Longtime Bangor Italian eatery reopening with a new owner and name

A longtime downtown Bangor restaurant will reopen under a new name Saturday.

Tesoro, located at 118 Harlow St., will now be Lavano’s , a family name from Briar Jipson who bought the restaurant June 12. Her husband, Dan Jipson, will also help run the business.

Lavano’s will still offer pizza but will focus on fresh, house-made pasta and other dishes, she said.

“People should expect a bigger focus on authenticity,” Jipson said. “We want food that is authentically Italian.”

Tesoro first opened in the mid 1990s under owners Rocco and Fortunata Agrusa. The eatery has changed hands a couple times since the Argusas sold it in 2018 .

The new menu will include a marinara meat sauce, called Papa Lavano’s, made from an old, secret family recipe, as well as an alfredo sauce made with only parmesan and butter, Jipson said.

One change people will notice is a lack of seafood on the permanent menu. It’ll be offered as a daily special, with whatever fresh seafood the restaurant has, because frozen fish should never be used in Maine, Jipson said.

“The only thing that’s going to be in our freezers is ice,” she added.

Appetizers such as a house-made toasted ravioli with ricotta, bruschetta and a bruschetta dip are on the menu. The dessert and cocktail menus aren’t finalized, but guests should expect flavorful, fresh choices, she said.

Jipson, who lives in Stetson, has wanted to open a restaurant since she was a little girl when she would take orders on a notepad and whip up meals in the kitchen, she said.

People should expect an elevated experience, where they can go on a date or host children’s birthday parties.

Night life will still be part of the restaurant, which will stay open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and midnight on Sundays.

The Tesoro menu will be served through Friday, with coupons and gift cards honored until then.

Lavano’s grand opening is from 11 a.m., to 9 p.m. Saturday.