Firstly, a note for our readers…
This will be our last scheduled, monthly city guide! We had so much fun taking you along on our travels with us. I (Paulina) will be adventuring in new ways this winter as my husband and I prepare to welcome a baby girl. Chef James admittedly just keeps returning to his favorite destinations over and over (Italy, Japan and Mexico). New travel is on pause for both of us for the foreseeable future, so we’re going to suspend all paid subscriptions for now and open the archive to the public for anyone to enjoy. We’re so grateful for your support and look forward to writing travel updates here whenever we can…
Now, on to the city guide:
Chef James —
For the longest time, when you mentioned the food destination “Portland” nearly everyone would assume you meant Oregon. And maybe you do. Portland, Oregon rocks. But I’d say about 10-15 years ago Portland, Maine started getting national recognition for its food scene. And for good reason! The small town feel, coastal resources and seasonal cooking makes Portland stand out as my favorite east coast city to visit. Oysters, lobster, beer, clams, chowder, maple syrup, blueberries, local music. I’ve always felt that Maine and Michigan were some kind of cousins of different coasts. The saltwater version of us.
One of my favorite bands, The Mallett Brothers are local legends in and around Portland. If you are ever in town, I recommend checking their tour schedule. I’ve hosted them multiple times here in Michigan and probably will many times more. But seeing them after eating a few whole lobsters and putting back some local beers on their home turf is something special.
When Sam and I were there last we stayed at The Press Hotel and were able to walk pretty much everywhere in town. We did have a car because we were doing trips to Biddeford and Acadia/Bar Harbor. But I’d argue you could have a great few days without a car. If you do rent a car, Acadia is pretty sweet. Bar Harbor is cool but has a little more of an upper crust situation than Portland. If you only have a few days, I’d stick with Portland/Biddeford area.
Oxbow Brewery & Bissell Brothers are two breweries well worth your time. In downtown Portland, the Oxbow location is famous for their blended and aged beers. So food friendly and perfectly paired with Duckfat, who runs the in-house food program now. Duckfat is an institution in town since 2005 famous for their fries, poutine and sandwiches. Fantastic beer food.
Eventide and The Shop by Island Creek are two places perfect for grabbing some oysters (and more!). Eventide is a pretty famous spot where I recommend you order one of everything. Island Creek can do no wrong in my eyes but I’d consider The Shop more of a casual hang place. So maybe use it as in-between-meals-meal if you know what I mean.
Honey Paw. Central Provisions. Fore Street are three heavy hitters that have been around for years and collected their share of accolades. I’d recommend reservations and an appetite for all three. I want all the things when I visit. Fore Street is the James Beard darling in town and has been for decades. I’d consider it a must-visit if it’s your first time.
A local favorite in Biddeford is Palace Diner. They just don’t make restaurants like this anymore. So many people that have visited Portland on my recommendations come back telling me this was their favorite spot. The food is great. But it’s more than the food. There’s an authenticity and a spirit to it that is hard to recreate. You should see for yourself.
Full disclosure, I haven’t been to these restaurants but have been recommended to by many chefs and cooks that I trust: Scales Restaurant. Finestkind (Saco). Regards. Lady Fish. Leeward. I will be making a point to visit ALL of these places on my next visit.
Shea!
“This past summer break, Abby and I flew into Boston and drove up to Portland. We stayed in an Airbnb north of the Old Port District across Tukey’s Bridge, just a 10-min drive from the heart of the port city.
Each morning began with coffee, and Tandem Coffee Roasters was by far our favorite. A small neighborhood espresso bar with great service and an outdoor patio with a good selection of vinyls to dig through inside the shop. Honorable mention to Rambler Cafe as well! If you want unique, delicious pastries, Norimoto is a must.
Our trip was filled with delicious bites, from oysters and bubbles at Eventide, to spicy noodles and Tom Kha Maine mussels at The Honey Paw (with Singhas to wash everything down.) Our top lobster roll was from Bite into Maine in Fort Williams Park. We ate our rolls with a beautiful view of the bay and Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the US.
For casual fare and local beers, we loved Oxbow Brewing Company and Duckfat. The duck fat fries and Japanese rice lagers were perfect for watching the World Cup on the projector screen. CBG Bar & Grill was our favorite dive, with low-key vibes and elevated bar food. For dinner, Scales was the perfect ode to Maine seafood, with awesome wine list, seafood stew, and grilled octopus. For a more casual dinner spot with great cocktails, Crispy Gai was a local recommendation. The Thai fried chicken was crispy and delicious, but the pad see ew with smoked pork was definitely a sleeper hit.
Downtown Portland is very walkable and bikeable, with charming cobblestone streets and bike rentals all along the harbor. We enjoyed our ride along the East Promenade Trail, filled with different views of the city skyline. Whale watching is the quintessential Maine activity, and although we didn’t see any whales, it was still worth it. The tour was informative and fun (full bar on board), and we learned a lot about the history of Portland as we passed lighthouses and preserved World War II forts, and sailed by an island full of sunbathing harbor seals and swimming porpoises. Peak lobster season was a bonus as fishermen and lobster traps dotted the bay on our return.
Portland, ME was an amazing first adventure to the northeast coast. The accessibility to everything via Uber and walking made this an easily explorable place for a couple of light-packing travelers. The New England port city views combined with fresh sea air and a plethora of good food and drink made this easily one of our favorite cities to visit.”
Paulina -
Portland, Maine is one of my favorite cities. Period. My husband and I took one of our first trips there together in the summer of 2021, when COVID restrictions were still tight, and we fell in love with the coastal grit. I returned two summers later with five of my closest girlfriends as a pseudo-bachelorette weekend of sorts. What a dream! Here were my highlights from both trips:
Where to stay
Chef James mentioned The Press which is very conveniently located close to the port itself and a lot of great restaurants. Adam and I stayed at a lovely boutique hotel called The Francis and considered getting married there because we loved it so much. It’s farther south, but the famed Tandem Bakery is across the street, and the quaint accommodations were worth the extra commute time.
My girlfriends and I shared an AirBnb which was perfect, as well! I do recommend renting a car no matter what so you can get to hikes, lobster roll food trucks, parks and water as needed.
What to do
There’s no shortage of nightlife in Portland - lots of cocktail bars, breweries, live music, restaurants and dive bars. In the day time, I highly recommend a drive out to Cape Elizabeth for a walk around Fort Williams Park and a lobster roll from Bite Into Maine (my favorite).
Out that way is also Crescent Beach State Park and the landmark Lobster Shack.
Back in Portland, we killed some time playing cards at my all-time favorite dive bar, CBG (down the street from The Francis). And! Adam purchased his beloved Chef’s knife at Strata.
One thing I cannot recommend enough is a small group (or private!) sailing excursion with Sail Portland Maine. The owner is so lovely (and sometimes brings along his dog Huckleberry) and it’s BYOB. Nothing better than a sunset sail.
Where to eat and drink
Chef already listed a few of my favorites (Palace Diner is a must!! Their tuna melt haunts me), but here’s a few more to add to your list —
Rose Foods for your deli/bagel needs
The beloved pop-up, Mr. Tuna, now has a brick & mortar
Hunt & Alpine Club for snacks and cocktails
Luke’s Lobster for pier vibes in Portland Harbor
Lincoln’s - beloved by locals, this is a cash-only ‘speakeasy’ where beer & wine is $5
Izakaya Minato for Japanese ‘pub’ food
Cong Tu Bot for Vietnamese
The Jewel Box for night drinking
Maine & Loire for retail wine shopping
As always, follow along with our Google Map.
See you on the other side!
XO
MGTG