Cobblestone wharves and 19th-century brick warehouses host Portland's flagship dining row: Eventide, The Honey Paw, Fore Street, Scales and the Public Market House.
Order Roasted Maine mussels in almond, garlic and vermouth from the wood oven.
Fore Street opened 1996 in a converted Old Port warehouse and built modern New England cooking around a wood oven, open hearth and turning spit.
Order Trofie al pesto Genovese with potatoes and green beans, the canonical Ligurian plate.
Solo Italiano on Commercial Street opened 2016 from Chef Paolo Laboa, with Ligurian cooking, hand-cut trofie pesto and house bread from a Genovese-style oven.
Order Whatever fish crudo the kitchen is cutting tonight, plus the pork belly small plate.
Central Provisions at the top of Fore Street, opened 2014 by Chris and Paige Gould (Beard nominee), runs small plates of crudo and pork belly.
Order The whole local fish of the day, plus a half dozen Glidden Point oysters.
Scales on Maine Wharf opened March 2016 from Sam Hayward, Dana Street and Victor Leon (the Fore Street team) with whole local fish, oysters and a raw bar.
Order A pasta course off the daily list plus a Negroni from the 20-seat bar.
Via Vecchia on Dana Street in the Old Port, a brick-and-ivy small-plates Italian room with handmade pasta, Maine seafood and a velvet-booth wrap-around bar.
Order Tonkotsu ramen with the soft-boiled egg upgrade, then yakitori from the charcoal grill.
Pai Men Miyake on State Street opened 2009 from Chef Masa Miyake of Miyake, with tonkotsu ramen, charcoal yakitori and izakaya plates from the open bar.
Order The full mezze plate with wood-fired pita, plus lamb kefta off the grill.
Evo Kitchen + Bar at the Hyatt Place Old Port opened 2016, with a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu of wood-fired flatbreads, mezze and grilled kebabs.
Order The Maine lobster roll on a New England top-split bun, plus a cup of fish chowder.
Boone's Fish House on Custom House Wharf reopened 2014 on the site of the 1898 original, with Maine lobster rolls, halibut and fish chowder on the deck.
Order A short stack with bacon and a cup of clam chowder, the diner's classic combo.
Becky's Diner on Commercial Street has been on Portland's working waterfront since 1991, opening 05:00 daily for fishing crews and one of the longest weekend.
Also on this listPai Men MiyakeScalesBoone's Fish House + Oyster RoomEvo Kitchen + Bar
Order Espresso flight, pour-over filter
Bard Coffee on Middle Street, since 2009, was Portland's first dedicated third-wave cafe, pouring espresso flights and pour-overs from rotating roasters.
Order Caffe latte with Arabica's own roast
Arabica Coffee House on Free Street has run since 2001 as Portland's bohemian third-wave room, with house-roasted espresso, lattes and a summer patio.
Order Morning bun with walnut and cinnamon sugar
Standard Baking on Commercial Street, since 1995 from Alison Pray and Matt James, is Portland's artisan bakery for levain breads and laminated pastries.
Order Wild Maine blueberry potato donut
The Holy Donut on Commercial Street is the waterfront branch of Leigh Kellis's Maine potato donut program (Park Avenue original 2012), in rotating flavours.
On this list, shown aboveBard Coffee
Angoor Wine Bar on Fore Street is Portland's first self-pour wine bar, opened 2024, with 30 rotating wines from around the world and 2, 4 or 6 oz dispensers.
Drink Scandinavian-influenced cocktails, aquavit Bloody Mary
Portland Hunt + Alpine Club on Market Street, since 2013 from Andrew and Briana Volk, is Portland's defining craft cocktail room with aquavit and smorrebrod.
Drink Vintage-inspired craft cocktails
Blyth and Burrows on Exchange Street runs a vintage-inspired cocktail bar with a hidden speakeasy (Broken Dram) accessed via the alley behind the building.
Drink Rotating taps of rare Belgian and Maine craft beer
Novare Res Bier Cafe in Canal Plaza, since 2008 from Eric Michaud, is Portland's Belgian-and-craft-beer destination with a courtyard patio open all summer.
Drink House cocktails with Pennant Distilling spirits
Camp Pennant on Commercial Street (the 2024 rebrand of Liquid Riot under Michael Fraser) runs a brewery, distillery and bar in one Old Port building.
Drink Seasonal craft cocktails
The bar at Central Provisions on Fore Street runs a seasonal cocktail program alongside the kitchen's small plates of crudo, tartare and pork belly.
Try Maine potato donut
The Holy Donut on Commercial Street is the Portland waterfront takeout counter for Leigh Kellis's Maine potato donuts in rotating seasonal flavours.
Try Japanese onigiri rice balls
Mami on Fore Street, from chef Austin Miller and Hana Tamaki (food truck 2015, brick-and-mortar 2017), runs onigiri, broth bowls and izakaya snacks.
Shipyard Brewing on Newbury Street opened 1994 from Fred Forsley and English brewmaster Alan Pugsley, with English-style ales and the Pumpkinhead seasonal.
Camp Pennant on Commercial Street, the 2024 rebrand of Michaud's 2013 Liquid Riot under Michael Fraser, pours Pennant Distilling lines plus wood-fired pizza.
Gritty McDuff's on Fore Street, since 1988, is Maine's original brewpub and one of the first in the modern American craft scene, with cask ales on tap.
Harbor Fish Market on Custom House Wharf has been the Portland working waterfront's retail fish counter since 1969, with lobster, fresh-cut fish and oysters.
Maine Day Ventures (rebranded from Maine Foodie Tours in 2024) runs a 3-hour Old Port culinary walking tour with classic Maine, cultural and up-and-coming.
Maine Day Ventures runs an Old Port Happy Hour tour Mondays and Tuesdays, a cocktail-bar crawl through the working-waterfront blocks with small plates.
Lucky Catch Cruises runs 80 to 90-minute working lobster-boat tours on Casco Bay from Long Wharf, 170 Commercial Street; haul real traps with the captain.
The Maine Brew Bus runs 3 to 4-hour bus tours from 111 Commercial Street, hitting 3 to 5 breweries on Industrial Way or East Bayside with samples poured.
Portland Schooner Company runs two-hour Casco Bay sails on the historic 1924 Bagheera and 1925 Wendameen schooners from Maine State Pier (56 Commercial.
Casco Bay Lines runs the year-round working mailboat on a 2-hour-45-minute Bay run through Peaks, Little Diamond, Great Diamond, Long, Cliff and Chebeague.
Harvest on the Harbor is Portland's Maine food festival, held 15 to 17 October 2026 at Maine Studio Works, with the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year contest and Maine OysterFest sessions.
Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, 75 minutes northeast of Portland, runs Wednesday to Sunday over the first full weekend of August, five days at Harbor Park.
Maine Day Ventures runs a 2-hour hands-on lobster-roll class at The Maker's Galley with Chef Arianna Stefanilo, covering both Maine-style cold-mayo.
Black Tie Catering at 156 State Street runs hands-on Thai cooking classes for up to 12 people, working curries, papaya salads and a rotating noodle dish.
Black Tie Catering at 156 State Street runs a beginner sushi and tempura class for up to 12 people, covering rice seasoning, nigiri shaping.
Spoondrift Kitchen from Chef Eva Mrak-Blumberg runs 10 to 20 private cooking classes a year in clients' homes across Portland, with custom menus built around.
Try Eggs and hash, short stack with bacon
Becky's Diner on Commercial Street runs the cheapest waterfront breakfast in Portland, opening 05:00 daily for fishing crews and the line behind them.
Also on this listThe Holy Donut
On this list, shown aboveBecky's DinerThe Holy Donut
On this list, shown aboveNovare Res Bier CafeBlyth & Burrows
Aura on Center Street is Portland's flagship live-music and dance venue, hosting touring acts, EDM nights and ticketed Friday and Saturday DJ events from a 1,200-capacity converted hall.
The Broken Dram is the speakeasy downstairs at Blyth & Burrows on Exchange Street, accessed via an alley entrance.
