Such an eclectic bar with the decor being all over the place. I loved it! Seems cheaper than other bars in the area so that's a plus. Hummus plate was quite yummy. Would love to try more here. read more

Love this neighborhood resto/pub. Dark relaxing atmosphere...delicious made to order food with a variety of healthy choices AND comfort food. On this -1 degree blustery night I went for both. Hot toddy to warm the soul, black bean hummus with crudités for a light bite and...homemade chocolate pecan ice cream with freshly baked molten chocolate chip cookies for dessert (comfort). Perfection. The service was warm and prompt, and most of all unpretentious! (Which portland needs to work on city wide). Prices great. Food fresh and tasty. I also love the lack of host and the communal seating, it just makes things effortless. Sometimes you need that without sacrificing quality. Try it! read more

LFK - Hot toddy's on a -1 degree night-EXACTLY what we needed. Thanks LFK! - New American Near Me - Portland, Maine

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I enjoy LFK whenever I go! The drink menu is great and the bartenders are always nice and friendly. I love the ambiance, it's a unique bar that is definitely a must try! read more

Overall, I really liked LFK. The beer list wasn't huge, but they had a nice selection. The cocktails were totally decent (El Cubed was the best one I had), but it's not their strongest point. I had the quiche for brunch and my fiancé had the burger. Quiche was really good. Burger was amazing. Arguably one of the best we've had. It's a great space and doesn't feel crowded, even when it's packed. The bartenders and the waiters were all really friendly. They are almost bizarrely casual, but I really liked it. The place felt comfortable and fun. I agree with what a lot of other reviewers are saying: I get what it's trying to do, but it's not quite there yet. It needs to be more cohesive. In an area where eclectic mis-matched furniture and mason jar glasses are the norm, LFK needs to distinguish itself if its going to survive. read more

Great food... Comfortable bar... Bartenders Molly and Hutch are friendly, warm and make you feel at home... They have great mixed drinks AND cheap canned beer (Hamm's, Schlitz) so there's truly something for everyone! read more

LFK - Tempeh Tacos with Black Bean Corn Salad! - New American Near Me - Portland, Maine

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A bar I feel at home. Not a dive bar. Not a plush bar. Somewhere in between. It just felt right. It felt cozy. And we'll be back.

Great beer selection with frequently rotating taps. The food is excellent. This place can get crowded on weekend nights. read more

The food was very good, and I really liked the decor. Be warned, that this place is not good for groups. We arrived with a group of 12 people, which I realize is a big party for any restaurant. It would have been nice to know, however, that the kitchen can only handle about 3 plates at once. By the time the last people in our group had their food, the first people had finished and had to leave. An hour and a half after being seated (we were the only people in the restaurant for most of that time), half of us had eaten, and the other half were asking for their lunch to go. Worth it for a small group, but find another place to eat if you have more than 5 or 6. read more

Best place in Portland! This place was amazing. Super attentive staff, huge portions, delicious flavors, and a great price point. Best meal and drinks in the city. read more

Wicked hip bar, great beer selection but was looking for a quieter place considering the other reviews. Everyone around me has a strange haircut. Let that be known. All is good I will come back, just not when I'm unwinding from work. read more

Dissapointed. This would have easily been 3-4 stars had we not had to wait an hour and a half for our food. We came for brunch, and won't be coming again. There was one server, busting his ass on a full house. I can't blame him for it taking so long, but this place is mismanaged. I'll never go again for brunch. read more

Pretty substandard hipster decor, complete with terrible rap music no doubt being played ironically. The beer selection is somewhat OK and the food isn't bad... if you can get service. Every time I go here and sit at the bar, the bartender makes a point of acknowledging me and then ignoring me for a long time. Last night at an empty bar the bartender decided that he needed to slice a dozen lemons before wearily asking me if I wanted something. Sorry for inconveniencing you dude. read more

I have come here for drinks several times and always had an completely unremarkable but satisfactory experience. The place is centrally located and at the times when I go meet people for drinks (e.g. not weekend nights) it's not busy. The service is always mediocre with the entire staff appearing to think themselves far too cool to be working there. The place gives off such a vibe of hipster smugness that this has never surprised me, but it's never impressed me or made me eager to return. However, the two times I've eaten here were bad. One experience, a while back, was just your standard 'meh.' Given the look and feel of the place, the first time I went in expecting little. The cheese plate I ordered was meager and unimaginative. Brunch today, however, was just a total disaster. We were looking for a place to grab brunch in a bit of a hurry. LFK is one of few places in town I'd not yet tried for brunch, and there were very few people in there, so I thought this was as good a time as any to give it a try. Let's start with the service: slow and unenthusiastic. The bartender was absurdly loud, taking multiple opportunities to scream to the kitchen at full volume when it was completely unnecessary (because he was standing right in front of the kitchen while screaming). Our server was pleasant enough, but not at all attentive. Never once asked how our food was. Took our credit card after we said we were in a rush and then went and did a bunch of other tasks before processing our check. To her credit this may be because she was, apparently, the only person actually serving the tables. There were, however, two other servers there, bustling about with just the most sour looks on their faces. I'm not one normally bothered by such things, but they seriously looked so unhappy to be there that it made ME unhappy to be there. Then there was the food. The burger... it wasn't a burger. It was a slider. It was a tiny hunk of meat that was completely overcooked. Two burgers were ordered medium and arrived with not a hint of pink between them. They amount of cheese that came on them suggested that it was meant to compliment a full-size burger, but because the patty was so small, it just made a mess everywhere. The roasted potatoes were limp, soggy and grey and I don't think whatever was done to them could be in any way defined as roasting. A side of greens was a sad, dull grey/green and tasted like it had simply been boiled in vinegar. The poached eggs were cooked all the way through (yolks were almost totally solid) and served cold, despite arriving five minutes before the rest of the food. This sad spread took a half an hour to arrive at our table with almost no one in the place. The quality and speed of the food may have been affected by the fact that the cook spent half the time we were there checking his phone in full view of the restaurant. Finally the prices... the tiny slider-sized burger was $13. I can think of three different restaurants in walking distance of LFK where I could get a burger at least twice the size, and with far better sides, for less money. The overcooked eggs were $4. I can get a perfectly executed breakfast sandwich at half a dozen place for that price. Can't say I'll ever go back to this place unless I hear of a huge change in management and/or staffing. read more

I love reviewing these types of places that are so close, yet so actually far away from being correct. Classic example of those in the scene in Portland getting away with murder. At first glance you think, "ok, maybe an actual cool spot (rare in Portland), good lighting, some money went into this, good layout, standard menu, nice bar..." and then it sets in,,, Oh right, The Details. As with any scene, most of them were actually over a while ago, and you're left wondering, "why is there a decorative leather jacket hung up on the wall? How is this unattentive bartender making atrocious cocktails and yet is extremely popular?" Then you realize my server's entire demeanor exudes, "I'm a 10" (yeah, she thinks like that) but is actually a 6 (yak! to me), and you spot a manager (owner?) that you can tell is micromanaging and doing nothing all at the same time. Barf. Being so close and yet so far makes you a one star instead of a two because you think you're cool and your not. I hope you enjoy serving overpriced crap to people who don't give a damn and a fooled. I'm sorry but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. PS - If you think this place is filled with hipster's you have no idea what a hipster is. Any hey, the kid's are alright. read more

Decided to try LFK because my boyfriends roommate had liked it. We're always down for trying new places. First off they had a tiny menu and no drink menu. They didn't have a great selection of local beer either. We were hungry so we desperately tried to pick something. Ultimately we just ordered two beers. We wanted another but waited for about 45 minutes for the waiter to even look in our direction. As we waited for our second beers a couple sat down, had food and two drinks! We were appalled so we paid and left. read more

I didn't mind the place being packed, as it was a weekend night on the night I went. However, my waiter seemed like he didn't even have the time of day for me. I actually watched him sigh as I asked if he could repeat something, which was my first mood killer. The second was that I waited for about twenty five minutes for my burger. Again, it was busy, so I understand that it can take a little bit, but still. But the third thing, and this is really what made my experience a nightmare, was that I watched the entire waitstaff, whose attention I was trying to get because I needed water, all walked past my table at the same time and huddled into what I believe was their fridge. I watched them crack beers as they went in and all came out at the same time. Having been a similar situation at my job, I understand the want to have a drink, especially with your work friends, to help relax. But in my mind it is incredible unprofessional to one: do it right in front of the customer, and two: to do it as a group. The entire restaurant is left completely unattended, except for the bartender. Have a drink, but at least do it one person at a time. When I did finally get the burger, it was very delicious, so I'll give this review two stars instead of one read more

It's too bad, this bar could be so awesome if the staff weren't such d-bags. Every time i've gone here it takes me a grand total of 15-20 mins between getting an acknowledgement at the bar and actually getting served. I'm pretty sure the bartenders think they are the nectar of the gods because they sure as shit don't care about getting tips. I went in one night with my wife and we sat down at the bar. The bartender had her back to us for what felt like 15 minutes before she realized we were there. She finally took our order and asked for our ID's. As we were taking our ID's out of our wallets, she leaves to go help someone else and pay their tab. This transaction took well over 10 minutes. This was so infuriating my wife and I left and went next door to Miyake for a drink (where we had just left from having dinner). Wont be back there again, ive had enough read more

When LFK rose up and filled a gaping hole in the Portland bar scene, it was not after taking Viagra and calling a number found in the back pages of the Phoenix. Nor was it after dinner and a movie. It followed a long night of drinking whiskey, discussing the dirty parts of Henry Miller, and a half-pack of cigarettes. There was undoubtedly more in there, but it's all a bit blurry. As far as I remember, though, it was unmistakably hot. I love this bar as much for what it isn't and what you won't find there as I do for what it is and what it offers. You won't find the game on. You won't find french fries or their tawdry cousin ketchup. You are very unlikely to find a lad wearing his baseball cap backwards or worse, at a ten degree angle. And sometimes, as mentioned in various other reviews, you won't find your server when you want to, but it's really not as much of an issue as some would lead you to believe. "So, Wendell," you say, "you have told us what LFK is not. Tell us what it is." Stop being so bossy and go find out for yourself. read more

I really want to like this place, but too many strange to full-on bad experiences here prevent that from happening. For the love of god, skip the brunch. It had to have been one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. The server was lame and unprofessional, the food had to be sent back (a burger ordered "rare" was cooked through) and the wait was way too long. At one point, my friend grabbed the salt to put on the potatoes and the top came off and spilled a cup of salt on his plate. The server's reaction? *snicker* "that was kinda funny". Really, bitch? LFK gets points for a good tap list, and yes, they can be a bit IPA heavy, but I see that as a good thing. (Sorry, Emily) They often have really bad music playing, which no tap list can make up for, no matter how good. The food is fairly decent for dinner - the mac & cheese is delicious and I had a GREAT burger there once, but if you can stand snarly and sometimes incompetent waitstaff, bad, loud music and a big crowd, then by all means, go. read more

LFK is one of my favorite spots around. It has cool vibe with a lot of interesting decor. There's a great beer selection and the menu has a lot of really great options for food. Definitely going to keep coming back! read more

I used to love to come to LFK-- it was cozy and socially warm, with friendly service and several affordable things to munch on. The service is still friendly and attentive, but the cost has skyrocketed and portions have become smaller. Recently they have changed their menu. While the new drink menu is actually more interesting, the drinks are now smaller for the same price. (They now offer mocktails, which is cool, but they cost 5 dollars for a very small amount with simple, cheap ingredients.) And the food itself has gone up by several dollars a plate, which brings it from affordable and accessible to everyone to accessible only to the more financially advantaged. I want to make mention that their service is better than ever in friendliness and attentiveness-- but be prepared now for less food at a higher cost, weaker and smaller cocktails, and a different clientele as a result of those things! read more

I was excited about trying LFK as I'd walked by it many times but never went in. I ordered a stout which was lovely. My daughter and I perused the menu but I quickly realized that it was basically just burgers n pizza. I love a good burger and we were hungry so we ordered cheese n crackers as an app. I asked if they had fries and was told they will be getting them soon but not yet so the burgers came with a little bag of Cape Cod chips....really!? I was pretty surprised when the waiter brought over Ritz crackers and slices of what tasted like Cracker Barrel cheese...ok?! Then the burgers came. We both ordered ours medium but they were cooked far too long. The burger was eaten with half a bun left over..lots of bread. The one thing LFK has going for it is the awesome location. You get a great view if Longfellow Square but I was sorely disappointed by the tiny menu and choices. read more

Food was great, burgers and tacos were excellent as was the Mac and cheese. The service was friendly but incompetent. All food came at the same time: salads, soup and mains. The music was some variety of electric/techno noise played at 95db so we could only communicate by hand signals. 2stars for the food read more

Great food, unpretentious drinks, good service, great atmosphere. The team at LFK really did it right. Worth the wait. read more

LFK has a great drink menu, but horrible. horrible service. Unfortunately, since there are so many great places to go in portland to get great drinks, I won't be frequenting a place with such horrible service. We went early on a cold saturday night, when the place wasn't packed, and our server was rude and just plain mean. Yes, the decor is cute with the type writer keys under the bar. But, if you don't enjoy your waiter scolding you and treating you like a child, you won't want to stop here. read more

I was very excited to meet friends for dinner here, as the place is always busy with a cool younger crowd. The environment was great, but I was incredibly disappointed by the food and service. I ordered the vegan BLT (with tempeh bacon) as did my friend. The sandwiches we received consisted of two huge pieces of bread, with two puny little pieces of completely flavorless tempeh and the requisite tomato and lettuce. I ended up just eating the middle part of the sandwich (like the way a picky kid eats just the middle of a grilled cheese) because the outer perimeter was entirely bread with noting on it. On the bright side, the real bacon cheddar potato salad I chose for the side was delicious. Further, the service was terrible. It took 20 minutes to get my water, and another 25 to get my (pathetic) sandwich. The gentleman who brought out my sandwich initially took it to a girl next to me who had just walked in and who he appeared to know. He joked with her that he knew she was coming and so made her this sandwich and even sat it down in front of her. Meanwhile I had been waiting 45 minutes for this sandwich, which he eventually brought to my table. At the end when the waitress asked how our sandwiches were, my friend confessed the vegan BLT was quite disappointing. The waitress replied that yes, she knew it was a terrible sandwich, but she didn't want to tell us ahead of time because she wanted to see what we thought!!!!! Needless to say, I will not be returning to LFK despite the wonderful environment. read more

Change of ownership-----apparently, so go fir the location and drinks. I can no longer vouch fir the food, and am sorry to say this includes the former menu that included the Mac-n-cheese. Yelp sent me an email/article entitled, "More Mac and Cheese please!".....all about Portland eateries featuring Mac 'n Cheese..... and LFK was not mentioned? Sack the team of writers who missed that. Mac 'n Cheese at LFK is killer! Comes in a screaming hot personal iron skillet (choice of either kale or bacon mixed in); the crumbly topping and carmelized butter-cheese around the bottom of the skillet keep you digging until it's gone. Add a side of deviled eggs and you shall be very, very pleased. Who knew such a proprietor could come from Kansas. read more

This bar is amazing. I stop by all the time after work and on my days off. Amazing cocktail menu with amazing service. If you're visiting the area and want a feel for what the real Portland is like stop in for a drink and a snack. read more

After coming here only one time before this winter (got the spiked and spiced hot cider... SO good!), I decided to give LFK another try last night to see what the summer vibe was like. Like my first LFK experience, the cocktails were great, and I loved the chill and funky atmosphere. I ordered food here for the first time last night: I ordered the tempeh tacos (yay creative vegetarian options!), and my date got the reuben sandwich and deviled eggs. Every dish was great and very reasonably priced. This place deserves more than just the 3.5 star average on its Yelp page! It was pretty excellent food for bar food. If you're eating at LFK, you are looking for a certain kind of price-point and a certain kind of meal--you're not looking to go to Petite Jacqueline next door. Anyway, the food was delicious, we didn't have to wait very long, and we were very happy patrons of this fine establishment. read more

I had been to LFK before in the evening for small plates and drinks and left feeling like it was a good experience. The brunch scene, unfortunately, was not at all as pleasant. Multiple staff couldn't answer basic questions about the menu, service was terrible (had to ask for drinks twice, utensils to be able to eat, and the waiter never asked how we liked our meal once - maybe too busy sitting on the couch). If they had been busy it would have been bad but understandable. With only two other parties in the whole place there was no excuse. To make it worse, the food was way subpar. We left feeling grateful all we lost was the price of the living social coupon. Save your money and go somewhere else. Portland is full of awesome brunch sites - this is not one of them. read more

It's kismet at first sign: "Train is a terrible band" proclaims the blackboard outside. I laugh gaily, agreeing as I step into the bar, "yes, it really is!" Though I'm no Soul Sister, no Drops of Jupiter in this hair, I am a fan of a smooth, off the mainstream tracks vibe, and LFK is not one to disappoint. Their classic book collection did wonders for my book-lover soul, and the selection of light, seasonal beer whet my appetite for a summer poem. But then, a quandary even more challenging than choosing between the Bunker Salad Daze or the Austin Street Rally: "Song of Myself" or "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" ? read more

A cute cozy spot to grab a drink, but the food is terrible. The mac and cheese is somehow tangy in an unpleasant way. The Korean BBQ wings were pasty and the side salad they came with had a lot of slimy rotten spinach. We also got the tater tots which weren't really tater tots, just balls of undercooked shredded potato that fell apart when touched. I would have been much more excited about frozen tots from a bag. We ordered the food to go and they said it would take 45 minutes (?!) and when we went in after 30 minutes the cook in the window said it had been "waiting at the bar forever" so needless to say everything was also very cold. read more

Funky fun atmosphere and good drinks. I had "Tommy's Marg" and was very pleased. The bar did get a bit crowded as there wasn't enough seating for the people standing around but service was still good. read more

For drinks- 5 stars. Quality of food- probably 4 stars. Service- 1star. Great selection of beer and the neatest hangout. The menu has several delish items-- the Reuben/burgers are great with potato salad, just don't expect anything much less than a clusterfuck while waiting for it to be served to you. read more

The chilled, relaxed atmosphere could only be matched by the cool, refreshing pale ale expertly poured by my bartender. As I read the words so elegantly pieced together out of typewriter keys and I presume old souls I can only imagine what the greats of yesteryear would have conjured up at this majestic half moon bar. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck... myself? 5 stars. read more

Worst bar/restaurant in Portland. My experiences (yes experiences, plural) are similar to some of the others on here and yet I gave them another shot. General douchbagery and being treated like your not even there....literally. I went in with my wife and our friend, the female bartender didnt even make eye contact with me, let alone verbally acknowledge me, and served them both repeatedly, even food, at no point even looked at me. The last time I went, about 2 weeks ago, was not quite as bad the previous, but still took an extra long time for a beer and now when I was checking my credit card statement against receipts, I see that they felt their service was great and added another dollar to the tip! I cant even make this shit up. There are so many wonderful places in Portland it doesn't even make sense to consider this place. It will just ruin your evening. Spend your money elsewhere where its appreciated! read more

This place is about a 5 minute walk from my house, and I could not ask for a better place to have a good, affordable beer and relax. WIth the shelves of books, the scattered typewriters, and the jokes from the long-bearded bartender, this place has become a regular spot for me. I adore the seating and the old feel of the venue. I can't wait for the record machine to work! I love LFK and I'll be supporting it for years to come. read more

Generous bourbon pour, good beer selection, great atmosphere, delicious Mac 'n cheese.

I went to get a burger on a recommendation by a friend. Small little corner bar ( I don't drink) but the burger was unreal. It was way better than I anticipated and great little side of potatoe salad. A little pricey but well worth it. I didn't try anything else but if in the area need to check it out. read more

Comfy, dark, friendly, good taps, LFK hits my check list for what I look for in a bar, and so it's become a go-to of mine. While their tap list is far from the biggest in town, I'm consistently impressed by it. It balances some solid local beers, with an ever changing selection of out-of-towners. They seem to usually be pouring at least one good german beer, which is unusual around these part, and much appreciated by me. Their burger is a late night stand by, one of the best in town. Portions aren't huge, but it satisfies. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't yet. read more