Anneke Jans in Kittery, shown here ready for service in 2014. The popular restaurant was not able to renew its lease and has closed. Jill Brady/Portland Press Herald

Longtime Kittery bistro Anneke Jans closed permanently on Sunday after reaching an impasse on its lease renewal.

Co-owners Jason Canty and Megan Stewart-Canty announced the closure on the popular restaurant’s website. “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we are announcing the official closure of Anneke Jans, effective January 12, 2025,” their announcement begins. “Words cannot express how difficult it has been for us to make this decision, and how heartbreaking it is to be writing this to all of you.”

The couple go on to explain that “it has been made very clear to us that the landlord will not extend our lease. Through years of back and forth with no resolution, we feel that we have done everything in our power to try to remain in the neighborhood we helped grow.”

The historic, walkable neighborhood in Kittery Foreside, known for its sense of community, has art galleries and several highly thought-of restaurants and cafes.

The owners could not immediately be reached for further comment. Their statement goes on to thank the restaurant’s patrons for their loyal support of the well-regarded business, which had served European bistro-style fare and small plates at 60 Wallingford Square for 20 years.

“This is a chapter in our lives we are not at all ready to close, but we truly hope and believe the connections we have made with you will continue on,” they wrote.

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