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.