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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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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.
The Garden Bar (@thegardenbarmaine) has opened the The Garden Bar (@thegardenbarmaine) has opened their new South Portland location (@thegardenbarportland) at 173 Ocean Street. It’s located in the storefront formerly occupied by Cafe Louis in Knightville. The renovated cafe has table seating for 14 with an addition 6 counter seats. They’ll be open daily 11 am – 7:30 pm. Owner Lanai Monahan and her team serve made to order salads and bowls. They have twelve signature combinations—the Santa Fe is shown in the 2nd image—or customers can select from dozens of ingredients to make a custom combo. They also sell cold pressed juices, chips and cookies. Check out the last two images in this post to see the menu. The Garden Bar launched in Biddeford on May 6, 2023. Monahan plans to continue expanding her business, and is now searching for opportunities to locate a third Garden Bar in Southern New Hampshire. #southportlandmaine #thegardenbar #saladsofinstagram #knightvillesouthportland
LB Kitchen (@lbkitchenportlandme) is growing their LB Kitchen (@lbkitchenportlandme) is growing their Mini-Mart (@lbminimart) business. The first location of the grab and go market and coffee bar opened this past March at the Rock Row Health Campus. Owners Bryna Gootkind and chef Lee Farrington are now working to open a second location at 235 Vaughan (shown here). It’s under construction in the 620 sq ft space that most recently was the West End location of Other Side Deli and previously had been the longtime home of Vaughan Street Variety. When it launches this fall it will sell salads, sandwiches, snacks, wellness items, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages. There will also be a coffee bar that serves espresso-based drinks as well as LB’s lattes, bone broth, smoothies and slushies. As share in today’s press release, “We’re thrilled to bring LB. MINI-MART to more corners of Portland,” said LB. Co-founder and Chef Lee Farrington. “These new locations are a reflection of the growing demand for healthy, accessible food and the continued evolution of our mission to support everyday wellness in our community. We think of ourselves as the new corner store or gas station convenience store – when you want something quick, but at LB. MINI-MART we can satisfy the convenience without sacrificing delicious, more intentional choices.” In mid 2026 Farrington and Gootkind also plan to expand into the space adjacent to their flagship cafe on Congress Street. They’ll relocate their in-store market into the new storefront which will make way for additional customer seating in their popular daytime cafe. The original LB Kitchen opened in 2017 and moved to the corner of Smith and Congress Streets in 2023. #portlandmaine #lbkitchen #lbminimart #westendportlandmaine #mainefood
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
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