Portland (Maine) eat · Eating in Portland (Maine)
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Eating in Portland (Maine)
Eating in Portland (Maine)
Portland offers a sophisticated restaurant scene, with chefs focused on locally-sourced food. The city offers white tablecloth restaurants serving tasting menus to cheap eats selling burritos. The abundance of lobster, haddock, clams, scallops and other seafood allows restaurants to sell these usually expensive items at reasonable prices. In the Old Port and especially on Commercial Street, there are many seafood restaurants. Portland is the most ethnically and culturally diverse city in Maine. This means the city offers up Vietnamese, Thai, Polish, African, Middle Eastern, Greek, Japanese and Indian restaurants. Most of these places are inexpensive and delicious. Being home to many eco-conscious people, Portland offers a number of dining options for vegetarians and vegans. Portland also has the second highest restaurant per capita in the country, second to Seattle.
Walter's, 2 Portland Sq, +1 207 871-9258, . Located in the Old Port since the summer of 1989, Walter's has an eclectic selection of international fare that features bright menu ideas and creative dishes that fuse Asian, Caribbean, Mediterranean, and local influences with an emphasis on pasta and fresh fish. Whenever possible, Walter's uses local purveyors for produce, meats and seafood. Walter's has a nice wine list, spanning the world from Napa, South America, France and Italy to the Land Down Under. They also have spectacularly unique martini offerings, including the Pear, made with fresh pear puree."
51 Wharf Restaurant & Ultra Lounge, 51 Wharf Street, Phone: +1 207 774-1151, . Right on Wharf Street, this restaurant and ultra lounge is the newest high end place in the Old Port. 51 is a modern restaurant with a contemporary, yet uncomplicated approach to food. With a cozy fireplace for the winter and a open air bar and deck in the summer, this place is the new place to be. 51 Wharf describes their bar as "51's sleek and sexy first floor bar is perfect for wine, cocktails, a bite from the Bar Menu and to people watch! The cozy lounge area with leather furniture is inviting to all. 51 is perfect to enjoy dinner, a quick snack at bar, or share a romantic bottle of wine in the lounge."
Becky's Diner, 390 Commercial St, a fixture of the working waterfront. Becky's is a well loved greasy spoon that starts serving breakfast a 4AM. Fisherman and other waterfront workers start their early days here. On the weekends you can also find many people ending their nights with pancakes and famous homefries. Bumper stickers can be seen all over town reading, "Becky's Diner -- Nothing Finah".
Flatbread Co., 72 Commercial St, +1 207 772-8777, . Right on the water with one of the best views of Portland Harbor and Casco Bay in town, a fun and funky staff that toss your pie in a wood-fired clay oven. Flatbread is a great place to go for a fun night out in the old port and also family friendly. It offers organic food and many vegetarian and vegan offerings.
Fore Street Restaurant, 288 Fore St, +1 207 775-2717, . This place is reserved weeks and sometimes months in advance. But, you can get in just about any night if you arrive at opening about 5PM and get on the list for their open seating. It is worth it. Start looking for it early, some people drive past this place three or four times before finding it and ask where it is when they are right in front of it. Very small sign. It's located on the south side of Fore Street between Franklin and Pearl streets, and is to the right of the Bangor Savings Bank / Baker Newman Noyes building. If you see the private garage on the first floor of the bank building, you'll notice a staircase to the right, and then a one-story building that doesn't remind you of a restaurant.
Ribollita, 41 Middle St, +1 207 774-2972, Excellent Italian food. Fresh pasta, creative specials and the best mussels in Portland!
Sebago Brewing Company, 164 Middle St, +1 207 775-2337, . This brew pub offers 7 unique brews on tap and a wide variety of entrees. There is an upstairs for a more social dining atmosphere and a downstairs for a quieter environment.
Susan's Fish and Chips, 1135 Forest Ave, +1 207 878-3240. Known for its large portions, freshness, and those reasonable prices.
Gilbert's Chowder House, 92 Commercial St, +1 207 871-5636. Old Port District. Taste great New England Clam Chowder here.
Fuji, 29 Exchange St, +1 207 773-2900, . Offering a sushi bar, and Hibachi tables, the Japanese cuisine here is delicious. The hibachi tables are a great dining experience, but only open for dinner hours, and the wait can become long.
The Front Room Restaurant & Bar, 73 Congress St, +1 207 773-3366, . A neighborhood restaurant started in the first floor of an apartment building on Munjoy Hill near the Eastern Prom, chef Harding Lee Smith's restaurant is getting an excellent reputation off the Hill as well. Excellent food for a good price, with a small bar available. The kitchen is in plain view from the seating area, and that's just the way the owner likes it. Weekend evenings will involve a wait, and the waiting area is rather limited.
Stir Crazy, Congress St.
Caiola's, Pine St. Small rustic restaurant with an ever changing rural european style menu. Fantastic wine and food, a favorite for local foodies.
Arabica, Free St. Chess can be played here. Coffee, biscotti.
Bill's Pizza, Old Port. Also has sandwiches. can be pricey though.
Benkay, 2 India St, +1 207 773-5555, . Classic sushi bar on the Waterfront.
Local 188, 685 Congress St, . Bohemian elegance with locally produced food and a great wine list.
Oh-No Cafe, 87 Brackett St. Specializing in boutique breakfast sandwiches.
Korea House (formerly Happy Teriyaki), 630 Congress St, ☎ +1 207 771-2000. M-Th 11AM-2:30PM, 5PM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-2:30PM, 5PM-10PM, Closed Su. Authentic Korean cuisine. $10-15. �
Wild Burrito, 574 Congress St, ☎ +1 207 761-1600. Their food is good, very reasonable prices �
1 City Center, Downtown. Dunkin' Donuts and other food places are here. �
J's Oyster, 5 Portland Pier, ☎ +1 207 772-4828. �
Morning in Paris, 13 Exchange St, Old Port, ☎ +1 207 761-5637. �
Mr. Bagel, Congress St. �
Stavros, Forest Avenue. Great pizza for an affordable price. �
Little Caesars. 5 and change gets ya a hot pizza �
Old Port Sea Grill and Raw bar, 93 Commercial St, ☎ +1 207 879-6100. Fresh seafood, simply prepared and one of the largest raw oyster selections in the area �
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Portland (Maine) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.