Portland Restaurants

America’s "Foodiest Small Town" is how one magazine described Portland, which is practically bursting at the seams with fabulous restaurants to rival those of a major metropolis. It's worth it to splurge and try as many as possible while visiting. Fresh seafood, including the famous Maine lobster, is still popular and prevalent, but it is being served up in unexpected ways that are a far cry from the usual bib and butter. There is a broad spectrum of cuisines to be enjoyed, and many chefs are pushing the envelope in their reinventions of traditional culinary idioms. More and more restaurants are using local meats, seafood, and organic produce as much as possible; changing menus reflect what is available in the region at the moment. Even the many excellent food trucks that have popped up across the city—several of which remain open in the off-season—reflect this trend. As sophisticated as many of these establishments have become in the way of food and service, the atmosphere is generally laid-back; with a few exceptions, you can leave your jacket and tie at home—just not your appetite.

Smoking is banned in all restaurants, taverns, and bars in Maine.

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  • 1. Allagash Brewing Company

    $

    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
    207-878--5385

    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.
  • 2. Bissell Brothers Brewing Company

    $$

    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
    207-808--8258

    Known For

    • Hoppy ales
    • Locally sourced ingredients
    • Convenient to Thompson's Point events
  • 3. Foundation Brewing Company

    $$

    The biggest of three breweries sharing space in an industrial warehouse, Foundation welcomes visitors (and their fur babies—inside and out) to its tasting room with a roster of craft brews that pair well with their Detroit-style pizzas and snacks like giant pretzels, available Thursday through Monday. Foundation's best-known brew is the Double IPA Epiphany, but the ever-changing list of beers on tap includes pilsners like Riverton Flyer and wheaty brews such as Radiant Waves.

    1 Industrial Way #5, Maine, 04103, USA
    207-370--5180

    Known For

    • Food available Thursday--Monday
    • The Double IPA Epiphany
    • A large list of craft brews on tap

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
  • 4. Salvage BBQ

    $$$

    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
    207-553--2100

    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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