Very limited menu, a couple of nice special cocktails, and service was pretty good. The cold spicy noodles were a big hit, as were the burgers. The smashed cucumber salad was very spicy, but tasty. Lots of seating outside and inside. read more

Paper Tiger - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

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I came here for a friend's birthday celebration a week ago. I had seen other reviews and had been wanting to try. The hostess and wait staff were super friendly. It's a very young crowd vibe. We ordered about half the menu and everything was awesome. We got 2 orders of the Four Roast Oysters. My party thought these were the standout. We also got the Coconut Wings, Szechuan Green Beans, Poutine. Some buns and the stir fry pork belly thing. There wasn't one dish I would not get again. The prices seemed slightly inflated on some of the dishes like the beans but they still tasted great! read more

Apparently no relation to the amazing Paper Tiger in Austin, the first thing it has going for it is that all it has to top is a Five Guys and some ill-fated lobster shack thing that previously held the space. We popped in on an off-season weeknight so were able to sit at the bar. I can tell they have been extremely busy out of the gate for a couple reasons: the staff was "curt" and direct and it wasn't so much a casual bar seating as, "you sit here", both of which I'm sure were from dealing with busy nights and trying to utilize all seats before it gets that way. We moved to a window seat which is prime people watching on Fore Street. Anyhow, brass tacks. The drink menu is creative, fun, and delicious and I appreciate a $12 average pricetag as opposed to $15. The raw oysters (Flying Point? Can't remember) were expertly shucked and very fresh/good. The roasted oysters I didn't enjoy as much but that's probably me. The Papaya salad (Tiger Salad) was interesting, felt healthy and refreshing and was pretty dang spicy. The fried chicken sandwich was expertly constructed and a nice take, especially with the bacon/mango jam. Fries, delish. What I really enjoy most about this Paper Tiger is that while many new establishments are relying on lots of small plates that leave you hungry after a $100 bill, here you can still get some of those, but you can also get a great sandwich, or an interesting entree, and the prices are not exorbitant for the quality and presentation of the food. read more

Paper Tiger - Tiger Salad - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

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A friend & I went there thanks to a price promotion. This is not REALLY a place for a meal. It has limited menu, which we found mediocre & pricey. Buttt, is you are going with single buddies for happy hour - why not? read more

After landing in a Maine, we were incredibly hungry & exhausted. We stumped upon this restaurant looking for late eats! They close at 1 am. As soon as you enter, it's such a cute tropical theme! I love the ambiance of the restaurant. Unfortunately, they only had their late night menu because it was Wednesday night. The drink menu are in kids books, which was so cool! We ordered the wings & the burger. Surprised the burger stole the show with its amazing sauce! It's probably better than an in and out burger! The wings were huge but a bit too spicy for my taste. Although the "Good day DEMA" is a virgin drink, it was delicious! The "she goes to another school" drink was too strong imo. I see why she goes to another school. From service to ambiance, definitely a cool place to check out! read more

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Great food, drinks and staff. They open at 4pm for Happy Hour specials. Had the Japanese eggplant dish which was extraordinarily delicious and my partner had a cheeseburger--also great. They have but one dessert-- chocolate/orange cake that is to die for. My only complaint: music booming from speakers as a bit too loud for conversation. Other than that, highly recommend. read more

Drinks were delicious!! Had so much fun at the paper tiger we decided to stay another night in Portland. Food was as creative and delicious as the drinks!! read more

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My husband and I wandered into Paper Tiger at the beginning of a long weekend in Portland. Atmosphere is both chill and fun, cool decor and an overall welcoming space. The GM Miles was super kind, and all of the bartenders are wildly talented. Loved it so much we came back the next day... and the next day. Staff was top notch with hospitality... recognized us and welcomed us back at the bar. A perfect place for a few rounds of drinks and small plates. Highly recommend! read more

We first went next door for a drink and they were so rude next door that we left and popped over here! instead of writing a bad review for next door I am writing a stellar one for these guys. So welcoming. Customer service was spot on. We just had a snack and drinks (that were both great!) Very fun atmosphere. Will be back! read more

Ate dinner here tonight and it was fabulous!! I loved that they were donating proceeds to a local organization. My cocktail was creative and amazing and our food was so good we didn't even get a picture of it!! The service was great and the vibe was cool. read more

Paper Tiger - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

I came in and ordered a burger. It was overpriced and not as good as I expected. It was very plain and sad. You are better off going to McDonalds for a more filling burger. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture as my phone was on low battery. read more

What a cool place. The cocktails are amazing, the food is just sooooo good and we tried the oysters as well, the server was amazing to explain all the different food and ingredients. Very cool atmosphere and great place to enjoy fantastic drinks and food. We will be back read more

Been on my "to try" list for a while. Finally made it there on a Tuesday night. It was certainly not full to capacity, but for midweek, there was a steady stream of customers coming and going. Not really my cup of tea, but the cocktail list is very interesting. Someone is quite creative in that regard. We stuck with wine and beer, Pinot Noir and Sacred Profane Dark Lager. Both were very good. I really think the small plate venue is getting saturated in the Portland area. That said I thought they did things well. We had an assortment of small plates including roasted oysters, cold sesame noodles, a garlicky greens dish, coconut shrimp and a confit duck bun. All were delicious. There is only one dessert - a coconut tres leches with passion fruit cream. It was really a tasty treat. Service was prompt and amiable. Looking forward to going back to try some of the other offerings and one of their large plates. Recommend without hesitation. read more

The food was fantastic. Each item picked paired well with each other. We opted for shared appetizers of pork wonton, green beans, eggplant, oysters, French fries, pork belly nooodles. The pork belly was so tender and flavorful. It was the first time I've had buttery tasting pork belly. Truly amazingly the veggies were sweet and salty with the eggplant and savory with the bean, tomato, feta flavor profile. The wontons were spicy. Perfectly spicy and delicious. There was a lot going on in my mouth at each bite. Heat, sweet, savory. It was an amazing meal with ambiance to match. The service was approachable and gracious. Drinks were amazing. I had a very good meal at Paper Tiger. Top 3 this year! read more

Paper Tiger - Hot Girl Lab Coat and Jumping Jack Jungleman - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

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I've been here twice and LOVE the vibes/food here. The chicken sandwhich and wings are my favorite. I love the unique combination of Asian/American mix. The wallpaper is a beautiful deep blue with tigers on it. The staff is calm and fun to have serving. Food comes out quick and tastes delicious. The music they had on that day was like a 90s pop/rap throw back and loved that during 1 of the visit. Had all the best hit classics going. The only thing is, I really wish they had the chicken sandwhich on the dinner menu available since it's only for lunch. Brussel Sprouts were cooked right nice and crispy outside but chewy on inside. The wings do have a kick to them, but it is bearable coming from someone who doesn't like anything hotter than Buffalo sauce. The prices are perfect and cheap for what your getting for quality, in my opinion. Love love love! read more

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Great food even better cocktails, very kitschy Polynesian vibe lots of Asian fusion dishes. Great spot!

Dodging the rain, we headed in (3 1/2 year old in tow), made welcome immediately. Look it's not a kids vibe here, but mid afternoon, genuinely happy to have us. The Gorgeous is a super gin cocktail. We ordered many small plates. Thumbs up for: papaya salad, wings, Brussels sprouts, wontons, cheeseburger. Service was quick, food coming out as its complete! Perfect late lunch. Feeling the cocktail. Need an espresso... read more

We only had drinks before heading out for a dinner reservation. The service was good, the ambience quirky and eclectic. I tried the porn star martini... unusual with a side car of sparkling white wine. The drink itself was quite sour - would benefit with some sweetness. Partners Manhattan in the wrong glass, too sweet. read more

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My wife and I came here for drinks and appetizers. The space itself is incredibly cool - we sat at the bar for an intimate yet casual vibe. We enjoyed the heck out of some wontons. Staff was quite friendly! Definitely will be back to explore the menu more. read more

Yumbo! The location of Paper Tiger in the middle of the main drag in Old Port area, but the ambiance makes this spot distinctive. The music playlist was jumping and drew us in! Loved the cocktails and appetizers at Paper Tiger. Staff was excellent. Fun place to kick off the night or spend the whole evening. Location on the main drag in Old Portland is adjacent to Note: Make reservations (even for the bar) Tip your servers generously! read more

I was so excited when this restaurant opened, and overall, it does not disappoint! The restaurant is small but it is extremely cute. The wallpaper is awesome, and they made great use of the space. The menu is adorably placed inside old picture books. It has several "small" share plates, none of which are very small. We typically order 3 of these small plates and just share them all, which is enough food to fill us up! We have actually never had any of the entrees, but if they are anything like the small plates, I am sure they are amazing. The drinks here are also AMAZING! Every single one that we have tried is just delicious and perfectly balanced. The only reason I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the drinks always take a very long time unless we are sitting at the bar. The cocktails are definitely craft and they do take a certain amount of time to make, but they either need to shorten the drink menu or put on more bartenders during high volume times. We have often ordered our drinks, ordered our food 15 minutes later, and then STILL had the drinks come out after the food. That being said, they are delicious and worth the wait. read more

Yes. Yes. Yes. After several misses trying to find a great meal on Portland we reserved a table. Our first round of drinks were very fun and when i asked for an off the menu last round drink they were more than happy to oblige and it was delicious. My party shared an order of Brussel Sprouts (which were crispy, caramelized perfectly and honestly didn't need the spread that came with them), Tom Kha Gai, and Curry Mussels which were both phenomenal and perfectly spiced. I would recommend ordering a side of rice for both to help you sop up the broth. The staff was also super friendly. This place is a MUST when visiting Portland. read more

This is place is going to be huge come summer time, so get there now before the hordes of tourists arrive. I had to take off one star because the night started off rocky. We came in, and they sat us by the window, and then promptly forgot about us. Almost 20 minutes went by before I finally asked the host if someone was going to take our order. To be fair, they did comp us one of our dishes for free for their error, so all was good! We had the coconut chicken, the papaya salad, jasmine rice, and the double patty hamburger. I had the Trinidad Sour as a cocktail. I thought the drink was delicious and it was a good size. So many bars and restaurants in Portland serve yummy drinks that are about two sips worth of liquid. That is not the case at Paper Tiger. The drinks are good sizes and not expensive. The coconut chicken is really a generous portion. For $11 dollars you get around five very large wings. They were nicely fried and juicy. I didn't taste much coconut flavor, though, and they would benefit for my taste to have a bit of spicier sauce. The papaya salad was great - very flavorful and nicely balanced. My Vietnamese partner would've liked it hotter, as papaya salad is in Thailand and Vietnam, but for American tastes it's just fine. I loved the burger. It was large and juicy and the fries with dip were very tasty. I will definitely come back. The specials sounded great such at the squid ink ramen and coconut chicken sandwich, and there are many drinks to explore. The restaurant isn't large, though, I counted about 40 seats. As I said, by summer time you won't be able to get into the place, especially once the outside dining opens. read more

Great food and service. We stumbled across this restaurant while walking around and was pleasantly surprised!

There's a lovely patio area, but some of the nice warm fires seem to be broken? I really enjoyed the tom kha gai rice (19$), which was lovely and creamy. The family friendly nut pun cocktail (13$) was citrusy, and as the waitress said, not too sweet, and I enjoyed it as well. I tried a little of the leather daddy cocktail and it was very interesting as well. Unfortunately, the rest of the dishes we tried were misses. The house fries (6.5$) had interesting flavor but were totally soggy. The Japanese eggplant (12$) was okay, but overly oily and a bit too salty for my taste. The poutine (14$) flavor was poorly balanced, way too much cumin. The tiger salad (11$) was way too salty. I guess the common problem was that I found everything too salty, which may be because it's meant to be bar food. The cocktails were good! So I might recommend this place primarily for cocktails rather than food. read more

The staff was extremely nice. The drinks we delicious. We also got the tuna (forgot to get a photo before digging in) and it was amazing! We can't wait to go back to get dinner. read more

Paper Tiger - Blue Hawaiian - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Damn. Where do I start? Atmosphere is super cool. Drink menu is on point with cute and creative drink names. Even a few mocktail options for the peeps who don't do alcohol. We had cold noodles, green beans app, and the chicken sandwhich. The chicken sandwhich was by far the best I've had in my whole adult life. Will absolutely be returning! read more

Paper Tiger - Ft Gorgeous cocktail - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

Got sick after eating from here. Ordered the tree leches French toast and it was pretty gross. Got the potatoes as a side and it wasn't much either. Service wasn't good. The name and the vibe made the place seem like it had something going for it. Usually Portland is known for good food so I was pretty disappointed. read more

Only had some apps during this visit but they delivered. Highly recommend both the som tum (papaya salad) and the coconut wings. A few booths and a good sized bar. The menu gives me thai street food meets casual pub fare vibes. Definitely recommend! This new spot is cozy and jammin'. read more

Paper Tiger - Som Tum (Papaya Salad), and Coconut Wings - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Portland, Maine

We went there on a Friday night. We were told that it would be a 20 mins wait, but we got seated in like 10 mins (yay!!). We got the Trinidad sour and the mai tai for drinks and they were both really good. For food we got the pepper mushrooms and friend chicken sandwich (with kimchi) - both were really good!! we then got the cold noodles which was also really good! would definitely go here again when we visit Portland!! read more

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I have never been more deflated and disappointed walking out of a restaurant than I was walking out of Paper Tiger. If I could give them zero stars for the rude way we were treated, I would. I came to Portland from the New York/New Jersey area with my significant other, super excited to see Portland and all it had to offer. We came up with a detailed list of all the restaurants and bars we wanted to check out in the area and Paper Tiger was on the top of the list. After driving 7 hours, we parked our car and took an Uber to downtown Portland. We started out at Lincoln's for comedy night at about 8:00, which was a great time, but didn't serve food. The entire time I was at Lincoln's I had exactly half of a cranberry vodka that I took too long to drink, so it got watery. My 6'2 200 lb significant other had 2 beers during that time span. Why is this important? Because between 8:00 and 10:30 I had exactly half of a drink. We then walked from Lincoln's to this embarrassment of an establishment at about 10:45. We walked in the door and there were about 15+ seats available. I read online that Paper Tiger had an 11:30-12:30 happy hour and figured I would order food and dessert until then and then maybe get something for happy hour. As someone who has spent years in the service industry, I am NEVER rude to servers or hosts because I know how hard their job can be. So we walk in, big smiles. The two of us super excited and bubbly and ready for awesome food. This was in the top 3 places we wanted to eat at. Super high on life and the adorable comedy club we just walked out of, we walk up to the host and ask for 2 seats. I asked the host (who seemed a little spacey and possibly stoned) if there were any specials for the night (to confirm what time the happy hour started). Now the male host looks at us and he points to the handwritten menu on the wall and mentions something about there being specials tonight that included a "lobster Rangoon" and a "soffredo." As someone from out of town, I ask him what both of those were, as I had never heard of them. He proceeds to say that the one is lobster in a dumpling type thing and the other is an ice cream. We then ask more clearly - is the happy hour at 11:30? And he says "yes, but I can only serve you food." We then look at him confused thinking- hmmm, maybe he's saying we can only get food until then? Maybe he's giving us the deal for food early? So we say "Oh okay! Why is that?" He then condescendingly responds "because we're not serving you drinks here. I think you've had too much." I cannot begin to describe the amount of complete shock, disappointment, and humiliation that we felt from someone telling us that we were too drunk to be served when neither of us were even in the slightest bit intoxicated at that point. I don't know if this man was racist against ethnicities or just super against people from out of town with my accent, or just did not understand that two people could be smiling and not drunk, but there was no way he actually thought we were intoxicated. To turn away patrons out of either racism or hostility towards tourists is absolutely disgusting. Totally ruined our vibe and our night. Almost wanted to leave Portland after getting this experience on our first night. So disappointed. We gave this imbecile back his menus and walked out. Learn how to treat people. This was unacceptable. read more

So pleasantly surprised to find this new, reasonably priced, yet delectably on-point restaurant in the Old Port. My sister and I had a random Monday night opportunity to grab dinner together and had some difficulty finding somewhere open that wasn't a chain. Paper Tiger is actually opened every single day until 1AM, which since COVID, seems to be unheard of. Many restaurants in the area now close by 10-11pm or don't open at all on certain days of the week. Kudos to them for having pre-pandemic consistency in their schedule. Both indoor and outdoor seating was available and offered to us by a very upbeat friendly host. We opted for a booth and loved the menus we were handed, which were presented inside of popular children books. We ordered the brussel sprouts, coconut wings, and the chicken sandwich, all to share. The flavor profiles on all of these dishes will make your mouth water and the prices for the quality and size you get was fair to say the least. The wings were the full-sized big meaty kind (with the flat and drumstick still together). A chicken sandwich is a dish you can find on most standard menus, but I've had dreams of biting into this one again. It was gigantic, juicy, crisp and cleary coated and fried in-house, not some crappy frozen patty. We can't wait to hit this spot again. read more

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Congratulations on such a great first week. The place was packed and Portland is ready to go out to dinner in full swing this season. Currently can't make reservations until it is 8 or more. Recommend making that six. It is not that large a locale that it can hold six people waiting in lines. For the food. The tuna crudo was excellent. Don't forget to have the whole bite. French fries and Brussels were a close second. And it was at the nose on the finish line. Lol!!! Mushrooms and eggplant. The dishes were tasty. I wanted a little less sauce a little more crisp on the vegetables. The mushrooms might have been cooked too many together in the pan. Tried the Bok Choy. Is was ok. Again. Less sauce. We ended up ordering the chicken wings and specials at the last minute. The wings were hearty good flavors and not at all greasy. The steamed buns were a nice diversion. Well seasoned and well cooked. Easy to eat. The monk fish was gone by the time it came around the table once. Lol!! The sides to make the wrap added nice flavor. They need some work on the cocktails. Alcohol forward and heavy on the ice, they will figure it out. I would go back and I would recommend. Given some time to get things settled. read more

Hipster decor and a modern (and very curated) pan-Asian tapas menu. This is a place for snacking, sharing, and drinking. Funky cross-genre indie music playing (a bit too loudly), with indoor and outdoor seating (we sat inside). We dined here for a late lunch, and so we received the Daytime Menu. The food is well made and tasty, and the flavors worked very well for lunch - not too heavy, not too light. Cocktails are terrific, and it's worth coming here for a happy hour style bite and drinks with friends. Definitely worth checking out! read more

Legit AWESOME.....had oysters, noodles, homemade wontons, kimchi chicken sandwich and Brussel sprouts. Everything was outstanding do not miss this place!!!! It's a keeper!!!! read more

The food was amazing! The coconut chicken wings and the chicken sandwich are a must try. Everyone was super nice and very attentive.

No. No. No. I hate to leave bad reviews. We were in town on a cycling trip. We stopped by for cucumber salad, Brussels sprouts, and then for entree mussels and a side of white rice. Our meal took almost 90 minutes. I asked multiple times when our entree would be ready. The restaurant was not full (5pm) and we were looking for a quick bite. Our server continuously told us it was being made. She stopped checking in for our drinks (Diet Coke and a beer). We almost got up and left when she promised it was already prepared. This was for mussels and a side of rice. I expressed concern with the time and she said this was normal for a restaurant dinner and that we should not have expected a faster meal. Mussels and a side of rice? No. I felt very uncomfortable with our interactions and hope no one else has this experience. read more

Tasty and fun ambience, kind of tiki bar ish. And the menus are cute. Great mocktails.

Hands down, best meal I've had in Portland the last few years. The last time I was this wowed was Leeward. Host and owner was beyond gracious. Food was delicious!! Truly YUMMY. Cocktails were fun and executed perfectly. Will be back very soon. read more

Popped in for a late dinner after a painting class. Quick and efficient service with delicious food.