If you like to eat, this is a very good time to be an outsider in Maine. With a jump-start provided by the pandemic, Maine’s outdoor dining scene grows and changes every year. Not only do new restaurants open up with patios and decks as standard equipment, but others are using sidewalk or street spaces.
There are so many options that you can make your al fresco dining selection based on the view, the kind of food you’re craving or the atmosphere. Now that we’re officially into summer, here are some ideas for exploring southern Maine’s outdoor dining scene. NEW KIDS ON THE PATIO Several new restaurants have opened or are opening and offering outdoor dining right away.
One is Ocotillo , a brunch spot on Danforth Street in Portland’s West End neighborhood that opened in early April . Run by the same owners as Terlingua, the place serves dishes inspired by Texas and Mexico and can seat about 30 people on a partially-covered back patio. Terlingua on Washington Avenue in Portland also has lots of outdoor seating, including a massive private backyard.
The breakfast and lunch spot Bake Maine in Wells opened in May and has a 40-seat patio in a garden space, with umbrellas and tables. It’s run by the owners of Bake Maine Pottery Cafe in Portland. Backwoods Burger Shack on Gray Road in Gorham is slated to open in early or mid-June, serving specialty burgers from a small building, with all its seating outside on picnic tables.
Outdoor seating at Terlingua. Ben McCanna/Staff P.
