The Best Restaurants in Portland, Maine for 2025

Where to eat in Portland, Maine: the 2025 guide to the best restaurants, bakeries, lobster rolls, and casual eats in one of America’s top food cities.

Intro: The Best Restaurants in Portland, Maine

Despite its relatively small size, Portland, Maine’s dining scene punches well above its weight, with top restaurants and delicious food. In fact, Portland is one of the best food cities in America.

The waterfront port district, with rows of historic red-brick buildings, cobblestone streets, and seagulls swooping and calling, is filled with both casual- and fine-dining options, some with waterfront views. The neighborhoods away from the tourist-centric historic waterfront, like the pretty West End, are also “foodie” friendly.

Portland is epicenter of Maine’s thriving dining scene, and a top dining destination for all New England — and the country — for good reason. Bon Appétit even named it as America’s best food city back in 2018, and it’s only gotten better since. Sure, award-winning chefs and restaurants abound, but there is also much to be said for the city’s unassuming seafood shacks, bake shops, global cuisine, and more. I’ve been making Portland a key dining stop on my annual vacation to Maine for many years.

From upscale restaurants to casual pizza parlors, from bakeries to lobster shacks, here are all the best restaurants and places to eat in Portland, Maine. Bring your appetite.

And for more Maine dining recommendations, check out the Unpeeled Journal guide to Midcoast Maine dining.

Best Restaurants in Portland, Maine for Dinner

Eventide Oyster Co.

86 Middle St. / Reservations via Resy

All-day restaurant Eventide has drawn fame and big crowds to its sunny space since its opening in 2012. People love the casual, maritime-chic atmosphere, accompanied by great cocktails, the most pristinely-sourced oysters around, and other perfect, Asian-inflected menu items like coconut green curry lobster stew and scallop waffle-yaki. Be sure to get a tender, brown butter lobster roll, a standard bearer. Actually, get everything. There’s no wrong move here.

Insider tip: Eventide offers very limited reservations, but accepts plenty of walk-ins. Lines get long, though, so aim for off times to minimize your wait, especially on weekends and high season.

Fore Street

288 Fore Street / Reservations via OpenTable

High-end stalwart Fore Street restaurant is a top spot in Portland (and beyond) for special occasion dining, but does not feel fancy or pretentious. The Old Port restaurant has won multiple awards over the decades, and deservedly so. Seats with a view of the wood-burning oven and kitchen are my favorite. Head to the bar for happy hour or a nightcap, where food is also available.

Insider tip: Fore Street holds many tables for walk-ins. Even if you don’t see online availability, show up on the early side (especially weeknights) and you should get a table.

J’s Oyster Bar

5 Portland Pier / No reservations

J’s Oyster is everything you want in a divey seafood bar, from stout regulars to not-great lighting. Come for the unbeatable oysters, haddock chowder, and large plates like seafood stew and a proper Maine lobster dinner. It’s right on the pier, so enjoy a waterfront stroll before or after your meal.

Want to make authentic Maine haddock chowder yourself? Here’s the best New England fish chowder recipe, from a beloved Maine diner. 

Leeward

85 Free St. / Reservations via Resy

This Italian-leaning restaurant has garnered all kinds of goodwill and praise for its thoughtful, delicious menu and warm service. House-made pastas are the stars here (gluten-free gnocchi is available as well), but be sure to order the pillowy focaccia and the seasonal, creative starters.

Mr. Tuna

83 Middle St. / Reservations via Resy

Sushi is the name of the game at this bright, all-day Portland sushi restaurant. Mr. Tuna is the city’s best destination for fresh hand rolls, rice bowls (you’ll love this salmon rice bowl recipe, by the way), and maki that run from classic (spicy tuna) to offbeat/creative (torched halibut with Peruvian pepper sauce).

Insider Tip: Belly up to the sleek sushi bar for the best seats.

Scales

68 Commercial St. / Reservations via OpenTable

Elegantly casual Scales (a sister restaurant of Fore Street) is one of Portland’s top restaurants for fresh seafood, beautifully prepared. With a prime location right on the Old Port pier, guests can dine with a view. The extensive menu, inspired by traditional New England fare, offers something for everyone, done just a little fancy: Maine anadama bread, steamers, crab fritters, baked haddock, ceviche, chowder, and the warm lobster rolls are standouts.

Insider tip: This is a very popular restaurant, so book well in advance.

Solo Italiano

100 Commercial St. / Reservations via Resy

By some stroke of luck, Italian chef and World Pesto Championship winner Paolo Laboa came to live in Portland, Maine. At Solo Italiano, he crafts Italian food rooted in simplicity. Great attention has been paid to every ingredient, from the young basil leaves he grows for the pesto to the homemade pastas. Get the gnocco frito and that award-winning, silken Ligurian pesto (here’s his basil pesto recipe) folded onto handkerchief pasta. But everything is outstanding, too.

Insider tip: Further up the coast in charming Bath, you can visit Solo Pane + Pasticceria, the restaurant’s Italian bakery and coffee offshoot, with artisan pizzas, bread, and pastries.

Wayside Tavern

747 Congress St. / Reservations via Resy

With a setting as cozy and comforting as the food itself, Wayside Tavern offers Portland, Maine diners a full menu of tasty, casual, not-boring classics plus seasonal dishes. Recent options include clams casino, broiled oysters, pork schnitzel, and brown butter halibut.

Woodford Food + Beverage

660 Forest Ave. / Reservations via Resy

Classic diner vibes meet impeccable hospitality at this Portland favorite, tucked away from the tourist bustle. With a casual, friendly atmosphere, Woodford serves a smart, sophisticated (but still plenty approachable) menu of seasonal fare, and the portions are generous. Dishes range from latkes with caviar to a killer burger and bluefin Niçoise.

The Best of the Rest: Portland’s Best Lunches, Pizza, Lobster Rolls, and Bakeries

Portland, Maine has some of the best restaurants in New England. But the coastal Maine city also boasts some top all-day spots, bakeries, and killer pizza. Here’s the “best of the rest” top places to eat in Portland.

Where to Get the Best Lobster Roll in Portland

Bite Into Maine

31 Diamond St. (and multiple locations)

With its (apologies) tourist-trappy name and several locations scattered in the greater Portland area, you’d be forgiven for casting a suspicious eye at Bite Into Maine. Fear not. Bite Into Maine makes a mean lobster roll, arguably the best in Portland, and has all-day hours that make it a convenient stop as you explore town. In addition to several lobster roll variations — chipotle mayo, anyone? — Bite Into Maine also offers lobster grilled cheese, non-lobster sandwiches. soups, and desserts.

Insider Tip: The Maine lobster roll has mayo, but the Connecticut (plain with warm drawn butter) is another Maine classic, despite the name.

Portland Bakeries Worth the Hype

Bread + Friends

505 Fore St. / Dinner reservations via OpenTable

What started as a farmers market bakery stand has become a renowned brick and mortar destination for naturally-fermented bread loaves, perfect baked goods, and a great brunch scene.

Insider Tip: Though best known as a bakery, Bread + Friends also serves dinner a few nights a week, focused on wood-fired meats and shareable plates.

The Holy Donut

177 Commercial St. (and multiple locations)

The Holy Donut is the place for donuts in Portland. These satisfying, dense (but not heavy) potato cake donuts come in a wide variety of flavors. The changing donut menu covers everything from classic cinnamon sugar and glazed to blueberry lemon, dark chocolate sea salt, and maple bacon.

Insider Tip: Skip the line at the Old Port location and make sure you get the best selection: Place an advance online order for pickup. Also of note, the Holy Donut makes excellent gluten-free donuts, but not many of them. Again, place an online pickup order to ensure availability.

Standard Baking Co.

Standard Baking deserves a spot in the Maine dining guide for baking the best bread in Portland. Standard serves up crusty, artisan loaves including baguettes, crusty levain, the must-get raisin pecan bread, and lots more. Standard Baking Co.’s rustic shop with bread-making viewing window also sells an array of buttery pastries, scones, and cookies. Get the chocolate shortbread.

Insider tip: Place your order online to skip the out-the-door line!

Tandem Coffee Roasters (two locations)

742 Congress St.

Don’t let the “coffee roasters” in the name fool you. The coffee is great, but the real claim to fame at this bright, bustling shop (converted from a former gas station) is the outstanding baked goods, like chewy cookies, hefty quiche slices, cake, and cinnamon buns. But above all: the biscuits. Legend.

Insider tip: As with most bakeries in Maine, go early for the best selection, or place your order ahead of time.

Zu Bakery

81 Clark Street / check schedule for bread release times

Wow, this is some legit bread. Step into this small, warm space and be immersed in baker Barak Olin’s world, where the whole grain flower is milled in house and grown in Aroostic County. Maine. A limited number of loaves are baked each day, so check the schedule for dates and times of each type of loaf.

Best Lunch Spots and Pizza in Portland

The Honey Paw

78 Middle St. / Limited reservations via Resy

The Honey Paw (conveniently situated next door to Eventide in case you want to do a double header) serves an excellent menu filled with creative, pan-Asian dishes that range from ramen to rice with spicy tofu (pictured above).

Monte’s Fine Foods

788 Washington Ave. 

Italian store Monte’s (along with Micucci’s, below) is one of the best Italian stores in Portland. Customers can stock up on provisions like well-selected pastas, pestos, tomato sauces, produce, wine, and prepared foods. But their pizza is the main draw here. Monte’s makes long, Roman-style pizzas in a variety of toppings, ready to be cut into big rectangles and served throughout the day — or until they run out. Monte’s also makes great Italian sandwiches.

Insider Tip: Options dwindle later in the day, so go early or place your order ahead for pick up. The phone line opens at 9 a.m.

Micucci’s

45 India St.

An Italian store with a capital “I” — even if Italian wasn’t already a proper noun. Micucci’s is the top destination not only for Italian groceries but also takeaway food and wine. Their pasta and olive oil selections are excellent and fairly priced. Head to the back of the store for huge lunchtime slices of pillowy Sicilian-style pizza right out of the oven. Go early; it sells out.

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