My wife and I have been to Chaval a few times in our lives, twice in recent memory. One of our most…read morerecent trips was for a cooking class, the other was for dinner. In the Paella cooking class, we really enjoyed the intimate instruction that Chef Damien and Bartender Asher. The class was informative and very fun - and the food & cocktails were delightful! When we returned a few weeks later for dinner, our impression of Chaval (the staff and the food) didn't skip a beat. We sat at the bar and had a really enjoyable evening. This is a great place for date-night, a celebration or just an excuse to go out and enjoy what Portland's local cuisine has to offer!

We celebrated our 50th anniversary at Chaval, a party of 10. The entire family style menu was…read moreterrific, start to finish. The special cake order did not disappoint. It was delicious. The staff was wonderful and attentive. We had small children in the party and they were very patient with them. My only negative is their private room. There's little about it that says inviting. I felt like we were in a storage room in the basement. Chaval waitstaff were up and down the stairs constantly replenishing wine and whatever it is that's stored down stairs. The room is very narrow and unappealing. If you are booking a special occasional , pray for a nice day and sit on their patio. Aside from lack of ambiance the cocktails/appetizers/dinner and dessert were spot on! Thanks to the staff for a memorable evening. Oh and thanks to our kids for this special treat.

Perfect anniversary dinner spot! We came here on a Friday night with reservations to sit inside. It…read morewas better than I imagined! First, the building is fabulous. Small outdoor area for summer nights. The indoors has a little bar area where you can see the chefs in the kitchen hard at work. Then there is a smaller and intimate room of tables with paintings and photographs on the wall. They had this delightful set of photographs of each employee and what they bring to the table. I thought it was a beautiful display of the team. Next, the food! Between the two of us we shared the tuna and mussels appetizers, the schnitzel and steak and frites for the main, and amazing cocktails. Each dish was unique and delicious! This place makes nearly everything from scratch. And I was informed that in the Winter they have a burger and fries special on Thursday nights. We are already excited to come back here and try more dishes! I highly recommend this place to bring guests and celebrate special occasions.

The staff were so rude that we didn't even stay. We may not…read morelive here and for the mold of regulars but we are still here for an enjoyable meal and to spend money. Sadly recommended by our hotel in old Port and drove out here for terrible service.

The place is gorgeous with a red ceiling and nice decorations throughout. Our server, Seth, was on…read moretop of everything. We enjoyed oysters, a few small plates, a few heartier ones, and the dessert souffle and sundae. The drinks were well made also. Alex, the owner, was there that night and got to take a pic with her. As a party of four, we made reservations and sat at two small tables pulled together. The bar looked fun, but the seats looked a bit uncomfortable for shorter folks. We will come back to give it a try. Side note - We missed the entrance when looking for it earlier. It's next to the Insomniac cookie place.

Elizabeth is one of those restaurants where I had a very good experience but am in no rush to go…read moreback. The Great: -The atmosphere, saturated by red, is stunning. I always prefer bar seating and that's the predominant option. This is a restaurant meant for parties of 1-3, which I love. -If I've ever had better halibut, I can't remember where. The Flétan en Papillote was impeccable. Stuffed with clams and smothered with an impossibly rich sauce, I'm still dreaming of this dish. The portion size is fine too. -The Souffle gets raves, and they are well deserved. I've had very few souffle experiences in my life but this is the best. A huge portion of rich custard and pistachio ice cream that you won't want to share. -Our bartender (who is also an actress) was exceptionally excellent. The Not-So-Great: -When you price your restaurant in the same range as Scales, I'd much rather go to Scales. There's just better places in this price range, for both food and drinks. There's one glass of wine that is $13 and the rest are $14-$18. Cocktails are the same price, and are ok, but there's numerous better spots. A $230 all-in dinner for two can be had at many Old Port restaurants and I don't think Elizabeth is one of the very best. Also, the online menu prices are not accurate. That amazing Halibut was $44. -Not everything on the menu is a winner. The Cigarettes et Caviar was just a few bites for $27. It was mostly tasteless. The steak tartare was not one of the better versions I've had. Woodford F&B for instance, does it much better. Elizabeth is a good restaurant and deserving of the 4 stars. But they've priced themselves to compete with the best, and I'm not confident they are there yet. Still, if you're craving French food I'd recommend.

We ordered many of the tapas items on the main menu. The cucumber salad and the scallops were the…read moretables favorite. I would recommend ordering two scallops if you have a group of 5, as the serving was small. For 5 of us we ordered about 10 dishes and felt like we got a good sample of each menu item.

We came in near kitchen closing time, our apologies. We ordered quickly, atmosphere, service and…read morethe bartender was all impeccable. I found my bucatini dry, and lacking the advertised lump crab, considering it was a $34 plate it was disappointing but not something to mention at the end of the night

Fantastic food, happy servers, labor of love. Side street delight, Not many 'sit downs' in Portland…read morefor breakfast, this one made the grade, air conditioned in summer. Try it.

NOBODY TOLD ME. Nobody told me that Nom Cafe is one of the best spots for brunch in Portland's Arts…read moreDistrict, with some of the yummiest and most unique breakfast food? A Balkan-inspired menu? Come on. I finally tried it and I'm already counting down until I go back. I was expecting casual counter service and your typical breakfast food. I was so wrong. We were greeted by the warmest staff, who let us pick our own table. We sat by the windows, which was perfect for the morning sunlight; exactly what we wanted. The menu is eastern European with some Spanish touches (think huevos rotos and patatas bravas). Books featuring Bulgarian photography and other eastern European countries were scattered around the space, it was a lovely touch. The service was just as great as the food. My hot coffee came in the cutest mug and our waitress kept refilling it without being asked. The mekitsi and parzhen were phenomenal, with the parzhen being my favorite. The spreads they came with... I wanted to bottle those and take them home. My husband had the patatas bravas and I had the shakshuka, and we added kyufteh to both, this incredible in-house sausage that was 10/10 (it was a little spicy!). Everything was phenomenal and the portions were generous. If you're not feeling adventurous, they also have traditional eggs and omelettes, all with a little twist and somewhat elevated. Their drinks menu was impressive too if you're into a fancy coffee. Can't recommend this place enough. I shall be back!

We came in to grab a quick drink and sat at the bar. The bartender made our drinks well and quick,…read moreand they were delicious. The vibe of the restaurant was neat and would consider going back there to eat.

Came here while on a trip to Portland! Saw mixed ratings on Yelp but decided to stop in anyway…read more So glad we did! We had a lovely time with the sweetest server. Food was so good, I took it back to our hotel to save for a midnight snack. Between two, we each enjoyed a cocktail, shared the house foccacia (so pillowy and soo good), and ordered the bolognese and the spaghetti with meatball. We can confidently say, we had more than enough food. The bolognese was so meaty and hearty but I'd have to say the spaghetti was my favorite. I really enjoyed the flavors and it had the right balance of salty and sweet for my palate.

We loved the food here! The fish was amazing. The restaurant is beautiful with lots of pretty…read moreflowers. Our server was very kind and helpful. We'd definitely eat here again!

What a great meal and the service was great. The pasta is all fresh made. The gnocchi was devine…read moreand was the pesto ravioli. Even the bread was warm and comforting. One thing to note. The portions are small (think tapas) but that's because you're supposed to share and eat family style. We have 4 people, had 4 entrees and 2 apps and it was enough for all of us

Stopped in at Bread and Olive for a couple of glasses of wine and some appetizers, and it did not…read moredisappoint. Our server, Tina, was fantastic--attentive and quick, making sure we had everything we needed. The wine was delicious, and the appetizers were just as impressive. We tried the scallops and a mushroom pâté, which was absolutely amazing--true standouts. This is a cozy, intimate spot with a short but quality menu, making it ideal for a quiet weekday meal if you're craving something homemade and comforting.

If you're looking for a VERY strong martini for around $12 bucks... Bread & Olive has it. They're…read moreopen until 11pm; annnnnd, I'm pretty sure they serve food that late too (which is a rarity in this city). The bartender/server/basically-everything the night I came was hustling. She was handling a room full of people, including a very large party, all by herself and was gooooooooooood at it. She made my martini extra filthy dirty; she had all the answers for all our questions. For me, there's not much of an atmosphere or vibe or ambiance. It feels like it's catering to an older crowd who doesn't need that, just a place they can have a drink off peninsula and be a little loud about it. It's definitely not a destination spot for anyone looking up "12/24/48 hours in Portland, ME" so if you want to avoid those tourists altogether, this would be a safe spot. Also, if you're vegan, there's not really much to eat. I mean, there's olives, but they're purple (and, I don't know, but I think the green ones are always better)!