PWMTrav

No arguments here. Gilberts and Becky's are definitely slammed with tourists and I'm generally not willing to wait for the latter, but I loved visiting both in the offseason.

lamphs

Thanks for posting some recommendations. I tried J's, Street & Co., and Eventide. I am not a foodie, per se, but I was able to try some interesting dishes with a good beer selection. I travel solo, so I am not used to having to wait for a seat at a bar - just grab one when it opens. But I learned in Portland, even a bar seat has a waiting list; on the other hand, the longest that I had to wait was 10 minutes.

I also tried Mash Tun for a simple burger and fries with a good beer selection; much less expensive!

FlightNurse

in the dead of winter?

PWMTrav

No, not in the dead of winter. That's essentially what I was getting at with visiting in the offseason.

PsiFighter37

I am heading back to Portland tomorrow for a week, as Maine has extended their quarantine exemption to NY/NJ/CT residents. Any locals have suggestions on places that have adapted to doing takeout/delivery well?

PsiFighter37

Absent of any feedback, here is what I found:

-given that the county Portland is in is experiencing the highest frequency of COVID cases, don't expect everything to be open as though it was business as usual. Eventide had unattended/unsanitized outdoor seating, as one of their employees tested positive for COVID-19. Street & Co. shut down entirely because of it. Yet Fore Street reopened indoor dining and nixed previously available outdoor dining / take out options. Based on mask adherence - which isn't as great as I'd like it to be in the central part of Old Port - stick with takeout or delivery if you can.
-curbside beer pickup is widely available. The local grocery stores have good selection, but in these times - grab the fresh / unique stuff. Once in a blue moon opportunity without having to wait in line.
-bring pants / long sleeves to dine outdoors. If you ain't in the sun, it can get chilly really fast.

spainlover

Thanks for the updates PsiFighter37 ... I am going to Portland next week (from NYC). Since we don’t have indoor dining open here, I’ll stick to takeout and outdoor dining. Good pointer on the warmer clothes!

cruisr

Just returned from a visit to ME including 3 nights in Portland. Fore St. restaurant was, as usual, fantastic. I dined outdoors and it was great. Well spaced out and under a giant tent, in case in rained. Has beautiful weather while I was there. The best breakfast/brunch IMHO is Bayside American Cafe. I love that place. They have indoor and outdoor and again I dined on their lovely outdoor deck. I had the Cajun Eggs Benny and a child’s portion of an amazing pancake with bacon, scallions, cheese and something else with a Bourbon Maple Syrup. Be warned as in speaking with the owner he said wait times have been up to two hours on weekends and up to an hour on weekdays. I waited 45 minutes on a Monday at Noon.

Hoyaheel

I really don't want to start a new thread (but I will if I should?) FINALLY (after years of having it as #2 oe 3 on the travel priority list) getting a trip to Maine in August 2022. Staying a few nights in Wells then a few nights in Portland. Booked the "must do" (beer tour, lobster boat) now trying to figure out the rest of the plans. Noting all the food places recommended here- will check back for availability now since most of this thread is 2017, a slight update in 2020.

We will have a rental car (flying into Boston and driving from there) and I know we'll go as far as Freeport - have to bring hubs to LLBean :-) (I grew up sailing in ME in the summer, I think my husband said he visited once for work in a different career decades ago, so basically it's a discover/rediscovery trip; my husband's goal is lobster at least once a day though if he could do every meal, he probably would. For a couple days, at least ;-)

Favorite lobster shacks existing between Wells and Freeport? A"maine only" activity we MUST do?

Jaimito Cartero

It’s been 17+ years since I’ve been to Portland. I did enjoy a nice lobster roll at a oceanside restaurant, but my memory is gone for the name.

If you have Netflix, the latest season of Somebody Feed Phil has a nice Maine episode. I know I didn’t recall it having such a vibrant food scene, but likely it’s developed more recently.

Yahtzee

I've had good lobster in the rough at Cape Porpoise Lobster Co. north of Kennebunkport.

PWMTrav

I went back in fall/winter, and the good news is, most of the great restaurants in Portland still exist, but my best meal this time was at The Honey Paw. Lobster toast and soft serve are always good, and they sometimes (often!) have a fried chicken special until it runs out - best in the city. Central Provisions still kills it too - don't miss the rare beef salad, and if you're into it, the foie gras parfait. Chaval somehow always seems to be even better than it was before.

Eventide still has the best lobster roll, imho - not traditional, but whatever. If you want traditional, they're really hard to screw up, so I'd factor in setting as well. J's Oyster and Portland Lobster Co are both on the water, and I've definitely enjoyed lobster rolls and beers there. My go-to was Pine Tree Seafood, on Rt 1 in Scarborough (RIP Saco location, nobody can make a business work in that building). If you're driving Rt 1 to Portland, you'll pass it. It's mostly a seafood market, but they make really good lobster rolls, wont be crushed with tourists, and you can take them to the beach to eat.

As for a very Maine activity, if you're willing to go up to Boothbay Harbor, August might still be in time to take a boat out and go see the puffins.