Link to the 2025 thread For the out-of-towners looking for a great spot to have a beer, a bite, or anything in between in Portland, Maine, and for the New Englanders who regularly visit the area to add, comment, and explore. Breweries Industrial Way: Allagash Battery Steele Definitive Foundation East Bayside: Austin Street Belleflower Goodfire (closed in the winter) Hi-Fidelity Lone Pine Oxbow Blending & Bottling Rising Tide Orange Bike Brewing (gluten-free) - note, no food with gluten is allowed in the brewery Old Port: Brickyard Hollow Shipyard Thompson's Point: Bissell Bros. West Bayside: Bunker Brewing Argenta Brewing Batson River South Portland: Modestman The Send - Also has Japanese cuisine and sake Best Place(s) for a Beer Novare Res The King's Head Thirsty Pig Great Lost Bear Mash Tun Other Drinks Coffee Bard Speckled Ax Tandem Coffee Roasters Cocktails Blythe & Burrows Hunt & Alpine Club Independent Ice Restaurants We Love (*always adding to this list*) Bao Bao -- Dumplings Bissell Brothers Kitchen (at BBBC) - Pub fare Bite Into Maine - Lobster (food truck and a brick and mortar) Chavel - French/Spanish Crispygai - Thai-inspired cuisine Duckfat - Belgian style frites & sandwiches Duckfat Frites Shack (at Oxbow B&B) East Ender - American Eventide - High end seafood Evo - Middle Eastern Fore Street - High end seafood, sister restaurant of Scales and Street and Co. Friends & Family - Pizza Highroller Lobster Co. - Lobster Honey Paw - Asian-inspired noodle bar Izakaya Minato - Japanese Lambs - Neighborhood bar and event space in So. Portland Lenora - Tacos Micucci Grocery - go to the back to get a hand-slab pizza...if you know, you know Mr. Tuna - Sushi (Food truck & Brick and Mortar) Nosh - Pub food/Beer Ocotillo - Terlingua's new spot Ramona's - Sandwiches Scales - high end seafood, sister restaurant of Fore Street and Street and Co. Street and Co. - high end seafood, sister restaurant of Scales and Fore Street Terlingua - BBQ The Shop by Island Creek Oysters - Oysters Twelve - High end American Via Vecchio - Italian Stores Bier Cellar RSVP Portland Beer Hub - they also have drafts! Bakeries: Link the 2025 thread, see post #17 Off-Beat Children's Museum Eastern Promenade (food trucks and playgrounds) Portland Museum of Art (Please note: You will find "good" beer everywhere. Beer bars, dive bars, sports bars, holes-in-wall, four-star hotels. You will be able to find something to drink.)
As usual, if I have anything incorrect or anything else you'd like to add (or not recommend any longer!) I encourage you to comment. Especially locals. I copy pasted like last year, but this time went through and adjusted it based on some of the responses from the 2025 thread. I haven't been to Portland in almost a year so there may be some places I'm out of touch with. I'll rectify that in a few weeks.
Bao bao has closed. I'm local and I haven't heard anyone locally going to Nosh. I haven't been in a decade when they had a good beer list. Can anyone vouch for the beer or food anymore?
I hesitated to put Nosh in. As I’m sure you know it changed owners and I haven’t heard much since. Seems like the old staples are gone from the menu. Might just be your standard pub grub place with decent beer. Could also be good? Like you haven’t been in awhile. Sad to hear about Bao Bao. I forgot to look that up before posting. I’m thinking the annual list could be trimmed down too.
For Highroller, it might be worth noting they have a great beer program and cellar... Lambic and spontaneous stuff as well as big beers like stouts and barley wines. Also, Bow St. Beverage has a great package selection.
I know this is mainly a beer forum, but here are a few - not very beer centric places - my wife and I have been enjoying lately: Lucky Cheetah has been our go to restaurant last year Downtown. Blyth & Burrows cocktails program is really great. Great small bites, too. We pregame there right at open before it becomes impossible to get in. Bread and Friends is our new go to coffee spot.
I had the exact opposite experience. My wife and I went there a few years ago when we were in town and both left without finishing our drinks. They were awful, and the service and bartenders attitudes didn't help things. YMMV, obviously.
I always feel like this place is very hit or miss. I always sit at downstairs bar and have had great experiences and shitty filled with attitude experiences.
I had great drinks & pretty good food at Papi within the last year or so. EDIT: (Please note: You will find "good" beer everywhere. Beer bars, dive bars, sports bars, holes-in-wall, four-star hotels. You will be able to find something to drink.) Before I read the whole thing I was gonna add that basically you'll find Substance and/or White in literally every place you go. So, basically, what AlcahueteJ wrote.
Still never been. Heading up this month but couldn't snag reservations. Going to Twelve for the first time though, excited about that.
For me, the trick to get into Central Provisions is to wait at lower level door (Wharf Street entrance) at 4:45 (they open at 5:00) and sit at downstairs bar. Harder with bigger party tho, I'm just with my wife.
Oh yeah, we’re a party of five. If it was say 2-3 of us I don’t think there’s a place in Portland I’d be concerned with getting into in January on a weekend night. That’s why I go in January. Even with four people I’ve never had an issue at some of the more popular places. It’s mostly locals up there.
Central Provisions is on winter break until 1/23. Otherwise, reservations open 2 weeks in advance. Definitely worth it next time your schedule allows!
Ah, good to know! We're not a big "small plates/tapas" crowd, but I've heard so many good things about it over the years it's worth a shot.
It's awesome. The plates are all over the map cuisine wise too so it's really interesting. Awesome beer list and incredible wine list. one of my favorite spots in Portland. Get the Foie gras dessert.
I'm far from perfect, but the group that owns Twelve are much further...It's all easy enough to read about and I think I'd want to know before going there. Not saying it's the case for anyone else. we like to spend all of our money at Fore St. We've been there maybe a dozen times and have never had a bad experience
I've heard terrible things. My buddy worked at Evo and the head chef there is a monster to the point where I won't go to any of their restaurants anymore.
I'll report back on the food, atmosphere, and how the staff treats us. I'll let the internet sort out the rest.
Add Room for Improvement to the cocktail list. Feels like a total dive, but super fun place with great cocktails.
