A Hancock County restaurant owner is opening something new next month in the Bucksport building that housed MacLeod’s Restaurant for 45 years.
Rob DeGennaro is closing Crybabies, the Stonington family restaurant he ran for two years, to start a new tavern and bar at the Bucksport location.
The new spot — which will be called Stowaway’s Town Tavern and Ugly’s Bar — aims to open in the renovated space on Oct. 1, according to DeGennaro.
“We’re really trying to make it a meeting place where everybody can come and enjoy one another,” he said.
The new restaurant will be the next chapter for the landmark downtown building and a new chapter for DeGennaro, who with family members has owned a number of restaurants across Hancock County and in Florida for decades. This is his first venture in Bucksport, which he sees as an up-and-coming town with new opportunities from cruise ships and its marina, along with community events on Main Street he wants to be a part of.
“I just like the whole vibe of Bucksport, the sense of community,” he said.
MacLeod’s had occupied the Bradley Block building for 45 years. Owner George MacLeod closed it and listed the building for sale in March, saying he wanted it in the hands of someone who could make full use of its prime location and popularity.
The new restaurant appears set to do that, and MacLeod has only heard good things about the food, he said Thursday. He has arranged to sell the building to DeGennaro.
“We’re really excited to see that focal point in the downtown come to life again,” he said.
Stowaway’s will offer five or six types of fish daily, from Maine and far beyond, that can be cooked in the diner’s choice of style with a selection of sides for a make-your-own seafood dinner. The extensive menu will also include fried seafood baskets, unique lobster dishes, steak, prime rib, barbecue, chicken, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and an oyster bar.
A kid’s menu is joined by a “Nana menu,” with smaller plates for older patrons with limited appetites.
In addition to a beer selection and full bar, Ugly’s will have a “beautiful” array of frozen drinks like pina coladas, daiquiris and rum runners inspired by Florida resorts, which DeGennaro said have proven very popular in Maine.
The family has made some renovations to the space to bring in more light, change up the decor, add new furniture and install TVs to show sports games.
The restaurant and bar will be open year-round seven days a week for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with an earlier Sunday brunch, though hours may be reduced in the winter. The entire Stonington staff is coming to Bucksport and some of MacLeod’s staff is joining, but DeGennaro is still hiring.
