Rose Foods on Forest Avenue opened 2017 from Chad Conley, a Jewish deli with hand-rolled bagels, house-cured lox, smoked whitefish and matzo ball soup.
Signature: Lox bagel, Matzo ball soup, Pastrami sandwich
Order: The lox bagel with whipped cream cheese, plus a cup of matzo ball soup.
Tip: Daily 07:30 to 14:00. Counter ordering; takeout moves fast at peak weekend brunch.
Tipo on Ocean Avenue opened 2017 from Chris and Paige Gould of Central Provisions, a Neapolitan-themed Italian room in Portland's Back Cove neighbourhood.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, House-made pasta, Wood-roasted vegetables
Order: The margherita from the wood oven, then a bowl of cacio e pepe.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday from 17:00; dinner only. Resy reservations recommended.
The Purple House in North Yarmouth, 20 minutes from Portland, opened 2018 from Krista Desjarlais with Montreal-style wood-fired bagels and sourdough pizza.
Signature: Wood-fired Montreal-style bagels, Sourdough pizza, Egg sandwiches
Order: An everything bagel with cream cheese and house-cured gravlax, plus a pizza by the slice.
Tip: Friday to Sunday only; opens 08:00, closes when the bagels run out (usually early afternoon).
Rose Foods on Forest Avenue, since 2017 from Chad Conley, is Portland's Jewish deli with hand-rolled bagels, house-cured lox and matzo ball soup.
Signature: Lox bagel, Matzo ball soup, Pastrami sandwich
Order: The lox bagel with whipped cream cheese, plus matzo ball soup.
Tip: Daily 07:30 to 14:00. Counter ordering; takeout is fast at peak weekend brunch.
Tipo on Ocean Avenue, since 2017 from Chris and Paige Gould (Central Provisions), is the wood-fired Italian room in Back Cove with Neapolitan pizza and pasta.
Signature: Wood-fired margherita pizza, House-made tonnarelli, Wood-roasted vegetables
Order: Wood-fired margherita and a bowl of cacio e pepe.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday from 17:00; dinner only. Resy reservations recommended.
Little Woodfords is the Woodfords Corner neighbourhood cafe, pouring Speckled Ax wood-roasted coffee with house-baked muffins, scones and sandwiches.
Signature drink: Speckled Ax espresso, fresh-baked muffins
Tip: Mon-Fri 07:00 to 14:00; Sat-Sun 08:00 to 14:00. Cash and card both fine.
The Purple House in North Yarmouth, 20 minutes from Portland, runs Krista Desjarlais's Montreal-style wood-fired bagels from a converted Cape Cod house.
Tip: Friday to Sunday only. Open 08:00, closes when bagels run out (often by early afternoon).
Worth the queue: Everything bagel with house lox
Rose Foods on Forest Avenue, since 2017 from Chad Conley, runs hand-rolled, hand-shaped bagels, rugelach, babka and challah from a small storefront.
Tip: Daily 07:30 to 14:00. Counter ordering; weekend brunch fills fast.
Worth the queue: Hand-rolled lox bagel
The Great Lost Bear on Forest Avenue, since 1979, is Portland's craft-beer pub of record, with Sunday brewmaster events featuring Maine breweries on rotation.
Signature drink: Maine craft beer flight
Food: Pub fare, burgers
Tip: Daily 11:30 to 23:00. Sunday brewmaster events feature Maine breweries on rotation.
Bite Into Maine runs its lobster-roll truck and counter at the Allagash Brewing taproom on Industrial Way, Connecticut-style warm butter on a top-split bun.
Try: Maine lobster roll, Connecticut-style with warm butter
Tip: Seasonal April through October. Original Bite Into Maine truck is at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth.
Allagash Brewing on Industrial Way, since 1995 from Rob Tod, is Portland's flagship Belgian-style brewery, with free ticketed tours via the operator site.
Tip: Tours are free but ticketed via allagash.com. The taproom serves Bite Into Maine food in the same building.
Foundation Brewing on Industrial Way, opened 2014 by the Bonney and Mahaffey families, runs hazy IPAs, farmhouse beers and Detroit-style pizza.
Tip: Kitchen stops taking orders 45 minutes before close. Closed Tuesdays.
D L Geary Brewing on Evergreen Drive opened in 1986 from David and Karen Geary as the first commercial craft brewery east of the Mississippi.
Tip: Tasting room shares the brewery building. Tours by appointment via the operator site.
Battery Steele Brewing on Industrial Way, since 2017, runs hazy IPAs and barrel-aged wild ales out of the Allagash and Foundation neighbouring complex.
Tip: Side-by-side with Allagash, Foundation and Austin Street. The Industrial Way cluster is the easiest brewery crawl in the city.
Bravo Cooking School at 1227 Forest Avenue runs 10 to 15 classes a month from a rotating cast of regional chefs, with sessions across French technique, Italian pasta, Asian noodles and Maine seafood. $85 to $150.
Tip: Schedule fills 2 to 3 weeks ahead in summer. Book online via the operator site.
Rose Foods on Forest Avenue runs hand-rolled bagels, lox bagels, pastrami sandwiches and matzo ball soup under fifteen dollars from Chad Conley's deli.
Try: Lox bagel, matzo ball soup
Tip: Daily 07:30 to 14:00; online ordering saves the queue at peak weekend brunch. Cash and card both fine.
Rose Foods on Forest Avenue, since 2017 from Chad Conley, runs hand-rolled bagels, house-cured lox, smoked whitefish and matzo ball soup through the morning.
Order: Lox bagel with whipped cream cheese; matzo ball soup on the side.
Tip: Daily 07:30 to 14:00. Online ordering for collection saves the queue at peak brunch.