New Italian restaurant opens in Brunswick
A wood-fired bagel shop's owners have expanded into Italian cuisine with the opening of a New Jersey-style restaurant in Brunswick's historic Fort Andross Mill complex.
Paolo's, named in honor of co-owner Jeremy Kratzer's late grandfather, Paul Macher, began serving diners at 14 Maine Street after a longer-than-expected path to opening. The restaurant had initially been targeted for an early 2025 debut.
"As the process developed, we realized that to really give the guest experience we wanted to, we needed to take the time to do it right," Kratzer said.
The venture marks a significant evolution for Kratzer, who already operates Dutchman's, a wood-fired bagel shop. With Paolo's, he and his team have inherited a wood-fired oven left behind by the space's previous occupant, Nomad pizzeria, and put it to work in distinctly different ways.
The kitchen offers Neapolitan-style pizza in three 12-inch varieties: a classic margherita, a carbonara, and a Roman-inspired Jersey clam pie made on a thinner crust. Beyond pizza, the menu features a house-made pasta that changes daily, chicken Parmesan served with either vodka sauce or house marinara, and a dry-aged bone-in New York strip steak. Sides include charred broccolini paired with whipped ricotta.
Chef Tommy Garfield, who most recently ran restaurants in the U.S. Virgin Islands, leads the culinary program, while pastry chef Hannah Sheehan oversees the restaurant's dessert offerings and a wood-fired focaccia.
The beverage side of the operation is in the hands of General Manager Matthew Im, whose resume includes a stint as beverage director for Prentice Hospitality Group. Im has assembled a bar program that Kratzer describes as a fusion of tiki-style cocktails and aperitivos, including a Mango Negroni that captures that blend. Beer selections round out the drink, while wines by the glass are priced at $13 and bottles at $40, regardless of selection.
Kratzer explained the reasoning behind the uniform wine pricing: "Oftentimes, you look at a menu and you make a decision subconsciously based on price. We really wanted people to be able to come in and see something they want to drink and not have to worry about the cost difference between that or something else."
The restaurant's design reflects what Kratzer calls a "highbrow-lowbrow" aesthetic. The dining room pairs clean, modern lines with a striking 15-foot cherry communal table crafted by Bicyclette Furniture, a fellow tenant in the mill building.
Paolo's is open Thursday through Sunday, with bar and lounge seating available starting at 4 p.m. and full dinner service running from 5 to 9 p.m. During the pre-dinner hour, the kitchen offers a limited menu of small bites and snacks.
