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Crispy Gai

Rating Scale
Number Description
5 Excellent
4 Very Good
3 Good
2 I am not in a rush to return
1 I will not be going back

Crispy Gai opened June 30, 2021.

Reviews

  • Crispy GaiMaine Sunday Telegram (06/01/2025)
  • Crispy GaiPortland Press Herald (09/02/2021)
  • Crispy GaiPortland Press Herald (04/01/2021)

(207) 535-7935

Crispy Gai, Exchange Street, Portland, ME, USA
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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

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Luncheonette (@luncheonettemaine) is set to open o Luncheonette (@luncheonettemaine) is set to open on Thursday. The new cafe is located at 147 Cumberland Ave in the space formerly occupied by Union Bagel Company. They’ll be open Thursday through Monday, 8 am – 2 pm. As you can see from the menu (last 2 photos) and photos, Luncheonette serves sandwiches, salads, baked goods and dishes like squid escabeche and braised beans. They have coffee and tea as well as kombucha, wine and beer. Shown here is a slice of their blueberry pie, a roast pork sandwich with a side of the cabbage “Caesar” salad, and the savory bun which is made with a broccoli rabe and hazelnut pesto. The cafe has seating for 14 inside and also a 20-seat patio located behind the building. Luncheonette is being launched by Angela Lee and Alex LeBlanc. They moved to Portland from New York earlier this year. For LeBlanc who grew up in South Portland it’s a return home. Lee’s culinary career started in NYC baking at Petee’s Pie Co from there she went on to work as a whole animal butcher at Meat Hook and as a fish butcher at Osakana. LeBlanc’s most recent position was as the sous chef at Sailor in Brooklyn, and previously was the chef de cuisine at Gus’s. When he last lived in Portland, LeBlanc had worked for Abby Harmon at Caiola’s and for Matt Ginn at Evo Kitchen + Bar. #portlandmaine #mainefood #blueberrypie #luncheonette
The Flatiron Coffee Bar (@flatironcoffeebar) is un The Flatiron Coffee Bar (@flatironcoffeebar) is under construction in the Hay Building, in the space formerly occupied by Starbucks. Renovations have been underway for some time and the goal is to launch Flatiron by the end of July. Owner Gary Perlmutter’s vision for Flatiron is for a counter-service European-style coffee bar. In addition to espresso-based drinks Flatiron will serve drip, cold brew, teas and affogatos. Dark and medium roast coffees will be available, along with decaf coffee. Perlmutter is in the final stages of selecting a roastery and bakery to supply Flatiron—stay tuned for details on both. Perlmutter and his wife Rhonda Pearle own and operate the Pearl Gallery (@pearl_gallery_maine) on the 2nd floor of the Hay Building where they exhibit their own work as well as work by other artists. They plan to use the walls of the 12-seat coffee bar to exhibit local artists. In addition to being a painter—and now a coffee shop owner—Perlmutter is also an Orthopaedic Shoulder Surgeon at Mass General Hospital. #portlandmaine #mainefood #mainecoffee #haybuilding
The 2025 Midcoast Pocket Guide is now available— The 2025 Midcoast Pocket Guide is now available—see below for where to pick one up. The guide highlights a cross section of the restaurants, bakeries, breweries, coffee shops, cocktail bars, and cafes that make eating and drinking in the Midcoast so compelling. 25 cities and towns are represented from smaller communities like Union, Searsport and Owls Head along with the bigger cities and towns along the coast and some inland locations like Swanville and Whitefield. The list features both longtime mainstays of the Midcoast food scene and newer spots that have launched in recent years. We hope that no matter where you live or are traveling to in the Midcoast that this guide has something to offer. **Are you holding a wedding, running a business event, operating a hotel, or simply want a bunch of the guides on hand for out of town visitors? The pocket guides are now for sale online in packs of 25 at our online store (link in bio).** Many thanks to the Pocket Guide sponsors! Their support is so essential in making this resource available: @evergreen_credit_union, , @allagashbrewing, @theboulosco, and Great Pine Financial Services. Give them a follow to learn more about their businesses. While supplies last you can pick-up a free copy of the guide at these locations: @vesselandvine in Brunswick, @treatsofmaine in Wiscasset, @thealnastoremaine, @fernaldscountrystore in Damariscotta, @the.waldoboro.inn, @gethoneys in Thomaston, @villagercafe in Camden, and @dotsinmaine in Lincolnville. In Portland, you can find a copy at @rabelaisbooks, @allagashbrewing and the @portlandtradingco, @brescahoneybee in New Gloucester, and in Gardiner at @table_bar. One final thought: The pocket guide wouldn’t be as good as it, in fact it wouldn’t exist at all, without the skills and contributions of graphic designer Sofija Razgaitis (@ajifos) and of Dawn Hagin from @rarebirdstrategic. Congratulate them on their work the next time you see them. #mainefood #midcoastmaine
RAFFLE COMPLETED Welcome to the June edition of th RAFFLE COMPLETED Welcome to the June edition of the Portland Food Map raffle sponsored by Evergreen Credit Union (@evergreen_credit_union). The winner will receive a $150 Visa gift card for use at Thai Tree 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 from Thai Tree: a ginger stir fry, fried chive dumplings, wings, Thai fried rice with squid, khao soi beef, pad Thai with shrimp, mango with pandan sticky rice. #mainefood #evergreeneverywhere #chivedumplings #khaosoibeef #padthai #mangostickyrice 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 Thai Tree is good for up to $150 in the form of a VISA gift card; any additional costs will be the responsibility of the winner. The winner will be chosen on June 10th, 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 Thai Tree. By entering, entrants confirm that they release the Portland Sea Dogs and Portland Museum of Art, and Thai Tree of responsibility.
The 2025 Portland Pocket Guide is now available— The 2025 Portland Pocket Guide is now available—see below for where to pick one up. As in past years the guide highlights a cross section of the restaurants, bakeries, breweries, coffee shops, cocktail bars, and cafes that make eating and drinking in Portland so compelling. Use the guide as a starting point for your ongoing exploration of the Portland and Maine food scenes. See the Portland Food Map directory for full list of independent eateries in the city to put together your own selection. We’d enjoy seeing your list and hearing about your eating adventures. **Are you holding a wedding, running a business event, operating a hotel, or simply want a bunch of the guides on hand for out of town visitors? The pocket guides are now for sale online in packs of 25 at our online store (link in bio).** Many thanks to our sponsors! Their support is essential to making this resource available: @evergreen_credit_union, @theboulosco, @canopyportlandwaterfront, @winewiseevents, @allagashbrewing, the @longfellowhotel, and @verticalharvestfarms. While supplies last you can pick-up a free copy of the guide at these local businesses: @tandemcoffeeroasters, @portlandtradingco, @allagashbrewing, @_rose_foods_, @oxbowbrewingcompany, @rabelaisbooks, @onggiferments, @uglyducklingmaine, @portlandyogacollective and starting this weekend @brescahoneybee in New Gloucester. One final note: This dining guide wouldn’t be as good as it, in fact it wouldn’t exist at all, without the skills and contributions of graphic designer Sofija Razgaitis (@ajifos) and of Dawn Hagin from Rare Bird Strategic (@rarebirdstrategic). Congratulate them on their work the next time you see them. #portlandfoodmap #pocketguide #mainefood
Welcome to the quarterly property feature sponsore Welcome to the quarterly property feature sponsored by The Boulos Company (@theboulosco). This quarter we’re highlighting 114 Preble Street, the former home of Coals Pizza. The 4,424 sq ft space is at the intersection of Preble and Kennebec Streets in West Bayside. It includes a kitchen and hood system, bar, dining room, space for outdoor dining and a rarity in Portland—a parking lot for ~25 cars. Shown here are a few pictures from when Coals was in business (photos 1, 3, 4). The property is available for $26/sq ft (NNN). Nearby are Bayside Bowl, Wilson County BBQ, Argenta Brewing, and Batson River. In the late 19th and early 20th Century the Portland & Rochester railroad station was located just across the street (photo 5). The “Alfred” locomotive (photo 6) was built for the P & R by the Portland Company in 1880. A vibrant Armenian immigrant community was centered in Bayside in the early 1900s where they operated restaurants, markets and bakeries. The first eatery we know of at that corner dates to 1932 with the launch of the Preble Diner (photo 7) which was open around the clock and promised the “best of foods at moderate price”. The diner would operate under a few different names and concepts over the years (photo 8). After WW II the renamed Preble Street Diner (photo 9) was serving steaks, chops and seafood and offered takeout. The building’s use as a restaurant picks back up in 2005 when Bleachers relocated their sports bar to Bayside offering pub food, 15 taps, and a “multitudes of televisions for all the sports action and free peanuts in the shell”. It went on to be the home of G&R DiMillo’s, then the Portland & Rochester restaurant, and, most recently, the popular Coals pizzeria which closed last fall. For more information about the property contact Chris Gallagher, Joseph Italiaander, or Nate Roop; see link in our bio for further details on the property. This is a sponsored post in collaboration with The Boulos Company (@theboulosco).
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