The owners of the wood-fired bagel shop Dutchman’s have opened a New Jersey-style Italian restaurant in Brunswick’s Fort Andross Mill complex.

Paolo’s, named for co-owner Jeremy Kratzer’s late grandfather, Paul Macher, was initially expected to open in early 2025. “As the process developed, we realized that to really give the guest experience we wanted to, we needed to take the time to do it right,” Kratzer said of his restaurant at 14 Maine St.

The offerings take full advantage of the wood-fired oven they inherited from the space’s previous tenant, Nomad pizzeria. Paolo’s offers their take on Neapolitan pizza in three, 12-inch pies: margherita, carbonara and a thinner, Roman-style Jersey clam pizza.

The menu also includes a daily house-made pasta, chicken Parmesan with either vodka sauce or house marinara, a dry-aged bone-in New York strip steak, and sides like charred broccolini with whipped ricotta. Chef Tommy Garfield recently ran restaurants in the U.S. Virgin Islands, while pastry chef Hannah Sheehan is handling the dessert list and wood-fired focaccia.

General Manager Matthew Im, former beverage director for Prentice Hospitality Group, put together Paolo’s bar program. Kratzer said the house cocktails meld tiki-style drinks with aperitivos, like in their Mango Negroni. They also have a variety of beer, while wines by the glass are all $13, and $40 by the bottle.

“Oftentimes, you look at a menu and you make a decision subconsciously based on price,” said Kratzer, explaining their wine pricing approach. “We really wanted people to be able to come in and see something they want to drink and not have to worry about the cost difference between that or something else.”

Kratzer described the restaurant’s aesthetic as “highbrow-lowbrow,” with clean lines and a 15-foot cherry communal table made by Bicyclette Furniture, their neighbor in the mill building.

Paolo’s is open for dinner Thursday to Sunday from 5-9 p.m., with a bar/lounge hour from 4-5 p.m., when they’ll offer a limited menu of small bites and snacks.