Nice and cozy spot for happy hour at our hotel It was dreary and cold outside and we didn't really want to brave the elements to go outside for happy hour. So we wimped out and checked into our hotel's bar instead. Glad we did, since the beer was good and had a great time just chillin. It was a perfect cap to our fun pack mini vacay! read more

Inkwell - a living room with a long wooden table and orange chairs - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

The Inkwell serves as the in-house bar and lounge for The Press Hotel. Since we stayed at The Press during our most recent trip to Portland, we were always passing it by during our city explorations. One of our nights we didn't have solid dinner plans nor were we super hungry, so we decided to head downstairs for a drink and some snacky snacks. The Inkwell serves as a coffee bar in the mornings and a cocktail lounge/small plates eatery in the evenings. There are a number of booths, couches, and tables which are contiguous with the general seating area in the lobby, so it doesn't really have its own space per se but it still works. I infer that most of their food comes from Union, which is located in the hotel (I dined at Union too and noticed some of the small plates at The Inkwell were listed as apps on Union's menu). Their evening menu has a nice variety of drinks and small plates, as well as a good wine and beer list. I had two cocktails - the Downtown Honey and the Ginger Sunrise. Both were great - smooth with bold flavor. We also ordered a couple of small plates: the cheese and charcuterie and the goat cheese arancini. These were both pretty good - the charcuterie was a little sloppy I'll be honest, but since this was more of a lounge setting it didn't bother me. The arancini were good, the goat cheese taste was subtle but they had a great mouthfeel. Service was great, the bartender was on point and super friendly. Overall, The Inkwell was great. I wouldn't say it was a destination spot in Portland, but if you're staying in The Press or are looking for some good cocktails this is a sure place. read more

Inkwell - Downtown Honey - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

$1 oysters, $5 mini lobster rolls, $5 wine and $2 beers?? Yes, please! I love happy hours and The Inkwell has a fabulous one. They even encourage reservations, which is great because me and my family were able to get a booth table. Are they the best oysters? No, but still fresh and is an excellent appetizer for dinner at Union down the hallway. The happy hour wine was great too and were a great pairing to the oysters. The mini lobster rolls were generously filled and tasty. The service was fantastic. My husband and I never had an empty glass. The place is super clean and socially distant. Wish we were able to come back again during this trip. read more

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I LOVE the vibe of The Inkwell at The Press Hotel. Some drinks have been better than others, but generally speaking I've enjoyed my times there. The raw oysters offered recently were delicious! I had a dozen of them and would have had more, if we'd had more time. It's generally a quiet environment that's relaxed and great for chatting! There's always something to watch out the windows, if you're alone or having a pensive moment. Parking isn't always easy, but the hotel does have valet parking (idk if they do it for the Inkwell or not). I'll definitely be back again soon! read more

Inkwell - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

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- good drinks - good specials - the bartender has skills - 5$ lobster roll during happy hour, can't beat that - nice place to watch the game - they close at 11 read more

I recommend this place for everyone visiting Portland. The customer service was absolutely fantastic as well as the food. The $1 oysters were big and juicy and the $10 lobster roll was decent. The dill chips went well with the $6 happy hour rose. The atmosphere was great and there's street parking. Note that the inkwell is at the lobby of the press hotel so the space is small, make sure to call for a reservation before going. The phone number on yelp/google is incorrect, call the press hotel instead. Covid menu: https://qrcgcustomers.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/account8794173/8568667_4.pdf?0.850134125878391 read more

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My fiancé and I were staying at the Press Hotel, and when we arrived in our room, we heard there was a happy hour downstairs. We headed into The Inkwell, were seated a safe distance from others and started with a couple of amazing cocktails. They're simple but packed with flavor and all at a great value. The happy hour prices are honestly pretty insane, so we ordered quite a bit. The house made chips are perfect, the aracini was delicious and we event went in on some oysters, which were extremely fresh and came with a great blueberry sauce. Overall, the food was delicious, the drinks were great and the service was fantastic. Everyone was so kind and warm. We were lucky enough to be in when Colleen was there, a food and beverage director. She's a gem and made the experience that much better! read more

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We were waiting for our room today and got a little food and drink. The charcuterie was wonderful and the oysters for happy hour prices are delicious. Tam our bartender handled a very busy bar with adroit cheeriness. It made waiting pretty pleasant. And for 2.00 an oyster one can't complain. Nice ambience in the lobby of the Press. read more

The seating in the Lobby of the Press Hotel and close to the bar hub in that same lobby, that is The Inkwell, is lovely and varied. There are big sprawling couch sections. There is a cozy table (with a big scrabble game) in front of a fireplace, and there are high top booths tucked into the corner. The staff working the bar at The Inkwell are nice, and there seemed to be a few beer, wine and snack specials, constituting a kind of a "soft" happy hour, early on a Thursday evening. We enjoyed ourselves. As The Inkwell became more and more crowded though, it was difficult for the staff to keep up. This is no fault of the staff, but I would urge the hotel to send over some help when the place really fills up. In terms of bar snacks, The pretzel-too small for sharing The flatbread-Medium sized, was possible to share a small bit with everyone Pigs in a blanket-A special that night. Red snap "Maine" hot dogs in puff pastry on a bed of coarse mustard-a hit! The hummus- Our favorite! Generous and easy to share, ask for more flatbread right from the start! Overall, a lovely setting to catch up with friends after work! read more

What a fantastic experience it was! I knew about oyster& lobster roll special from 4-7 so I booked a table in advance. The lobster rolls ($5 each) were so great that I got a few. Presentation of oysters was on point, with $1 per each I savored over a dozen. Draft beers& cider were just 3$ each. Food was wonderful, service was extra friendly. Loved it read more

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Inkwell is such a nice lounge! We got the lobster roll with chips ($12). First time I had a lobster roll, and it was delicious; I am hooked. The bread was nicely buttered and toasted (think grilled cheese) and the lobster pieces were huge. We also got the house wine for $6 and the rotating draft of the day for $3. Overall, it was a very nice happy hour and our waiter was amazing. read more

Inkwell - Lobster roll - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

Cute little bar with great happy hour specials. Good wines. Exciting foods. Nice bartender. Great place to meet a friend and hang on the comfy chairs. read more

We used this space for a First Amendment themed Conversation Group and found the environment to be extremely pleasant. The staff was friendly and accommodating. The small pastry selection was delicious. The tea was good. The coffee was good. The other patrons were smiling and enjoying themselves. And when we were wrapping up our meetup, we were given a sampling of their remarkable Bloody Mary's. Thank you, Inkwell, for a terrific experience! read more

A limited offering of sides and drinks, but a comfortable and easy atmosphere and upscale venue for a casual gathering or agter work hey together. The hotel is top notch and ales you feel special. read more

I hate giving a place two stars but when I went to The Inkwell to experience the new Press Hotel bar I was, to put it nicely, underwhelmed. When you first walk in there is a very interesting wall design with type-writers hanging all over the place. I've never seen this before so this was intriguing and set my hopes high. Aside from the interesting wall art they even had a trio playing jazz, even better! I head towards the bar in an attempt to find something delicious to sip. They weren't extremely busy (maybe 8 other people there total) and it took a little while for me to be greeted and given a menu. Granted I was standing, but I was planning on taking my drink back to a table top to enjoy the music. They had a diminished cocktail list and nothing stood out to me. Being adventurous I tried a coffee / espresso cocktail. I was shortly after that informed they were missing one of the components (second night open and you're missing a cocktail component?) but he could make it anyway. I should have ordered something else, but went ahead. 25 minutes later, and with help, the cocktail was completed and we were happily on our way out of there. I see they have completely different cocktails listed on their site so I'm assuming they made some cocktail changes since the opening. I'm interested in trying this spot again but there are far too many good cocktail bars in Portland now. To be safe, if I were you, I'd go with wine or beer. Good atmosphere but definitely overpriced, the ambiance does not warrant $12 cocktails. read more

Inkwell - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Drinks were good. we came to hear Travis James Humphrey play because he is a great entertainer and musician. Service was mediocre because I had stand in front of the bar for a long time to get service and the bartender poured the wrong whiskey but by that time I was happy to get the drinks. Later I had to keep reminding him that I ordered a glass of wine besides my cocktail on the second round. Food options are limited. We'll come again to hear Travis but he also plays at other venues like Dogfish that are better and less pricey. read more

This bar has a FANTASTIC Happy Hour. We were staying at the Press hotel upstairs and popped down for a 5pm wine before our Sailing Cruise. Check their website for specials but when we went, HH was between 4-7pm, and offered $5 wines, $2 drafts and $5 lobster rolls. At this point of our New England trip I've had 1-2 lobster rolls a day and I must say - this mini lobster roll was one of the best I've had. For $5! Service was excellent, ambience was chill, unpretentious. This place deserves a better rating. read more

Inkwell - Lobster roll and Sauvignon Blanc - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

So with all these 4 and 5 star reviews I will assume we hit this place on an off night. Stopped by around 10 before heading up to the room. Tried to order an expresso martini but the bartender said she was only serving beer and wine. My companion ordered an Allagash and was told it was the last one. Bartender said she had no bar back to replenish anything. So when that beer was finished he asked what others were available. Bartender said one was a sour and the other was some thanksgiving flavored beer that no seems to like. So we cashed out and called it a night. I thought at the hotel checkin we were told there was food available until 11, if so we weren't offered a menu. So overall a terrible experience. read more

In a town of great cocktail bars, this is laughable. First, they do NOT have a cocktail menu anymore. Huh? Every good bar has a list of speciality drinks that they love to make; but not here. They apparently can't be bothered. Telling me that they have "a full bar" doesn't cut it, honey. The whole atmosphere is underwhelming, despite a real opportunity to make this a special place. In addition, the bartenders were not exactly friendly or extra-welcoming, and acted like I was a nuisance. While the hotel is super cool and the bar area cozy, they are missing a great opportunity to take their performance and concept up a few notches -- and that's too bad. read more

Great atmosphere. Laid back. Drinks are spot on. Perfect for a late-night snack. Friendly staff. Casual--not crowded. Try the cookies and candies plate. So good! read more