Portland Recommendations (2022)

We really like seafood.

 

Well then, you're on your own.

 

Don't sleep on the other types of food in Portland though!

But yeah, plenty of seafood. And Scales is an excellent choice in that regard. I also really like the ambiance in there with the floor to ceiling windows right on the water. Great spot for an anniversary dinner.

 

Portland in review: thank you all for the recommendations, it helped to make for a great trip!

I ended up hitting a few of them, missing many more, and will certainly need to come back with company in the future.

Great Lost Bear: sick neighborhood bar, was not expecting like 50 tap options, but loved having this a short walk away from my AirBnb when I arrived and wanted some sustenance but didn’t feel like traveling any more.

Maine Beer Co: hit this up for the Dinner release. I’m a sucker for “old school hype-y IPAs,” but I was actually far more impressed with their Scottish ale and the nitro Mean Old Tom than I was Dinner.

Then, I planned to have a nice meal at Duckfat post-skiing but there was a decent wait and it didn’t fit my solo vibe anyway. seemed a bit stuffy relative to my attire, and I opted for a more divey option instead.

I’m glad I did, Tomaso’s right around the corner was perfect. They had Hill on tap, and I hung out with some locals (one of them was a brewer) that recommended Definitive and a number of other beers, had a great time.

Saturday I had lunch at Highroller, omg that was a good lobster roll plus they had Vitamin Sea on tap.

Went from there to Novare of course, had some good Schilling and lighter stuff while reading for a few hours.

Had a quick beer at Liquid Riot (the barleywine was fine), before catching a matinee at the theater nearby.

Thought about hitting Belleflower this evening, but I have some Hill to kill in my fridge before I head out and wanted to watch basketball so I’m enjoying the game back at my AirBnb.

What a lovely city — didn’t expect any less, but it’s always nice to head to a walkable, manageable area that has similar perks of Philly without being so spread out and expensive. Absolutely need to come back with my partner to experience some of the finer cuisine options and a few more breweries.

It’s very possible I’m forgetting some highlights with as much as I consumed this weekend, but my stomach needs a break and there were so many outstanding options.

 

Ah I forgot Oxbow, but that’s where I spent some time on Friday evening as well. Loved the vibe, the beers were right up my alley, and would definitely have loved it more with some friends there — seems like a great hangout, and glad I stopped by.

 

Sounds like a blast, super jealous.

You could have grabbed Duckfat there too!

 

As Grade A introvert, this solo trip sounds amazing.

 

I did a solo trip to Portland a few years ago when I was off work and my wife was not and kids had school. Not gonna lie it was a relaxing and enjoyable few days! Bike, books and breweries. Pretty good!

 

I couldn't have chosen a better weekend to go, weather-wise, either. Skiing on Friday was still incredible, but then I got to run around Back Cove Trail in shorts and a t-shirt on Saturday. Best of both worlds.

I arrived back in Philly to snow and some nasty wind on Sunday lol.

 

Wind was brutal on Sunday.

 

So, my wife and I are headed up on Thursday night, and this is our rough itinerary, anything that I'm missing that I absolutely should not miss?

Thursday night
- Arrive around 7:30, drop bags at the hotel.
- Eventide for oysters and drinks
- Back to the hotel

Friday
- The Holy Donut (Commercial St. location)
- (Coffee place nearby?)
- Cryptozoology Museum / Bissell Bros.
- Industrial Way Breweries
- Lunch at Allagash (Bite into Maine)
- (open block of time until 5PM)
- Dinner at Scales
- Cocktails at Blyth & Burrows (if we can get in. Is it a deep crowd on Friday nights?)

Saturday
- (open to breakfast ideas)
- Freeport. LL Bean Outlet (for the wife) // Maine Beer (for me.)
- (open for the rest of the day, and willing to drive a bit north/west or head back into Portland.)
- Duckfat night cap?

Sunday
- (open to breakfast ideas in/around/South of Portland)
- Pick up beers at Barreled Souls
- The long drive home.

I'd love to find some kind of shack to get Fried Clams too.

 

I actually just booked a reservation at Terlingua on Saturday based off of yours and everyone else's recommendations. Figure we'll do a bang-bang and hit Oxbow/Duckfat afterwards, and then somehow walk back to the hotel. Maybe hit Novare for a nightcap.

 

As for Breakfasts, when we were visiting last Fall, I gave up on the line at Holy Donuts. But we had excellent Lox Bagel sandwiches from Rose Foods, and also very good breakfast sandwiches and pastries from Tandem Coffee + Bakery (we ordered pickup ahead online to avoid a wait)

 

I always love Tandem for quick breakfast. Biscuit breakfast sandwich is one of our faves. Line can swell quickly at the Congress St location, but I think it’s worth it.

 

My opinions below in bold:

Thursday night
- Arrive around 7:30, drop bags at the hotel.
- Eventide for oysters and drinks (Personally I opt to go to The Shop. Not a tourist trap, bigger spot, more comfortable, and it's right near Oxbow...and many other clutch spots. Not to mention Fenway has an Eventide if you're around that area when back in MA.)
- Back to the hotel

Friday
- The Holy Donut (Commercial St. location) (if this is packed they have another location in a less savory area about 1.5 miles from this location, should be less busy)
- (Coffee place nearby?) (Bard and Speckled Ax are my go-to's. There's two Speckled Ax locations too, one is much closer to Holy Donut. Little Woodford's is also supposed to be awesome and right in the Holy Donut area.)
- Cryptozoology Museum / Bissell Bros.
- Industrial Way Breweries
- Lunch at Allagash (Bite into Maine)
- (open block of time until 5PM)
- Dinner at Scales
- Cocktails at Blyth & Burrows (if we can get in. Is it a deep crowd on Friday nights?) (Usually is. You could always try their sister restaurant Via Vecchia right around the corner. There's also the new rooftop bar Luna and Bramhall as other cocktail lounge options)

Saturday
- (open to breakfast ideas) (Pretty much everywhere can be super busy for breakfast. But the go-to's for many are Hot Suppa, and I also enjoy Marcy's Diner. The latter is cash only, both are very small. Personally I "bakery hop". If you already did Holy Donut you can grab some awesome bakery/breakfast items at Tandem and Standard Baking. Both will most likely have lines...but that's breakfast in Portland. As mentioned above you can order ahead the day before at Tandem.)
- Freeport. LL Bean Outlet (for the wife) // Maine Beer (for me.)
- (open for the rest of the day, and willing to drive a bit north/west or head back into Portland.) (I'd use this to head to the litany of breweries near the Fox Street area. Whatever combo you enjoy. Austin Street, Belleflower, Goodfire, Lone Pine...etc. And if you want some food, there's also Ramona's, Radici, and the aforementioned Shop...and Terlingua, but you got that covered .)

 

I appreciate the notes, bakery hopping does sound like a great idea for breakfast, and I didn't realize that there was a Speckled Ax so close to our hotel, so I feel kinda dumb for not noticing that before.

I know Eventide's a tourist trap, but it's literally across the street from our hotel (We're at the Hampton Inn Downtown/Waterfront), and it's open relatively late, so after a four hour drive from the Berkshires I thought it'd just be an easy stop for some oysters and a beverage or two before turning in for the night. If there's any other place in the general area that you're aware of though where we could get oysters and a cocktail I'd be 100% open to going. It just looks like everything closes at 9 on Thursday though.

On the topic of Oysters though, maybe my wife and I will grab some more at The Shop post Terlingua / Post Duckfat / Post Oxbow should we still be standing, so thank you for the heads up on that place!

Also, I have to go to Slab, right? I feel near idiotic for not putting it on there.

 

My wife is a bagel snob, so I'll have to take you up on this one too. Looking at their menu I have to say, the Henry VIII seems up my alley.

Also, thoughts on MBC's pizza? Worth our time while we're there?

 

I think Slab is a great spot. Hand slab is a great base for whatever libations you consume throughout the day - early lunch or later night.

I've heard good things about MBC's pizza.