This was our last dinner in Maine. I hemmed and hawed over going to a more traditional Portland spot or a more avant garde one like Regards. After looking at a multitude of menus in the weeks before our trip I decided on Regards. No regrets! Great meal from beginning to end. Has that fine dining hospitality element - polite, discreet and detailed. This spot is for open minded adventurous eaters - not traditionalists. I love fusion, New American cuisine and surprises, so this worked for me. Minimalist modern interior - it was stark but somehow still warm and inviting. I asked if they had a natural wine - all their list is natural - hallelujah. My two reds by the glass were nice and smooth. Loved: - Caesar salad, grilled arrow cabbage, it was half the head! So simple, yet complex, so delicious and bits of cured mackerel in place of the classic anchovy - tamale - so sweet and pure, the white mole sauce was delectable - beef cheek tacos, simple and tasted each ingredient, tender meat reminded me of lengua - Peruvian chocolate cake - loved the light semi salty cloud whip on top of a flourless chocolatey square, perfectly bittersweet Really good: - fried bread with razor clams, really good just heavy handed with the XO sauce - crispy squid and fairytale eggplant, generous portioning, super crispy, too much batter for me, would be a great starter for a larger party to share An ambitious restaurant that would fit well into any major city in the US - 4.5 rounded up. read more

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We stopped in for a cocktail after dinner at Empire and I was immediately impressed by the creativity popping from the menu. The drinks all have a fun twist on a recognizable classic. And the bartender was there to help the rest of my family with recommendations/clarifications about the different cocktail offerings. All of our drinks were delicious! We didn't get any food but the menu looked interesting, for sure! My one complaint was that the service was deathly slow -- despite us being one of only two parties in the restaurant that had a bartender and a server working the floor. read more

High highs and some misses at Regards. Definitely some bold dishes and some really worked, some were trying far to hard but were still "engaging" even if they weren't "delicious". Very chef-y menu and descriptions, felt like it needed a bit more restraint. I don't think every restaurant has to have a stereotypically accessible menu, and there's a place for somewhere that tries bold things executed with skill and balance but a couple of the dishes were over-complicayed and seemed ot be about showing off the skill rather than the careful balance of a small number of well chosen ingredients. Telling that the star of the show was a simple quesadilla and the hamachi collar which were probably the most simple dishes we tried. Service was good if a bit aloof. Ambience was nice. All that said, it was a very good meal, but for the price and the aspirations it was a step below perfection. read more

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I recommend the Atlantic red crab! It was nothing like I've ever had before. Super unique experience.

Everything went wrong. We were insulted by the hostess. The food ranged from ok to yuck. One of our servers was great, and really tried to be friendly and helpful, and the other left us feeling like we wanted to cry because they glared at us, basically sneered, as they set the food down. We left unsatisfied and hungry for something real. The whole experience was unpleasant and by the end we couldn't wait to get out of there. There are so many amazing places to eat in Portland. This was not one of them. read more

This was the worst and I mean WORST costumer service I have ever encountered in my entire life. The hostess had an attitude and made a hugeee deal for seating my party when there was one other in the entire restaurant. Not only did she pass off information to her colleague but then, the waitress slammed our food on the table and had the nastiest response to our polite gratitude for her service. She side eyed my table and everyone felt incredibly uncomfortable. Our waiter was very nice don't get me wrong but the two women he was working with were so rude. I would never go back. The ambiance was honestly not horrible but the people made this experience terrible. The food was ok at best. We ordered everything that the restaurant recommended and it was all very meh. If I could rate this place a zero I would. read more

I know early on Regards had a lot of hype and critical acclaim around it, but being a small plates restaurant it was never really on my radar. Then last week my friend made us reservations. sadly to say, it will remain off my radar. The number 1 turn off for me was the service. Both our server and runner lacked any kind of personality and generally seemed annoyed we were there. The server rarely checked in on us and when we asked questions or made requests she was either snarky or ambivalent. It was a really weird experience. At one point we had been waiting forever for our check, and the server was standing at the bar with the runner and one other girl for the longest time just chatting. My friend finally went over and asked her for the bill and she was like "oh just a sec we have to finish up here" and then continued to chat or train or whatever they were doing before bringing us our bill. Onto the food. Some things were a hit and some things were not. The tamale, the burrata, the sesame bread with miso butter and the charred cabbage Caesar salad were amazing. That being said, when I see Italian, Mexican, and Japanese dishes/flavors/ingredients all on the same menu I'm like....oh this is definitely run by a white guy with no clear vision who is just stealing influences from every other culture. I'm sorry but having a tamale and burrata and a sesame miso dish all on the same appetizer selection? What is the focus? What is the vision? They all tasted great, but I just didn't get what this place was about. Our main courses- the short ribs and the hamachi collar- were not good. The short ribs were really just small pieces of steak. It was not the traditional braised/tender fall apart short ribs you expect and they were very fatty and chewy pieces. And then the hamachi tasted fishy and was served with small tortillas and lettuce leaves and a bland "aioli" (really just mayo) for I guess build your own tacos or lettuce wraps? Again, pick a lane. Are we doing tacos and going Mexican or are we going asian and doing lettuce wraps? Because of the lack of vision, there was also a lack of flavor. There was no salsa, no citrus garnish to squeeze over so the dish lacked acid, the hamachi was fishy and again we had to "do it ourselves" which made for a weird experience. And when we told the waitress we didn't like it and it tasted fishy she looked at us like we had three heads. I normally never leave a bad review but I just felt like there are so many better places in Portland that people can go and spend their money. If you want tacos, go to Bird and Co. If you want Asian, try Yosaku or Sizuan Kitchen. If you want Italian, try Via Vecchia or Tipo or even Benny's whichis right next door on Congress st in the old Broken Arrow location (RIP). Don't waste your money here. read more

I'm writing this, hours after dining here, with a stomach ache. We were off to a bad start when we were scowled at by an apathetic member of the wait staff that ended up being our server. The bread, while confusing, was the only palatable thing we ate. The chicken was pink, the prawns were undercooked. I enjoy raw meat but not that in that category. The servers continued to roam the restaurant, like robots. Were they instructed not to smile? The bill was astounding considering my simultaneous nauseousness and hunger. I came here this summer and we had an excellent, friendly waiter and the food was tasty but this time around the restaurant felt better suited for New York City, where virtue signaling and being rude seems to make you cool? Overwhelmingly not good. Out of touch with Portland, Maine - flavor and company included. read more

One of the best examples of why we come to Portland for food (we are from NH). Have to google about half the ingredients on the menu, therefore we try new and interesting things. Type of place where you get 2-3 different dishes to make a meal. As someone who isn't a great cook, I'm baffled how someone figures out how to put these sort of ingredients together. Really impressed and will come again. read more

Eat here a few weeks ago. It was wonderful. Much better than I anticipated. Was there with my family celebrating my daughter's 25th Bday. The space is maybe a bit more spare than I would care for but the food was out of sight. We had: The avocado with salsa macha - the macha makes this dish. It sung The scallops - table fav chicken wings - I think my wife shed a tear shrimp tacos - excellent arroz negro w/crab - a touch salty but still great Server recommended a glass of natural rose (I usually stay clear of natural wines) which was wonderful. Great time. Think I freaked the chef out as I "yelled" into the kitchen (its an open kitchen) to the chef about what an incredible job they did. Def a special occasion place. Its not cheap - but its among the best that Portland has to offer IMHO. Thats saying alot. read more

This had to be the worst, most poorly executed, ill conceived and overpriced meal I've ever had the misfortune of eating in Portland. I'm not really sure what to say. Every element of the meal had something off about it. 1. Scallop Ceviche was lackluster w/ a bad choice of celery bits and muddled overall flavor. 2. Crab dish was very salty and not balanced at all 3. Short Ribs were oddly plated, over garnished and my partner only ate a couple bits before passing. I found them to be palatable, but not an even a solid example of short rib prep. 4. Tamale was the best item, somewhat mushy, pretty ok taste, horrible value. 5. Prawn taco had to be one of the absolute worst food items anyone has put in front of me. It was a prawn in a corn soft taco shell w a couple mint leaves and a dash of some light sauce. I understand that you can eat fried prawn heads, this wasn't that preparation and it was way too soft to expect anyone to eat. It was just an entire goddamn grilled prawn w head and tail hanging out of opposite ends of the taco. Complete abortion of an idea. Biggest joke in Portland, dropped $300 w tip. They had to have paid for any accolades because what we experienced was nightmarish. Don't say I didn't warn you... read more

Small restaurant with a menu that changes constantly. Their fusion food is amazing, fresh ingredients and techniques. Food was flavorful and interesting. Service was excellent. I highly recommend to get a reservation. read more

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Fresh, well prepared, artfully presented seafood and Central American dishes. My tempura Prawn tacos were spicy, as was warned, but hot enough to mask the taste of the taco. Trendy atmosphere and attentive service! read more

What a pleasant surprise. The photos on the internet are good but the taste is so much better. We had good service. The cocktails were delicious. Fresh ingredients. Smoky and spicy flavors. You can taste the "soul." Maybe our best restaurant experience in Portland and there have been several other standouts. Also, I would not call this "New American" cuisine. More "modern Oaxacan." We will come back. read more

Disregards For the price of a round trip flight to Hawaii, literally, I had a meal at Regards with 4 friends. First, the bartender couldn't remember the difference between a white and a red wine. Okay. Also, how about give your name and introduce yourself without a snide remark and glance. Plus, if you reserve a table, shouldn't it be reserved? Like, should I wait 10-15 minutes for the table? It was reserved. So, I guess they are a tapas restaurant? The menu should not be so cryptic that you can't understand what the food is, and what the meal is. Are you trying to make me feel stupid? Mission accomplished. So, my biggest beef is this: DO NOT put a hanger steak on the menu for $44 like you are going to get a steak. A steak is a slab of meat. Like a meal. What I got was a few steak tips hiding under leaves of lettuce. 5 bites at most. That was $8.80 per bite. I kid you not. The drinks, really? Canned beer should not cost $15 a can. Draft, maybe. But $15 should get me a 6 pack. The chicken was the best, and we got 7 "meals." But everything was super salty. If you come to Portland for a high brow meal, this is not it. If you want tapas, go to Central Provisions. It's got really good food, a better price, and less snootiness. Thanks Regards, give my regrets. read more

So. I made a reservation for NYE and ended up having to cancel. When I made the reservation I read all the fine print and it stated in plain English "No-shows or cancellations less than 48 hours in advance may be subject to a charge of $0.45 per person." Then when I called to cancel, they charged me $45 PER PERSON! It cost me $90 to cancel when that was written nowhere when I made the reservation. I visited the reservation app on NYE day and they HAD CHANGED THE FINE PRINT TO REFLECT THE $45 per person. It's just such a terrible way to conduct business and it's beyond shady. I'm going to tell everyone who will listen about the terrible way that they conduct business. I have the screen shots from the day I made the reservation to reflect the $.45 cent cancellation fee (which I added to this review). Businesses like this don't deserve to operate. read more

Regards - Actual proof - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

Thanks to Regards, I have a new favorite restaurant in town! It is quickly earned a spot at the top of my list. Fish was fresh and the dishes were well thought out. I enjoyed our service, along with the wine our waitress chose which happened to be orange! read more

Highly recommended by my date, thus it was settled. The plates are smaller and mostly designed for sharing it seems, tapas style. Yes, it's a bit pricey for what you get but it'll either be worth it or not worth it. First off we started with oysters. They have a lot of accouterment which added a nice sort of spiciness, perhaps counteracted by the ice shavings also put on? I think the ice was bit too much, but the flavors were there. The waygu razor clam tartare was absolutely to die for. It comes with really thin cracker-type stuff, falling apart in my hands like the papyrus scrolls. The combination of the raw fish, the meat, the spices... it was heavenly and worth the high price. I could have just ate a bowl of it and been happy. I was excited about the duck hearts. I liked the sauce and the rich iron-y flavor, but I thought they were slightly tough and rubbery. The date agreed but said the last time she tried them they were tender, so could have been an off day or an off duck. Still, this is the place I would definitely come back to on the strength of the tartare. Lots of the dishes looked wonderful and if you can spend a few bucks, then I would certainly recommend this place at least once. read more

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This place is great. What a nice and refreshing change from what you usually get from New England fine dining. It was kind of a Mexican/Southwest inspired, small plate, but not exactly tapas offering. Everything was shareable. Can't wait to go back and show this restaurant to friends that haven't here yet. Atmosphere was really cool, too, and staff were very nice. read more

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Very underwhelming dishes. Wasn't too pricy but other than the hamachi, the quality was subpar. The service was also something that needed to be improved. Pacing of the dishes were too spread out. The cocktails were decent but nothing unique. read more

Regards - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

We felt so lucky to be in Portland, Maine when Bon appetit announced Regards as one of this years top 50 restaurants so we made a reservation right away. The restaurant does not have a lot of seating so I'm glad we got a reservation cause there would've been a wait, it was hopping! We ordered drinks & knew what we wanted so we ordered right away & everything came spaced out but pretty prompt. We got the margarita & caparinhia for drinks, then ordered oysters, scallop ceviche, tamale, duck hearts, & hamachi collar. Everything was really good & presented beautifully. The sauce that came w/ the duck hearts was really good but it was spicy. I think the tamale was our favorite. The scallop ceviche was really fresh & had a Smokey flavor, we both thought it could use another texture, a crunch of some sort, the portion was big too so we just got a little tired of the texture. Finally, we ordered 2 more drinks & dessert. We ordered the martini & margarita again. The martini was really smooth & refreshing. We wish the drink menu had a little more variety though, all of the drinks were on the citrus side. And it would be cool if there were drink/wine recommendations next to the dishes. For dessert we had the corn ice cream w/ dulce de leche. It sounds humble, but it was Michelin star quality, it was so AH-MAZING!! I'm so glad we got to try this place. I think with some tweaking it's going to be a great, really unique spot. PS: I heard you previous Yelp reviewer. There is in fact a hauntingly stinky server that made us audibly laugh reading your review. In person however it was not as funny. Please use good hygiene when you're in the service industry. I mean, come on. read more

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We went for dinner on a Saturday evening while visiting Portland. We walked in to a full house at 5:45pm. The restaurant space is on the small side, and--with all the diners--it was a bit loud. I almost suggested skipping, but we had reservations, and it had been a long day of traveling. We sat down, and that's when I noticed the music. Punk, post-punk, and deep-cut 80s and 90s alternative. I was like, "this is the sound of my people!" Intrigued, I settled in and checked out the menu. The server gave some drink recommendations, and we took her up on them. Fantastic! I had The Motivator, and my husband had the These Days cocktail. Complex, interesting, flavorful, and nicely mixed. I kept freaking out a little because of the in-house music. I got the name of the playlist from the host after complimenting the selections. We shared a bunch of plates. My husband had no trouble choosing--even with needing to avoid gluten. Any questions we had were answered by the server who was very helpful and friendly. We ordered the live scallop, raw oysters, the avocado ancho salsa macha corn tortilla, the tamale, and hamachi collar. We also had dessert. I had a sticky cake and ice cream, and my husband had the sherbet. One of the top 5 meals of my life. That avocado ancho salsa macha tostada and hamachi collar were out of this world. I got a little emotional. All in all, a fantastic night. I'm so glad we ended up here with the hundreds of restaurants in the area to choose from. It was a special evening. Everyone was so nice, and fellow diners seemed to be having a great time. Bravo. read more

I've been here a few times over the last 16 months. I really love mezcal and tequila so I wanted to like this place but I just have a hard time with some of their business practices. The most recent time I sat at the bar for some ceviche, octopus and a couple cocktails. I was chatting with the bartender about mezcal and they recommended subbing a different mezcal for my drink. I said sure figuring it would be a small upcharge for a more premium mezcal. It was a 22 dollar upcharge. More than the original cost of the drink. While I may have ordered it anyway knowing the price, it really turned me off. The bartender should definitely explain if the upcharge is going to be that significant prior to pouring the drink. The ceviche was good but underwhelming. The octopus was very well cooked and definitely a standout. I wasn't able to try anything with Mole because of my allergies. Hamachi collar is incredibly fresh and well done, I feel like it's starting to trend in a lot of restaurants. read more

New restaurant in town with great selection of mezcal and tequila. New american style / fushion flare. Went there on opening night ( reservation required ). Best way is coming with 3 other people so you can try almost everything on the menu since it's Sharing plate Cocktails : Paloma is delicious, margarita is too sour for me. Ordered white wine and 2 different kind of mezcal ( sipping ) Get the mezcal please ! Ask the server, if the server doesn't know things, he quickly went to bartender to check on it ( awesome and quick ) Food : what can I say? Order any that u rarely seen on the menu in portland. Hamachi Kama ( yellowtail collard ) in veggie taco style with nori is fantastic. Grilled cabbage ( please ask the server to bring you knife, hard time to eat it with fork and spoon, coming from me it's huge since most of the time I can eat anything with fork and spoon ) ,smoked mussel is a must great combination with miso broth. Bomba rice, it's spicy but great, wish that they use other than crab because crab is delicate, the spice overpowering the crab. Ordered cream Catalana as dessert yum2. Server suggested ricotta but I always wanna try something different read more

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We (4) came in early Fri evening, 6:15pm, no reservations no table no problem! We sat at the bar w/50% intent to stay and eat; which we decided to do; at the bar-still a good evening. Wine and cocktails good, food was excellent; albeit small plates - so it's really an $$$ tapas place. I asked for separate checks early, bar waitress did not acknowledge me as if she understood so I "nicely" repeated and she went sideways in attitude. Anyway, make reservations and stay away from the unfriendly bar lady who will also make excessive dramatic noise to cancel conversation. Husband, who is far more gracious / agrees with every point here. read more

Came in for a pre-dinner drink & our bartender Michael took great care of us- Michael, we still talk about you. Thank you for the great drinks & good energy. read more

Having walked by Regards numerous times and seeing it receive various accolades, it had been on my list of places to try for quite some time. My partner and I decided to give it a try one Friday evening to see what it was all about. First off, the venue is gorgeous with it vaulted ceilings and dim lighting, which gives the establishment a elevated feel while also keeping it relaxed. The bar is small, but there is a great deal of seating throughout the venue, ranging from two-tops to large tables that can seat 8. Regards cocktails are innovative with a classic touch. For instance, they have a cocktail called "The Motivator", which is their take on a margarita. Both my partner and I started with this cocktail, and you cannot go wrong. It was a margarita made with eucalyptus, and it was insanely good. They also had a decent amount of offerings of wine available. The food has a contemporary flair with a focus on seafood and modern Mexican flavors. Given that it is a small plates establishment, we were eager to try a handful of dishes. We ended up ordering the oysters, scallop crudo, another crudo...but I can't remember the kind of fish, the avocado, and the hamachi collar. Here were my thoughts: Oysters - these were okay. They came with two sauces and what looked like a quartered kumquat. For $10, I am not sure I would order them again. Scallop crudo - this was a delicate dish with a cracker on top. The cracker was the perfect crunch to the dish, but the scallops did not have much flavor to them, leaving the dish to be a little flat. Fish crudo - this was the star of the dinner, in my opinion, and in comparison to the scallop crudo, this was fully of flavor that complimented the subtleness of the fish. Avocado - This dish came with house-made tostada and the avocado was prepared with salsa macha. I really enjoyed this dish. Hamachi Collar - seeing varying reviews about this dish, I really wanted to try it. Overall, this was an okay dish. It came with lettuce cups and a sauce. The hamachi was a little fishy for my taste. That being said, the staff was nice, but the service was very slow. When we sat down, we were not greeted by a server for about 10 minutes. After finishing our first cocktail, it took a long time for a server to come back and ask if we wanted another. When we decided to put in the order for the hamachi collar, this took about 45 minutes for it to come out. With the dishes being hit or miss and the service lacking, I'm not running to go back, but I would give the establishment another shot down the road. read more

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I don't get it y'all... I know this place is popping off, and I feel like every person I know is all about this place - but my experience was very meh. First off they were dousing the place in incense when I arrived - weird move for a restaurant in my opinion. I just want to enjoy the smells of the food and not have some intense incense competing with that. The food was all over the place. Some dishes arrived undercooked - not cooked(?) - or just confusing. The tamale in particular was bad -- it had a crumbly raw texture and didn't seem like it had been cooked. This place is trying too hard to be creative - and it's not working out. And to top it all off this place is VERY expensive. Paid $400 somehow. Not saying an expensive meal can't be worth it - but this was def not. read more

Regards is one of my favorite restaurants in Portland. One of four dining experiences I would consider "tier 1". I've sat at their tables, next to the window, at the bar, wherever. It's all worth the visit. Make a reservation. Overall the vibe is great. There are skulls and overly modern art on the wall, but they don't really shove that in your face. The waitstaff and bar are awesome. It's dim and there's din, but neither are a detractor from a great atmosphere. The menu is awesome. It changes frequently but a few things seem to remain at the core: we're in a seafood town, tamales are delicious, scallops are awesome, and we need a charred vegetable to sell to the masses. Otherwise all bets seem to be off. The reason I rate Portland's potentially best restaurant at 4/5 is due to inconsistency. Just last night we started with some amazing dishes: the buttery scallops, a verde salsa with cultured cream and brown bread, "caraflex cabbage" a wonderful roasted cabbage meets caesar salad dish, and their most recent take on tamale that was very good. All of these were fantastic. And then the last two dishes: One was (2) "tacos" consisting of stale tortillas topped with very small sausages, served with soy cured egg, all for about fifteen dollars. Oof. A single egg yolk served in mediocre (but not terrible) soy sauce. Not great. But then they served the crispy (or was it crunchy?) rice with crab. It was surely rice, but extremely one note in terms of texture. Nothing was even close to crunchy. Or crispy. Or anything except wet rice. As much as we raved about the beginning of our meal, this was a disappointing finale. We will be back again. And again. And again. I personally love Regards. But I hold it to a higher standard and wish that they could maintain their sky high standard on a regular basis. read more

I mean, to keep it simple.... what the heck? I had high expectations, and I mean high, after reading that this made the list of the top 50 restaurants in New England. But this place... sadly... might be one of the worst meals I have ever had. Was it a bad night, or a bad menu, who is to say? I took one of my biggest clients here (who also is one of my best friends), and we were super excited to try pretty much everything on the menu. While it all sounded pretty adventurous, we went in with open minds. Now, it is important to clarify that we are both adventurous eaters, neither of us shy away from the eclectic, or borderline crazy. But this stuff was just... not good. We had oysters, grilled avocado, scallop ceviche, shrimp tacos, grilled duck hearts, arroz con congrejo (a crab dip), and hamachi collar (a grilled fish), and the highlights will be the shortest section of this review. First off, the margaritas were tasty, though small. Thankfully only $9 for happy hour, as the typical $13 would have been way overpriced. On to the food... The oysters tasted ok, until an overwhelming fish flavor took over. And $12 for two oysters, in Portland, is borderline criminal in my book. The grilled avocado was definitely the best tasting thing we had, but I mean, its an avocado.... (though to be fair the tostadas that came with it were truly delicious). That is it, this is where the good parts end... The rest of the meal was... well, downright bad. The ceviche was disgusting, we actually could not eat it. Having had plenty of ceviche in my life, this was far off from what one should expect. When we couldn't take more than one bite each, the waiter nicely removed it from the table (and the bill) and offered something else instead. We elected for the duck hearts, much to our own demise. They came out, literally, 2 minutes later. Not an exaggeration. Did they throw them in the microwave? It blew our minds, then we tasted them and it made sense. They were incredibly chewy, not very warm, and the only saving grace was sauce, which had a nice heat. It became a challenge for us to see if we could finish them. The shrimp tacos weren't technically bad, but looking out the window at Taco Escobar across the street, I almost cried. The crab dip was ok, but nothing to write home about, almost too sweet. And the collar? Had literally two bites of edible fish on them, the rest was cartilaginous. And the two bites left a lot to be desired. My friend summed it up best, this restaurant was like being on Fear Factor. We constantly looked around at the other diners, and we quickly realized nobody looked happy, at least not while they were eating. So I don't believe this was a unique experience. It seem's too many places are fighting to be the next different thing. Different is not always good. This time, it was terrible. We got the bill, which was not small, quickly paid and hit the road. We actually drove straight to Red's Dairy Freeze for an ice cream to wash the taste out of our mouths, and quietly agreed to never talk about that dinner again. Could have saved over $200 and had burger at Black Cow, or Shrimp Tacos across the street, both of which would have been head and shoulders over this. Two starts only because of the service. The waiter was attentive, and just awesome overall. read more

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Oh man, we came here right before all the buzz really took off. The menu is adventurous, it felt to me like a chef's tasting menu. So you need to go in with an open mind. But once you get past that, you will go on a food journey. So many elements were excellent, but the stand out was the burrata tomatillo dish. If I had to go back for one item only, this would be it. Rich and tangy, I loved it. The mezcal list was impressive and the margaritas were excellent. The only item I was not a fan of was the shrimp tacos - but for someone less adventurous they might be a welcome break. They just felt almost too cavalier for the last item we ate of an otherwise unique experience. read more

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My mother, lady friend & I got reservations here after seeing Regards being mentioned in the top 15 Portland restaurants in the Boston Globe, we'd never heard of it & the menu looked original and different. We ordered pretty much half the menu, the breads were *really* good! The oysters with caviar were great, as were the diver scallops. Was not a fan of the tamale, nor the cabbage - the cabbage had a green Caesar dressing that was so fishy, I wasn't expecting it - but had I liked fish, it would be been excellent. However, the whole reason I was excited about this establishment was the tacos - but, they were the least appealing of everything! The pork belly tacos were literally just a big thick cut piece of bacon tacos - @ $16 for 1. The shrimp tacos were 2 shrimp with some sauce for $18. The fish tacos probably were the best in terms of taste. Everything seemed to just be over the top - there were no simple dishes or staples, just personal takes, which is interesting and fun - but there was nothing that made me want to come back. We also watched an older couple absolutely struggling to eat their food, kind of gave a dinner & show feeling. We felt bad because we knew their pain. I will say, though - their cocktail, "The Motivator" was absolutely delicious, and I had a bunch of them. Overall, this establishment has a comfy modern interior that compliments the modern menu, its intimate feel is perfect for a date or friend's night out. The tequila & mezcal menu is massive, but awkwardly doesn't feel like it matches the food menu. The food is expertly presented, but it just isn't enough to make up for the lack of flavor. read more

Everything was underwhelming. With high prices and small portions, I would want my palette to be wowed. It wasn't. Service was good as well as the atmosphere. And there were a couple of things that were very tasty, but not good enough that I feel the need to come back for it. It's also not really clear what type of restaurant this is. Seemed more Japanese/Asian inspired than anything else. But was confused as to what direction they were trying to go in. Scallop Ceviche- ABSOLUTELY AWFUL!! Lacks flavor. The sauce under the scallops just kinda taste like a flavorless oil. The only thing with flavor on that dish was the tomatoes. Shrimp tacos- there were two tacos, with greens, and ONLY TWO pieces of shrimp. One shrimp per taco, and the tail was cut off the shrimp so it would cover the length of the taco. Flavor was ok. If you're going to cut one piece of shrimp to fill a taco I would suggest cutting it length wise. It will be more aesthetically appealing/look less cheap. Better yet...shrimp is cheap, put two pieces on each taco. Tuna Toro Tataki- was really good! Roasted Hamachi Collar- very tasty! I really enjoyed the nori paper with the hamachi, as well as the sauces. Burrata- good Avocado w/salsa Macha- was decent. Not bad, not great. Liked it though. read more

Regards - Scallop Ceviche Avocado w/salsa Macha Happy Hour Margarita - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Given that it's on the site of formerly beloved Emilista's, I had high expectations for my dining experience at Regards. But after two trips to the place, and two of the worst meals I've ever had (let alone paid for), they not only didn't clear the bar, they should be disqualified as a food establishment. It's as if they make their food but don't taste their food - it's a lll overwrought, over (or under) salted, hyper dense hot garbage. The first time we tried Regards the tamale was so hard and dry that I took one bite and thought I was being pranked. The homemade corn tortilla chips taste like Amazon cardboard (at least it's biodegradable?) and whomever came up with their sinister looking (and foul tasting) arroz negro dish should be sentenced a punishment of having to eat it. The service is barely competent, neglectful and pompous, entitled and arrogant. Have they tried the food they're peddling? It's a like a skit out of Portlandia. Portland's food scene will naturally select this place out of the ecosystem, but for those thinking of trying out Regards...save your time and money. But hey, at least the ambience is decent. So two stars and not one. read more

We were happy we walked by Regards and looked at the menu in the window. It was Saturday, but we were able to make a reservation the same night! Lucky for us because it was our last night in Portland. We are vegan and there were three dishes we could enjoy. The menu explicitly states no substitutions, so don't expect to make any of these dishes your own. The menu is curated by a chef for a reason. We skipped tequila and mezcal and opted for a Pet Nat option. Highly recommend! Some reviews state it was loud, but we did not experience a high volume on our visit. It was a short walk from our hotel downtown. This restaurant was way better than any near Wharf/Dana. read more

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Outstanding selection of tapas at this largely seafood/Mexican style Portland Restaurant.

The flavors of each dish were complex and entertaining. Starting with the martini, each element came through beautifully. The burrata with chimichurri was perfectly balanced with spice and I loved the addition of shiso leaf which added a textural element. The blue corn tamal was delightfully creamy and fluffy. Ending the meal with the ribeye was a strong finish. We also got the crab fried rice and ice cream/sorbet. These were not my favorite-- slightly heavy handed with salt. The seafood was not distinguished from the rice; a bigger pop of citrus would have helped. I still appreciated the craft of these dishes though. Overall the ambiance was intimate. I felt like I was enjoying a meal in an artful living space, with white brick and tastefully curated items decorating the walls. The service was attentive and super friendly. read more

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My wife and I had a great time there. We started what would become a long night of getting hammered at dive and gay bars in the surrounding area. Our server Jin was super charming!!! read more

This was our first time at Regards. We loved it. Great service. I had a delicious, well priced cocktail and my partner stuck to beer. We had the degustation menu so that we could try everything. We shared all eight dishes. Our faves were the oysters, the scallop crudo and both of the lamb dishes. We probably wouldn't re-order the octopus and the tamale (they were both good, but not amazing- unlike everything else. Definitely recommend if you are into different and unique flavor profiles. read more

The undercooked beans in the soup surrounding the delicious tamale is a metaphor for Regards. A great is held back by little things with a bad texture so that your focus can't help but be drawn away. FOH: The interior is done well, feels comfortable. Staff was alright, orders, food, drinks out in a timely manner. We made a reso on a Friday night, but probably didn't need to, plenty of two tops open. Overall, fine, nothing to write home about (seriously I didn't tell my momma). Food: Sigh. The tamale was awesome. The sauce was so great, but the beans! Just cook em! This goes for the other three dishes we had. The torts and avocado was our favorite, no complaints there. The octopus was overcooked, singed beyond carbon, or rubbery. The beef was very meh for being waygu. It wasn't tender. The mole was alright though. Overall, it was *fine* but I probably won't be back for a bit. "Regards" wordplay here. read more