EAT HERE
Leeward- Pasta and good times. Hand made pasta creative pairings, wonderful bar program, blow your mind desserts (Downtown)
High Rollers- Lobster Rolls (Old Port)
The Shop- Island Creek Oysters and raw bar- to skip the wait at Eventide check this place out for oysters and bubbles. (Washington Ave.)
Eventide (go at an off time to avoid a long wait time) for the brown butter lobster rolls. And Oysters! (East End)
Cong Tu Bot- Pho and fantastic asian creations, cool atmosphere and no tipping required. They pay their employees a living wage! (Washington Ave.)
Solo Italiano- Best Italian food I’ve had outside of Italy. (Old Port)
Chaval- Spanish influences and great wine/ vermouth program. Same owners as Piccolo (West End)
Bao Bao- I crave these dumplings! 2-4 half price dumplings week days! (West End)
Izakaya Minato- Japanese small plates. Try the chef’s choice for $30, you won't be disappointed! (Washington Ave.)
Terlingua- Tex-Mex. Awesome people bringing you the best smokehouse around. Go for the meat stay for the drinks and epic outdoor dining. Pre-made food and goods in their market is great for take home stuff. (Washington Ave.)
Red Sea- Fabulous East African cuisine! (Washington Ave.)
Rose Foods- Nostalgic Jewish deli, with the best bagels in town, lox and coolness. (Forest Ave.)
Honey Paw- Asian inspired, by the folks from Eventide and Hugos.
LB Kitchen- Clean and delicious food! Breakfast and Lunch! ( East End/Munjoy Hill)
Mr. Tuna- Hand Rolls, really fresh and creative, good for a quick bite. Food cart is posted up every day on the Eastern Prom, brick and mortar location in the Portland Public Market.(Downtown)
Duckfat- Frites Shack located at Oxbow Tasting Room, to skip the crazy lines at the original location on Middle! (Washington Ave.)
BLVL- Friday night pizza! So good! (Munjoy Hill)
Kuno- Southeast Asian, traditional family recipes and an incredible spicy fried chicken sandwich. (Washington Ave neighborhood)
DRINK HERE
Hunt + Alpine- Fabulous cocktails, Alpine style food.
Cocktail Mary- Fun little spot, great drinks, great playlist.
Maine Craft Distilling- a distillery with a bar and some food, free tastings. (East Bayside/ Washington Ave.)
The Portland Zoo- Not that kinda zoo… Three guys with a pure love for Portland, good beer and hip hop. (East Bayside)
Lincoln’s- Cash only and everything is $5 (get it Lincoln). Hidden bar, you can find it though! Its down an unmarked stairway and the door is next to the mirror at the bottom of the stairs. Pretty good comedy night! (Old Port)
LFK- hipster bar with great drinks. (Downtown/ West End)
Bearded Lady's Jewel Box- hidden gem, kinda moody, dimly lit. (Downtown/ West End)
Blyth and Burrows- Speakeasy in the back! (Old Port)
Smalls- All day bar, food, coffee, and joy! (West End)
Novare Res Bier Cafe- ALL THE BEER! Seriously their list is crazy! (Old Port)
BREWERIES
Oxbow Blending and Bottling- farmhouse style beer, great space, always throwing events. (East Bayside/ Washington Ave.)
Austin Street- (Fox Street Location) fabulous! (East Bayside)
Lone Pine- Good stuff (East Bayside)
Rising Tide- Next to Austin Street (East Bayside)
Allagash- Famous, James Beard nominated brewery. (Industrial Way)
Bissle Brothers- Cult following (Thompson’s Point)
PROVISIONS/ COFFEE
SHOP
BOATS
GET OUTDOORS
Tandem- best coffee and baked goods! Bakery- in the West End… Little Tandem in East Bayside, This is where they roast!
BLVL- Serves Tandem coffee, and beautiful “Meticulously Flaky” french pastry. Pizza and sando’s too! (Munjoy Hill)
Maine and Loire- Best wine shop! Lots of natural wine! (Washington Ave)
The Cheese Shop- SO Good! Just go there you will be so glad you did! ( Washington Ave.)
Burundi Star Coffee- Sustainably sourced Time and Tide Coffee, with a taste from the heart of Africa. Norimoto Bakery baked goods!
Rosemont Market- Great selection of wine, beer, prepared foods, cheese, meat, fresh baked breads. A local treasure. All over town, find the location nearest you!
Bard- A great cup of coffee while you shop the Old Port!
Rwanda Bean- Coffee with a cause, 50% of profits are shared with the farmers in Rwanda. (South Portland)
Judith- Beautifully curated clothes and objects. It’s the best women’s clothing in town. (Old Port)
Portland Trading Co- Useful objects and clothes. (Old Port)
Portland Dry Goods- For the outdoors person. (Old Port)
Little- Kids clothes and toys boutique. (Old Port)
Little Starry Eyes- Second hand and local children’s stuff. (Washington Ave.)
Ember- beautiful handmade finds. (West End)
Ferdinand- Quirky vintage and print shop. (East End)
Flea For All- Best antiques, and vintage! (Downtown)
Moody Lords- Vintage (Downtown)
North Optical- Glasses and shades. (Washington Ave.)
Sale Portland Maine- 6 person sail boat, charter it for a group or join one and make some new friends! They offer a sunset trip with Rose and oysters!
Charter a water taxi
Take the Mail Boat- It goes to all the islands close by, bring a bottle of wine or some beers and a picnic!
Ferry- Peaks Island is closest, but check out the map on their website and pick the island that appeals to you! You can BYOB on all the ferries.
Ferry- Head to Diamond Cove and have dinner and drinks at The Crown Jewel!
Farmers Market- Deering Oaks Park on Saturdays 9-1, it’s really amazing all summer but especially in late summer when Maine is incredibly bountiful! Deering Oaks is a great park designed buy the Olmsted Brothers (Same as Central Park in Manhattan). Plus there is a splash pad for kids!
Wolfs Neck Farm- Check out this really cool farm and hike on the trails.
Mackworth Island- Falmouth, You can drive right out to this little island. It’s about three miles around and has lots of secret little beaches along the path. Also a fairy village!
Bradbury Mountain- Small glacial mountain in Pownal, quick short hike to the summit.
Hedgehog Mountain- Freeport, a short easy hike.
Eastern Prom- A beautiful park with views of the Casco Bay, it’s islands and, plenty of glassy space for picnics.
Western Prom- Views of the Back Cove, ideal for sunset viewing!
Eastern Trail- mostly paved, great for biking and walking around Portland.
BEACHES
Cliff House Beach- Cape Elizabeth, secret beach hardly anyone knows about (shhhh don’t tell) gps will bring you to the entrance at the end of a dead end road. They is a long set of steps down the cliff, its rocky and small so try and look up the tides and go when its low for maximum beach time, before it turns into a rocky narrow strip of shore at high tide.
Kettle Cove- Another lesser frequented beach. There are fun little paths with wild berries. The path leads you to a rocky cliff to look out over the water.
Crescent Beach- Cape Elizabeth, close to Kettle Cove. Purple sand beach all the way at the end!
Willard Beach- South Portland, Playground.
Higgins Beach- For the surfers! Lots of space and tidal pools, find the remains of an old shipwreck.
Ferry Beach- Big and beautiful! A bit of a drive.
Peaks Island- After you take the ferry to the island, walk up the hill and take a right on the main street, walk till you can’t go any further, turn left, take your first right, walk down the little hill and follow the street around the bend, find the beach entrance on your left, walk down the ramp. It’s pretty special! Rent bikes or golf carts to explore the island.
Bug Light- South Portland with a great view of Portland.
Two Lights- Cape Elizabeth
Fort Williams- A beautiful Park and epic lighthouse. Lobster roll truck Bite into Maine is parked seasonally. Cape Elizabeth