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    David's Opus Ten

    4.4 (39 reviews)
    Ultra High-EndNew American
    Open 11:30 am - 8:30 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    David's Opus Ten Photos

    DAVID'S OPUS TEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Intimate
    Classy
    Outdoor seating

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    Restaurant week menu

    Attended the 7 course Chef's Dinner for restaurant week. Incredible food, incredible value, great cocktails, and several courses were presented by the chef himself. Highly recommend this experience if you have the chance to attend!

    outside of restaurant
    Aaron P.

    It's taken me days to settle on a star rating for David's Opus 10. There are so many things about this place that deserve 5 starts. It was truly excellent, but there are enough caveats that require mentioning that, in the end, I can only give 4 stars. It would take me too long to walk you through each of the 9 courses, not to mention the wine pairings and beautiful charcuterie, cheese, and breads that began the meal, so I'll just describe it in broad strokes. Everything was artful, with obsessive attention to detail. The server was more of a tour guide, walking us through the ingredients of everything he presented, including their origins and how they were prepared. The atmosphere was beautiful. It's a small room with an open kitchen. The chefs were as inviting and friendly as the hostess and server. This was truly a holistic dining experience. Here are the caveats: * The food was very, very rich. By the end of the meal I had some funny things going on with my body. Hy heart was beating fast and I was getting warm. That night, I had trouble sleeping, and I woke up in the middle of the night feeling sick with my heart racing. Other people I ate with had similar things happen. I actually wondered if I didn't have a minor case of food poisoning, but I think it was just due to the richness of the food. * Those small plates sure are small! Sure, there's nine of them, but each one was hardly more than a mouthful. For example, the gnocchi course was literally 4 gnocchi. I understand how to appreciate food like this. It's about enjoying the aspects of the food, not stuffing yourself with it, but I'm also a firm believer that even the fanciest of meals should be satisfying, and I found that 4 courses in to our 2.5 hour meal, I was still hungry. Give me *something* I can sink my teeth into. We asked for more bread, and that helped, but I would have liked the size of the courses to ramp up a bit instead of them all remaining tiny throughout. * Truffles truffles truffles. I'm not a fan of truffles. I know they are a delicacy and some people would chop of their arms for a taste of them, but I don't really care for them, and they were in at least 3 of the dishes. Overkill. This is a matter of taste, but ultimately it made it slightly difficult for me to enjoy 1/3 of the courses. Fois gras, which I also don't love, was also in two of the courses. * It was expensive. The 9 course meal was $65 a person, and the wine pairing was $45 for the standard, and $65 for the "reserve." We went with the standard, and all of the selections were great, but the quantity of wine amounted to about 2.5 glasses. That's $18 a glass! For 4 people it came to around $440. Ooph. Now, the price does arguably befit the quality of the experience, however, for that much money I shouldn't walk away with this list of caveats. So if you're feeling flush, go to David's Opus 10. It's worth it. It's one of the most extraordinary restaurants in Portland, or in Maine for that matter. Just be aware of what you're getting yourself into.

    Starter... Crab meat, avocado... I forget what the soup was.
    Ajay R.

    Talk about an identity crisis. I knew we were in for a sub par experience when the waiter, who looked like he was 21, brought out the first wine and said "Yeah, um.... this is a French wine, from the uhhh, 'law-ray' valley". I silently shook my head. So let's start with the good. We did the 7 course tasting menu with wine pairing. The food itself was not that bad. Everything was well plated and tasted great... however, there was nothing that I got excited about. It was a safe menu. They also took their time, which I though was nice... it felt like a leisurely relaxed meal. And the staff was very nice, although, here is where things went bad. If the point of Opus Ten is to create a differentiated high end dining experience, then the staff here is doing the kitchen a clear disservice. They are really nice to be sure, but woefully inexperienced to be doing this sort of thing. I cannot begin to count the number of technical errors: bread was only brought out well into the 2nd course, not bringing out the right silverware for each course (presented with soup and no spoon), clearly not knowing anything about the wines.... and it just went on and on. Also, this place shares a crappy bathroom with the main restaurant. All these little things distract from the experience. David, here's a tip: if you want to do this kind of concept, where a meal for 2 goes well into the $200 category, then train your staff. They were nice, eager, and willing to learn from all appearances. Teach them.

    Duck and chicken boudin
    Ivy S.

    For Portland Maine this is fine dining. It's an excellent experience for a tasting menu and it's very intimate and fun. David is even there to talk to the guests about food. Pros- The lobster is incredible and so soft and delicious. The sorbet in between courses is a welcome palate cleanse. The mushrooms on top of the gnudi are wonderfully earthy. Cons- The blueberry butter for the bread is far too sweet. The duck breast was tough and I barely ate any since I couldn't cut into pieces. The gnudi was too heavy for a second course and I felt the portions were too large in general. Overall it's a good experience with attentive staff. The room can be quite cold though and I'd recommend coming very hungry.

    David's Opus Ten in Portland, ME. Apologies for digging into the sorbet before remembering to snap a picture
    Leah H.

    We've recently been on a "tasting menu" kind of kick - eating at Natalies at the Camden Harbor Inn and the White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport. So when I heard about Opus Ten I thought we'd give it a go. We made a kind of last minute reservation (you need to give a credit card to make your reservation) and showed up at 6:30pm (the only time available on the Friday night). We were offered the counter/table overlooking the kitchen which we happily accepted. What happened next blew my mind. After each course we were both "Wow - I think that was my favorite!" and then the next course would be even better. We did the 9 course menu with the reserve wine pairings (plus the optional but totally delicious pre-dinner aperitif and a delicious after dinner cocktail) - yes it was pricy but SO good that I was back there a week later for dinner with a friend and I'm already planning our next dinner! Some highlights - mushroom soup (that description doesn't do it justice, it was mushroom deliciousness on steroids), foie gras butter on our waffles (seriously - someone needs to start selling foie gras butter to slather on hot toast), the crispy little fries under the peppered salmon sashimi with the lobster butter that was so good I wanted to cry, mint and pomegranate sorbet (usually I think sorbet is kind of stupid but this was cleansing yet intense at the same time) and pretty much everything else we ate. Oh - the gnocchi - how could I forget them? Best gnocchi I've ever eaten. If you're at all into food/cooking then the table overlooking the kitchen is awesome - Chef Bo and Matt were super interesting/friendly describing each course. The restaurant itself is a really great space - intimate, romantic - perfect for a special occasion, romantic date or just because you want to eat some phenomenal food. Allow a good two hours (and book Homerunners to drive you and your car home because after all of the wine pairings you shouldn't be driving!) In conclusion - sorry for the rambling - this is an AMAZING restaurant - one of the things that I most enjoyed was that it's definitely fine dining but without the excessive formality/stuffiness of other restaurants we've recently experienced. You don't need to wear a jacket (although most people were fairly smartly dressed) - Chef Bo even suggested picking up a quail leg to bite the meat off the bone. Fine dining with the perfect amount of friendliness.

    So tasty--pallet cleansing course!

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    We had the tasting menu. It was fabulous. Great creative cuisine in Portland. Perfect choice for a romantic, rare dinner.

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    10 years ago

    Excellent all round, a great experience, we sat at the counter watching the chefs at work.

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    Ask the Community - David's Opus Ten

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    David's Opus Ten - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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