Tu Casa Pupusas is a budget eat in East Bayside, Portland.
Tu Casa on Washington Avenue runs Salvadoran pupusas, baleadas and full plates from a small East Bayside counter for under fifteen dollars apiece.
Tip: Closed Mondays. The pupusa revuelta with curtido is the easy first order.
Address: 70 Washington Avenue, Portland, ME 04101
Duckfat Frites Shack on Washington Avenue is the takeout window with frites, fried snacks, milkshakes and beer under fifteen dollars, picnic-table seating.
Try: Belgian frites cone in duck fat
Tip: Seasonal April to October; cash and card both fine. Shared patio with Oxbow Blending next door, picnic-table seating only.
The Holy Donut on Commercial Street runs Leigh Kellis's Maine potato donuts under five dollars apiece, in rotating seasonal flavours including wild blueberry.
Try: Maine potato donut
Tip: Sells out by mid afternoon. Pair with a Tandem espresso for under ten dollars.
Duckfat Frites Shack on Washington Avenue is the takeout window with frites, fried snacks, milkshakes and beer under fifteen dollars, picnic-table seating.
Try: Belgian frites cone in duck fat
Tip: Seasonal April to October; cash and card both fine. Shared patio with Oxbow Blending next door, picnic-table seating only.
Public Market House on Monument Square runs seven food vendors under one roof, with Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Latin and soup counters around twelve dollars.
Try: Soup, banh mi, pupusa, sandwich
Tip: Daily 11:00 to 20:00. Counter order at each vendor; shared central seating.
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.
Green Elephant on Congress Street runs vegetarian Thai lunches under twenty dollars: vegan coconut soup, mango curry and pad thai across from State Theatre.
Try: Vegan mango curry, coconut soup
Tip: Lunch Tuesday to Saturday 11:30 to 14:30; dinner from 17:00 nightly except Monday.
Amato's on India Street is the original 1902 Portland sandwich counter where Giovanni Amato invented the Maine Italian sandwich, served under ten dollars.
Try: Maine Italian sandwich, original recipe
Tip: The original 1902 location is the canonical one; the Maine Italian sandwich is the order.
