2 japanese places in Portland we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Portland | Japanese across every city.
Japanese cooking in Portland centers on a small handful of chef-driven rooms rather than a broad district. Izakaya Minato on Washington Avenue in East Bayside is the anchor, a tightly run izakaya whose location on the avenue places it among the city's most ambitious new-wave kitchens.
Izakaya Minato ★ 4.1
54 Washington Avenue, Portland, ME 04101
Izakaya Minato on Washington Avenue, since 2017, from Thomas Takashi Cooke. A small izakaya with binchotan-grilled yakitori, donburi and a sake list.
Izakaya Minato ★ 4.5
east-bayside · 54 Washington Avenue, Portland, ME 04101
Izakaya Minato on Washington Avenue in Portland runs binchotan-charcoal yakitori and a sake list from a 2026 James Beard finalist for Best Chef Northeast.