Skip to content

Portland Food Map logo

The definitive guide to Portland's food scene

  • Map View
  • List View
  • Featured
    • Maine Food Map
    • Under Construction List
    • A Guide to Maine Cider
    • Maine Heirloom Apple Guide
    • Maine Beard Award Winners, Nominees, Semifinalists
    • James Beard’s 1964 Visit to Portland
    • Portland’s Living Food History
  • Events
    • Weekly Event Summary
  • Instagram icon
  • Twitter icon
  • RSS icon

2025 Best of Portland Awards

July 22, 2025 | Posted in General News

Voting for the 2025 Best of Portland Awards is underway. There are dozens of food and dining categories ranging from Best Ambiance and Best Bagels to Best Wine List and Best Wings. You have until Midnight on July 31st to cast a vote for your Portland favorites.

The award winner will be announced August 14th at the Portland House of Music and Events.

Post navigation

Upcoming Food and Dining Events

About Portland Food Map

Portland Food Map launched in 2007 as a simple directory of the local food community. Other features have been added over the years including food event listings, the Under Construction page, guides to Maine apples and cider producers, the restaurant real estate listings, Year in Review reports, the My Kitchen Their Table chef interview series, the Maine Food Map guide, Maine news reporting, and the annual Maine Thanksgiving List.


The 2025 editions of the Portland and Midcoast Pocket Guides are now out.  They’re available in packs of 25 on our online store.

  • Include them in the welcome bag for a wedding or business event
  • Provide them to guests at your hotel or bed and breakfast
  • Keep them on-hand for out of town visitors

portlandfoodmap
The new Dry Dock (@drydockportland) restaurant is The new Dry Dock (@drydockportland) restaurant is scheduled to open for business next Saturday, July 26th. A fixture on the Portland waterfront since it first launched in 1983, the restaurant had remained dormant since 2018. A new team comprised of Luke Holden, Ben Conniff, Bryan Holden—co-owners of Luke’s Lobster—leased the building last fall and with general manager Matt Ginn have renovated and expanded the restaurant to ready it to reopen to the public. An addition was added to the building to house a new kitchen and the outdoor decks were expanded and can now seat 155. The move of the kitchen from the main building has opened up the two-story dining room which can now seat 145 people with bars on both floors. Billed as a seafood tavern, the menu will include classic Maine coast dishes like broiled haddock, chowder, a lobster dinner, crab and lobster rolls and steamed clams. Raw bar options will include oysters, lobster tails, crab, ceviche and tuna crudo. The kitchen is being led by chef Mike Carney who joins the Dry Dock team from Evo where he and Ginn previously worked together. Ginn was longtime executive chef of the Prentice Hospitality Group before taking the opportunity to lead the relaunch of the Dry Dock as its general manager. Dry Dock is located at 84 Commercial Street. It will be open 11 am – 10 pm daily and initially operate on a walk-in only basis. #mainefood #drydock #thedrydock #portlandmaine #maineseafood
Michael and Siobhán Sindoni, the owners of Waysid Michael and Siobhán Sindoni, the owners of Wayside Tavern, along with chef Rian Wyllie have leased the former Bao Bao space at 133 Spring Street where they plan to open Gill’s Bar (@gillsbar). Their vision for Gill’s is as a neighborhood bar serving classic cocktails, a mix of local and European beers, and wine with a food menu of “updated bar classics” like patty melts, stuffed clams and chopped Italian subs. Renovations of the 2,002 sq ft are underway. The overall layout of the room will stay the same with a bar along the right-hand side of the room. Gill’s is expected to seat ~45 wit a mix of booth and high top tables filling in the remainder of the dining room. The team is working with Molly Miller from Meter Haus on the design of Gill’s. Miller was also the designer of Wayside Tavern. Lynn Stout, who had previously worked at Wayside, will be the front of house manager. Wyllie has been a chef and restaurateur in Maine and Massachusetts. Most recently he was the chef and a cofounder of Lenora. The team hopes to open Gill’s in late August or mid September, and when they do the hours will be Thursday through Monday opening at 4 pm. The bar is named after Gill’s Handy Store which operated at 133 Spring Street in the mid 20th century. #mainefood #mainebar #gillsbar #portlandmaine #comingsoon2025
Chayuda Yeamsiriwut has leased the former BenReube Chayuda Yeamsiriwut has leased the former BenReuben’s space at 145 Ocean Street in Knightville where she plans to launch The Streetwich (@thestreetwich), a breakfast and lunch spot serving sandwiches, boba tea, light snacks and some sweet treats. “The Streetwich started as a small dream rooted in my love for casual street food and cozy cafés. I wanted to create a space that feels warm, a bit playful, and welcoming — the kind of place where you might pop in for a quick bite, but end up coming back just because it feels good to be there.” The menu is still under development but is expected to include options like a spicy krapow basil chicken sandwich, bánh mì, as well as some classic breakfast options. Yeamsiriwut shared that the menu will draw from Thai flavors and street food energy that are reimagined in “a more playful, approachable way”. While primarily serving food to-go, The Streetwich will have a couple table to enjoy food and drink on-site. Yeamsiriwut hopes to launch The Streetwich later this summer. #mainefood #southportlandmaine #knightvillesouthportland #thestreetwich #comingsoon2025
A new business called Bub’s Home Kitchen (@bubsh A new business called Bub’s Home Kitchen (@bubshomekitchen) has leased space on the second floor of the Public Market House. Owner James Shaffer plans to be open for lunch serving Sicilian-style pizza by the slice, soups, and salads. He will also be selling take-and-bake meals like baked rigatoni, mushroom Stroganoff, shepherd’s pie, and pot roast as well as soups, broths, fruit spreads and marinara sauce for customers to enjoy at home. Shaffer wants his customers to feel like they’re getting a home cooked meal which seems appropriate with many of the dishes being based on family recipes like his father’s recipe for pot roast or his wife’s family recipe for the Stroganoff. Before moving to Portland in 2019, he and his father operated a cafe in Baltimore. Shaffer hopes to launch Bub’s at the Public Market House in August. It will initially be open Wednesday through Friday, 11 am – 4 pm (serving lunch until 2) with plans to expand days and hours to meet demand. In addition, Bub’s will continue to participate in the South Portland’s Farmers’ Market (@sopofarmersmarket) on Sundays, and Fork Food Lab’s market (@forkfoodlab) on Thursdays to reach customers who might not live or work in downtown Portland. #mainefood #portlandmaine #bubshomekitchen #publicmarkethouse #takeandbake
Colleen Kelley has relaunched Silly’s (@vintages Colleen Kelley has relaunched Silly’s (@vintagesillys). The 21-seat restaurant is located at 131 Ossipee Trail West in Standish (2nd image), and is open Wednesday through Saturday, 4 – 8 pm. The menu (final 2 images in this post) includes a variety of wraps, sandwiches and dishes like mac and cheese and fish and chips. Silly’s also has a line-up of six cakes: carrot cake, vegan chocolate cake with chai frosting, gluten-free brownie with frosting, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a vegan Elvis banana cake with peanut butter frosting. Silly’s originally launched in 1988 at 147 Cumberland Ave and moved to 40 Washington Ave in 1997 where it operated for more than two decades. Kelley relaunched Silly’s at a food truck in Standish in 2023. #sillys #standishmaine #mainefood
Welcome to the July edition of the Portland Food M Welcome to the July edition of the Portland Food Map raffle sponsored by Evergreen Credit Union (@evergreen_credit_union). The winner will receive $150 for use at Palace Diner and either two tickets to the Portland Sea Dogs OR two tickets to the Portland Museum of Art. Simply comment on this Instagram image and tag a friend (or, two, or three...), and you’re entered to win. To whet your appetite for a visit, here’s a look at some dishes and at the 98-year-old diner itself: Palace is located on Franklin Street in downtown Biddeford, a golden brown Tuna Sandwich, sidewalk signage on Main Street, the bruleed French Toast topped with melted butter and real maple syrup, interior of the 15-seat diner, a side of Cabbage Slaw, the Cheeseburger with fries. #mainefood #evergreeneverywhere #palacediner #tunasandwich #frenchtoast #cabbageslaw #cheeseburger #pollarddinercar #ladiesinvited NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. 1 winner will be chosen at random and will receive either 2 tickets to a Portland Sea Dogs home game OR 2 guest Admission Tickets to the Portland Museum of Art. Date of Sea Dogs game to be determined with the winner. Meal for two at Palace Diner is good for up to $150 (received in the form of a check); any additional costs will be the responsibility of the winner. The winner will be chosen on July 15th, and will be notified via Instagram direct message by Portland Food Map. The winner will connect with Evergreen Credit Union to receive their prize package. Per Instagram rules, this promotion is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 18+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use. This contest is in no way sponsored or administered by the Portland Sea Dogs, Portland Museum of Art, or Palace Diner. By entering, entrants confirm that they release the Portland Sea Dogs and Portland Museum of Art, and Palace Diner of responsibility.
Follow on Instagram

This Website is Sponsored By:

Food News Tip?

Do you have some details you’d like to pass on about an upcoming business or development in the Portland food scene? Then please fill out our Contact Form, we’d love to hear all about it.

Year in Review:

  • 2021 Year In Review
  • 2020 Year in Review
  • 2019 Year in Review
  • 2018 Year in Review
  • 2017 Year in Review
  • 2016 Year in Review
  • 2015 Year In Review
  • 2014 Year in Review
  • 2013 Year in Review
  • 2012 Year in Review
  • 2011 Year in Review
  • 2010 Year in Review

Features:

  • Portland Food History
  • Beard’s Portland Visit
  • Sunday Brunch List
  • Under Construction List

Follow Portland Food Map:

  • Instagram icon
  • Twitter icon
  • RSS icon
© 2025 Food Maps, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy

shines & jecker labs logo Built by shines & jecker labs