Sophie Cullen

On March 17, The Great Impasta reopened at a new location at 11 Pleasant Street after moving from its original Maine Street location. Still in downtown Brunswick, the new location features 30 more seats than the previous one and increased parking options, making the restaurant more accessible to more community members.

Along with these improvements, the new location has bar seating, which serves as an efficient waiting area.

“[The bar seating] has been a great move for us,” Leyna Valek, an owner of The Great Impasta, said. “It allows our guests that are waiting for tables to open up [to] have a seat at the bar and have a drink.”

Having worked at The Great Impasta for over a decade, Valek has been able to watch the restaurant grow over time. Three months before the Covid-19 pandemic, Valek and her husband Christopher bought the restaurant, introducing early struggles for the business.

“It was quite a challenge to have no dine-in allowed,” Valek said. “But … we set up patios, and that’s how we made it through.… Once dine-in seating was allowed again, we had patio seating and limited dine-in reservations. And so it was quite a challenge to get through that after just buying and just starting fresh, but we’ve made it through.”

The Great Impasta’s relocation has excited both customers and staff, according to Valek.

“I think people have been very pleased with the spacious environment that we have now. It’s been going really great,” Valek said. “We’ve been loving it. And our wonderful staff has been helping with bringing in fun new lights and plants and adding to the atmosphere.”

One challenge that Valek found during the move was relocating the benches dedicated to some of their customers into the new space.

“Our benches include plaques for all of our regular customers, and they’ve been on the dedicated benches for many years,” Valek said. “The biggest challenge was moving around all the tables, getting the feel for everything and making sure it was a comfortable feel.”

Reflecting on the decision to relocate, Valek emphasized the importance of creating more space for the community.

“After 40 years, we thought the best way to expand would be to add more seating for everybody to be able to dine with us,” Valek said.

Carrie Faith, a hostess at the restaurant, said she appreciates the new location because it reduces her commute.

“It’s awesome to work here. Everyone is very kind and very friendly, helpful, and I like the location because it’s close to home,” Faith said. “I can walk. My daughter works here; she walks.”

Blythe Thompson ’26 and her family are longtime customers of The Great Impasta.

“I’ve been a couple times since I started college, and it’s been a really fun gathering place for my family when they come to town,” Thompson said.

Thompson said she is excited to try the restaurant following the move.

“I think that it’s really fantastic that they’re able to continue to operate in Brunswick, and I think that a lot of people love to eat there. I’m happy that they’re able to maintain that,” Thompson said. “I’d love to go check out the new place.”