One of my favorite foodie cities to visit is Portland, Maine. There are so many great places to eat. Of course the seafood is fantastic, but the food is much more diverse. Every time I visit, I find new delicious and creative food spots. The choices are endless.And, there are more hits, than misses. My Uber driver said it best, “If it’s not good, it won’t last here.” I haven’t been everywhere, but I think I have done a pretty good job finding some of the best eats in Portland. I assume there will be a part 2 or 3 to this down the road. If you want to eat your way through the city and regret nothing, I got you covered. Enjoy!

Duckfat

One of my favorite restaurants in Portland is Duckfat. This is gluttony at its finest and absolutely fantastic. Hence the name, a lot of items here are cooked in duck fat such as fries, brussel sprouts, donut holes, and even added to a milkshake! With that said, their panini game is top notch. My go to panini is the homemade meatloaf. You heard right. Meatloaf is a heavily underrated dish and they knock it out the park in this sandwich that includes horseradish, pickled onion, cheddar, and smoked poblano mayo between fresh baked bread. So good. The first time I visited Duckfat, I had the meatloaf Panini, duck fat fries, the duck fat milkshake (made with vanilla gelato) and the group sitting next to me offered up some duck fat fried donut holes. I had to go back to the hotel and just lay on the bed directly after the feeding. 100% worth it. Note, the restaurant is pretty small so expect a long wait on busy weekends. This is an absolute must have in Portland.

Empire Chinese Kitchen

I love Chinese cuisine. One of my buddies from Portland suggested Empire Chinese Kitchen for my most recent trip. And, I can’t thank him enough. This spot blew me away. My girlfriend and I went for dinner but it was so packed and the waiting was so long they had to turn us away. I wasn’t leaving without trying so we went first thing the next day when it opened and we got right in. Empire is a family-style restaurant that offers many small plates so you can try multiple dishes. The menu is great and filled with the classics with an upscale take that takes it to another level. We ordered the honey walnut shrimp, lobster rangoons, and duck lo mein. This shrimp was amazing and destroyed any rock shrimp type appetizer I’ve ever had. The lobster Rangoon was the best rangoon I’ve had. And, the duck lo mein was on point. We couldn’t stop there so we ordered their BBQ pork stuffed steam buns and pork fried dumplings. I have been obsessing over finding Bao steamed buns lately and these were money. All the food was great, tasted fresh, and never greasy. My new favorite spot in Portland. Somehow, someway, go to Empire.

Street & Co.

Street & Co. is one of my go to dinner restaurants in Portland. If you want some awesome seafood dishes, this is the place to go. I have never had a bad meal. The pasta dishes are phenomenal. Every time my wife and I go here we order the mussels appetizer, which is a ginormous mound of deliciousness. Maybe the best mussels I ever had. Anywhere we go and get mussels, they are compared to Street & Co.’s version. Dip the bread in the broth after, the thought gets my mouth watering. On our most recent trip, we noticed they offer tuna bolognese (pictured below). Like fresh tuna, not canned. We had to try it out and we were blown away. I kept saying, “I don’t how or why, but I can’t stop eating this”. One of the more unique tasting dishes I have had.

Dutch’s

Breakfast and brunch is a pretty important meal. It’s always great to start the day with a delicious meal. Portland has great breakfast and brunch spots. Luckily for me, my girlfriend found Dutch’s. This place is another Portland gem that has a lot of classics with a twist. They have a more cafeteria style arrangement where you pick your own table and stand in line to order. They have quite a bit of daily/weekly specials to choose from and their own menu is extensive. I chose 10 different items before I got to the counter and went with the Breakfast Burrito. There was special burrito with sausage, eggs, salsa, and hash browns. I pretty much order a breakfast burrito everywhere I go for breakfast and this was one was up there. It was massive and full of flavor. My girlfriend ordered the Spicy Chicken Biscuit sandwich, crispy chicken thigh, avocado mash and a house hot sauce. This was delicious and rivaled to a sandwich you would find in the South. We ordered the loaded hash browns on the side. They have a bunch of baked available which INCLUDES special donut flavors on Saturdays. So, you know I jumped on that. They had Cranberry frosted and Pecan Pie filled. Listen, I love me a classic yeast raised donut that perfectly chewy, not greasy. The Pecan Pie was amazing. Dutch’s knows how to make a great donut. Maybe one of the best in Portland.

The Highroller Lobster Co.

If you want great seafood, Portland is the place for it. And, if you are in Maine and want seafood, you want some lobster. The Highroller Lobster Co. is all about lobster. Their menu consists of lobster rangoons, lobster grilled cheese, fried lobster lollipops, and of course the lobster roll. They have a cool back patio, chill vibe, and dynamite food. Get your lobster fill here.

Luke’s Lobster

Another lobster roll spot to check out is Luke’s Lobster on the Portland Pier. They are the more traditional seafood roll & fried seafood experience. The lobster roll was fresh and delicious. The crab roll was very good as well. They definitely do not skimp on the meat inside in the rolls. Not only is the food great, but the views from the restaurant are pretty awesome too.

Gilbert’s Chowder House

When you are in New England, one of the must have dishes is chowder! All different versions: corn, clam, seafood, New England, Manhattan, etc. Gilbert’s Chowder House was the spot for me. I tried the clam and seafood chowder. Wow, full of flavor and massive chunks of seafood. Look at that lobster!

Mash Tun

Mash Tun is located close to the waterfront in Portland. This is a great, late night hangout spot with an amazing local beer list. They are known for their burgers. I can’t speak to those as of yet. However, sometimes you just need a snack. In between brewery stops, we needed to nibble and we stopped in at Mash Tun and noticed the Cheese Plate. This as reasonably priced so we gave it a shot. The combination of the cheddar cheese, the briny cornichons, sweet apples, pickled onions, chef’s jam, honey Dijon and the bread was what we needed. It is simple but when it all works together, there is nothing like a good cheese plate. I would go back just for this.

Locally Sauced

Upon arriving at Bissell Brothers for my craft beer fix, I was glad to see a new restaurant opened next door. Locally Sauced offers locally sourced ingredients for their menu consisting of nachos, tacos, burritos, and some Tex Mex options. The restaurant is small but they do an order window next to the entrance of Bissell Brothers and you can take the food into the brewery. Of course, after a few beers we were hungry and I ordered some nachos. Now, they do cost $18 but the portion size can easily feed 4-5 adults. This is a great offering to have next to Bissell Brothers.

Bar of Chocolate

If you are looking for a late night martini and a decadent dessert, the Bar of Chocolate is the place to go in Old Port. Choosing from a menu of over a dozen desserts and martinis, you will find an array of chocolate options. We ordered the chocolate cake with sea salt and caramel frosting along with the Peanut Butter martini. The cake was delicious and the drink lived up to expectations. This is a small, cozy location for a great night cap.

Holy Donut

The Holy Donut is a Portland staple, and by far, the most popular donut shop in town. Walking along the harbor on the cobblestone walkway in Old Port, this donut shop is easy to find on weekends. Look for the lines out the door. I have to stop in every time I visit. What makes The Holy Donut unique is that their donuts made with potatoes. Like most cake batter donuts they are dense but also fluffy and moist at the same time. They are fantastic. And, they have some great flavors available such as Sea Salt Chocolate, Maple Bacon, Toasted Coconut, Coffee Cake, and Triple Berry Cannoli to name a few. In addition, they make a Ginger Sweet Potato donut that is unreal. If you want to try these donuts, make sure you get there early. They do tend to sell out. Warning, these donuts are addictive.

Hi-Fi Donuts

On my last trip to Portland, I was excited to hear about a new donut shop that opened called Hi-Fi Donuts. This donut shop offers a different alternative donut option to The Holy Donut, which I think is great. Hi-Fi Donuts offers a wide variety of donuts, flavors, and textures such as crullers, cake, and yeast donuts in very creative flavors along with some classics. In addition, you can order breakfast sandwiches between a glazed donut! There is something to please everyone. My selection included a black and white cruller, blueberry frosted, candied apple swirl, and the hefeweizen (beer yeast). They were super fresh and I enjoyed all the donuts. There are so many options, I can’t wait to go back to try more.

Lil’s Café (Bonus)

If you are driving on I-95N through New Hampshire to Portland, there is a little spot in downtown Kittery that is the perfect pit stop. Lil’s Café offers really good baked goods, soups and sandwiches. They have coffee options as well but we went with some hot chocolate. This was the good stuff. In addition, we ordered a few cruller donuts, which is what they are known for, along with an almond croissant. The almond croissant was mouthwatering. Very flaky and the middle was gooey with almond paste. I wouldn’t pass there baked goods.

HIKING FOR DONUTS

A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast

Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.

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