With winter fast approaching, it’s time to embrace Maine’s great outdoors.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to buy a snorkel parka rated to 40 below zero and sleep in a snow mound during a camping trip. It can mean you search a little bit to find Maine restaurants and bars that will allow you to get a table outdoors in November and December, with maybe a heater or a fire pit to take the chill off.

At least partly because of the pandemic, more Maine eateries, breweries and bars are offering outdoor seating even in the cold months, knowing that a lot of people prefer it.

A lot of outdoor seating at restaurants goes away in the winter. In Portland, restaurants with parklets (seating in parking spaces) are only allowed until Nov. 1, and sidewalk dining is only allowed until Nov. 15. Still, there are lots of places with patios, decks, backyards and other creative spaces that will be open into November and beyond.

Here are a few places that plan to keep outdoor seating an option as the temperatures dip. Check out their websites for more information.

Part of the outdoor cold-weather dining space at Terlingua in Portland. Melanie Reynolds photo

PATIOS OF PORTLAND

Terlingua Restaurant and Market, 40 Washington Ave., serving barbecue and Latin American fare at the foot of Portland’s Munjoy Hill, has a massive private backyard area with decks, individual shacks and a covered, heated bar space known as “the corral” that seats about 40. There are also picnic tables, bar tops and standard tables, plus radiant heaters and propane tower heaters. Most of the outdoor seating – with a total capacity of about 80 – is covered. The outdoor spaces are open year-round. For more information, go to terlinqua.me.

Wilson County Barbecue, 82 Hanover St., in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood, also offers outdoor seating, year-round, for about 100 hungry folks. There are picnic tables, Adirondack chairs and fire pits. Some are covered, but most are open-air on the patio, with the restaurant’s old brick facade as background. At night, you’ll see the lights strung overhead. For more information, go to wilsoncountybarbecue.com.

The Thirsty Pig, 37 Exchange St. in Portland’s Old Port, has a large outdoor area with a two-level deck and a ground-level patio, where you can enjoy craft beers and house-made sausages. There’s seating for about 50, most uncovered, but there are also four huts that can hold four people each. The outdoor area is unheated, but the huts have clear roofs to allow the sun to warm them naturally. The outdoor areas at The Thirsty Pig are open year-round, and the huts are used through the winter. For more information, go to thirstypigportland.com. 

Chaval, a Spanish- and French-inspired restaurant at 58 Pine St. in the West End, has year-round outdoor dining on a private patio with tables and chairs for around 20, equipped with heaters. There are also four “greenhouses” that seat four each, with heaters as well. Locally made heated seat cushions and blankets are also supplied. For more information, go to chavalmaine.com 

The cold-weather outdoor space at Wilson County Barbecue in Portland. Photo courtesy of Wilson County Barbecue

BEER GARDENS GALORE

Rising Tide Brewing Co., 103 Fox St. in Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood, has a large patio that’s open all year and seats about 100. There are picnic tables, high-tops, benches with fire pits and fire tables, plus barrels with fire inside to warm yourself. There’s a tent that covers about half the patio that remains up through November, but then the patio will be uncovered until next spring. For more information, go to risingtidebrewing.com.

Austin Street Brewery, 115 Fox St. in Portland, also has year-round outdoor seating, with some fire pits and radiant heating. There are picnic tables and benches, and the area is covered, with seating for about 30 people. For more information, go to austinstreetbrewery.com

Mast Landing Brewing Co.’s locations in Westbrook and Freeport have patio areas that stay open year-round. The Freeport patio seats about 75 at tables, but also has Adirondack chairs and standing areas. The Westbrook location has picnic tables and overhead heaters on the back patio. In Freeport, people can order food from Nighthawk’s Kitchen next door. For more information, go to mastlandingbrewing.com.

The Glenn, an outdoor space at Flight Deck Brewing in Brunswick. Photo courtesy of Flight Deck Brewing

UP THE COAST

Flight Deck Brewing, 11 Atlantic Ave., in the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, has year-round outdoor dining in several areas, including a patio, a forested area called “the Glenn,” semi-enclosed and heated huts, and the seasonally enclosed and heated “Pavilion.” There are picnic tables with umbrella-style propane heaters, couches and chairs and an overall seating capacity of about 250. Plus, you can get wood-fired pizza to go with your brew. For more information, go to flightdeckbrewing.com 

Burano’s Wood-Fired Pizzeria has outdoor seating year-round at its Bath and Hallowell locations. Hallowell has three gas fireplaces, three fire pits and four gas heaters. There’s a mix of metal tables, picnic tables and couches, all overlooking the Kennebec River. In Bath, there’s a gas fireplace, two overhead gas heaters and one upright gas heater. There are also side walls for wind protection. For more information, go to buranospizza.com.

The outdoor space at Burano’s Wood-Fired Pizzeria in Bath, seen in warmer weather, is open in winter, too. Photo courtesy of Burano’s Wood-Fired Pizzeria in Bath,

GET IN A GONDOLA

The Kennebunkport Resort Collection includes three area restaurants offering outdoor seating this winter in heated, enclosed structures that look like old-fashioned ski lifts or gondolas. Via Sophia By the Sea, 27 Western Ave., Kennebunk, will offer one gondola, seating six to eight people, decorated with an Italian Alps/Dolomites theme, beginning Dec. 2. The Burleigh at Kennebunkport Inn, One Dock Square, Kennebunkport, will have three heated gondolas – seating four each – beginning Jan. 5 and continuing through the winter. The Boathouse Restaurant, 21 Ocean Ave., Kennebunkport, will have two heated gondolas, with a “coastal lighthouse village” theme, beginning Dec. 16 and lasting through the winter. One seats four and the other seats six. For more information, go to kennebunkportresortcollection.com. 

A look inside one of the outdoor dining “gondolas” at The Burleigh at The Kennebunkport Inn. Photo courtesy of Kennebunkport Resort Collection

Comments are not available on this story.

Related Stories