Scratch Baking Co is a restaurant in West End, Portland.
Scratch Baking Co in South Portland's Willard Square, five minutes from downtown, runs sourdough bagels that draw a Sunday morning queue around the corner.
Why locals love it: A South Portland bakery in Willard Square that pulls Portland's deepest Sunday bagel queue. Five minutes from downtown, but most visitors never cross the bridge.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Sunday queues form before 08:00; pre-order online to skip.
Address: 416 Preble Street, South Portland, ME 04106
Why locals love it: A 30-seat Vietnamese room on a Washington Avenue corner. No reservations, no instagram queues, but James Beard finalist 2022 (Best Chef Northeast).
Tip: Arrive at open (17:00 Wednesday to Saturday); the queue starts before the door unlocks.
Why locals love it: A wood-fired bagel and sourdough pizza house in North Yarmouth, 20 minutes from downtown. The bagels routinely sell out by early afternoon.
Tip: Friday to Sunday only. The everything bagel with gravlax is the canonical order.
Why locals love it: A small Japanese izakaya off the Old Port tourist track, with binchotan-charcoal yakitori from a 2026 James Beard finalist (Best Chef Northeast).
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday from 17:00. Resy reservations open 30 days ahead.
Why locals love it: No sign on the door at 644 Congress, no bookings, no instagram-bait cocktails. A jewel-box room with creative drinks and an explicit welcome to marginalised communities.
Tip: Look for the street number 644 (no sign on the door). Tuesday to Sunday evenings only, walk up; closed Monday.
Why locals love it: A Salvadoran kitchen on Washington Avenue serving pupusas, baleadas and pollo encebollado outside the Old Port radar. The East Bayside Latin lunch favourite.
Tip: Closed Mondays. The pupusa revuelta with curtido is the easy first order.
Why locals love it: A wine-shop counter on Washington Avenue with last call 17:00. Walk-in, no tipping, the city's deepest natural-wine selection from the Loire and beyond.
Tip: Wednesday to Sunday 12:00 to 18:00. Counter service only; no bookings.
