My Favorite Restaurants And What To Order In Portland, Maine

I’ve mentioned in most of my recent posts how amazing the food is in Portland, Maine – and I will not stop until it gets its due!

Originally when I was planning out my Slow Travel Review of Portland, I realized that 90% of the post was just me raving about all the delicious food I ate and giving tips to help y’all avoid missteps I made while eating my way across the city.

My earlier posts were more travel posts with less emphasis on food so I decided to give Portland food its own post! If I find another under-recognized foodie haven, I might expand this series. TBD aka as a retiree I promise nothing 😉 .

SEAFOOD

Eventide Oyster Co.

What To Order: Brown Butter Lobster Roll, Oysters and Beer

Pro-Tips: I mention trying the beer because there was a brew on their menu by Liquid Riot that is only brewed for this restaurant. If you like exclusive beer it’s a must try. For the food, I think the below Insta review says it all.

Just a heads up that there are often no reservations available and walk ups around 5pm on a weekend are given a 1 hour wait. They text you when your table is ready, but you have 5 minutes to respond and 5 more minutes to get back there.

So basically enjoy a lovely stroll in the general area or plop down at the picnic tables outside Duckfat like we did, which is a lovely restaurant within sight of Eventide that I’ll discuss later in this post.

Highroller Lobster Co.

What To Order: The Lobster Roll

Pro-Tips: This thing is $27 and big enough to split so feel free to do that if you’d like. Also, if you roll up to order takeout, it’s a 20 minute wait for food so order online in advance if you don’t want to wander in a circle in the neighborhood like we did (I’m sensing a pattern here…)

AMERICAN FOOD

Duckfat

What To Order: Hand Cut Belgian Fries with Chili Thai Mayo, Poutine and a Milkshake

Pro-Tips: The milkshake is made with gelato from the currently closed Gelato Fiasco. I’ve been told it’s the best gelato or ice cream available in Portland and based on this ridiculously delicious milkshake, I’m inclined to believe it!

Heads up that Gelato Fiasco should be reopening in September so check that out if you’re in the area. Also if you’re looking for more of a quick, takeout Duckfat option, literally a 10 minute walk down the street is Duckfat Frites Shack that includes a walk-up fry window a la the Netherlands.

Bonobo Wood Fire Pizza

What To Order: Pizza 🙂

Pro-Tips: The flavors here are delicious, but the two pies we ordered were not crispy on the bottom – so if that’s what you’re looking for from wood fired pizza (which is fair), this is not for you. Instead I’d suggest the nearby Pizzaiolos. Their meat pizza is delicious, their delivery is on point and they’re a less pricey option as well.

BAKERIES

Tandem Coffee and Bakery

What To Order: Breakfast Sandwich, Malt Cold Brew, Literally Any Dessert

Pro-Tips: I think the ridiculous amount of posts and gushing below explains why I made these recommendations. Heads up that Tandem is only open on Mondays and Tuesday and runs out of items early. They’re open 8am-1pm and we’ve gone at 11am before to see they’re out of our beloved Breakfast Sandwiches.

Also with those sandwiches that they change what meat is included in them often. My favorite meat additions in order are: Sausage, Brisket, then Ham. Also if you get a jalapeño cheddar biscuit, they give it to you cold, but if you pop it in an oven or a microwave for a hot second it is wildly more delicious!

Standard Baking Co.

What To Order: Croissants, Boule, Baguette

Pro-Tips: This place has the best croissants I’ve ever eaten – and yes I’ve had them in Paris. All of the bread is out of this world so you can’t go wrong there. My only critique was that their cookies were a little dry for my tastes, but if you’re into a thin, stiff cookie, this is where it’s at! Also a heads up that they’re only open Tuesday-Sunday from 8am to 2:30pm so don’t dawdle 🙂 .

The Holy Donut

What To Order: Any Donut, Hash Browns

Pro-Tips: All their donuts are amazing and are famous because they incorporate potatoes into them (and at times mashed potatoes!) to give it a fluffy texture. I tried 4 of their donuts and none of them were overly sweet either, in case that’s a concern (which it is for me). Also their hash browns, which are also of course made with Maine potatoes, are out of this world. I’m drooling just writing this.

Heads up that this place is known for long lines. They’re open 6:30am-4pm and if you roll up and see a long line, I would suggest ordering online from your phone while in line. We did that the second time we visited and it was way faster than standing in line – they just bring out your order to the side of the building takeout style. However, if you want to see inside the building, get there early. We arrived at 8am on a weekday and there was no line.

DELIS

Rosemont Market & Bakery

What To Get: Daily Sandwiches

Pro-Tips: We stumbled upon this market and were quickly hooked. They made their sandwiches with fresh, giant pieces of bread and they’re different every day and all delicious. They’re a little pricey around $10, but are big enough to share, which we did several times. The market also has a great local kombucha selection and the best ginger beer I’ve ever tasted, which I’ll get into below.

ASIAN FOOD

Bao Bao Dumpling House

What To Order: Bulgogi Beef Dumplings

Pro-Tips: You can’t go wrong with anything they offer, but the Bulgogi Beef Dumplings were our favorite despite feeling like we tried the whole menu.

Empire Chinese Kitchen

What To Order: Anything

Pro-Tips: None. Literally you can’t go wrong.

BEVERAGES

Beer

What To Drink: Whatever strikes your fancy 🙂

Pro-Tips: The one shop I asked allowed me to create my own 4-pack. They even handed me my own carrier to attach each beer to. I’m not sure if every place does this, but I would imagine it’s pretty prevalent given how many beer packs I saw missing one of their brethren.

As for what to get, below are some of my favorites, but you really can’t go wrong. Portland has the most breweries per capita of anywhere in the US and you can tell by the variety of brews on offer.

Maine Mead Works

What To Order: Slushy, Sparkling Mead

Pro-Tips: When we visited, they had a Lavender Lemonade Slushy that was out of this world and also perfect for the summer weather. The Sparkling Mead was my other favorite (we had their Iced Tea flavor) and their Still Meads are available as well, but are more wine-y if that’s your thing.

Also the Duckfat Frites Shack I mentioned above is literally right next door and they allow you to bring over food so you can have a delicious feast with your mead just the way the Vikings intended 😉 .

Bubble Tea

Uncharted Tea

What To Order: The Leviathan or any Bubble Tea

Pro-Tips: This place has an abundance of Bubble Tea with badass names. My favorite was The Leviathan, but obviously get whatever speaks to your heart. Heads up that the line is usually quite long so go early if you can.

Brews

I was told that Maine Root makes the best Ginger Beer in the world and I must now confirm that claim. Their Spicy Ginger Beer is really something else.

In addition, Portland has two Kombucha distilleries that are getting after it (Urban Farm Fermentory and Root Wild). In fact, they’re such a staple that they even have tastings like a brewery! I’ve never heard of that for non-alcoholic beverages and it’s super awesome 🙂 .

HONORABLE MENTIONS

These are places I went and enjoyed, but are not on my “must visit” list.

Gross Confection Bar 

This place had some really cool desserts and an awesome atmosphere. If you’re looking to finish your meal off with some sweets and a nightcap, this is a great place to do it.

HiFi Donut 

If you’re looking for some fun donut flavors and preparations and don’t want to brave the Holy Donut line madness, check this place out.

King Of The Roll

Their sushi was good, but not mind-blowing and for that reason it’s an honorable mention. This city has caused me to set the bar too high 😉 .

Figgy’s 

This place is known as a Korean Fried-Chicken joint, but to me, their mac n cheese and mashed potatoes were what caught my attention. If you’re looking for some starchy sides, this place can provide 🙂 .

Conclusion

Well, writing all of this has made me ravenous so I’m gonna go make some food. I hope these recommendations help you if you decide to venture to Portland, Maine. It’s a great town and I had a great time doing this reconnaissance for y’all! I guess my dream of being a food taste tester came to fruition after all 🙂 . Until next time!