Zero-proof nights out
Bathhouses, book bars and board games might be your cup of tea
Paying for the next ‘round’ is about a Scrabble rematch at downtown Portland’s board game bar Another Round.
By Raine Raynor
Courtesy photos
We’ve all experienced the need to get out—someplace that isn’t home or work but a third place to relax and connect with other people in public.
The concept of a third place isn’t new: Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term in the 1980s to refer to those informal gathering spots where people from different walks of life converge and connect with community outside of home and work. Think of parks, libraries, cafes and houses of worship—or watering holes like bars and breweries. Admission might be the price of a cup of coffee, but it’s usually not expensive. A third place is where friends meet up, acquaintances are made and people can be alone in the company of others. With the line between home and work blending for many, the need for third places has become ever more apparent.
Meanwhile, a generational shift is occurring in how people think and interact with alcohol. A 2025 survey by NCSolutions found that 49% of American adults plan to reduce drinking in 2025—including 57% of millennials and 65% of Generation Z. Furthermore, 30% of Americans were planning to take part in the monthlong sobriety challenge known as Dry January, up 36% from 2024. This “sober curious” movement isn’t about seeing sobriety as black and white but rather about making intentional choices. Being conscientious of tolerance, partaking less frequently, and choosing lower alcohol by volume (ABV) options all fall under the broad sober curious label.
There isn’t one single reason behind sobriety’s popularity. Instead, a myriad of factors are playing into the movement to drink less, from interest in healthier lifestyles to changing financial priorities and personal preferences.
At third places like libraries and cafes, people can experience community outside of home and work.
As sobriety becomes commonplace, societal attitudes toward non-drinkers are becoming more accepting, too.
For many of the newly sober curious, however many the benefits, the question looms: “What’s going to happen to my social life?” A new wave of late-night Southern Maine establishments are rising to this question by creating true third places that decenter drinking while building community.
In Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood, Washington Baths evokes the traditional gathering space of a public bathhouse. The Finnish-style sauna, designed by Barrett Made and Decentralized Design Lab, rises at the base of Munjoy Hill behind a patinaed concrete exterior that you might miss if you didn’t know it’s there. The blonde wood interior opens to a private courtyard where sauna bathers can cool off with a plunge and fresh air. An on-site cafe sells snacks and beverages for purchase, because it’s important to eat and hydrate before using a sauna. Silence is observed on Fridays as a meditative alternative to the boisterous environments of clubs and bars. Other nights, introspective electronic songs and sounds fill the space for Ambient Bathing; the sauna then closes at 9 p.m., and the after-hours discotheque known as Lido begins. DJs from the local scene and as far away as Montréal, New York and Berlin turn it up in the candlelit lounge-turned-dancefloor that can spill out to the starlit courtyard.
Another popular model for modern third spaces might be called the “bar with a twist.” These businesses offer refreshment and the space to enjoy hobbies in public, whether that’s reading, playing board games, or crafting. Yes, alcoholic drinks are available, but so are coffee, tea and a thoughtful zero-proof selection of mocktails, NA beers, craft soda and more. The goal is to meet people where they’re at and serve refreshments for a mix of preferences.
Walking into Elements, a book bar and cafe in downtown Biddeford, customers can be found lounging in chairs with open books or chatting with friends, beverages of choice in hand. Elements transforms into an event space with live music Friday and Saturday nights, as well as fiber arts get-togethers, cribbage games, film screenings and Silent Book Clubs (part of the international movement to read together in quiet camaraderie). Co-owner Michael Macomber founded the book bar in 2012 after winning a business proposal pitch as part of the nonprofit Heart of Biddeford’s efforts to revitalize downtown.
“Our space revolves around people first, and what you have in your hand matters second, or third even,” says co-owner Katie Pinard. “Often that means that if two people are meeting up, one might have an alcoholic beverage, and the other may not. We’re a space where you can do that very easily.”
In addition to selling plants, Terrarium in downtown Portland also has plenty of space to sit, enjoy a snack, and catch up with friends.
Other establishments in downtown Portland are putting their own spin on creating space for bonding through activities and shared interests. In the Old Port, the plant shop Terrarium serves snacks and light refreshments amidst lush greenery. Stay a moment and catch up with friends over a board game or learn how to build your own terrarium at a walk-in workshop.
On Congress Street, Arcadia combines classic arcade games and pinball machines, with free pinball on Wednesday nights. Grab a bite from the pizza window, or order a mocktail at the bar to sip while you play.
Westward down Congress, Novel serves coffee and craft NA beverages in addition to beer, wine and cocktails in a cozy space lined with books from the neighboring Green Hand used bookstore. Evening events include a silent book club, author talks and film screenings.
Portland’s most recent foray into the third space venue is the board game bar Another Round. Owner Harry Sultan attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and found himself inspired by his efforts to make friends after returning to Portland in 2021. “When I moved here, I didn’t know anybody,” he says. “I’m very into Dungeons & Dragons and love board games. I really wanted to go to a place like this to meet people who had similar interests. And it just didn’t exist.”
Sultan joined local game groups and events, but his game place idea was still floating around when he found himself laid off a few years later. Inspired by board game bars like The Uncommons and Hex & Co. from his hometown of New York City, Sultan took the leap and opened Another Round in mid-2024.
The interior of Another Round, designed and built by Woodhull, is warm and inviting, with natural wood accents and exposed brick. Access to a library of nearly 200 board games can be rented for $3 per hour per person, but non-gamers are also welcome to sit and enjoy the space. “I wanted to make sure the space was just as comfortable for someone who is covered in Dungeons & Dragons tattoos as it would be to my mom,” Sultan says. “We are built to be a hub.”
Another Round accepts suggestions for their ever growing library of over 100 board games.
Unlike what you might expect of a bar owner, both Sultan and Pinard are encouraged by growing interest in drinking less. At Elements, Pinard notices that customers are moving away from high ABV beers in favor of hard seltzer and kombucha—which are both gluten-free and low ABV. “Is this a post-COVID thing?” she theorizes. “Maybe. I find that my tolerance personally and generally people’s tolerances have gone down a bit.”
“It’s good to see that if a place is serving alcoholic drinks—that there is sort of an expectation that they have put a similar amount of thought and effort behind non-alcoholic options,” says Sultan, who considers low ABV options his sweet spot. “I’m not capital-S sober, but I drink much, much less than I used to back in the day, and I don’t want to sacrifice flavor just because I don’t also want to get drunk.”
An iced latte from Another Round
The staff at Elements has been brainstorming ways to offer more non-alcoholic beverages, including a mocktail menu that Pinard imagines will repurpose ingredients already on hand. “We’ve got lots of fizzy things,” she says. “We’ve got a full lineup of syrups that we use for our coffees. How do we start putting those together?”
Sultan has a similar attitude of waste-not, want-not at Another Round, where ingredients are creatively repurposed throughout the menu. For example, orange peels used to create oleo saccharum—a bright, deeply flavored syrup—for the Smokey Orange Latte become garnishes on drinks, and the oranges themselves are juiced for mimosas. Likewise, the staff have been developing a recipe to make coffee liqueur from used grounds.
What’s next for nightlife in Southern Maine? The scene is certainly recognizing and responding to a shift in drinking preferences. Just as growing interest in plant-based eating during the 2010s prompted restaurants to expand their vegan and vegetarian menus, it looks like establishments will be building out their low ABV and non-alcoholic drink menus. As evidenced by businesses like Washington Baths, Elements and Another Round, there’s much creativity to be found in embracing changing tastes—and in putting community first.
At Elements, Pinard says, “What’s meant a lot to me over the last 11, almost 12 years is seeing how the community has taken ownership of the space for themselves. They have created the vibe.”
