Something you’ve heard about Portland, Maine’s eating scene, you’ve in all probability heard throughout the final seven or eight or years. In 2018, Bon Appetit named it the “Restaurant Metropolis of the Yr,” and the response was explosive. I used to be working as an area journal editor then, and I noticed the shift occur in actual time. Vacationers flooded in, and the neighborhood responded by opening extra doorways to extra eating places, espresso outlets, and bars. Portland rapidly discovered itself topping charts of U.S. cities with essentially the most eating places and breweries per capita, and right this moment it nonetheless appears as if one thing new is opening each month.
You could possibly throw a stone in any path and hit no less than three superb eateries. In 2024, two bakeries situated only a 10-minute drive away from one another received James Beard Awards (Norimoto Bakery for Excellent Pastry Chef, and ZUbakery for Excellent Bakery—extra on ZU in a bit). A lot of Portland’s eating places have been celebrated far and vast, however this record highlights some lesser-known locales which have stood the checks of tendencies and time for a very native style of the town.
I’d be mendacity if I mentioned Portland wasn’t having a little bit of an id disaster. I’ve lived on the outskirts of the town for many of my life and have seen it in each iteration over the previous three a long time. The town’s working waterfront has been at its coronary heart since its founding, however its limits are being stretched by these competing for brand new luxurious housing and company improvement. Portland is particular, and it’s altering. As you go to this tiny metropolis of 70,000, please keep in mind to buy native and assist the working waterfront as a lot as you’ll be able to. (In December, one in all Portland’s wharves suffered a devastating fireplace. Please think about donating to the restoration effort.) Under, you’ll discover all the things from stellar Sichuan delicacies and seafood staples to hot-pink scorching canine and a micro-bakery price standing in line for. Wherever you land, Portland’s small-town appeal shines by means of.
Located on the sting of the Previous Port, The Honey Paw is simple to overlook whereas purchasing downtown, however belief me, this spot is definitely worth the detour. Delivered to you by the group behind Eventide Oyster Co., The Honey Paw’s fashionable, minimalist inside is anchored by a big central eating desk that invitations an opportunity to talk together with your neighbors. In case you choose to people-watch, window seating is ample, too. The menu nods to Thai, Japanese, Chinese language, and Indonesian cuisines. These within the know know to order the smoked lamb khao soi and fried bread with a rotating compound butter (you received’t wish to share the bread, btw). Different favorites embrace the napa cabbage salad with chili crisp ranch, kimchi-loaded pork katsu sandwich, fried wings with smoked butter and makrut lime leaf, and seasonally rotating pickle plate. To complete your meal, the honey comfortable serve—with a tough chocolate shell and sizable chunks of honeycomb—is a should.
Twelve opened in 2022 and was an immediate favourite. The menu is elevated and always shifting with the seasons to spotlight Maine substances at their peak. Chef and founder Colin Wyatt, previously of New York Metropolis’s Daniel and Eleven Madison Park, returned to Maine after 12 years to deliver his imaginative and prescient to life—one which celebrates the state’s tradition in addition to the passions of native farmers and artists. Main the kitchen is govt chef Hannah Ryder, who minimize her enamel in N.Y.C. at Café Boulud and Aquavit. Choices at Twelve transcend a easy dinner menu and embrace considerate wine pairings and personal chef-led experiences. Reservations are extremely really helpful.
Snugly tucked inside a historic lodge in Portland’s West Finish, Wayside Tavern rapidly solidified itself as an everyday hang-out amongst guests and locals alike. The inside is stylish and moody but heat and alluring. The menu is playful and comforting—suppose crispy beer-battered cod cheek with gribiche, cabbage salad with bacon and spring onion, roasted rooster with ricotta toast, tonnarelli with guanciale and pecorino—and phrase on the road is that locals topped the smash burger finest in all of Portland. (It has my vote.) In case you’re on the lookout for a comfy night time that also feels luxurious, that is it.
Have you ever ever eaten someplace so good that any time somebody mentions the restaurant afterward, you might have a visceral response? That’s Taj. It is likely to be protected to say that Taj is everybody’s favourite restaurant—the meals has an unmatched depth of taste supplied in a variety of traditional and fashionable Indian dishes. Opened in South Portland in 2012 by Saithe Guntaka, the restaurant is a household operation to its core—his mom, Hemalatha Reddy Guntaka, helms the kitchen. Her khorma paneer and garlic naan are my go-to each time, however you actually can’t order incorrect right here. There’s one more reason to like Taj, too. In 2020, the Guntaka’s began donating vacation meals to these in want. A number of hundred meals at Thanksgiving and Christmas has since grown to 1000’s; in 2025, Taj served round 10,000 meals between the 2 holidays, together with deliveries to those that didn’t have transportation. With a view to higher serve its neighborhood, Taj just lately expanded to a bigger area, tripling in measurement.
Ribollita is a Portland mainstay that’s been gracing the East Finish since 1996. Center Avenue could have modified a bit since, however chef-owner Kevin Quiet’s cooking has remained a welcome fixed. The tiny Italian joint feels a bit bit such as you’re about to have dinner at your nonna’s home, full with fresh-made pasta—the easy fettuccine alfredo is strikingly scrumptious, and the roast rooster puttanesca with pappardelle is cooked to perfection—and seafood staples like cacciucco (Tuscan fish stew), steamed mussels with pistachio butter, and polenta-crusted calamari. At any time when somebody asks for Italian spots to attempt, that is my go-to suggestion; it’s as shut as you will get to a comforting meal at residence with out lifting a finger.
Sichuan Kitchen is maybe Portland’s largest hidden gem. After I was fortunate sufficient to work in an workplace shut by, I used to be a weekly customer. Favorites from the má là-heavy menu embrace zhong dumplings in an fragrant chile sauce, yuxiang eggplant with pickled chiles and minced pork, chewy tian shui noodles, tangy daikon salad, and marinated cucumbers. Chengdu-native Qi Shen has been operating the eatery alongside her dad and mom and aunt since 2017. Whereas the storefront is minimal, save for a vivid pink entrance door, what waits inside is outstanding. Plus, it’s steps from the Portland Museum of Artwork, so why not make a day of it?
This scorching dog-lover’s haven within the coronary heart of the town has tons to supply: housemade hyperlinks (pork or rooster), shaved steak, pulled pork, plant-based canine, and, sure, Maine’s well-known fireplace engine-hued “pink snapper” canine, too. With 15 other ways to fashion your sausage, all served on fluffy brioche buns, the combos are limitless. Whereas The Thirsty Pig is nice any time of 12 months (they’re always internet hosting musicians—its stage is dubbed Portland’s busiest for a cause!), it’s throughout the hotter months that it actually shines. Pair your canine with an area pint and hit the patio out again for the last word spring kickoff.
In case you’re planning to go to Portland, you’re in all probability additionally planning to eat seafood. Whereas locals could swear by roadside lobster shacks, there’s nothing incorrect with splurging on one of the best seafood on the town. The center and soul of the Previous Port is its working waterfront, and Scales—from the identical group behind Fore Avenue and Avenue & Co.—is smack-dab within the middle of all of it. Located down a wharf, with lobstermen docking with the day’s catch proper exterior your window, this posh eatery is the fitting technique to deal with your self to Maine’s ocean bounty. Begin with the clam chowder or salt cod croquettes earlier than tucking right into a steamed lobster. And make sure you order a aspect of molasses-sweetened brown bread for a full style of Maine.
Strolling into Sissle & Daughters, you would possibly suppose it’s only a cheese store, however this place packs a punch. Not solely will you discover the cabinets stocked with native and imported artisan charcuterie, wine, beer, pastas, oils, preserves, and extra, however you’ll additionally discover a pleasant sandwich menu. It’s arduous to decide on between The Parisian, with jambon de Paris, Comté, native greens, and do-it-yourself dijonnaise; or the Jamwich, with whipped chèvre, native greens, rotating jam, and toasted sesame seeds (plus ham should you’d like). If I hit it proper, I’ll snag a slice of burnt Basque cheesecake, too. Don’t overlook to seize an area wedge or wheel and a baguette baked just a few blocks over for a late-night snack!
When Boda first hit the scene in 2010, there was large buzz over a dish of scorching quail eggs, served with soy and scallions in a forged iron kanom krok pan. Different favorites from the Thai road food-style menu embrace double-fried Brussels sprouts, spicy Thai wings, pork stomach skewers, drunken noodles, and crisp-skinned Yaowarat duck, named for the principle thoroughfare in Bangkok’s Chinatown. Stomach as much as the bar or settle right into a desk with buddies to see why Portlanders’ love affair with Boda (and its quail eggs) continues to be going robust 16 years later.
Sat squarely within the West Finish, this micro-boulangerie is making huge waves—ZUbakery obtained the James Beard Award for Excellent Bakery in 2024. Proprietor Barak Olins first opened ZU in 2000 however moved to its present location in 2022. Stroll by on any morning and also you’re sure to discover a line snaking down the sidewalk (there’s room for about two folks whole inside). However fortunate for everybody, the bakery schedule is posted on its web site, so you’ll be able to test it out on-line earlier than going to face in line. Set your sights on the each day croissants, scones, or monkey bread served up very first thing, or linger a bit for fresh-baked focaccia, pulled contemporary from the oven at 10:45 a.m.
