The New York Times shared some Portland dining guidance as part of the launch of their 2025 Restaurant List. As part of that effort they published this guide to eating in Denver, San Diego, San Antonio, Minneapolis/St Paul, and Portland.
The Portland section highlights: Bite INto Maine, Bread & Friends, Franciska, LB Kitchen, Luke’s, Minato, Mr. Tuna, Ocotillo, Sur Lie, Tandem, The Shop, and Zu Bakery.
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The New York Times has included Sammy’s Deluxe in Rockland and Pilgrim’s Inn on Deer Isle in their 2025 Restaurant List of the “50 best places in America right now.”
With regard to Sammy’s Deluxe they wrote in-part (right photo),
The chef Sam Richman ditched the haute cuisine halls of Jean-Georges and the Fat Duck for Midcoast Maine, opening Sammy’s Deluxe with a clear mission: to celebrate the state’s pristine ingredients without any high-end fuss. Mr. Richman forages his own mushrooms, pickles local alewives (those overlooked fish from the herring family) and smokes his own haddock snacks, which you can order with a side of sweet homemade brown bread…
With regard to the Pilgrim’s Inn they wrote in-part (left photo),
…A lobster and fennel chowder, with diminutive hush puppies scattered throughout, made the culinary connection up the seaboard. Ruby-red tiles of Maine bluefin crudo hummed with salted radish and Aleppo pepper. And the roasted monkfish with clams and tomato broth had a bouillabaisse-goes-Down East notion to it. The menu in the cozy tavern room, including the unmissable grilled skewers of local eel, stays relatively constant.
The Times shared this about their perspective on list making.
What does it mean to be a “best restaurant”? And what to make of a list as wide-ranging as this one? Can a storefront barbecue spot in Kansas specializing in turkey legs sit next to a tiny jewel box of a restaurant with a tasting menu in the Bay Area? What about a sultry new Miami steakhouse and a rustic 135-year-old dining room on Deer Isle, Maine?
The answer is yes. And when you read the list, you’ll see why. These places all have delicious food and a mastery of craft, but also a generosity of spirit and a singular point of view.
This isn’t the first time Maine restaurants have appeared in the list. Cong Tu Bot was featured in 2021. Leeward and Twelve in 2022, Tinder Hearth in 2023 and The Alna Store in 2024.
Travel & Leisure magazine has published an article about the Portland dining scene.
As we chatted I tried Fujimoto’s Danish pastry, made with Maine butter and speckled with cranberries; after that came a flavor bomb of a Chinese mooncake. Her version, she says, is similar to a rich gâteau basque, but unlike its French counterpart, it’s filled with savory adzuki beans. Blending European and American techniques learned at Hayward’s establishments with Japanese flavors and Maine ingredients adds up to something Fujimoto called “deeply Portland.”
The article mentions Bite Into Maine, Tandem, Rabelais, Fore Street, Leeward, Norimoto, Cantina Calafia, Magissa, Twelve, Burundi Star, Zu Bakery, Sur Lie and the Longfellow Hotel. The article will appear in print in the September issue of the magazine.
Jake at Portland Log Book has put together his list of The Best Breakfast Sandwiches in Portland Maine and Beyond.
I have been chasing them from the West End to Brunswick and beyond, crossed bridges, stood in line with wet hair, and let yolks run down my wrist more times than I care to admit. These [Nine] spots aren’t just good. They’re the reason to get out the door.
The list features Tandem, Second Rodeo, Ramona’s, Palace Diner, Dutchman’s, The Abbey, Indy’s, Burke’s Perks, and Cuties.
Trent Pheifer author of the blog Store Bought Is Fine has published the 2025 edition of his Portland dining guide.
As with any food scene, things are always changing – some longtime favorites have closed, others dropped off the list after a few disappointing visits, and we’ve discovered so many new (or new-to-us) gems. The list keeps growing: from 18 the first year, to 30 last year, and now over 50. Yes, there really are that many phenomenal places to eat.
The Infatuation has updated their list of The Best Restaurants In Portland, Maine.
Maine is known for being a place where you can indulge in the fantasy of having lobster for every meal. And sure, incredible lobster rolls abound, but Portland is also a cultural destination in its own right. We have close proximity to both hikes and gorgeous beaches and the potential to run into more moose than people. The best part, though? There’s so much to eat, lobster or otherwise, as you explore Maine’s most populated city. So whether you’re here to visit a lighthouse in your very best flannel, enjoy all of Maine’s state parks, or want to just branch out from your go-to places around town, this guide has all the restaurants and spots worth checking out.
Their list now features: Benny’s, Cantina Calafia, Crispy Gai, Cuties, Eventide, Fore Street, Franciska, Hot Suppa, Izakaya Minato, Leeward, Lil Chippy, Mr. Tuna, Norimoto, Oun Lido’s, Papi, Quanto Basta, Regards, Scales, SoPo Seafood, Taj, Tandem, Twelve, Wayside Tavern, Yosaku.
The Infatuation started publishing an annual Portland list in 2022. The restaurants that have been on the list since then are Crispy Gai, Eventide, Fore Street, Hot Suppa, Leeward, Minato, Norimoto, Scales, Tandem, and Yosaku.
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a 4 star review of Crispy Gai.
Cabbage Salad ($11) offers a fresh, vibrant counterpoint — crisp sliced napa and purple cabbages tossed in gingery dressing with mint, cilantro, plenty of fried shallots and peanuts and a judicious scattering of bird’s eye chili. In Crying Tiger Ribeye ($16), Reynolds wok-fries a crust onto marinated beef, then finishes it on the grill to rosy medium rare. Herbaceous, limey nam jim jaew cuts through the rich steak, while the sauce’s fermented anchovy gives the dish seductive pull.
Eat Drink Lucky has released their 2025 Must Eat List, a compendium of 68 not to be missed dishes from restaurants in Portland and South Portland.
We’ve updated our Must Eat List for 2025 with 68 mouthwatering dishes. This year’s list shows Portland’s changing dining scene: sandwiches are serious business and regional and global flavors shape local favorites. Portland (with a few South Portland standouts) continues to surprise with dishes that are craveable, creative, and (mostly) easy on the wallet.
You’ll see some favorites from last year still holding strong, and plenty of new bites worth discovering.
The Infatuation has included SoPo Seafood in their national list of The Spots Of The Summer.
Over the summer, things change. Sourpusses smile. Uncoordinated people go to baseball games and say things like, “Keep your eye on the ball.” Pedicures happen. It’s a good time to be alive, and it’s a great time to eat, mostly because sandwiches and cheeseburgers taste best between chlorinated fingertips. Below are places across the country that are best enjoyed between Memorial Day and Labor Day. These are the spots of the summer.
The April issue of The Bollard is now available online. It includes an article about “Kitchen Jedi” Mark Turner, an artist and chef who worked at kitchens all over Portland dating back to Alberta’s and Raoul’s Roadside Attraction in a decades long career. The April issue also includes a review of Sunday brunch at Magissa.