What a gem! You get James Beard nominated flavor w/ fast casual pricing & the nicest staff. Every…read moresingle bite is worth every penny. The sister restaurant to fine dining Tao Yuan/Bao Bao Dumpling house next door, the owner was also awarded Food & Wine Magazine's Chef of the Year. Our faves (some regular items, some seasonal specials): *Shrimp shao mai *Pork & cabbage potstickers (take home a bag in the frozen case!) *Eighty Ate slaw *Vietnamese banh mi sandwich (chicken or duck) *Bulgogi or curry shrimp potsticker *Steamed baos (BBQ pork, etc) *Boba w/ real tea (not the fake powder w/ flavored syrup) As an Asian from Southern California, Zao Ze hits my Chinatown-quality cravings in small town New England. Grab your pantry staples here, too. Everything from fried shallots, yuzu mayo, Red Boat fish sauce, boba, matcha, shrimp chips, furikake, mochi & more.

First time here since Bao Bao dumpling house was closed and combined with Tao Yuan. The dumplings…read moreare so damn tasty. Also loved the cumin beef and the That tea crème brûlée

A go-to Thai restaurant in midcoast Maine... the pad kra pao, 3-star spicy, was perfect for me. It…read moreis spicy, but very tasty. Then, we tried the pad woonsen with chicken; it was light, perfectly seasoned, and loaded with veggies. You can never go wrong with this dish; it's simple yet satisfying, and the tom yum noodle soup is perfect on a cold, rainy day. Service was great as always, and the restaurant was clean.

Excellent food , prepared as spicy or mild as you wish. Pleasant service... eat in or take out…read more. Plenty if parking right in front..

This is such a vibrant and welcoming spot. It has a modern feel with communal tables, individual…read morewindow seats, a bar, and outdoor seating. The food is great for sharing if you're on a little foodie adventure and hopping around to different spots, and they also have full meals. We really like the food here, and they have specials too. One thing we still haven't tried are the cocktails. Do not pass up the seasonal soft serve! I also remember their T-shirts being super cute. I'll probably stop by again the next time I'm up in Portland. Parking can be tricky with street parking, though there are paid lots. Overall Service: I don't think I've had a bad experience here. The last few times, our servers have been upbeat, and even the host was welcoming.

I had a great dinner experience here last night with my partner. We love love love the honey paw!…read more For starters, it's a great location. Close to more bars for extra drinks, easy to run into other friends. Also, it's a beautiful spot with outdoor seating in the warmer months. We opted to sit outside and enjoyed khao soi, katsu pork sandwich, and the honey soft serve. The portions are generous, as we were able to share and have leftovers. Each plate had so many great textures and flavors. We did experience a long wait between ordering, getting food, and receiving the check. It was a busy summer night so I wasn't upset, but do not plan on having a quick meal here. Get cozy, get an extra drinks and enjoy your time here. Apologies, but phone did not eat first this time-no pics!

What a delicious place for lunch in Bridgton, ME! This was a great stop to find awesome Filipino…read morecuisine after a visit to Sebago Lake SP before a long drive to the White Mountains of NH. They have outdoor tables if you're traveling with a dog - the place is right across from Reny's Department Store and is easy to spot with its bright yellow color. Service was friendly and they kindly provided a water bowl for our miniature poodle (even though we did not ask for it). We devoured the chicken lumpia (spring rolls), the pancit bihon (Filipino noodles), and the Filipino curry dish (which was delicious). The yakitori skewers were also tasty for lunch. Overall, we would visit this place again! It was just a delightful surprise in Bridgton, ME. Who knew that you could find awesome Filipino food in the Lakes region of Maine?

I've been wanting to come to Nilfa's since they opened, and I finally have! Service was nice,…read morealthough it took a while for the food to come out as it's whipped up fresh. BF had the cheeseburger and enjoyed it. I had the Filipino-style chicken curry, reminiscent of how I used to enjoy this growing up. I loved it! We also shared the pancit bihon with chicken--so tasty, saucy, and packed with meat and veggies. Honestly, it blew away the versions I've had at Filipino spots in CT and NJ. Absolute hidden gem, can't wait to go back!

The best Thai/ Vietnamese food we have EVER had. We were just passing through Camden going to the…read moreairport and needing lunch. My husband found long grain and we were able to walk in right at opening at 1130. It did fill up quickly and most people had resos. They did have a community table and bar top for other walk ins. Fried chicken (peek gai tod)- really good crisp to the wings. A classic appetizer. We dipped the wings in the mussel broth Mussels (hoi mangpu)- the best mussel broth we have ever tried. We were spooning this out like soup when the mussels were gone. I will dream of this. Pad kemao- we got this with pork belly. It was spicy but that didn't take away from the flavor at all. The noodles are homemade and so delicious. I have never finished a spicy dish so quickly. Gang Penang- this is SPICY. Again, the spice doesn't take away from the flavor but if you cannot handle spice, I would avoid this. The rice helps tone it down but YUM. Must try!!

American Thai fusion place that leans Western in ambiance (and drinks) and Thai in savory menu…read moreoptions. Seating is small (30 diners total) and you can make reservations via phone. Bathrooms are clean and there's lots of lighting in the restaurant. Staff is friendly and helpful. Can't speak to the authenticity of the restaurant, considering most of the staff didn't look Thai, but the food was decent. Sauce is especially delicious. Entrees are about $25-30. Ordered the pad kemao, pad seaw, pad krapow, and noodle soup. The pad kemao and pad seaw were smoky and dry, and both tasted burnt. The noodle soup was sweet and spicy, and the krapow was good. Wish they served Thai iced tea as the sweet and creamy taste would've cut the oily, spicy flavor.

Beautiful space. Lively ambiance without being loud. Conversation friendly…read more Friendly service. The food was delicious. We shared spicy tuna mini tacos and also had fried chicken ramen and sweet and sour shrimp. We would go back again. Visiting from Chicago. This was the first place we tried in town. Liked the vibe and the neighborhood.

There's a good variety of Asian fusion here, it reminds me of your typical chain fusion restaurant…read more The beef noodles weren't Chinatown 5/5 quality, but still pretty good. I wish it had more flavor, but I also am picky with Chinese foods. The food took a little while to come out, granted we were there on fourth of july. Overall pretty nice atmosphere, we were also seated outside which was pleasant in the summer!

Delicious food! We had to wait 20 minutes to be seated on a Saturday night. Waited while seated at…read morethe bar. Bar staff were very knowledgeable and crafted excellent cocktails! I highly recommend.

If you're looking for delicious and authentic dim sum in Portland, Empire Chinese Kitchen is…read moredefinitely worth a visit! It may not be tucked away in a traditional Chinatown, but the food absolutely delivers. The restaurant was very clean, and the service was fantastic from the moment I walked in. I tried the Peking duck bao, crystal shrimp dumplings, hot and sour soup, beef chow foon, and everything was delicious. The bao was soft and pillowy with flavorful duck inside, and the crystal shrimp dumplings were delicate, fresh, and packed with flavor. I love finding places that serve authentic Asian cuisine, and Empire Chinese Kitchen was a great find. There's street parking available nearby, and whether you're already a dim sum fan or looking to try something different while in Portland, I'd definitely recommend stopping in. Authentic, yummy, friendly service, and a place I'll gladly visit again!

One of the most unique Thai restaurants I've been to! Everything we ordered was incredibly…read moreflavorful, with so much depth from the spices. You can really taste the care and authenticity in every dish. We stopped here for dinner during our Portland trip, and my husband and I ordered a bunch of dishes to share so we could try as much as possible. We had different types of skewers, quail eggs, calamari, beef panang, and stir-fried noodles. And of course, we had to finish with their famous black sticky rice with coconut. There wasn't a single bad dish. Everything was delicious, well seasoned, and tasted authentic. Each dish had its own unique flavor profile, and nothing felt boring or one dimensional. The ambiance was also really cute and cozy, making it a great spot for a date night or a nice dinner with someone special. The service was phenomenal too. Everyone was attentive, friendly, and incredibly fast without making us feel rushed. Honestly, I'd come back to Portland just to eat here again. Definitely a must try if you're looking for flavorful, authentic Thai food!

The skewers are amazing, best things on the menu. We tried the chicken, shrimp, and moo ping…read moreskewers. All were excellent. We also got the papaya salad("Thai spicy is no joke"). Kra Pao chicken was delicious too. Grilled rice ball was meh, too salty. Desserts were ok, nothing too crazy. Pro tip: there's a public parking spot a block away, made parking much easier vs trying to find a street parking.

My wife and I popped in here at the recommendation of a local bartender for some cocktails after…read moredinner elsewhere. We didn't really look it up before hand and I think we were expecting more of like a dive bar and couldn't have been more wrong. As soon as we walked in the door, we were really digging the decor and overall layout of the place. We were seated right away at the bar and got a couple drinks pretty quickly. The bartender was a younger guy and super friendly. He was very approachable and was really knowledgeable about the gluten free experience (my wife has celiac), which got us excited to come back another day for dinner. My wife got the Short Story Long, which had a really interesting, herbal/vegetal flavor that she really enjoyed overall. I got the Pulp Fiction, which was a flavor bomb all the way with the hint of rye flavor but also a hint of fruit and other layers that was just really fantastic. We will absolutely come back here with the kids for dinner some night!

The ambiance at Lucky Cheetah was absolutely fantastic, but unfortunately, the food did not live up…read moreto the atmosphere. We started with an espresso martini and caviar-stuffed olives. While I wasn't particularly impressed with the flavor of the martini, I did enjoy the olives. Next, we tried the mushroom & truffle dumplings and lobster dumplings. Unfortunately, the lobster dumplings were quite dry and lacked the flavor I was hoping for. The standout dish of the night was easily the baby corn, which was incredibly flavorful and probably the best thing we ordered. The cucumber salad, on the other hand, was pretty underwhelming. It lacked flavor overall but had a surprisingly strong spicy kick at the end. We finished the meal with bao buns, which were another disappointment. They were overly greasy and didn't leave a great final impression. Overall, I'd give the ambiance a 10/10 but the food a 5/10. The restaurant has a great vibe and beautiful atmosphere, but for the price point, I expected much more from the food. It's definitely a spot where the atmosphere outshines the menu.

Confession time: the idea of paying to cook my own dinner has never exactly screamed "great night…read moreout." Then I went to N to Tail, and now I'm considering a career in table-side grilling. The meal started with spicy cucumbers, fried eggplant, and Korean fried chicken. The cucumbers were refreshing, sweet, spicy, and dangerously addictive. The eggplant was crispy, sticky, and packed with flavor. And the fried chicken? My partner could have just eaten that alone and been happy! The four of us went all in on the largest combo platter. Short rib, ribeye, pork belly, shrimp, chicken, veggies--the grill was working overtime. The short rib ipractically melted, the ribeye was buttery perfection, and the pork belly reminded us why pork belly has such a devoted fan club. There was a brief period where my partner and I had no idea what we were doing at the grill, luckily we were with seasoned veterans of it! By the end of the meal my confidence was soaring that I could do this again! The banchan, which the server hinted at has a few sides that change time to time, kept every bite interesting The service was fantastic and so informative, and the entire experience was far more fun than I expected. N to Tail is a hidden gem. Come hungry, bring friends, and don't be surprised if you leave wondering why you haven't stopped by sooner.

N To Tail quickly became one of my favorite spots in town since moving to Portland! The bartender,…read moreBrooke, is attentive, kind, and knowledgeable. The food is delicious and has an authentic warmth to it. The outdoor seating area is fun. I can't wait to check out the Korean BBQ next time!