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

Beautiful stylish, Regards is definitely a place to see and be seen. Tightly packed tight up front, the tables open up with more space as you head towards the back. Good to know for anyone not model thin or for those that like more room. That being said the staff were all very welcoming, and in what I would describe as a very California low key way. Happy to answer questions, nothing is a bother vibe.similarly this restaurant brings a fresh approach to flavors and recipes to the North in a fairly unique way. Of course they make wonderful things with avocado and tortillas, but they also offer delicious takes on crab fried rice on our night with the addition of bing cherries that really took a comfort food staple to the next level of yum., similar to the absolutely artistically presented fried mushroom's. So perfectly cooked, seasoned and presented. Fall savoryness with fantastic depths of flavor and chew! Overall a perfect date night spot! read more

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My friends and I think and talk about this meal constantly. From the perfect Paloma to the hamachi collar, warm cabbage Caesar, and oyster bites, everything we tasted was memorable. read more

Finally got around to going to Regards. Overall we enjoyed our time there, but there are issues. To begin, the drinks are very tasty - we started with the happy hour special Margarita - a regular menu item reduced to $9 dollars from the regular $13 dollar price. I think the reduction of price, though, results in a 50% increase in ice since the glass is only half full before the bartender fills the rest of it with more ice (and that doesn't include the ice that the drink was already mixed with!). We started with the avocado salad with macha, and the tamale. Both were tasty and well-balanced, but not large. I must say I'm getting tired of the small plate trend and the recommendation from servers that people should purchase several plates to make a complete meal. To me, this is just a way to hide the high price. If you order three items off this menu, depending on what you order, your meal is around $50-$60 dollars. We next order the shrimp tacos. Other reviewers have noted how overpriced this item is, and I must agree. First off, the tacos were the size of two round corn chips you get in a bag. They layer the two chips over each other, making it impossible to fold and eat the taco since the two chips just separate and the ingredients fall out. Also, there are two shrimp, some boston lettuce, and smear of sauce. When combined with the corn tortilla, it eats dry. And they charge $18 dollars for this. I also ordered the caipirinha, which was very good and well balanced. Overall, we enjoyed our time at the restaurant, but not entirely sure I would return. read more

We were really excited to go to Regards based on their reviews, and I will say it is good, but for the price not great. I think the atmosphere is nice. They had a great mezcale selection which was a nice treat. They told us to get full that we needed two-three dishes per person, so we ordered pretty much everything on the menu and were still hungry. The only thing we ordered that we thought was worth mentioning was the scallops. At the point, that we had amassed a heavy tab ordering so much, we decided not to get dessert, but to go somewhere else. We had a nice evening, but definitely not memorable food. read more

I was surprised this made the Top 50 new restaurants list, let alone any list. The service was decent, but the food was confusing. It felt like each dish was trying really hard to impress, but had competing if not unappetizing components Given the prices, this is a 2-star review instead of 3. Tortilla with miso butter was strangely sweet, which was off putting and a weird way to start the meal. The tortillas by themselves would have been great if served as a gratis side for the table. The oysters with yuzu kosho granita and salmon roe were delicious, but the oyster itself was lost in all those big flavors. The chicken wing "gyoza" was creative but not seasoned. The lardo on top was leathery and unappealing to have to bite through. The lamb tartare was smoky and the ramps really tied it all together, but the accompanying bread was strangely overpowering in flavor and competed with the smoky tartare. If someone is scared about raw meats, this would be a nice gateway because the texture was very tender. The tamale was delicious. The herbs and broth really made that dish. The hamachi collar had a deliciously rich texture. This may be personal preference, but the presentation with a smoky chipotle spread and lettuce wraps made no sense. A simple side of rice would have been perfect. read more

Sweet, cozy, downtown Portland restaurant focused on fresh seafood and Mexican flavors. Amazing alcohol selection (ALL of the tequila options) and yummy mocktails. Food was very fresh - oysters with cherries, scallops with a crispy onion accoutrement, avocado with crispy tortilla, and on and on! Definitely worth a try. read more

One of our favorites whenever we unplug in Portland. Simple and sleek interior that includes some of the old architecture of the space. Food and service always great. The hamachi collar and shrimp tacos are two of their best dishes. Never disappoint. read more

Dined with Regards during their collab with Oberlin, so can't speak to the regular menu. This was a special dinner as part of our minimoon, so anticipated being wow'd especially after Regards made Bon Appetit's "Top 50 New Restaurants". Unfortunately, our dining experience left much to be desired. If I had to sum up the meal it felt very performative. Beautiful platings, but missing in execution and while I appreciate pushing boundaries when it comes to food, lest we forget that taste should always be paramount over concept. The squid "tagliatelle" was akin to eating shirataki and felt the sauce was almost overpowering in its use of cumin and paprika. The actual pasta dish we had was...fine, but unremarkable. The mackerel tacos, it felt like the flavors were competing rather than being harmonious and the tacos themselves seemed stale. Neither soft (think street taco) or crunchy (where you could actually bite through it, enjoyably). The real standouts were the first and last courses which while tasty, don't command the price-point. Service was also subpar for what I would expect for a ticketed event with a prix fixe menu - not snappy. Waited a while for drinks and the wait staff wasn't super attentive throughout the meal which ended up running well over the seat time they stayed for a party of two. read more

Great service - speedy and friendly. I appreciated that we were told to do 2 plates per person rather than 3 which would have been overeating. The food however was way way way too salty. And the flavors were trying too hard. A lovely spot but we couldn't finish. We went to gelato nearby to cleanse our palate. read more

The music, the service (especially Micheal), the food on taco night. Nothing could have been better without being perfect. 9.4/10

I was excited to try this after eating probably my favorite meal in Portland at Chef Neil's previous place of employment. When I heard he opened his own restaurant it took a lot of patience on my part. We were greeted warmly by the FOH staff that includes one of the owners. They were at hand for drinks, to answer questions, and to ensure we were having a great time. The food is amazing! The menu can be misleading if you're not used to this type of restaurant as the descriptions (for me) don't do the food justice. When the plates arrive and you take your first bite, your mind starts to try to piece all the ingredients together. It's tough as the flavors combine to provide a new taste experience unlike any I've experienced in Portland. We had the Avocado dish, Hamachi Collar, Cabbage, Scallop Ceviche, and a few others. All of them were worthy of a visit on their own, the Hamachi Collar was a standout! Do yourself a favor and take a chance, you won't be disappointed! read more

Despite that this is newly opened. They know how to present, cook, and get creative with their menu. This was a fabulous experience. The mackerel. Nicely balanced with the oyster crème with tapioca. Wow. The crispy rice. There was the obvious of the rice, and then the surprises within the dish. Each layer was better than the last. Thank you for the courage. Yellow Tuna. Once of us made a little taco of the sliced radish. A fun dish with so much flavor. The crab claw was not great. So. Needs some work on that. And the bacalao was overwhelmed by the sauce. The menu and the cocktails and the supporting list of Mezcal puts this restaurant on the top of the list!! read more

I recently had the opportunity to dine at Regards with my team, and we couldn't stop raving about the experience! We opted to share a variety of dishes from the menu, and each one exceeded our expectations. The freshness, flavors, and attention to detail in every dish were truly remarkable. It was an unforgettable meal from start to finish. Also, they have a great playlist! read more

Loved our visit to Regards. It was a cozy little place, conveniently located -- it was easy walking distance from our center hotel. We were there for their special taco menu, and it was great; we loved the chance to try so many different things. We got seven small plates for the two of us, and none of them was a disappointment. What really set this place apart, however, was the mezcal list. They had an excellent tequila list as well, but we're mezcal drinkers, so that's where we stayed. They had 28 mezcals, some of which we'd never tried before, and the staff was incredibly knowledgeable and able to predict what we'd like based on what we'd had before. It really elevated the experience. read more

The sadness at the retirement of Emilitsa has been somewhat alleviated by the smooth transition to this new excellent eatery. The interior is relatively unchanged which is a good thing. Same soft, inviting feel, marble bartop on entry and the service is equally pleasant. A good chunk of tables are held for walk-ins so we did on a Thursday at 8pm and snagged one instantly despite being busy. Apparently much of the crew are from Little Giant and the food reflects that fact; Delicious! Standouts were the ocean-heavenly Glidden Point oysters with uni and meaty king oyster mushrooms. The cabbage cesar was a very mild anchovy taste with even milder kimchi powder. Scallop ceviche was also quite mildly flavored. I found the smoked mussles lacking in smoke flavor but my partner loved them. Definitely get the crab claws before gone and end it with the spectacular sheep's ricotta ice cream! They seem to have a great relationship with Broken Arrow next door where there is a larger bar and you can wait for a table or enjoy their excellent food instead. read more

Regards - Oyster mushrooms - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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I'll start by simply saying, "I am an eater". Food is joy. I pursue it often, and always with fervor and excitement. That said, Regards is a delight!!!!! From the service to the food, and to all the risks and creativity. Take a chance, it's worth it! We were warmly greeted and felt welcomed from the moment we walked through the door! Chef Neil is masterful, creative, and truly a talent, (as many of us know from dining at Little Giant)! I love when you go out to eat and just can't figure something out, there was nothing I ate that night, not one thing, that I think I could recreate at home, and I'm pretty handy in the kitchen That's the experience I was looking for! Standouts from the evening included: a scallop ceviche dish that is infused with various oils and I think, leche de tigre (?), Delicious! A Hamachi crudo that I still can't figure out, but I promise that not one edible crumb was left on that plate, if it wasn't a "social faux pas", I would have licked the plate clean. A charred cabbage "Cesar salad" that was unbelievable! Smoky, salty, savory, umami-packed! It was deceptive in it's menu description, and so effin tasty! Hamachi kama "tacos", which we ate until every bone was licked clean! Sweet, salty, fatty... So ....right. Then we had dessert, I don't even know what it was, but I think I was literally giggling out loud, with joy and confusion... So sad when that plate was empty... Sigh. I really really encourage you to try Regards, if you haven't yet! You will not be sorry! I am almost hesitant to write this review, because I'm scared once they're "discovered", I'll never get a seat again...But I also have never been good at keeping a secret. Ha. Go! Enjoy! Go back again! Leave me a seat! read more

Delicious food! Claire was an absolute joy of a server and was kind and courteous. She was very attentive to my wife and I and every bite was delicious. Try a few different things, tapas style dinner! read more

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For the price and service I do 3 stars. Food was tasty but paying 2 tacos for $17ish and wait for it 20 min? hmm...It took too long they messed up our dish and they did not offer anything, we asked for more bread while we were waiting 20 min for the last dish and they charge us. So, if you decided to go there make sure you eat before. dishes are very very small. read more

An amazing restaurant with a changing small plates menu that reflects LA flavors (when I was there it was specifically Latin and Japanese) with high quality, delicious seafood . We had the Aphrodite oysters, fluke, wagyu, pulpo, and hamachi collar. read more

Didn't realize what I was walking into for friends and family night. Place was packed! Amazing Mexico City food. Masa it ground daily. The seafood was fresh. And the Mezcal list was plentiful. Great date night spot. read more

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Awesome fusion restaurant with very complex and deep flavors. They show off many techniques by having different sections to the menu, appetizer, raw, masa (ground in-house daily), entree-esque, and dessert. You won't find these menu items in any other restaurant in Portland or maybe anywhere. We got the tuna belly, tamale, cabbage, birria (pork taco), hamachi collar, and wagyu mole. Everything was delicious and unique in flavor and presentation. I will dream of the mole sauce. We got the kumquat sorbet for dessert, it was another unique dish with multiple layers of flavors, not overly sweet and flavorful. The staff were very knowledgeable and very kind to our 10 month playing with ice cubes on a plate. I got a mocktail with hibiscus and cinnamon, it was delicious. My partner tried their Paloma and Boulevardier, both were great and unique with a slight twist on the classic flavor. read more

Phenomenal food, service and atmosphere. Highly recommend. Amazing variety of creative dishes. read more

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Absolutely wonderful unique and delicious from beginning to end. Some of the reviews I've seen leave me perplexed. Everything was subtle delicious and satisfying. I will definitely be back. The food was amazing. The cocktails just terrific. The service was very attentive. read more

This little spot doesn't quite fit into the Maine food scene, and I love that. Finally, a restaurant that is serving seafood but isn't all honky tonk ocean or hunter themed. It is delicious and weird. Staff are professional without being stiff and I feel welcomed every time. Ask about portions if you are size conscious. Some items were big and filling, others felt precious and could be expanded. Tamale is FIRE and the hamachi collar is phenomenal. Love the shrimp tacos. Wish the steak was a larger portion. Dishes are 'avent garde'? whimsical, not what you expect. Would I dine with conservative eaters here? No, that is why Scales exists. Random thing to note: I LOVED the scallop ceviche, as did everyone I ate with except for one person who hated it, and claimed they 'knew' ceviche and this wasn't it; which had us discussing what ceviche is and is not. She thought ceviche was cooked by the acid or the citrus and sat in it all day, like her auntie used to make. As we learned, it definitely is NOT that. It is a raw seafood dish just barely kissed by acid upon serving to firm it up. Interesting reading these other reviews and wondering what their food knowledge is as well. read more

Worst service in Portland. Food was a solid C. Very very salty. Service was very fast!! Waitress said order 3-4 small plates each. We ordered 3 each. After first she told us to hurry up because they had another reservation . I know you don't print swear words so I will just sum it up with TERRIBlE!!!!! read more

Enjoyed a lovely evening here with my bf and his fam! Delicious mezcal cocktail - the motivator..highly recommend! Small tapas style plates, perfect for sharing. The shrimp tacos and fried cabbage dish were definitely unique and tasty. There was some smokey vanilla sheep's milk ice cream that I really can't compare to any other vanilla flavor, try it! read more

OVERRATED. The only reason I give this establishment 2 stars is because of the cocktails. I should've ordered 5 instead of two to compensate for the absurd amount our 3 small plates cost. We ordered the tri-tips, dry aged duck, and charred cabbage. The steak was nearly cold, the duck was chewy, and the cabbage was as plain as white rice. Ambiance is chill yet a bit crowded for a place that's fairly new to Portland, but I say take your hungry stomach elsewhere in this town - there are FAR better places to get your grub and drink on!!! PASS. Don't waste your money like we did. read more

Had a great experience at Regards last night (only their second night open!) Everyone on staff that we interacted with was super warm and inviting. I also have a gluten allergy and they were very knowledgeable about GF options (90% of the menu is safe!) Of the cocktails, the Paloma was my favorite but the mole in the boulevardier is incredible. Must try. We started with avocado tostadas. I was worried these would be sort of plain and boring but they were SO good. It comes with a salsa which tasted similar to a chili crisp and was incredible (I would buy this by the jar!) Next we had the mulitas de queso. This was like a super crispy quesadilla with beans. Their homemade tortilla was really the star of this show (& obviously also the crispy cheesy bits). Next we had the oyster mushrooms. These were stand out to me, super meaty and the fermented scallop sauce was deliciously salty. We finished with the bomba rice with peekytoe crab. If you remember Little Giant in the west end, it's very similar to a dish that frequented their menu with the addition of some chipotle flavors. This was my favorite item (thanks for the recommendation Jonathan!) Also - get the ricotta ice cream to finish. Wow. In short - excellent tapas style food with fun flavor, great date night vibe, super friendly staff (& GF options!) - we can't wait to be back! read more

Regards - Avocado + tostadas - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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We did not love it. The service was not terrific - a bit aloof. The flavors and the textures of the food were OK at best. We were expecting food more like Hugos or the white barn in. This seems like that was their goal but they could not quite hit it. The avocado appetizer was good, the crab rice was OK. The wagu beef was very difficult to cut and chew. I understand that it is served basically raw but nonetheless it was hard to eat. About a third of the menu was raw and many of those items seem like they would've been better cooked. The space is cool but very loud with loud bass focused music adding to the table noise. It was a fun enough adventure but we would definitely not return. read more

I'm not even sure what to say. Let me start off with saying the service was excellent and the cocktails were divine. The food however....yikes. Everything was room temperature or colder. The vegetarian stuff we got was OK. The octopus had some globs of something that resembled and tasted like cheez wiz on it, the mackerel was very fishy and the duck hearts? Wtf....I've had better in my fancy feast. Disappointed.... read more

Gorgeous atmosphere. Lots of attention to detail. Amazing mezcal selection. Los Angeles inspired Mexican/Japanese cuisine. Very eccentric for Portland Maine. Creative and thoughtful ingredient pairings. Very salty. Dishes are small plate (tapas) style. Random order of kitchen-driven arrival to your table. A bit noisy but also intimate. Cool experience but not sure I would rush back for the food. It left me feeling wowed! Yet also unsatisfied. Servers body odor was a problem. Too expensive to be a regular haunt. I felt it was more pricey than some of the standard restaurants you expect to pay a high price for in Portland that offer full entrees not small plates. read more

Uninspiring and under seasoned. Not sure what they are going for (LA inspired Mexican with Japanese influence... what?). High (or low) lights: Oysters: yuzu ice was nice but completely overpowered the oyster and the heavy acidity lingered in my mouth well after the dish was cleared. 1/3 Of the yuzu would have been appropriate. Scallop ceviche: total miss. The scallops were beautiful and tender... but the charred cuke was both aesthetically and texturally displeasing. The dish as a whole was imbalanced and lacked some brightness and heat... suggest adding fresh sliced chilis for brightness and acidity. Under-seasoned. Tostada burrata: beautiful dish but underwhelming in execution. Snap peas provided some depth but overall the dish bored everyone at the table. The tostadas were also stale. Under-seasoned. Razor clam tamale: this dish has potential. The tamale was bright and fresh. The masa was fresh and was nicely complimented by the charred corn. However the razor clams were not complimentary and felt like an afterthought. I would have been happy with this dish sans the clams. Carnitas birria: apparently they saved all the salt for this dish, as it sucker punched our tongues. They were also completely burned on one side of the tortilla. The consume was delicious and had some depth and complexity... however that nuance was lost when combined with the over salted, burned taco. Also, these are tacos... there is no reason for ANY professional kitchen to fail with the execution of birria tacos... to botch such a simple dish is inexcusable. Delicious and inexpensive birria are being cranked out of taquerias across North America on a daily basis... this is not a hard dish. Extremely disappointing. read more

Nothing about this place was phenomenal, which is kind of what I expected. Everything was fine, nothing was great. We tried several things off the menu. They're tequila selection was great. We tried the grilled duck hearts, burrata, mushrooms, the tuna toro tataki, and the tamale. None of which were great. Overall probably wouldn't go back as nothing really won us over. read more

We had a wonderful meal at Regards. There were three of us. We ordered six different items to share. We also had margaritas. Everything was awesome. From the oysters, to the corn tilapia's to the tacos. I'll be back. read more

The meal I had last night ranks in the top 10 of worst meals I have ever eaten. The "tamale" was a bowl of cornmeal mush in the shape of a tamale. The crab dish was bits of crab in a gooey mesh of some grain (possibly wheat berries). Everything was over salted. As a resident of this city, and employed in the tourist trade I am often pleased to tell people of our wonderful restaurants but unfortunately Regards is not included. One star is probably overly generous. read more

Been here twice in two weeks, it's AMAZING! small shareable plates, delicious! Went with my boyfriend and another couple and we ordered six plates to share and that was perfect. read more

This place is amazing. Food is extremely creative and well executed. Cocktails are also top notch.

Went for dinner this past Friday night. I felt as a whole slightly underwhelmed by the experience. We tried the avocado, hiramasa crudo, snap peas, bread, wagyu, and the quesadilla. The crudo, bread, and snap peas were all very good, although the amount of chives on the bread made it very difficult to eat. The avocado would have been good but the tostada on top was very stale which made the dish less good. The wagyu was fine but I wish they had specified exactly where the wagyu had been raised as it ate a lot more like prime beef than a Japanese wagyu. The real problem was not the food but the service. There was no formal introduction or explanation of the menu until almost 20 minutes after we were seated. Furthermore the order and pacing of the meal made no sense. We waited for a further 15 minutes after placing our order to suddenly receive 3 courses at once. Halfway through the meal our bread finally arrived which was confusing. We got to the point where the wagyu was the only dish left and there was a gap of about 25 minutes where there was no food on the table. Furthermore the table was never cleaned between courses nor was any of the flatware or plates changed out. For a restaurant that costs ~$200 for dinner for two I expected the service to be a lot tighter. read more

Truth be told, I'm not a fan. Yes, the interior is simple and romantically lit, and the tables certainly comfortable. They have an incredible tequila and mezcal list, and the cocktails (made from those spirits). However, there's something definitely missing from the whole experience. First, the menu is extremely limited, with essentially just small sharing appetizers of (what they think is) cutting edge cuisine. We didn't see a single dish that they posted on Instagram actually make the evening's menu. Service was lackluster and impersonal (she never even told us her name, and it appeared she wanted nothing to do with us besides dropping off dishes to the table). We started with the "tamale," a deconstructed take on a classic dish, which had beautiful flavors. The second dish, the fluke crudo, was covered in (perhaps) an overly spicy horseradish ice (I'm guessing). It threw the whole dish off balance and made the fish and melon inedible. I also don't love that they gave us one plate and set up for three totally different dishes; I'd prefer clean dinnerware for each course, so the flavors don't mesh on the old plate. By the one hour and fifteen minute mark, we had just two small plates brought out. Our third dish never came out. Never. But yet they charged us for it. Slow, but not in a positive way. We ultimately finished the "meal," (minus the last dish which was MIA), still hungry, and headed out to find something of substance. Oh well: you win some, you lose some. Better luck next time. read more