open Thursday through Saturday, 4 – 8 pm. Reservations can be made online.

Hayes Closes Throughfare/Dandy’s Handy Store

| Posted in Closings

In a statement on his facebook account chef and business owner Christian Hayes shared that he’s shut down three of his four business and will be redirecting his energy into Dandelion Catering Company (website, facebook, instagram). The statement reads in part,

We pushed as long as we could. What started as a company that was able to properly communicate it’s appreciation and love for the people who supported it very thoughtfully and consistently, grew into a multi-armed, multi-headed beast that took us away from what made it all so special and successful to begin with: each other.

Here we are, now. In a display of serendipitous regression, we as a family find ourselves back to where it literally all started 16 years ago, at Dandelion Catering Co. One business. One spot. One staff. We are picking the pieces up slowly, and working towards repairing it all. The beautiful dining space that was The Garrison will be for rent for our private events and popups, and we are focused on simplifying and streamlining the catering company to be as thoughtful and fulfilling as it should be. The clarity that is gained from this forceful downsizing is allowing us to focus on repairing everything around us, and finding focus in each day forward.

Hayes had closed The Garrison in July. This announcement extends that to include his cafe and store on Main Street in Yarmouth: Thoroughfare and Dandy’s Handy Store. Thoroughfare launched as a takeout pop-up operating out of The Garrison in June 2020 and moved into its own space on Main Street in 2021. Dandy’s Handy Store opened in May 2023.

Beard Awards Open Call

| Posted in General News

As in past years, the James Beard Foundation has posted an open call for recommendations from industry professionals and the general public for the awards committee to consider when building the list of semifinalists for 2025.

The entry and recommendation period for the 2025 James Beard Awards…is officially open! We’re looking for chefs, beverage experts, creators, and culinary and food system leaders who could be the next James Beard Award winners…Whether you published a cookbook in the last year, own a restaurant, or advocate for food system change, we encourage you to submit your entries and recommend your talented colleagues.

A notable change from last year is the addition of three new awards categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. These are in addition to the existing categories of Outstanding Bar and Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.

The deadline to submit recommendations is Friday, November 29th and if the process follows the pattern from 2023 and 2024 then we can expect to see the semifinalist list come out in late January.

Reference these PDFs for guidelines on the chef and restaurant awards categories, and for insight into the overall awards process. Also check out this list we maintain on Portland Food Map for a list of past award winners, nominees and semifinalists from Maine.

To create an account and submit your recommendations visit: jamesbeardawards.awardsplatform.com

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Monday – The Bitter Ball Negroni Contest is taking place at Via Vecchia, and Anoche is holding their next Paella Night.

Thursday – Wayside Food Programs is holding their annual fundraising event Inside Wayside. Winona’s (instagram) is opening for business in Camden—you can make reservations online. The restaurant is being launched by Hannah Adams and chef Devin Dearden who were part of the team at the highly regarded Alna Store.

Saturday – Oxbow is holding their annual Good from the Woods event in Newcastle. Leisure Time Cocktail Company is holding a Barbeque Party in collaboration with Moonrock BBQ.

Sunday – Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham is hold their annual Fermentation Fair.

October 10 – Apres is holding their annual Apple Tasting.

October 13 – The 16th Annual Open Creamery Day is taking place. Dandelion Spring Farm is holding a Harvest Dinner. Salt Wharf is holding the 2nd Annual Camden Oyster Festival.

October 18 – Author Corrie Locke-Hardy will be at the Equality Community Center for a reading from their new cookbook The Revolution Will be Well Fed and herbal tea workshop.

October 19 – McDougal Orchards in Springvale is holding their 5th Annual Apple Tasting.

October 20 – Great Maine Apple Day is taking place in Unity.

October 23 – Mrs. Gee Free Living and Sur Lie are collaborating on a gluten-free dinner.

October 24 – The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs is holding the biennial Maine Food Producer Showcase & Golden Fork Awards at Brick South on Thompson’s Point.

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

October 29 – The annual HospitalityMaine summit is taking place at Sugarloaf.

November 5 – Gross Confection Bar is holding a (sold out) pastry baking class.

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.