-
$$ | |
Small plates take center stage at Old Port’s award-winning, always-busy bôite, with chef Chris Gould, who co-owns the place with his wife Paige Gould, cheekily pairing stalwart Maine ingredients with luxurious and global ones. Witness creations like the confit of tomato salad with smoked duck, rice noodles, and Lanzhou oil, or the bone marrow toast with red onion jam, horseradish cream, and fontina. If the rhubarb honey cake is on the menu, don’t even think twice.
414 Fore St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- A busy and excellent brunch
- Use of local ingredients
- Creative small plates
-
$$ | |
Follow the scent of chili and sizzling scallions to this highly regarded Vietnamese joint, where the dishes are as authentic as they are adventurous. Beyond the requisite pho (and for the record, theirs is flavorful and addictive) are dishes ready to push your repertoire of Vietnamese cuisine: cold caramel vermicelli with caramel pork and fish sauce; Khmer sour beef sausage; and stir-fried turnips with oyster mushrooms and fermented tofu. Don't come expecting anything fancy; the draw here is the big flavors and the friendly service.
57 Washington Ave., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- National recognition and award nominations
- Big flavors and the friendly service
- Excellent Vietnamese food
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
-
$$ | |
Even in midafternoon, this small, casual, and cool panini-and-more shop in the Old Port is packed. The focus here is everyday farm-to-table fare: the signature Belgian fries are made with Maine potatoes cooked, yes, in duck fat and served in paper cones, and standards include meat loaf and the BGT (bacon, goat cheese, tomato). Drink choices include gelato milk shakes, French-press coffee, lime-mint fountain sodas, beer, and wine.
43 Middle St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Decadent poutine with duck-fat gravy
- Hopping atmosphere—waits for a table can be long
- Thick milk shakes prepared with local gelato by Gelato Fiasco
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
-
$$$ | |
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.
-
$$ | |
Not only does Eventide have fresh, tasty oysters from all over Maine and New England, artfully prepared with novel accoutrements like kimchi, ginger ices, and cucumber-champagne mignonette, it also serves delicious crudos and ceviches with unique ingredients like blood orange and chili miso. The menu constantly changes, depending on what's in season. So it's best to order a handful of small plates, a glass of bubbly or one of the signature tiki-style cocktails, and, of course, a dozen oysters.
86 Middle St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Brown-butter lobster rolls
- A decent selection of alternatives for nonseafood lovers
- Teaming up with other local restaurants for special cook-offs and menus
-
Recommended Fodor’s Video
-
-
$$ | |
Japanese street food takes center stage at this cozy locale. The menu rotates regularly, but you're likely to find uncommon takes on burgers and soba noodles as well as some form of okonomiyaki—a savory pancake filled with crazy-delicious flavor and texture combinations.
339 Fore St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Ramen
- Steamed buns
- Grilled rice balls
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
-
$$ | |
A local institution (it's been here since 1949, and Portland's historic preservation department even helped restore it), Portland's beloved gem housed in a Worcester dining car is as authentic as they come. The menu's full of diner staples—lots of homemade pies, daily soups, big breakfasts, BLTs, and thick specialty milkshakes (in flavors like grasshopper and s'mores). The unusually friendly staff—when they're not swamped—will happily dole out advice on spots to visit in town. Expect crowds in the summer, accommodated by extra seating in the back, built off the car.
140 Marginal Way, Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Authentic diner car history
- Friendly staff
- Creative milk shakes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
-
$$ | |
Some of the richest, most flavorful ramen this side of Tokyo is served at this Japanese gastropub, brought to Portland by chef and sushi wizard Masa Miyake; He's shuttered his nearby fine dining sushi restaurant, Miyake, for renovations and no reopening date has been set. And while yes, there is indeed terrific sushi also being rolled at this, his more casual outpost, it’s the cooked stuff that brings in the crowds. Big bowls of steaming pork and chicken broth laden with roasted pork belly, soy marinated egg, scallion and ginger. Or try the lobster miso ramen with bok choy, corn, and sesame. Wash it all down with one of the brick-walled bar’s local beers and you’re well on your way to a Matsuyama-meets-Maine feast.
188 State St., Maine, 04102, USA
Known For
- Terrific ramen
- Creative sushi
- A fun, casual vibe
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
-
$$ | |
In opening this pitch-perfect bagel shop, chef-owner Chad Conley filled a long-neglected gap in Portland's food scene. Here you'll find spot-on New York-style bagels (made in-house every morning) with both expected and unusual add-ons, including pastrami nova, chopped liver, and whitefish salad.
428 Forest Ave., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Family-friendly, neighborhood environment
- House-cured gravlax
- General-store-style shop items including books, games, and specialty food items
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
-
$$ | |
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.
-
-
$ | |
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
-
$$$ | |
In the Press Hotel, Union Restaurant has a sophisticated but unpretentious air that is reflected in its menu, which focuses on local ingredients, many of which are foraged and fished, or gathered from its on-site greenhouse. Most dishes are modern comfort food; breakfast and brunch are a treat: you'll find maple pain perdu served alongside smoked-salmon tartines and classic dishes like eggs Benedict.
390 Congress St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Sustainable ingredients
- Decadent "chef's table," a multicourse meal with wine pairings of the chef's choice
- Signature truffle beef pot roast
-
$$ | |
The casual, retro vibe at this charming restaurant about 2 miles north of the Old Port makes it worth the journey, as do chef Courtney Loreg's superb offerings—all of them spotlighting locally sourced ingredients from land and sea. There's something for everyone on the menu, including steak tartare, sumptuous deviled eggs, croque madames and monsieurs, homemade pâtés and charcuterie, and killer brisket burgers that are to die for. Meanwhile, the craft cocktail program out of the gleaming zinc bar is worth a visit in its own right.
660 Forest Ave., Maine, 04103, USA
Known For
- Family-friendly environment
- Laid back but efficient service
- Pâté du jour
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
-
$$ | |
In a historic town house with traditional Asian decor (a 30-foot copper dragon watches over diners) in Portland's quaint West End, this dumpling house serves deeply satisfying Asian-inspired comfort food in an intimate setting. Start with the house-made Asian slaw, then move to dumplings filled with tried-and-trues such as pork and cabbage or something less traditional, like beef bulgogi or shrimp and bacon. For a change from dumplings, consider the zha jiang mian (Beijing noodles) or lo mai gai (pork, sausage, chestnuts, and sticky rice wrapped in a lotus leaf).
133 Spring St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Dishes integrating local, seasonal ingredients
- Tap takeovers by local brewmasters
- Dishes other than the namesake dumplings
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
-
$$ | |
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
-
-
$$ | South Portland |
Impressively clean and efficient in whipping up bowls of fresh Hawaiian-style poké, Big Fin is a family-owned operation (with another location in the nearby town of Westbrook). The fast, friendly staff churns out dishes of yellowtail, torched salmon, or spicy ahi tuna with customized toppings like shoyu, green onion, avocado, seaweed salad, and fried shallots.
29 Western Ave., Portland, Maine, 04106, USA
Known For
- An unusual number of poke options
- Fresh ingredients
- Fast, efficient service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
-
$$ | |
Perched on Thompson’s Point (a quick walk away from the busy entertainment venue of the same name), Bissell Brothers is in a perfect place—a 100-year-old former railway building, to be exact—to wow the crowds before and after the shows. It also draws crowds of its own for its hoppy ales (The Substance Ale, for instance), for regular releases available on tap and in cans, and a kitchen serving big salads full of local veg, wings covered in any of three sauces, and charcuterie from a nearby farm.
38 Resurgam Pl., Maine, 04102, USA
Known For
- Hoppy ales
- Locally sourced ingredients
- Convenient to Thompson's Point events
-
$ | |
For some of the best Mexican food in town, head to this fun, hip spot where the flavors are as vibrant as the turquoise, yellow, and fuchsia decor and the guacamole and salsas are made fresh daily. Wash down achiote-seasoned fish tacos or a citrus-and-cumin-marinated chicken burrito with a lemon-hibiscus refresca (cold drink) or a house margarita.
26 Free St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Quick bites such as grab-and-go burritos daily until 11 am
- Mexican corn on the cob with chipotle mayo and cotija
- A killer key lime pie
-
$$ | |
Families, students, and bohemian types gather at this popular New England chain flatbread-pizza place where two massive wood-fire ovens are the heart of the soaring, warehouselike space. Waits can be long on weekends and in summer, but you can call a half-hour ahead to put your name on the list, or grab a drink from the bar and wait outside with a view of the harbor. The menu has eight signature pizzas made with fresh, local ingredients, plus weekly veggie and meat specials; everything is homemade, organic, and nitrate-free, and there are delicious local microbrews on tap.
72 Commercial St., Maine, 04101, USA
Known For
- Unfussy, kid-friendly atmosphere
- Outdoor dining on a deck that overlooks the working waterfront
- Dogs allowed on outside deck
-
$$ | |
With a full and lively roster of brews on drafts and in cans, this small brewpub housed in an old auto garage is a friendly place to spend an afternoon. From their citrus-y IPAs and sours to wheat saisons with green tea and local Maine wildflower honey, the creations range from classic to niche. Flights and growers are also offered. Throw in the kitchen's menu of very good comfort food, and there's even more reason to settle in and hang around.
15 Ocean St., Maine, 04106, USA
Known For
- Above average comfort food
- Very friendly staff
- Laid-back atmosphere in an old auto garage
