About Magnus on Water
Magnus on Water is an intimate cocktail bar and restaurant that encourages guests to connect with one another, their community, and other cultures through warm hospitality, nature-inspired cocktails, and crave-worthy comfort foods. Attention to detail, intentional care for guests and a soulful community spirit make Magnus on Water a beacon of hospitality—a home for visitors and locals to gather and celebrate.
Intimate seating along with a communal bar for meeting friends new and old, this is a setting to enjoy emerging flavors, make joyful discoveries, and spark lively conversation. Together, the inspired cocktails, humble science, welcoming atmosphere, and intentional design create a singular and memorable experience at Magnus on Water.
We can’t wait for you to join us.
Our Story
In August 2018, DC-based Julia was visiting family and sat down at a bar in Biddeford where Brian was bartending. They got to chatting about the entrepreneurial energy of Biddeford over mezcal-based drinks and by the end of the evening, they decided to have a follow-up conversation over coffee. There they talked about how to create community over cocktails, their favorite places to travel for food and wine, why livable wages and safe places for all matter in the industry, and what it was like for Julia to grow up just over the river in Saco, and why Brittany decided to leave the hospitality industry in New York for her home state of Maine. At the end of the conversation, they decided they would open a bar in Biddeford that reflects their ideas on community, family, and hospitality. In 2022 Cherie joined the team and today continues original founder Brittany’s visions of hospitality. We hope you experience similar kismet moments at Magnus on Water as we have at bars in Biddeford.
Cheers, Brian & Julia
Photo by Searching the Shadows Photography
Brian Catapang Creative Director
As owner and bar director since Magnus’ founding in 2020, Cat has been shaping the restaurant’s beverage program and creative concept. With a background in distillation, culinary arts, foraging, and hospitality, Cat has worked alongside a range of chefs and cuisines, developing thoughtful beverage programs rooted in seasonality, balance, and a strong sense of place. His work behind the bar at Magnus garnered the attention of national and international press and his work has been featured in numerous publications. In 2024, Magnus was recognized by The Pinnacle Guide for the excellence of its bar program, becoming one of 37 cocktail bars in the world — and one of just 10 in the United States — to receive the honor.
Today, Cat’s role has expanded beyond the bar to Creative Director. Drawing inspiration from the coast of Maine, travel, food, art, and everyday experiences, Cat helps to cultivate Magnus’ broader vision and practice of hospitality as a craft that is fundamentally creative, collaborative, and evolving.
From menu development and storytelling to building systems and developing teams, Cat has his hands in it all. In this leadership role, Cat takes particular pride in fostering an environment where talented people are supported in growing into confident, imaginative leaders within the industry.
Photo by NOVAE Film and Photo
Julia Russell Owner, Managing Partner
I am from Maine and grew up across the river from 12 Water Street in Saco. Much of my young life was spent longing to escape the small-town feel of Maine. However, when I was denied entry into my preferred university, NYU, I found myself engaged in an unexpected journey down the east coast that eventually found me landing in Washington, DC. With absolutely no intention of staying long term after having graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a degree in biology, I ended up discovering an amazing community in the DC area that enticed me to stay for 14 + years. It was not until a chance encounter during a vacation back home to Maine that I found myself drawn to the community-centric feel of a small town that I had run from so many years before.
With Magnus on Water, I have discovered a family who also wholeheartedly believes in the central premise that hospitality and exceptional experiences should not be exclusive to those who can afford lofty price tags. With the idea that warm and inviting places are created by the people who inhabit them, it is my greatest hope that all who visit will find Magnus on Water the type of place they look forward to returning to time and time again. A place where the food and the drinks are excellent, but where, more importantly, the experiences and connections are unparalleled.