Twelve

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Building Has a Story Before the First Course

Twelve occupies a 150-year-old brick structure on Portland's waterfront, formerly known as "Building 12: Pattern Storehouse." In 2022, the building was carefully mapped and rebuilt brick-by-brick at its current address on Thames Street — a detail that sets the tone for everything that follows: deliberate, rooted, and respectful of what came before.

The Chef Who Came Back

Colin Wyatt spent twelve years in New York before returning to Maine to open Twelve. Those years were spent at DANIEL and Eleven Madison Park, where he was part of the team that earned the title of "The World's Best Restaurant" in 2017. His reason for coming back is disarmingly simple: "Maine has always been a place I wanted to return to. As beautiful as it is, I think it's the people that attract everyone to the state. This is why I came back and why I wanted to start this restaurant."

Leading the kitchen day-to-day is Executive Chef Hannah Ryder, who trained at Cafe Boulud and Aquavit in New York before returning to Maine. Her cooking draws on culinary tradition while staying closely connected to the region's producers and seasons.

Modern American Cooking with a Maine Accent

The menu is described as modern New England dining — American in its allegiance to local seafood and produce, French in its precision and refinement. Bold flavors meet careful preparation, with the kitchen leaning hard on what Maine's landscape actually offers rather than importing an identity from elsewhere. It's the kind of American-French cooking that earns attention without announcing itself.

That attention has come from notable quarters. Wine Spectator recognized Twelve with its Award of Excellence in 2023, a reflection of the thoughtful wine program shaped by Lead Sommelier Jenn Forge. A Portland native with nearly two decades in the city's restaurant scene, Forge holds Certified Sommelier status with the Court of Master Sommeliers and the WSET Level 3 Advanced Award. She regularly hosts guided wine dinners — pairing five-course tasting menus with producers ranging from Austrian Blaufränkisch specialists to Napa Valley estates — making the wine program a genuine draw in its own right.

Hospitality as Community

General Manager Hayley Hastings, also Portland-raised, came up through Five Fifty-Five, one of the restaurants that helped define the city's dining scene. She champions sustainable agriculture and independent farms, and frames food explicitly as a way to connect people and share stories. That perspective is felt in how the room operates — reservations are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome at the bar and in the dining room as space allows.

For private events, Twelve offers dedicated dining options with limited 2026 availability, along with a private patio used for special wine dinners. The restaurant has drawn coverage from the New York Times, Bon Appétit, Vogue, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal — a press record that reflects both the quality of the cooking and the broader story of Portland's rise as a serious dining destination.