Maine's Restaurant And Brewery Openings And Closings Of 2026, By Region

Maine's restaurant, bakery and brewery scene saw near-constant turnover in the first nine months of 2026, according to the reporting gathered here. Of the 48 items tracked, Greater Portland produced the largest share: Portland, South Portland, Scarborough and Saco together accounted for more than a dozen openings and closings, including repeated trouble at the dog-friendly restaurants Woof Play Eat, which permanently closed in Portland citing city and state delays, and The Barkery, which closed in South Portland.

Bakeries and cafes were a recurring thread across the state. Gross Bakery closed in Portland and Jodie's Cafe closed for good in Wiscasset, while new bakeries opened in Winterport and Wiscasset. Several long-running institutions also changed hands or shut down, including a longtime Maine buffet restaurant, a lobster restaurant headed to auction, and Skowhegan's Heritage House, even as other Maine restaurants marked milestone seasons — a 99th year for one seafood spot and a 48th season for the restaurant known for the world's largest lobster roll.

Breweries saw both growth and strain: a new brewery and restaurant opened in Milo, two Brunswick breweries both moved to new locations, and an Eliot brewery closed amid a dispute with its town over $100,000. Central Maine, Down East and the Bangor area each logged a mix of new openings — from a lakeside restaurant in Aroostook County to a new Italian restaurant in downtown Bangor — alongside closures such as the Farmington Diner and a Lewiston bakery that had supplied Maine Dunkin' locations for more than 20 years.

Portland

Chick-fil-A announced that its first Portland restaurant would open on January 22, 2026. (Chick-fil-A)
A new indoor dog bar, Woof Play Eat, opened its restaurant and bar in Portland, WJBQ reported. (WJBQ)
Pastry chef Brant Dadaleares closed Gross Bakery in Portland, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
A French wine bar and restaurant called Elizabeth was set to open in Portland in spring 2026, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
The Portland pasta restaurant Abbiocco closed after just six months in business, WJBQ reported. (WJBQ)
Noble Pizzeria & Barbecue was closing, Portland Food Map reported. (Portland Food Map)
The Portland dog park and restaurant Woof Play Eat permanently closed, citing lengthy city and state delays, Newsradio WGAN reported. (Newsradio WGAN |)

South Portland, Scarborough & Saco

A new sister restaurant to Yosaku was opening in South Portland, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
The former owners of Ohno Cafe were opening a pub in South Portland, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
A new South Portland restaurant closed indefinitely after a fire, WCYY reported. (94.3 WCYY)
The Barkery dog park and restaurant closed in South Portland, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
Bayley's Seafood Restaurant in Scarborough closed permanently, Spectrum News reported. (Spectrum News)
A new daytime restaurant and market opened in downtown Saco, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)

York County & the Seacoast

A new Japanese restaurant was planned for downtown Biddeford, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
Koi Asian Restaurant in Biddeford was permanently closing, WCYY reported. (94.3 WCYY)
Forbes Restaurant proposed a new bar and reopening its second floor overlooking Wells Beach, Seacoastonline reported. (Seacoastonline.com)
Sanford's Azul Agave Mexican restaurant was opening three more York County locations, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
The new Thai restaurant Sweet Rice opened in Ogunquit, Seacoastonline reported. (Seacoastonline.com)
An Eliot brewery closed amid a dispute between the town and the pub's owner over $100,000, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)

Midcoast

Prospect Country Store was closing as its owners planned to open a bakery cafe in Winterport, Bangor Daily News reported. (Bangor Daily News)
The Rolling Pin Café and Bakery opened on Main Street in Winterport, WABI reported. (WABI)
Two Brunswick breweries were both moving to new locations, WJBQ reported. (WJBQ)
Jodie's Cafe in Wiscasset permanently closed after months of uncertainty, 94.9 HOM reported. (94.9 HOM)
A new Wiscasset bakery combining family and quality ingredients was set to open in September 2026, the Lincoln County News reported. (The Lincoln County News)

Down East

A new Ellsworth eatery began serving Jamaican-inspired dishes, Bangor Daily News reported. (Bangor Daily News)
A local family opened a new restaurant, Siren & Sailor, the Mount Desert Islander reported. (Mount Desert Islander)
A chef from Michelin-rated restaurants opened a cafe in rural Down East Maine, Bangor Daily News reported. (Bangor Daily News)
A chef opened his own restaurant, Astro, in Brooklin, the Ellsworth American reported. (The Ellsworth American)
Two new restaurants opened in Blue Hill, Penobscot Bay Press reported. (Penobscot Bay Press)
A popular eastern Maine bakery chain closed its Ellsworth shop, Bangor Daily News reported. (Bangor Daily News)

Central Maine

A Lewiston bakery that supplied Maine Dunkin' locations closed after more than 20 years in business, WMTW reported. (WMTW)
Chick-fil-A announced the opening of a new restaurant in Augusta. (Chick-fil-A)
Pak Lee Chinese Restaurant in Skowhegan closed, Centralmaine.com reported. (Centralmaine.com)
Lewiston's former Ramada Inn was set to become a Clarion Hotel with a new restaurant, the Lewiston Sun Journal reported. (Lewiston Sun Journal )
Skowhegan's Heritage House restaurant was closing, though a new chapter was planned for the site, b985.fm reported. (b985.fm)
The Farmington Diner closed as El Tequila prepared to move in, the Lewiston Sun Journal reported. (Lewiston Sun Journal )

Statewide

A Maine restaurant known for serving the world's largest lobster roll set its opening date for its 48th season, WJBQ reported. (WJBQ)
A popular Maine seafood restaurant opened for its 99th year, WMTW reported. (WMTW)
A longtime Maine buffet restaurant was closing permanently, WCYY reported. (94.3 WCYY)
An iconic Maine restaurant known for its large lobster rolls was getting new owners, b985.fm reported. (b985.fm)
A Maine McDonald's restaurant location closed, a rarity for the chain, WCYY reported. (94.3 WCYY)
A popular Maine lobster restaurant closed and was set to be sold at auction, WMTW reported. (WMTW)

Northern & Eastern Maine

A new brewery and restaurant opened in Milo to local support, WABI reported. (WABI)
A new restaurant began serving Chinese-American fusion food to the Bangor area, WABI reported. (WABI)
A Brewer restaurant known for karaoke was preparing for its second grand re-opening, WABI reported. (WABI)
A Bangor food truck favorite opened a permanent brick-and-mortar restaurant, WABI reported. (WABI)
An Aroostook County couple opened a new lakeside restaurant serving urban-style fare, Bangor Daily News reported. (Bangor Daily News)
A new Italian restaurant opened in downtown Bangor, Bangor Daily News reported. (Bangor Daily News)

Compiled from reporting by the outlets linked above; follow the links for their full stories.