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Arguably the best-known among all of Maine's many outstanding breweries, Allagash was one of the state's pioneers, first opening in the '90s with its signature Belgian-style wheat beer, Allagash White. There are plenty of other styles to discover at the brewery, including wilds, sours, barrel-aged brews, and special seasonal concoctions on tap, and when hunger strikes, there's a Bite Into Maine’s food truck on-site, where you'll find burgers and excellent Maine staples like lobster rolls and whoopie pies. It's a bit out of the way from central Portland, but the above, plus a fun and friendly tasting room, make the brewery well worth the small trek.
50 Industrial Way, Maine, 04103, USA
Known For
- Bite Into Maine Food truck offerings
- One of Maine's brewing pioneers
- Home of Allagash White
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
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The design and overall atmosphere here—part rustic Maine hunting lodge, part chic ski Aspen lodge, all beneath soaring ceilings and in front of a real roaring fire—keep crowds coming back, but the craft beer is very good (pale ales, IPAs, pilsners—you name, they’re pouring it), as are the cocktails (the carefully made spirits include a slightly sweet vodka made from corn; a bourbon, and a gin, among others). And, the food deserves kudos, too—snacks like duck fat cornbread with hot honey, and mains, like the lobster mac ’n cheese with Boursin, do not miss. There are three other locations in Kennebunk, Biddeford, and Wells.
82 Hanover St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Part Maine hunting lodge, part Aspen ski lodge atmosphere
- Very good brews and spirits
- Festive, sophisticated atmosphere
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Even in midafternoon, this small, casual, and cool panini-and-more shop in the Old Port is packed. The focus here is everyday farm-to-table fare: the signature Belgian fries are made with Maine potatoes cooked, yes, in duck fat and served in paper cones, and standards include meat loaf and the BGT (bacon, goat cheese, tomato). Drink choices include gelato milk shakes, French-press coffee, lime-mint fountain sodas, beer, and wine.
43 Middle St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Decadent poutine with duck-fat gravy
- Hopping atmosphere—waits for a table can be long
- Thick milk shakes prepared with local gelato by Gelato Fiasco
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
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The emphasis at this cozy neighborhood restaurant is on the superb food rather than the atmosphere, which isn't surprising, given that the owners formerly served their tasty, no-fuss fare from a truck. Lunch and dinner feature locally sourced, sustainable ingredients in dishes that reflect the seasons. The lobster roll, made with big chunks of knuckle and claw meat, is so good deserves its own cult.
47 Middle St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Mouthwatering house-smoked bacon
- Crispy, thrice-cooked fries
- Brunch cocktails that incorporate ingredients from local distilleries and house-made cordials
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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Proper Italian gelato and sorbetto here come in traditional flavors as well as more offbeat varieties like torched marshmallow s'more, mascarpone pistachio caramel, and mint brownie cookie. There are new flavors every day, along with espresso and other hot drinks. If you are overwhelmed by all the choices, get the "mystery pint" and have the selection made for you.
425 Fore St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- You can try every single flavor before deciding on what you'll get
- Long lines out the door in the summer
- Multigenerational bonding spot
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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A local institution (it's been here since 1949, and Portland's historic preservation department even helped restore it), Portland's beloved gem housed in a Worcester dining car is as authentic as they come. The menu's full of diner staples—lots of homemade pies, daily soups, big breakfasts, BLTs, and thick specialty milkshakes (in flavors like grasshopper and s'mores). The unusually friendly staff—when they're not swamped—will happily dole out advice on spots to visit in town. Expect crowds in the summer, accommodated by extra seating in the back, built off the car.
140 Marginal Way, Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Authentic diner car history
- Friendly staff
- Creative milk shakes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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In opening this pitch-perfect bagel shop, chef-owner Chad Conley filled a long-neglected gap in Portland's food scene. Here you'll find spot-on New York-style bagels (made in-house every morning) with both expected and unusual add-ons, including pastrami nova, chopped liver, and whitefish salad.
428 Forest Ave., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Family-friendly, neighborhood environment
- House-cured gravlax
- General-store-style shop items including books, games, and specialty food items
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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Let the fact that this incredibly popular outfit doesn’t even bother to call its signature foodstuff “pizza” (but instead, “Sicilian street food”) be your first hint that the pie here is a different animal altogether. And while there are perfectly good sandwiches on offer, almost everyone’s here for the pillowy, chewy, old world--style pizza, by turns smothered in mushrooms or meats, freshly chopped herbs, or graced with a dollop of blue cheese dip. The thin-crusted, designer versions take a tad longer (about 25 minutes), but are always worth the wait—for renditions like pickle and bacon, sausage and bacon, or loaded with prosciutto cotton, black olives, mozzarella, and honey.
25 Preble St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Good sandwiches
- Dough and pizza fixings to make at home
- Excellent thick- and thin-crust pizzas
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
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You'd be hard-pressed to find a more pitch-perfect bakery in the Pine Tree State, but you'll have to pop by early (or put in an order in advance) to get your mitts on these delectable baked goods. The perfectly airy croissants, crusty baguettes, beguiling tarts, dainty Madeleines, and creative breads incorporate locally sourced grains and are nothing short of revelations.
75 Commercial St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Good selection of locally roasted coffees
- Amazing galettes and brioches
- Creative scones
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Named for the finest grade of flour milled in Italy and owned by the same husband-and-wife duo behind Old Port's wildly popular Central Provisions, Tipo is a Back Cove gem and a neighborhood favorite. The Italian flour is put to excellent use in homemade pastas (like the buccatini with local mussels, fennel, and preserved lemon) and brick-oven pizzas (don't bypass the Casablanca, loaded with merguez sausage and roasted tomato). Service is swift and friendly—including on the sunny, bustling patio—and there's an emphasis on simple, intense flavors throughout the menu.
182 Ocean Ave., Maine, 04103, USA
Known For
- Handmade pastas
- Creative cocktail program
- Refined but rustic wood-fired pizzas
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
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A regular stop for pie lovers around the city, Two Fat Cats bakes up delectable bourbon pecan, sour cherry, and coconut cream masterpieces. Meanwhile, the bakery’s whoopie pies rely on light and fluffy, hand-scooped chocolate cake batter and a filling that’s based on whipped vanilla buttercream, not the more typical marshmallow. The signature pie is made with wild Maine blueberries sourced from Maine-based and family-owned Wyman's. A second shop is located at 740 Broadway in South Portland.
195 Lancaster St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Delicious homemade pies
- Celebration cakes
- Whoopie pies
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In the Press Hotel, Union Restaurant has a sophisticated but unpretentious air that is reflected in its menu, which focuses on local ingredients, many of which are foraged and fished, or gathered from its on-site greenhouse. Most dishes are modern comfort food; breakfast and brunch are a treat: you'll find maple pain perdu served alongside smoked-salmon tartines and classic dishes like eggs Benedict.
390 Congress St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Sustainable ingredients
- Decadent "chef's table," a multicourse meal with wine pairings of the chef's choice
- Signature truffle beef pot roast
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In a historic town house with traditional Asian decor (a 30-foot copper dragon watches over diners) in Portland's quaint West End, this dumpling house serves deeply satisfying Asian-inspired comfort food in an intimate setting. Start with the house-made Asian slaw, then move to dumplings filled with tried-and-trues such as pork and cabbage or something less traditional, like beef bulgogi or shrimp and bacon. For a change from dumplings, consider the zha jiang mian (Beijing noodles) or lo mai gai (pork, sausage, chestnuts, and sticky rice wrapped in a lotus leaf).
133 Spring St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Dishes integrating local, seasonal ingredients
- Tap takeovers by local brewmasters
- Dishes other than the namesake dumplings
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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You won't find a more local or unfussy place—or one more abuzz with conversation at 4 am—than this waterfront institution way down on the end of Commercial Street. The food is cheap, generous in proportion, and has that satisfying, old-time-diner quality. Sitting next to you at the counter or in a neighboring booth could be rubber-booted fishermen back from sea, college students soothing a hangover, or suited business folks. From the upstairs deck you can watch the working waterfront in action.
390 Commercial St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Classic Maine diner food featuring many seafood dishes
- Very lively atmosphere commingling locals and visitors
- Parking is easy—a rarity in Portland
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Families, students, and bohemian types gather at this popular New England chain flatbread-pizza place where two massive wood-fire ovens are the heart of the soaring, warehouselike space. Waits can be long on weekends and in summer, but you can call a half-hour ahead to put your name on the list, or grab a drink from the bar and wait outside with a view of the harbor. The menu has eight signature pizzas made with fresh, local ingredients, plus weekly veggie and meat specials; everything is homemade, organic, and nitrate-free, and there are delicious local microbrews on tap.
72 Commercial St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Unfussy, kid-friendly atmosphere
- Outdoor dining on a deck that overlooks the working waterfront
- Dogs allowed on outside deck
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This is the real deal, as quintessential as old-school Maine dining can be. Clam rakes and nautical charts hang from the walls of this unpretentious waterfront diner, and the flavors come from the depths of the North Atlantic, prepared and presented simply: fried scallops, haddock, clams and extraordinary clam cakes, and fish, clam, and seafood chowders (corn, too).
92 Commercial St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Family-friendly environment
- Classic lobster rolls, served on toasted hot-dog buns bursting with claw and tail meat
- An ice-cream parlor to round out your meal
- Chalkboard daily specials
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Opened in early 2018, this high-energy spot serves lobster numerous ways—in a roll, on a stick, on a burger, over a salad, or even with your Bloody Mary. If you're feeling adventurous, try one of the sauces (lime mayo, lobster ghee) on your roll, and wash it all down with a beer from the ever-changing menu, which depends on availability from local breweries.
104 Exchange St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Origins as a food cart
- The lobby pop (a lobster tail on a stick)
- Highroller whoopie pies baked by the owner's mom
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Trays heaped with St. Louis--style ribs and brisket fly around Salvage’s expansive room, as diners wait for orders to arrive at communal or dinette tables. The deep-flavored meats benefit from time in the outfit’s smoker, custom-built from an old propane tank and fueled by Maine red oak, and sides like collard greens, delicious cornbread, and hush puppies round out the Southern-style feast. The adjoining bar and live music keep things hopping.
919 Congress St., Maine, 04102, USA
Known For
- Weekly events like bingo, quiz nights, and live music
- Southern-style sides like cornbread and collard greens
- St. Louis--style barbecue
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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New England—and especially Maine—may not be known for its barbecue, but Terlingua is one of the exceptions. Pitmaster/owner Piny Reynolds started the fire in steel smokers here in 2015, applying what he learned while living in Austin to Maine foods, and he continues to smoke up a gorgeous brisket (to say the least), as well as smoke lobster tails to make tostadas. Reynolds and co-chef Will Rothschild are just as apt to smoke mackerel for a dip or carnitas for tacos as they are to smoke up some local mussels in seaweed before marinating them in chili oil and topping rich deviled eggs with them. Grab a chair inside or out back; both spaces are as convivial as can be.
40 Washington Ave., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Barbecuing seafood into delicious dishes
- Top-notch Texas-style barbecue
- Strong, well-balanced margaritas
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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Don't pass up a chance to try these sweet and savory, all-natural, Maine potato-based doughnuts glazed in flavors such as dark chocolate--sea salt, maple, pomegranate, triple berry, and chai, or stuffed with delicious fillings like bacon and cheddar, or ricotta. There are always new inventions, too, such as salted chocolate caramel and key lime pie.
177 Commercial St., Maine, 04102, USA
Known For
- Long lines, but worth the wait
- Shop closes for the day once all the doughnuts are sold
- Vegan and gluten-free options are available
