I never write reviews but I had to for this restaurant. The atmosphere was quaint, the staff was…read morecourteous and very accommodating and the food was Amazing! I had the halibut with roasted mushrooms and it was worth every penny!! You must try this place you won't be disappointed!

Had heard nothing but good things about Wayside Tavern and finally made a point to go for dinner…read morewhen we were in Portland this summer. The restaurant is absolutely charming and so cozy on the inside. Service was exceptional as was the food. We ordered a bunch of things to try but our favorite was the spicy eggplant terrine, it was literal perfection. Other dishes we loved were the halibut, smash burger, asparagus, and hazelnut mousse. I can't believe I waited so long to try this spot, but I won't make that mistake again!

Nice ambiance, but not cozy outside. Excellent service! Fried calamari- super good. Salmon, rice…read moreand veggies- can do better at home. Smash burger- excellent. Caesar salad- passable, but greens had brown on ends.

The atmosphere is lovely (music was a good volume), lots of light from the big windows, comfortable…read morechairs, nice decor, and spacious...it didn't feel like they crammed as many tables as possible into the place. The service was great. Very attentive and efficient. The food was as great. My party had a variety of items, from the beet & goat cheese salad, deviled eggs, pancetta and Brussels sprouts, cheeseburger, and BLT with Lobster. Everything was high quality and delicious. The fries which came on the side of the burgers and sandwiches were also excellent. The restaurant has a nice outdoor space but the weather was a little rainy the day we went so we didn't sit outside. I do suggest they add more barriers and greenery/plants to separate the beautiful outdoor seating space from the parking lot across the way.

Every dish we had was outstanding! The scallops were incredibly fresh and perfectly cooked--tender…read morewith just the right sear. The conchiglie was a standout; imagine an elevated mac and cheese, rich and comforting, with a bold twist from the smoked tomato caponata. The regional white fish, which was hake, was delicate and flaky, paired beautifully with savory guanciale and nutty Grana Padano. The oysters were another highlight, served with a currant mignonette foam and a bright splash of lemon--absolutely delicious. For dessert, the crème brûlée hit all the right notes with its perfectly caramelized top and creamy sweetness. Finishing off with a refreshing limoncello--sweet, light, and the perfect ending.

Nice, friendly service. Enjoyed our meal here. I had the farmers salad with lobster added and it…read morewas very tasty. The lobster was fresh and a decent portion. We also enjoyed the hand cut fries - can add truffle powder to it - and the spelt bread. For cocktails I had the dirty moon martini, which was just the right amount of dirt. Solid place, located at the Press Hotel. A few other things on the menu caught my eye that I'd come back to try.

Oh man this was good! So good it got 2 visits on our trip, and usually I always want to try a new…read moreplace but we all enjoyed it so much! This place won me over with my favorite coffee of the whole trip! That sea salt Carmel latte is what coffee dreams are made of! Omg, perfectly sweet and creamy with this nice salty kick to perfectly balance the sweetness. Like lick the cup clean! So cute inside, it's in the Canopy hotel which is beautiful btw! But anyone can come in and eat, it's busy too! Order at the counter then they bring you the food. All the food we got was great too, that corned beef hash so good! Great flavor!

Salt Yard was okay overall, but probably a 3/5 for me…read more It's attached to a hotel and I was a little surprised that there wasn't table service. You order at the counter and they bring your food out to you. The line can be pretty long. That said, everyone working there was really friendly and the space was very clean and cute. I ordered the hash and eggs. My eggs came out overcooked, and they were very nice about replacing them, but when the new eggs came out they were kind of just slopped onto a plate. For the price, I expected a little more in both the food and overall experience. BUT...the Salt Yard iced latte was friggin amazing. Easily the highlight and I would absolutely come back for that. Not terrible by any means, just a little overpriced for what you get.

This place is stellar! We were actually pretty blown away…read more It's very small and quaint inside with somewhat of an open kitchen concept. The drinks behind the bar were wonderful but the food really stole the show. The Lobster Tostada is so unique and just a perfect combination of textures and flavors. The avocado mousse is so buttery and light - I've never had anything quite like it. I'm not sure what I was expecting the Beet & Avocado Salad to be like, but it definitely surprised me. I don't usually love beets but this was fabulous! They were very light and not overpowering at all! Definitely a must try!

Wow, this place is a hidden gem. Slightly off the beaten path but 100% worth the walk out of old…read moreport. Delicious and delicate drinks, phenomenal food and service. I am someone who only reviews places that truly deserve it and this is one of them. If you go to Portland, do not skip!!! Our group enjoyed the bistro steak, spring gnocchi, bolognese, cod fritters, and Caesar salad. All were fantastic. Thank you for an amazing meal. We will be back!!

Such an incredible seafood dining experience! Street & Co. completely blew me away with their fresh…read moreflavors. The clam linguine cooked and served right in the pan was tender, rich, and full of flavor, and the mussels were remarkably fresh. I loved the cozy open kitchen atmosphere and rustic wooden charm. Exceptional service from start to finish. I will definitely be back!

My wife and I just had dinner here on Saturday Night 8/8/26 and we order the Lobster Diavolo. We…read morehave to say that it was not as good as what we recalled. The dish used to have calamari, fresh tomatoes, and the sauce had more flavor and broth and not overloaded with garlic paste. Additionally there used to be more pasta than the current dish too. One would think that the pasta is relatively inexpensive compared to the seafood so adding some more pasta shouldn't cut into the profit margin too much. We have eaten at Street & Co for over 28 years and over time the quality of the Lobster Diavolo dish has decreased. Hopefully the current Chef's can bring the Lobstet Diavolo dish back to the way it used to be, one of Street & Co's signature dishes!

Incredible dinner service for our first night in Portland. Highly recommend making reservations…read moreweeks in advanced like we did. For a Monday night they were packed. Very cute interior, obsessed with the windows and foliage inside. Appetizer: We started off with the cloverleaf rolls that I read so much about and we ended up loving them so much we ordered a second. They were delicious, doughy, light, buttery, and loaded with chives. Drink: Pear Necessities was light, refreshing, with a hint of cardamom and honestly will be my new combo obsession moving forward. Breakwater martini was delicious and filled to the brim. Entree: Husband ordered the grilled swordfish which he was obsessed with. My dish was the seafood stew which was just the right about of seafood to stew ratio. Dessert: Peach pudding cake, if they have this on the menu just get it. Super light but also soaked cake, we were stuffed but were able to quickly annihilate this dish.

We dined at Scales over the weekend to celebrate our anniversary. The service and food overall were…read moregreat. Our server was attentive, engaging, and gave fantastic recommendations. We ordered the mussels, scallops, and halibut. The scallops and halibut were exceptional. The mussels were ok, though the broth was incredible, I'd recommend serving with a bit more dipping bread. My main critique is the dining experience itself. Like many people, we had to reserve far in advance and could only secure a 9:15 PM bar seating, which was fine. However, despite arriving to an almost empty dining room, by the time we sat and ordered drinks, the bar area was emptying out and the staff began actively cleaning up for the night. The noise of clanking dishes and cleanup while trying to enjoy a special occasion meal took away from what should have been a premium dining experience. Overall, I recommend Scales for the seafood, but be cautious of late-night bar reservations.

Some of the best lobster I've had in Portland. It's a very chill, retro vibe, and though seating…read moremay take a while on busy nights, you can also order takeout (and merch) from the left-side area. The restaurant is larger than it looks since there's a second seating area too. I'd recommend the Flight of mini lobster rolls (3x 2oz lobster rolls), which can be chilled or warmed. Prices are fair, at about $20 a lobster roll. Their ghee butter add another level to their lobster rolls and they don't skimp on meat! Definitely try out the Highroller and maybe get some of their iconic merch.

When me and my friend walked up, they said a table would be an hour so we opted for take-out…read more However, the table ended up taking just 30 minutes, so if you really want a table, I would say it could be worth waiting. We ended up taking out order to a park nearby that had benches so it worked out. Me and my friend shared a flight, where it included 3 lobster rolls with 2 oz. of lobster and we chose the jalapeño mayo, lime mayo, and lobster ghee ones. My favorite one was probably the jalapeño mayo because I loved the kick, but all three were delicious. I would definitely recommend getting the flight since the rolls are smaller and you get to try the different sauces.

Fore Street is one of the most raved about restaurants in the Portland area, and for good reason…read more This surely was one of the best and most meticulous meals I have had in a long time. The Tuna Tataki, while rather small for the price, was incredible. The oysters were fresh and flavorful. The mussels had a delicious sauce, which was perfect with the fresh bread that comes from the bakery below the restaurant. We went with the cod and the scallops for our entrees. The cod was perfectly cooked and had a tomato based sauce, but for me it was the scallops that stole the show. The blueberry pie was also incredible. Our server was kind and helpful, giving us recommendations and tips every step of the way. The restaurant is warm and charming, and I can't wait to go back.

Fore Street had been on my radar for a while. Having visited other businesses the restaurant group…read moreowns, this came highly recommended by several of my friends as one of the top dining spots in Portland. That being said, I made it my intention to dine here during my most recent trip to Maine. The name Fore Street can mean several things - in addition to being the name of this restaurant, it's also a main thoroughfare in Old Port, and the name of the group that owns this restaurant. In addition to FS, the group also owns two other restaurants (Street and Co, Scales) and a bakery (Standard Baking). I have been to the latter two, with the bakery being one of my favorites in the city. Fore Street opened to much fanfare in the 90s, and has been included on several best-of lists. That being said, I was excited to check it out for myself. The restaurant is located in the same building as Standard Baking, with the bakery being on the lower level and the restaurant being above it. The entrance is really inconspicuous, however once you enter you're greeted by a warm, bustling space. The aesthetics are beautiful - dim lights, wood tones, and an overall upscale feel while still being down to Earth. I did not have a reservation, but the bar area (which serves their full menu) is first-come first-serve, and after about 45 minutes I was able to snag a seat. The menu has a large selection of starters and mains, with each being separated by the way the dishes are prepared. I was started with some sourdough from Standard Baking and some whipped butter. I love carbs so I tore though that no problem. The grilled squid was speaking to me as a starter - the squid was prepared in long strands, and paired with lentils and a chunky sauce with a lot of flavors. The dish worked really well - I'm a sucker for lentils so the dish was set up for success. For my main I had the pork loin - this came glazed and served with a corn and black bean salsa. The dish was solid - the pork was cooked well (not well done), and the sauce was tasty. Dare I say the salsa was the component that tied it all together? It seemed out of place to me when I first read it on the menu, but it worked. For dessert I had blueberry pie because Maine. This one had a thicker than usual top crust, almost like a closed tart. Service was great. Since I was at the bar, I was served by the bartender who was super friendly; food came out at a good pace. Overall, I'm glad I finally got to try Fore Street. While I don't feel my experience warrants 5 stars, I understand why this is one of the top restaurants in Portland and wouldn't hesitate to return for another meal.

guys this place was SO GOOD. we walked in around 3pm starving. its a super small establishment only…read morea few seats, with a shared bar table. even though it was 3pm on a Thursday there was still a 20 min wait. we got seated at the community bar and ordered the small poutine, grilled cheese, cup of tomato soup, and the cubano. they had all house-made sodas no coke or pepsi products which i thought was super cool. the poutine came out first and wow it was so good. even the small was a pretty decent size, great fries covered in gravy with cheese curds and chives it was divine. the entrees came out next, the grilled cheese was perfect and buttery and hot dipped in the tomato soup was everything i could've asked for. the tomato soup was really unique it had a spice to it with little grilled cheese crotons it was insane. my husband loved his cubano he added on ham and asked for garlic mayo on the side. the sandwich itself could've used some more mustard but 9/10. would highly recomend stopping by for lunch if you're in the area!

Seriously so good! Go here! This is the perfect lunch spot. There's a small indoor dining space…read moreand a really cute outdoor dining area. Ezra was our server and he literally could not have been more pleasant or helpful. Thanks Ezra!! The duckfat fries with the flight of sauces .... So, so fabulous!! I may dream about these later! Also, don't skip the donut holes with the caramel sauce no matter how full you are - I promise they are so worth it!!!! The sandwiches are flavorful too. Everything here is worth it! Note - I didn't love the surcharge noted for the kitchen staff. Seems odd to call it out like that. Why not just charge more?