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    Franciska Wine Bar

    4.5 (16 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM

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    Flan
    George M.

    Stopped by on a Wednesday for Restaurant Week. Firstly, they actually had a bargain priced special menu, 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!

    MacKenzie S.

    I can't rave enough about this place. It is very small and the vibe inside is perfect. The staff was beyond friendly and our lovely waitress explained each wine to us so wonderfully (even though I was struggling to find the proper wine words). The food was impeccable. We came here for pre drinks prior to dinner and I immediately wished we just stayed here for dinner. The wine was some of the best I've ever had. I wish I lived in Portland because I would be a regular here.

    Beet Salad
    Stacey S.

    My husband and I ate here with another couple on the first day of our vacation last week and we're both still talking about it. It was fantastic! I felt like we were dining at a beautiful little restaurant in a European city. The ambience is lovely. We were there on a Tuesday night and every table was occupied. I'm glad we made reservations, I'm not sure if we would have been able to get a table. Our server was very knowledgeable about their extensive wine list. I wasn't familiar with some of the wines so she made some recommendations throughout the night. We tried a couple reds and a rose, all perfect with our food choices. The food was incredible! Bread service started with sourdough and a side of soft, easy to spread, salted butter. The small plates were sized just right for sharing. We tried the beet salad first. I thought I died and went to heaven. If you like beets, this is a must try. We also tried the empanadas, the pastry shell was buttery deliciousness with a meat filling that had a slight kick. They were very good. We tried the mussels next. Had I been eating home alone, I would have drank the garlic broth from the bowl. Outstanding flavor! For our entrees, I had the halibut, best I've had in a long time. It was cooked perfectly with a side of roasted fingerling potatoes. My husband had the steak dish. He loved it. I tried it, too, and felt the same. We finished with the homemade flan. It was just right, not too sweet or syrupy. I am so happy we gave this place a chance! We can't wait to go back!

    Burrata San Daniele (with prosciutto and romesco on toast)
    Elena P.

    Wow wow wow, just had my favorite meal thus far in Portland. Excellent service. Cute setup and decor, making the most of a small space. Excellent (and interesting!) wine list. Luscious small plates that we ordered many of and made a meal (great portions to share). Portland needs more gems like this with excellent small plates and wine lists so groups can share and truly enjoy breaking bread together. If I had to give a note, the pasta dish needed salt, but truly everything was beautiful, scrumptious, and service was great. We probably tried 8-10 different wines and not a single one disappointed. Already looking forward to returning! An excellent addition to the Portland food scene.

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    2 months ago

    Amazing food, service and wine. Have been here many times and it never disappoints. One of the hidden gems in Portland.

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    9 months ago

    Amazing spot. The wine list is amazing, food is delicious, and the staff is very hospitable. Highly recommend.

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    Via Vecchia

    Via Vecchia

    4.2
    (476 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    This was the perfect restaurant to start our Portland trip off with. We were seated at a lovely…read moretable in the corner. We had a reservation. The ambiance is very moody and sexy. Perfect for a date night! Our server, Hannah, was great. She suggested an excellent bottle of wine that complimented all of our dishes. Customer service was a solid 10/5! This is a place to definitely add to your Portland dining list! To start, all of the dishes were wonderful portions and could easily be shared between two people. Which I absolutely love because I enjoy trying as many things as I possibly can! Arancini: This was a great starter. Absolutely delicious. I have yet to meet an arancini that I don't love. 5/5. Caesar Salad: A perfect dish that is light and necessary before getting into a heavy entree. The salad was crisp, delicious, very fresh, and a must order. 5/5. Scallop Risotto: This was a large position that had scallops in every bite! It wasn't too heavy, was not too salty, and you could taste the freshness in the ingredients. Dessert is not pictured, but it is worth ordering! The entire dessert menu was excellent!

    I don't typically write a lot of reviews but when I do, it is about an experience that was either…read morereally impressive or hugely disappointing. So here goes... My daughter had been wanting to go to Via Vecchia for a while but couldn't afford it on a college student's income. So we went during my visit. My hopes were high as we walked in--a beautiful glass enclosure at the entrance that was draped with ceiling to floor ivy; an intimate but lively atmosphere; and an offering of creative cocktails...my enthusiasm quickly vanished when our appetizers arrived. We ordered the focaccia, grilled octopus, and Caesar salad. The focaccia was soggy and flavorless. Even the olive oil that accompanied the bread was flavorless. The grilled octopus was another disappointment--there were more cloves of garlic than pieces of octopus. And what little octopus was there, a third of it was charred to black. Thankfully, the Caesar salad was fresh and fairly tasty. Ironically the focaccia croutons were the highlight of the salad. Then the entrees arrived--chicken Marsala and a spicy shrimp pasta in cream sauce (can't remember the name of the dish). My daughter liked the second dish enjoying the slight kick of whatever pepper/spice was used in the recipe. For me, it was just okay. The biggest disappointment however was the chicken Marsala--the gnocchi was overcooked, the entire dish itself was too salty, and the chicken--overcooked in some parts and fairly tender in others--tasted like it came out of a can. Quite honestly, I don't know what all the hype is about. This restaurant is mediocre at best. Perhaps the cocktails numb everyone's tastebuds to the overly salty but otherwise bland dishes. It was not worth the money and I would never go again. If this is the best that Portland has to offer by way of fine Italian dining, I'd say it's time Portland redefined the meaning of "fine".

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    More seating
    More seating
    Caesar Salad
    Caesar Salad
    Interior

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    Interior
    Central Provisions

    Central Provisions

    4.3
    (1.4k reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$$

    Great tapas spot in the downtown area! Had such a lovely waiter too during our visit. Liked all the…read moresavory dishes too, each with its own distinct taste! Ranking: 1) Spicy beef salad 2) Suckling pig 3) Pinkytoe crab 4) Lobster pasta 5) Bone marrow toast The desserts were nothing special but I did like the strawberry white chocolate one. The rhubarb one was meh personally; tasted like yogurt I could eat from the grocery store.

    We were happy with the service and speed at which the small plates were delivered to us however…read morethere was a small instance where we got a dish we didn't order (not pictured and it was the special). The lemon sole (fish) and octopus carpaccio (not pictured) were filled with flavor! The pork belly was very underwhelming and I would not order again. The waiter said 2-4 plates per person. I recommend starting on the lower end and adding additional dishes based on how you're feeling. The amount of food was very different from dish to dish. For example the tuna dip had way too much bread and the pork belly was very small in size. Overall I was half impressed. I wish the staff would take a moment to announce the plate as it's placed next to you or point it out on the menu for those hard of hearing and wanting to know what they are about to enjoy. However the music, overall restaurant vibe and half the dishes exploding with flavor made my experience pleasant and I will return again knowing a bit more of what to expect and looking at photos of the menu/meal options beforehand.

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    Open kitchen
    Open kitchen
    CP Frites
    CP Frites
    Cold Fashioned

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    Cold Fashioned
    Scales

    Scales

    4.3
    (1.3k reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$$

    I really enjoyed my dinner here at Scales in downtown Portland, ME. The restaurant is tucked away…read morefrom the main street and located on the water. It's very popular and busy, so I highly encourage you to make a reservation ahead of time. The restaurant is dimly lit with lovely tea lights strewn throughout. The dining area has a very warm feel with a clear view of kitchen, where you can watch the staff expertly prepare your food. I was seated at the bar, which isn't my favorite place to sit for a meal, but it was still nice. The bartender who took care of us was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. He also made the BEST Shirley Temple I've ever had. The menu offers a wide array of seafood and meat dishes. The oysters on the half shell seemed to be very popular amongst diners. My husband and I enjoyed the New England Cornbread, Salt Cod Croquettes, Baked Haddock (me), Seafood Stew (him) and the Blueberry & Vanilla Mousse Cake. Each item was so, so good! If you're looking for a high end restaurant to enjoy while in Portland, definitely try Scales.

    Came here after seeing multiple tiktoks and high rated reviews, but sadly my experience did not…read morematch up with what I saw online. The restaurant itself is stunning. I loved that it was right by the harbor and you could see the ocean right outside. I felt like the service was pretty standard, but the food was disappointing. We got the cornbread and the fried squid with cherry peppers to start. We also ordered the halibut ceviche, the fish and chips, and the seared scallops. The corn bread was decent at best. The butter it was paired with was good, but overall the dish was nothing special. (6/10) The fried squid with cherry peppers was one of the better dishes of the night. The squid was well cooked and tender. I liked the thin and cripsy batter on the squid and the peppers. The sour/sweet taste of the peppers with the squid paired well and I liked all the sauces it came with as well. (7.5/10) The halibut ceviche was not what I expected at all. The halibut was bland and very chewy. The dish was more like a crudo than a ceviche. Though the fish was fresh it was not representative of a ceviche. (4/10) The fish and chips were also a disappointment. The fish batter was way too thick for my liking though the fish inside was perfectly cooked. I also was not a fan of the beer batter itself. The fries were too salty. The best thing on the plate was the tartar sauce. (5/10) The scallops were super tender and cooked perfectly. I liked the bits of bacon and mushroom on the plate as well. The plating is also stunning. The flavors of this dish were the best out of everything we tried. (8.8/10) Overall, the restaurant is gorgeous and feels upscale and the service is decent, but the food was a let-down for me. At this high of a price point, I just expected the flavors/ quality of the dishes to be better. Though there were some good dishes, the majority of the food we had was not on par with other seafood restaurants I have tried. We could have just gotten the wrong things, but I wouldn't go back based on my experience.

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    Beautiful !
    Beautiful !
    Endive & Stilton Salad
    Endive & Stilton Salad
    Buckwheat brownie

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    Buckwheat brownie

    Franciska Wine Bar - wine_bars - Updated August 2026

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