Stopped by on a Wednesday for Restaurant Week. Firstly, they actually had a bargain priced special…read moremenu, unlike most others that amount to a free cup of miso soup. Respect! Now for the food. Excellent! Fresh and nutty beet salad, fork soft short rib, and best heavenly flan in Maine. The homemade fococcia was deprived of enough olive oil, but they were quick to supply more. It's a tiny but welcoming, romantic space with a 4 seater bar and sweet service. A nice thing about the well-curated, expensive, not extensive, wine list is that half bottles are available at exactly half the price of a bottle, not marked up. The only downside is that all the prices are above average for restaurants of similar stature. Took too long to discover this oasis!

Tried this for the first time the other week for restaurant week. Super cute spot with only a few…read moretables and a couple seats at the bar. The service was very well done. We got the wine pairing too and it was great. The food was tasty. I will be back to try not during restaurant week.

The Shop has truly stood the test of time, and it is an absolute must visit for us everytime we're…read morein Portland. I highly recommend this to all of our friends & family who visit because they just do oysters so well. We love a no frills spot! Prices have gone up so very slightly since we first started coming here back in 2018, but barely so. We used to get shucked oysters for $1.50, and now they're $1.95. Super reasonable considering how crazy inflation has been otherwise. The Shop always carries a good variety of oysters. My fiance and I usually get at least 4 of each so we can go through with 2 rounds of each. They've got some master shuckers in house; each oyster is cleanly shucked and lined up on the ice. I also LOVE the cocktail sauce here. It's really zingy & has the perfect amount of horseradish in it. Parking is plentiful in the lot.

2/6/26 A fabulous lunch! First, kudos to the shucker:…read moresixteen oysters and not a single shell bit. They featured four varieties today; a new one for me was saltwind from the Scarborough River- very good- moderate brine. I dressed some of them with the sturgeon caviar. The smoked salmon toast seemed especially good.

First visit upon recommendation from Luke's Lobster server for W buck a shuck happy hour…read more Already packed when we arrived at 4:30ish, but back " speakeasy" room opened up, and we met local friends who didn't even know about the place! Attentive staff who kept our beers filled and dozens of Arcadia (or Acadia?) oysters coming. Pretzel bites were great as well.

Another awesome Wednesday $1.00 oyster night at Blyth & Burrows. This time Emmaline & Olivia joined…read moreus. 48 oysters, 12 shrimp, 2 lobster rolls 2 jonah crab a mocktail, 2 wine & a regular cocktail. This time we had a table for 4 with cushions. I also brought in a cushion so my ass didn't get sore like it did last time sitting on a hard wooden stool. Our waitress today was not as engaging as our last waitperson from a few weeks ago. The hostess is awesome just as she was last time. The only thing that wasn't great were the Jonah crab; extremely small & not the best tasting. I have had great Jonah crabs in the past while living in Florida. See you next go around

Had a little time to kill prior to a dinner reservation and there is no better way to spend it than…read moretrying a bit of wine. Que up Blue Lobster Urban Winery and enjoy a great spot to quench that wine thirst. I have to say was intrigued by the whole wine in the can scenario, but the selection does not disappoint and the atmosphere is enjoyable at this location. Staff was extremely friendly with quick service. Normally food truck supported and have some interesting night festivities from time to time (salsa night for example). Definitely worth checking out and enjoying a sip!

This place is super chill, especially on a Sunday afternoon when they have live jazz. We didn't try…read morethe charcuterie truck but we all liked the wine choices. Perfect for summer lyrical libations in this alcohol alcove of Portland. Despite being in cans, the friendly helpful bartenders will let you taste first, too.

The staff is delightful and great you as you enter Angoor. They are excited to show you have to…read moreuse the facilities to try out their different wines and order snacks. The bar is clean, modern and the machines are fun. It was great to be able to get small servings of different wines and then a larger serving when you found something you like. But I found the wine servings to be expensive for the wines they were offering, and the selection had a limited variety that did not cover most of the wines that I prefer. So, I am still looking for the perfect wine bar in Portland.

I think Angoor's sweet spot is going to be with: a) people…read morewho know nothing about wine but are curious about learning more, b) people who know they like wine but don't want to spend money on full bottles to find their favorite, when a place like this offers "sample" sizes, c) longtime locals looking for something novel, d) bachelorette parties, e) corporate day trips, f) tourists staying at the very nearby Residence Inn. THE SPACE I agree with other reviewers both on Yelp and other platforms (sometimes we think what's being said here is isolated, when it's not): it's an immaculate space, yes, but also very sterile. There's no character or charm or distinct personality atmospherically: it's a white room with white marble tables and seven mini silver "kegoraters" (for lack of a better explanation) that dispense the wines. THE MENU When I visited, all the wines offered were listed on a packet of stapled together 8x11 papers (that had been previously written on by other customers): the font was tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiny and there was SO MUCH information to read about each one. I wonder if there's a more pithy way to share this because it's overwhelming as is - I would think especially to people new to wine. THE EXPERIENCE When you arrive you hand over your credit card and you are given a wine card. Walk up to any of the dispensers, tap your wine card on the machine (there's a little sensor on the left hand side by the first screen of the machine), then select the size pour you want (2, 4, or 6 oz) from the screen above the wine you want. The wine comes out *VERY* quickly after you make your decision, so make sure your wine glass is under the nozzle it needs to be. When you're finished, walk up to the counter, hand them the wine card, and they'll charge the credit card you gave them!

Had a lovely Galicia Spain wine flight (can also make alterations for other wines on the menu if…read morepreferred) with thorough explanations provided for each wine and the process involved for creating the wine and mixture based on the region. Intimate lowkey atmosphere with peaceful music for a quiet speaking ambiance, absolutely will recommend to others on their visit to Portland!

We have been to Grippy many times over the last few years and absolutely love the vibes! A wine bar…read morebut more an experience, from the walls of wine to the knowledge of Lindsey this spot is spectacular. Further, I reached out to Grippy to procure a pairing for a private dinner celebrating a Birthday. Lindsey went above and beyond to coordinate with the Chef, find a great mix of wines that paired PERFECTLY with all courses we had! Cannot give a higher kudos and recommendation for Grippy Tannins to anyone looking for a wine stop in Portland!

My partner and I finally decided to try this spot after walking past it several times. The interior…read moreis quite chic, with barstool seating and a selection of wines. Everything is self-serve: you get your own water and cutlery, order at the front, and they bring the food out to you. We ordered the "weird little salad" for $10 and two pepperoni pizzas for $18 each, one with a hot honey add-on (additional $2). I didn't love the "weird little salad," since it was a strange clash of flavors of textures (perhaps as advertised?), but my main gripe is that it was extremely tiny, basically the size of a ring dish, barely enough for one person. We enjoyed the pizza, which was on the oilier side but yummy. Overall, though, we left the place feeling underwhelmed. For two pizzas and a tiny bit of salad, the bill came out to over $60, which felt like a lot given the casual barstool seating and the lack of sit-down service. For a quick bite in a time crunch, maybe I'd come back again, but otherwise, I'll probably stick to Portland's many other great offerings.

An easy five-star review. Pizza was fantastic. I had a simple cheese pizza and my friend had the…read morebarbecue chicken. Both were cooked and seasoned to perfection. Service was fast and friendly. Dining room is clean and comfortable. Crowded but not cluttered. Banana pudding dessert was interesting.

It's always unfortunate and sad to write a re-review for a spot that is a favorite that will be…read moreclosing. Gross Confection recently announced on social media they would be shutting down the bar/desserts service while remaining open as a bakery. My wife and I came here many a times for an end cap to the night for one last drink and delicious and beautifully made desserts. From times in their dimly lit space that gave off romantic vibes or even enjoying our desserts in the summer sun outside people watching, every time will be remembered. Timing worked out well and we were doing a staycation in Portland and knew we needed to add a stop here one last time. Thankfully we got our names in on the waiting list early enough Friday and got sat as one of the last tables. We each had one last phenomenal drink; my wife and Apricot 75 that had a great tart kick of apricot and lemon. While I enjoyed their Chai Fashioned which spelt like a chai but had that boozy bourbon warming you'd expect. Dessert wise everything sounded good as always but we settled on two. The Goat Cheesecake and Pineapple Cake. The cheesecake was the perfect sweetness without being cloying and the blueberry sorbet on top paired so well. The pineapple cake was moist and tasted so good we needed to scrap the plate clean. I'm sad that Portland is losing this amazing dessert space but glad it's not a complete goodbye since they'll operate the bakery still! If you somehow read this today and have the chance make it in for one last visit tonight before they close their doors!

It is a bar, but with the highest quality dessert. They do not serve non- dessert food…read more This was my 2nd time there. Loved it again. Great service, cozy atmosphere, open later (we went after 9pm), great selection of desserts.

Holy cow beer lists of beer lists. Great atmosphere for a bar. Basement Bar with great food faire…read more The bartenders are great at making the rounds and giving flavor tasting. We enjoyed a couple pints. Samuel Smith Winter Welcome and Naiad Boline Black Farmhouse Ale.

Novare Res is a convenient and inviting space to get beers with friends while out in Portland. I…read morealways enjoy my time drinking at Novare. The menu is expansive and inclusive, but ovewhelming and the food that I've had the few times I've ventured that far has not been as good as I was anticipating. I have heard good things about their food from other people though, so I guess I'll just have to keep trying!

Loved everything about this restaurant. The decor was…read morecostal casual with wood beam accents, a rustic feel. The service was on point. Our server was very helpful and attentive. I dont eat seafood but I keep trying .He gave me a couple of suggestions and explained why he picked the dishes he suggested. I ended up ordering the carrot appetizer. It had a middle eastern flair, the flavors popped and it was one of my favorite dishes while in Portland. My entree was the potato crusted cod over a lemon cream shaved brussel sprout sauce. The cod was mild and flakes. The lemon brussel sprout mixture was delicious. This dish made me a fan of cod. I also added the garlic butter rolls. I saw them going by and they were a great add on. Soft, warm with delicious melted herb butter. Scales is a winener on every point. Definitely a must go to.

Unfortunately Scales did not live up to the hype for us. While we were seated right away at 7pm for…read moreour reservation, the rest of the service during the evening could have been better. Our server described to us the specials for appetizers but never said anything about entree specials (maybe there weren't any?). We ordered the cloverleaf rolls, a cup of clam chowder, a cup of lobster bisque, and the maine mussels before our entrees. Both the clam chowder and the lobster bisque were just ok.. nothing special. The bisque was too sweet and had very little lobster. The mussels were the highlight of the meal. The sauce of cider, mustard and dill was very interesting and had deep flavor. The bread served with the mussels was also delicious. The cloverleaf rolls were great too, but perhaps a little too soggy/greasy from the butter at the bottom of the skillet. For our entrees we had the scallops and the halibut. The scallops were delicious- nicely seared and served with mushrooms and a green pea sauce which was bright and flavorful. The halibut however was not my favorite. The fish itself was cooked very well with a crispy skin, but it was swimming in brown butter and hazelnuts and lacked depth of flavor. It also seemed like an odd choice of flavors for a spring menu. It was served with potatoes that needed a bit more salt. We were too full for dessert and also didn't finish our meals. We sat around for a fairly long time not touching our meals without the server checking on us. Eventually we had to flag them down to get boxes and pay the check. While the ambiance was very nice, for the price and the reputation we expected more. Everything else we have eaten in Portland so far has been fantastic so it was a bit of a letdown.