When was Forest Gardens established?

Forest Gardens claims a founding year of 1936, placing it in the Mid-Century & Modern era.

Forest Gardens — Oldest Bar in Maine (Est. 1936)

Q: What is the oldest bar in Maine?

Forest Gardens in Portland is widely cited as the oldest bar in Maine, with a claimed founding year of 1936. Verification status: Strongly Supported. Local media (Bangor Daily News, Press Herald, Portland radio outlets) and the Maine Memory Network consistently document a bar on this spot since Lucy Aliberti opened it in 1936, and the Business Insider/Yahoo list named it Maine's oldest bar. Minor gaps: a brief 2018 closure and temporary renaming during an ownership transfer; the chief rival claimant, Jameson Tavern (1779 building), had major continuity gaps and closed in November 2024.

Q: Is Forest Gardens still open?

As of our July 2026 review: Open today. Open as of early 2026 (Yelp listing updated February 2026 with active hours; not mentioned in 2025-2026 Portland closure roundups). It survived a 2018 ownership change with only a brief closure, and the Forest Gardens name was restored. Confirm current hours with the establishment before visiting.

Since 1936

Forest Gardens has operated as a bar at 371 Forest Avenue since 1936, when Lucy Aliberti opened the Forest Garden Restaurant there shortly after Prohibition's end. Richard Piacentini bought the neighborhood tavern in 1981 and ran it for 37 years before handing it over in 2018 to sibling team Tyler and Lindsay Holden, who closed only briefly and made few changes; a landlord-requested name change was short-lived and the Forest Gardens name returned. When a proposed CVS development threatened the block with demolition, patrons mobilized and Portland's Historic Preservation Board recommended historic protections for the buildings. It continues today as a no-frills neighborhood dive bar serving cheap beer and classic pub fare.

Regulars ran a 'Save Forest Gardens' campaign when a CVS was proposed for the site, and the city's Historic Preservation Board deemed the modest tavern block worthy of historic protection.

What to order: No famous house drink — it is celebrated as a classic dive: ice-cold cheap beer and basic pub fare (burgers, cheesesteaks, onion rings) in a room little changed for decades.

How solid is the claim?

Strongly Supported

Maine’s oldest bar — the evidence

Forest Gardens in Portland is our featured pick for the oldest bar in Maine, with a claimed founding year of 1936. Local media (Bangor Daily News, Press Herald, Portland radio outlets) and the Maine Memory Network consistently document a bar on this spot since Lucy Aliberti opened it in 1936, and the Business Insider/Yahoo list named it Maine's oldest bar. Minor gaps: a brief 2018 closure and temporary renaming during an ownership transfer; the chief rival claimant, Jameson Tavern (1779 building), had major continuity gaps and closed in November 2024.

Claimed Founding

1936

Operating Status

Open today — Open as of early 2026 (Yelp listing updated February 2026 with active hours; not mentioned in 2025-2026 Portland closure roundups). It survived a 2018 ownership change with only a brief closure, and the Forest Gardens name was restored.

Verification

Strongly Supported

Last Reviewed

July 2026

Competing Claims

Other Maine establishments with a stake in the title:

1779 (building); tavern 1801-1828

Jameson Tavern — Freeport

Long marketed as Maine's oldest tavern based on its 1779 building, but it operated as a tavern only from 1801-1828 before later restaurant eras, and it closed in November 2024 (a King's Head pub now occupies the space).

Forest Gardens

Since 1936

How solid is the claim?

Maine’s oldest bar — the evidence

Competing Claims

Sources

Next stops on the trail

Related reading