The former Samuel’s Bar & Grill in Morrill’s Corner, seen here in 2014, will become Mandy & Matt’s Cafe. Gordon Chibroski/Portland Press Herald
Matthew and Amanda Lebel are planning a breakfast and lunch cafe in the Morrill’s Corner spot that previously was home to Samuel’s Bar & Grill. They hope to launch in early April, according to papers they filed with the city of Portland.
The cafe, according to Matt Lebel, will be the realization of a longtime dream for his wife, whose mother, Kathy Geary, owned and operated the popular brunch mainstay Maelily Ryleigh’s (previously Kathy & Dave’s), also on Forest Avenue, for nearly 25 years. Amanda worked there as a server for more than two decades. Maelily Ryleigh’s closed in 2019, and Geary died about three years ago.
“It’s her dream to bring back her mom’s recipes,” Matt Lebel said of his wife, “a good, wholesome home-cooked meal.”
Mandy & Matt’s Cafe will be open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., serving an array of eggs, smoothies, breakfast bowls and pancakes. The lunch menu spans sandwiches, such as a croissant club, fried haddock sandwich with tartar sauce, and the Steak Bomb, with mushrooms, peppers, onions and American cheese on a sub roll. Prices for breakfast, according to a draft menu given to the city, range from about $8 to $18, while lunch prices are in the $9 to $16 range.
Matt Lebel said the cafe, at 1160 Forest Ave., will seat about 70 inside and another 20 outside.
On Wednesday, the couple, who live in Westbrook, were still waiting on their liquor license from the state and were about to close on the building. Find more information on Instagram at @mandyandmattscafe.
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