Chefs' Guide to Portland, Maine

If you care about eating well, Portland, Maine should be on your wish list. There is something very exciting going on with the local food scene. It won't take you long to walk from one end of the town to the other, but you may want to add extra days to your itinerary just for meals. Factor in the local bounty of produce and seafood, add talented well-trained chefs who own their own restaurants, and you've got a true recipe for success. Many of the chefs are James Beard Award winners and nominees, but don't book your reservations based just on those accolades or you'll miss out... there are plenty of restaurants here serving some of the best food in the country.

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Portland's Highs & Lows

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Portland, Maine is considered one of the most livable cities in the US. High marks for income growth and culture, low levels of crime and unemployment. It has also been given the nickname "America's foodiest small town." People vacation in Portland just to dine. Download the Find. Eat. Drink. Portland Guide.

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Portland, Maine is considered one of the most livable cities in the US. High marks for income growth and culture, low levels of crime and unemployment. It has also been given the nickname "America's foodiest small town." People vacation in Portland just to dine.

Download the Find. Eat. Drink. Portland Guide.

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Comments

[TomOfMaine]

10:39 AM on 10/26/2010

Please do not assume that Portland is a strictly meat & fish type of city, as these photos suggest. There are an incredible amount of non-violent food options as well, with numerous restaurants throughout the city offering wide varieties of vegetarian & vegan options ! The Green Elephant, a purely veg establishment on Congress St., serves some of the most delicious food available.

[Amanda Donovan]

11:07 AM on 10/21/2010

oh, but i meant to mention the absence of a non-portland but super close restaurant called arrows that probably anyone who has been to southern maine is familiar with.

http://www.arrowsrestaurant.com/index.cfm

[Amanda Donovan]

11:06 AM on 10/21/2010

i live smack in the middle between portland and boston, and if i get a night out, i will ALWAYS choose portland. the food is incredible, the city is gorgeous and so walkable, the bars are fun, the culture is great and totally unpretentious and down to earth, unlike boston. also, parking is infinitely cheaper and easier. i would live there in a heartbeat.

[bmwracer]

03:48 PM on 10/19/2010

"Duckfat?"

I'll bet it didn't win any awards for restaurant names.

[demonette]

07:16 PM on 10/16/2010

I heard of Duckfat through Martha Stewart's blog so when I booked a vacation in Kennebunk last summer, I knew I was going to make the trip up the coast to go eat at Duckfat. It was well worth the detour... the shakes, the meatloaf sandwich and the poutine were outstanding. In fact, it was one of the best poutine I've ever had and being French Canadian (we INVENTED the poutine in Quebec!) I kinda know a thing or two about what makes a great poutine. Duckfat rules. Period.

[Martin McKenna]

04:12 PM on 10/15/2010

When ever go to Portland to visit friends, I always make time to go to Benkay for Rock N Roll Sushi.

[OrganicAircraft]

08:13 AM on 10/15/2010

Portland native here. This might be helpful:

http://www.portlandfoodmap.com/index.html

[SusanElizabeth1949]

04:59 PM on 10/14/2010

If I ever get to Portland Main, I'm going to Duck Fat, with a name like that the food has to be yummy.

[2sunny]

10:31 AM on 10/15/2010

no....not so yummy. FAT...yes.
I much prefer "The Full Belly Deli" on Brighton Avenue.

[Maine Resident]

03:39 PM on 10/14/2010

There are lots of incredible restaurants in Portland that are not listed in that publication. So, please don't let that guide be your only source for finding a restaurant. A better source might be a more complete source like Tripadvisor, http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g40827-Portland_Maine.html or yelp, http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=restaurant&ns=1&find_loc=portland+maine

[Find. Eat. Drink.]

03:52 PM on 10/14/2010

This is a curated list taken from the recommendations of local New England chefs.

[Maine Resident]

07:53 PM on 10/14/2010

It's still woefully incomplete. Where are Fore Street and Street & Company? Where is Flatbread? Nothing against Becky's but it's the kind of diner you could find anywhere. I'd go to Standard Baking or the Porthole for breakfast before I'd go to Becky's.

[All4ME]

03:17 PM on 10/14/2010

Guess I'll have to eat next time I'm in Portland. I usually just go for the art.

Lobster Shack at 2 Lights lobster rolls: meh. Small and expensive on boring rolls. Only fit for tourists and summer people. I have had better countless places, such as Rosa Linda's in Saco and really great ones --take-out only-- at Sea Star Market in Biddeford Pool.

[William Diaz]

02:20 PM on 10/14/2010

This list is bullshit, lol.

There are more restaurants per capita than any city in the US except San Fran, yet the ones highlighted here are mostly new places with no ties to the area (and way too expensive for the locals).

Portland was my home for a great many years and I am disappointed in this list.

Have a great day!

[bsc]

02:00 PM on 10/14/2010

Fore Street is awesome. Five star restaurant but you can wear jeans and a nice shirt, and really enjoy great food sans pretension.

[CricketGirl]

05:35 PM on 10/14/2010

My husband & I used to go to Sam's restaurant in Brunswick, 22 Lincoln, every chance we could find or make, back in the early 80s. He was incredible then, so I cannot imagine how much better he & his food have grown since then. I think we're going to have to return to Maine on our next holiday! Sam, if you're reading this - I still serve sweet wines with pate, thanks to you!!!

[medicontheedge]

01:16 PM on 10/14/2010

Oh, pooh!!! Now Portland's secrets are out there for EVERYONE to see, and it will be mobbed!!!
LOVE love love Portland.... Not so long ago the waterfront was a crime ridden abandoned mess. What a fantastic rebirth...
And do stay at the Holiday Inn on the Bay when you travel for the great food.
worth a mention... the calamari at RiRa Irish pub is like nothing you've ever had.
swoon.

[LaurieAnn]

01:13 PM on 10/14/2010

That settles it. I know where I'm going on my next vacation.

[sunflwer1975]

01:10 PM on 10/14/2010

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Lobster Shack, if HuffPost missed this gem I was gonna call out highway robbery!