City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Address: 72 Commercial Street
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Address: 129 Spring Street
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Address: 288 Fore Street
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Address: 73 Congress Street
20. Gauchos Churrascaria Brazilian Steakhouse
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 774-9460
Address: 100 Commercial Street
Description: If you like meat, you’ll like Gauchos. Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, Gauchos set up its second restaurant in Portland in 2008, serving up its signature rotisserie-cooked meat sliced at your table by Gauchos’ waitstaff. As is perhaps appropriate for a restaurant with a hankering for meat, the system here is simple. Each place setting includes a card, one side red and the other side green. Turn it to red, and you’re ready for salads and other apps; turn it to green, and expect Gauchos’ servers to approach you with any of more than a dozen hot skewered meats until you wave them away.
21. Gilbert’S Chowder House
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 871-5636
Address: 92 Commercial Street
Description: Gilbert’s is a place where fishermen and tourists alike come for a steaming cup of thick chowder, lobster rolls, lobster stew, clam strips, and other seafood that is served fast and is friendly on the wallet. This family-style restaurant is on the waterfront, and the decor is decidedly Maine kitsch—with a fisherman’s net, a captain’s wheel, and a swordfish trophy hanging on the wall. The food is served on paper plates with plastic cutlery. The clam, corn, fish, and seafood chowders come in Styrofoam bowls of different sizes. Other options include a seafood chili and a “super seafood” chowder that contains twice the amount of shrimp, scallops, clams, lobster, and fish. Gilbert’s is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Address: 653 Congress Street
23. Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 347-3111
Address: 608 Congress Street
Description: The Green Elephant serves up Asian-inspired vegan and vegetarian fare in a modern, minimalist dining room fronting upper Congress Street. Tofu features prominently on the menu here, and some dishes—like the Far East duck ($13)—try to mimic the flavor and texture of meat. Green Elephant also serves wine and beer. The restaurant does not have its own designated parking, so you’ll have to find a spot on the street or in the nearby Gateway Parking Garage on High Street. Green Elephant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5 to 9:30 p.m.
24. The Grill Room And Bar
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 774-2333
Address: 84 Exchange Street
Description: The Grill Room is owned by Front Room chef and restaurateur Harding Lee Smith, and as its name suggests, the restaurant prides itself on its meats and pizzas cooked in its wood-fired grille. Located in the heart of the Old Port, the Grill Room can meet your fine-dining and lighter bar-fare needs, with a long list of creative appetizers, distinctive entrees using naturally-raised meats and local vegetables, and a handcrafted bar stretching along one wall featuring 12 beers on tap and a light bar menu. The Grill Room is open for lunch Monday through Saturday from 11:30 to 2:30 p.m. and for dinner Monday through Wednesday from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from 5:30 to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m.
25. Gritty Mcduff’S Brewing Co.
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 772-2739
Address: 396 Fore Street
Description: Gritty McDuff’s bills itself as “Maine’s Original Brewpub.” Founded in 1988, the pub has since expanded to locations in Freeport and Auburn. Gritty’s brews its own beers on-site and also serves an extensive menu of basic pub fare. Located in the heart of the Old Port, it’s a good place to sit down for a bite and a pint after a morning of shopping and sightseeing. Gritty’s is an English-style pub that offers traditional pub favorites such as meat loaf, shepherd’s pie, and, of course, fish and chips. Gritty’s also serves appetizers, including chicken wings, nachos, and pub fries, as well as chilies and chowders, a variety of filling sandwiches, and big, meaty burgers. Wash it all down with some Black Fly Stout. Gritty’s is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Address: 540 Forest Avenue
27. Haggarty’S
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 761-8222
Address: 849 Forest Avenue
Description: This small storefront on Forest Avenue serves a small selection of Brit-Indi cuisine. It’s takeout and delivery only, but if you’re hungry for Indian food in a hurry, this is a nice solution. You can choose from five appetizers, such as chicken chaat (chicken wings marinated in spiced yogurt, then char-grilled) and various kinds of pakora. The rest of the menu consists of eight entrees, including basmati rice and your choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, lamb, vegetables, or paneer. Sides include plain or garlic naan, and salted or spiced fries. Haggarty’s is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 1 to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 9 p.m.
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Address: 88 Middle Street
29. Local 188
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 761-7909
Address: 685 Congress Street
Description: As much a lounge as a restaurant, Local 188 serves up Spanish-style cuisine in a cozy, lush space on upper Congress Street. Local 188’s open dining room with its dark red walls, elegant wooden bar and crystal chandeliers make this spot a favorite date-night destination. The tapas menu is diverse and flavorful, and the entrees here tend to be sizable enough to split. The seafood paella here is a favorite, and robust enough to satisfy a hearty appetite, or check out the risotto or steak specials, which change nightly. For dessert, try the homemade flan. Local is open for dinner Sunday to Thursday 5:30 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the bar is open nightly until 1 a.m.
City: Portland, ME
Category: Restaurants
Address: 337 Cumberland Avenue