Karen Morrill peeked around the corner, through the open pocket doors, into the main dining room of the Roma Café. “Oh, this is so exciting,” said Morrill, a 58-year-old Scarborough resident who works for the city of South Portland.

Morrill hadn’t set foot in the Congress Street restaurant, which reopened three weeks ago, since 1989, when the room was decorated with white table linens and crystal chandeliers. She and her ex-husband once joined her parents here every April 7, at the same table by the front window, for a special dinner to celebrate their shared anniversary.