Is An Italian Restaurant In Downtown Bangor Closed For Good?

The future of a Downtown Bangor dining spot is in question.

To say that the location at 118 Harlow Street in Bangor has been up and down in terms of ownership the last few years, would be an understatement.

After taking over from previous owners, Lavano's Italian restaurant, opened their doors on July 12th, which in the grand scheme of things, wasn't too long ago, but several obstacles got in the way of the new business, so its future remains in question.

For years, Tesoro was a family-owned small Italian restaurant, that was well known for only accepting cash for payments, no plastic.

Then about six years ago in 2018, Tesoro New Italian Restaurant re-opened its doors under the new ownership of Johanna Harvey, and for a few years, it proved to be a beautifully remodeled, delicious hot spot for authentic cuisine, with amazing pizza, pasta dishes, deserts, and much, more.

More changes happened in August of 2022, when Harvey had to sell, due to health issues.

It was then sold to a new owner, Brian Pelletier, who purchased Tesoro, and had a grand re-opening celebration. He then in turn sold it to Briar Jipson, in 2024.

Since July, there have been several Facebook posts that stated the restaurant would be closed due to unforeseen circumstances, including staffing issues.

At one point, they took pasta off the menu entirely, but still served up pizza.

In the last several days, there has been significant gossip around town, that they were looking to sell, or lease the building.

As of today, Lavano's restaurant is now temporarily closed, due to a medical emergency, with plans for a re-opening date uncertain.