Izakaya Minato ★ 4.6
Izakaya Minato on Washington Avenue, since 2017, from Thomas Takashi Cooke. A small izakaya with binchotan-grilled yakitori, donburi and a sake list.
Piccolo is a fine-dining restaurant in Portland.
Piccolo on Middle Street, since 2013, from Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez, a 28-seat Roman trattoria with house-made tonnarelli and saltimbocca.
Address: 111 Middle Street, 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.
Fore Street has been Portland's flagship wood-fired dining room since 1996, with a wood-burning oven, open hearth and turning spit at the kitchen's heart.
Twelve at Portland Foreside, opened 2022 by Prentice Hospitality and now led by Chef Hannah Ryder, runs a Maine tasting menu on Thames Street.
Central Provisions at the top of Fore Street, opened 2014 by Chris and Paige Gould (Beard nominee), with rotating small plates of crudo and pork belly.
Chaval on Pine Street in the West End, since 2017, from the Piccolo team of Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez. Spanish-French cooking around the wood oven.
Leeward on Free Street, since 2020, from Jake and Raquel Stevens, with a chef-driven fresh-pasta program inside a brick-and-tile Italian dining room.