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Interested in stopping by Portland? Hell yeah! Here are some good spots to check out.

I wrote a letter to The Portland Press Herald about the lack of waffles in Portland and they decided to take me on a waffle crawl. Read about it here!

Did I miss somewhere? I know, I'm not perfect... Lemme know on social media @iammisplaced!
  • A&C Grocery - Sandwiches - $$ - Good local spot, tasty sandwiches
  • Bar Futo - Japanese - $$$ - Binchotan, general Japanese "pub" fare, great sake selection, shaved ice desert is a must
  • Banh Appetit - Banh Mi - $ - best banh mi restaurant in town, super cheap, I recommend the lemongrass beef banh mi
  • Bao Bao Dumpling House - Dumplings - $$ - Tasty dumplings, try out the beef bulgogi dumpling
  • BLVL - Bakery - $ - best croissant I’ve ever had, kouign aman is amazing, they also do Roman-style pizza from time to time that is also fantastic
  • Boda - Thai - $$ - delicious Thai staple in Portland, great selection, late night menus is also a great deal
  • Cantina Calafia - Baja California Mexican - $$$ - Fancy, delicious Mexican fare inspired by Baja California. Damn tasty, good date night spot.
  • Central Provisions - Small/Shared Plates - $$$ - spicy raw beef salad is amazing, but so is everything else there, you will be waiting for a table
  • The Cheese Shop of Portland - Cheese/Sandwiches - $$ - technically a cheese shop, but serve some amazing sandwiches on baguette. Don't sleep on the ham and butter. Cheese selection is dope too.
  • Cong Tu Bot - Vietnamese - $$ - the best Vietnamese food you'll have this far north of New York, James Beard winner
  • Crispy Gai - Southeast Asia-Inspired Cuisine/Thai Fried Chicken - $$$ - Get the curry dusted wings, amazing cocktails so be prepared to drink several
  • Duckfat/Duckfat Frites Shack - Sandwiches and Fries - $$ - sandwiches are tasty but you have to go for the fries/poutine, beignets are also fantastic, can be a long wait sometimes
  • Dutch’s - Breakfast/Sandwiches - $ - breakfast sandwiches are delicious, lunch stuff is also great, don’t sleep on the hash browns
  • Eventide Oyster Bar - Seafood - $$$ - gotta get the brown butter lobster roll, everything is wonderful, tiki drinks are amazing, you will be waiting for a bit
  • Fore Street - Farm to Table New England - $$$$ - fancy restaurant, but you won’t find a better farm to table experience anywhere else, so tasty but a little bit “old school fancy”
  • Friends & Family - Wine Bar with Small Plates - $$ - nice little spot to grab a glass of wine and tasty small plates, get the Grandma slice on Mondays
  • Hi-Fi Donuts - Donuts and Sandwiches- $ - best bacon, egg, and cheese in town, IMO. Great lighter donuts. Awesome peri-peri chicken sandwich too.
  • High Roller Lobster Company - Lobster - $$ - Lobster grilled cheese, cheese crisp lobster taco, frozé, tasty aiolis
  • Hot Suppa - Southern-style Brunch - $$ - biscuits, gravy, pulled pork, delicious
  • Izakaya Minato - Japanese - $$ - Fantastic Japanese “pub” food, highly recommend getting the Omakase (tasting menu) with the sake pairing as it is so damn affordable for the amount of sake and food you get
  • Jing Yan - Japanese-Leaning Asian Cuisine - $$ - amazing food where savory and sweet meet and some interesting middle eastern influences as well, cocktails are amazing
  • Leeward - Italian - $$$ - James Beard Award nominee, tons of fantastic pasta dishes that change regularly, all made with local ingredients. Cocktails are also bomb
  • Lenora - Mexican - $$ - Traditional Mexican fare, emphasis on tacos, open from breakfast til late night, damn tasty
  • Mami - Japanese Street Food- $$ - quick-ish Japanese eats, fun location in the Old Port. Okonomiyaki is not to be missed
  • Mr. Tuna - Sushi - $$ - delicious and unique sushi, you will never have sushi with fish this fresh
  • Maiz - Colombian Arepas - $ - delicious arepas that have fun and tasty sauces, bunch of fun other stuff
  • Noble BBQ - Barbecue - $$ - tasty bbq
  • Novare Res Bier Café - Beer Bar - $$ - primarily a beer bar with amazing beers, but they do have a crab rangoon grilled cheese
  • Pai Men Miyake - Ramen - $$ - ramen is delicious as are the tofu buns, great beers available but also great sakes
  • Papi - Puerto Rican - $$$ - traditional and authentic Puerto Rican fare, amazing vibe
  • Portland Hunt + Alpine Club - Cocktail Bar with Scandinavian-Inspired Food - $$$ - James Beard Award nominated cocktail program and it is well deserved, Swedish meatballs and H+A popcorn (topped with green chile powder, butter, parm) are delicious
  • Portland Lobster Company - Seafood - $$ - great spot on the water for some seafood and affordable drinks, only open during warmer months
  • Radici - Pizza - $$ - delicious “fancy” pizza with extremely fresh ingredients, recommend eating there as opposed to take out
  • Ramona’s - Sandwiches - $$ - Philly-style sammies, get the Italian
  • Rebel Munchies & Libations - American 90s Nostalgia - $$ - Cheesesteaks, house-made chicken nuggets, fun cocktails, and a variety of "Spigots." Super awesome 90s Nickelodeon vibes.
  • REGARDS - Tapas/New American - $$$$ - small plates with an emphasis on Central American influenced cuisine, great date night spot
  • Rose Foods - Bagels - $ - NY meets Montréal bagel, super delicious bagels
  • Sichuan Kitchen - Sichuan - $$ - authentic Sichuan Chinese cuisine, happy hour is not to be slept on
  • Slab - Sicilian-Style Pizza - $$ - “slab” style pizza, super affordable and great beers on tap, you’ll want to come back
  • Tandem Coffee & Bakery - Coffee/Pastries - $$ - get the loaded biscuit TOO GOOD!, any baked good is delicious
  • Terlingua - Central American/Tex-Mex-Inspired BBQ - $$ - barbecue board is quite delicious, fish taco is a bit of a comfort special for me, cocktails good but pricey
  • The Honey Paw - Asian-Inspired Noodle Bar - $$$ - mee goreng is wonderful, don’t sleep on the wings, honey ice cream is divine
  • The Shop - Oysters - $ - $1.50 local oysters all day everyday, affordable beer and wine on tap
  • The Thirsty Pig - Sausages and Hot Dogs - $$ - house-made sausages with cool ingredients, lots of good beers on tap
  • Tomaso’s Canteen - Dive Bar Food - $ - great bar/drunk food, beer is cheap and they often have deals on stuff
  • Wilson County BBQ - BBQ - $ - tasty BBQ sandwiches and plates, plus $3 20oz High Life drafts all day, find me doing trivia on Wednesday nights
  • Arcadia National Bar - Arcade bar, fantastic cocktails, great draft selection, so many pinball machines
  • Anoché - Cider bar next to Oxbow, amazing global selection
  • CBG - Miss wood panels? This is the place for you. Cheap beers, tasty food, weird movies on TV.
  • Downtown Lounge - Dive bar, good for late night or post-concert
  • The Great Lost Bear - Portland institution, tons of local beers on draft, typical bar food also available
  • High Roller Lobster Company - Restaurant with good bar program
  • Lincoln’s - Underground speakeasy-type bar where everything is 5 bucks
  • MAPS - neat little spot with good beer, cake, and maps everywhere
  • Mash Tun - good beer list, right in the Old Port
  • Novare Res Bier Café - World-class beer bar with amazing selection
  • Portland Hunt + Alpine Club - cocktail place, hip vibe
  • Portland Zoo - Not a zoo, just probably my favorite bar in Portland. Get a banquet beer with bitters
  • The End of Portland - dive-y bar across the street from a cemetery. Great cocktails, but you'll still end up getting a PBR.
  • The King’s Head - English-style bar with great local beer selection
  • The Thirsty Pig - Restaurant with good local beer selection, also the biggest Prosecco account in Maine
  • Tomaso’s Canteen - awesome dive-y bar, cheap beers always available
  • Bard Coffee - right in the Old Port, great spot with neat latté art from time to time
  • Coffee By Design - "meat and potatoes" coffee spot, great single origin stuff
  • Rwanda Bean - pretty good roastery out in Deering
  • Smalls - small café in the west end, also does "day bar" stuff like small plates and cocktails
  • Speckled Ax - all of their coffee is wood roasted, they’ve also got “alt milks” including fruity pebbles milk, amazing single origin coffees
  • Tandem Coffee - highly recommend their malted ice coffee
  • Arcadia National Bar - arcade bar, but tons of amazing pinball and video games. All games are 50¢ or less. 21+
  • Baxter Boulevard - nice walk around the back cove area that gives you a nice perspective of downtown Portland
  • Eastern Promenade - wonderful park with amazing views, there are usually a bunch of food trucks hanging out there over the weekend
  • Fort Preble - Awesome old fort with two lighthouses within walking distance
  • Maine Audubon - Gilsland Farm - great spot to get unique views of the area, gentle trails to walk along
  • Loring Memorial Park - best view of Portland
  • Mackworth Island - nice walk not far from Portland, includes our old governor’s pet cemetery
  • Old Port - lots of shopping, people watching, old part of town
  • One Longfellow Square - acoustic-focused music venue right in the middle of town
  • Peaks Island - neat island that is a short ferry ride away from Portland, nice (but long) walk around the island can bring you to Battery Steele, an old and abandoned military battery that is covered in street art, super cool spot
  • Portland House of Music - best spot to watch local music acts, highly recommend Gina & the Red-Eye Flight Crew
  • Portland Museum of Art - great little art museum with some fun exhibits, a sculpture garden, and they provide tours of the Winslow Homer Studio
  • Portland Observatory - former observatory in Portland that tells you the history of Portland and provides amazing views
  • Presumpscot Falls Park - Nice little hike so you can see the falls a bit up the way, great spot for swimming too
  • Space Gallery - small venue that puts on a variety of acts from around Maine and the rest of the country
  • Western Promenade - view isn’t as pretty as the Eastern Prom, but still pretty good, very neat houses out there
An animated version of Charlie's "CB" logo
An animated version of Charlie's "CB" logo