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)!

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

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.

We just stopped for a cocktail before dinner Great service…read more Very unique cocktails Well worth the stop

We made a little pit stop for a quick drink before dinner, and the staff sat us right at the bar…read morewith a great view looking out onto the street. I loved the decor and overall vibe--it felt like such a fun place to stop in and relax for a bit. We ordered espressos and a Manhattan, and we also tried their house espresso martinis, which came with the cutest edible bird garnish! Such a fun little touch, and all of the drinks were delicious. Even though we were only there for a quick drink, I really enjoyed the atmosphere and would definitely come back for a longer visit. This would be a great spot for drinks before dinner or a fun night out!

One of the most unique Thai restaurants I've been to! Everything we ordered was incredibly…read moreflavorful, with so much depth from the spices. You can really taste the care and authenticity in every dish. We stopped here for dinner during our Portland trip, and my husband and I ordered a bunch of dishes to share so we could try as much as possible. We had different types of skewers, quail eggs, calamari, beef panang, and stir-fried noodles. And of course, we had to finish with their famous black sticky rice with coconut. There wasn't a single bad dish. Everything was delicious, well seasoned, and tasted authentic. Each dish had its own unique flavor profile, and nothing felt boring or one dimensional. The ambiance was also really cute and cozy, making it a great spot for a date night or a nice dinner with someone special. The service was phenomenal too. Everyone was attentive, friendly, and incredibly fast without making us feel rushed. Honestly, I'd come back to Portland just to eat here again. Definitely a must try if you're looking for flavorful, authentic Thai food!

The skewers are amazing, best things on the menu. We tried the chicken, shrimp, and moo ping…read moreskewers. All were excellent. We also got the papaya salad("Thai spicy is no joke"). Kra Pao chicken was delicious too. Grilled rice ball was meh, too salty. Desserts were ok, nothing too crazy. Pro tip: there's a public parking spot a block away, made parking much easier vs trying to find a street parking.

Super cute place up on 4th floor. There's the world's slowest elevator that will take you there…read more Once up there you will be entering a super cute and comfortable space full of friendly people. The bar tender was Devin and she was fantastic! She was going all the things. There seemed to be tons of locals which speaks volumes. The menu is the same as the bowling alley on the first floor. There's something for everyone. We ordered fried pickles which are highly recommended. Then, ordered the bolognese and a burger. Subbed onion rings for the fries and there were tons! Everything was delicious. Burger was fresh and a great portion. Bolognese was also tasty. Impressive flavor and portions for the price! Super reasonable. Great value. Ordered spicy margarita which was great, a lemon martini (get this - amaretto added great flavor), and a Manhattan. Great bar!!! Would go again. Just great vibes, delicious food, great value, and super friendly employees.

Great meet up ambiance! Good bar tenders and the food comes from downstairs. Go up top for cool…read moreviews of Gorham from above.

Evo was recommended to us, and we were not disappointed during our recent trip to Portland. Our…read moreserver was friendly and knowledgeable. We chose to sit at a table upstairs (mezzanine). There was also an option to sit at the counter downstairs. We started with the chickpea fries, which were spiced well with a crispy exterior and creamy texture inside. It was a unique way of serving chickpeas. I had the NY strip steak, which I enjoyed, but a tip if you're going. The medium rare was closer to rare in my opinion. If you like medium rare, I'd ask for medium. My wife had the mushroom shawarma, which she enjoyed thoroughly and raved about the unique spices.

My wife and I popped in here last night for dinner and a first round of drinks. It was 7pm on a…read moreWednesday and it was at about half capacity, so we had no trouble walking in and being seated right away, though the upstairs seating (which looked really cool) was sadly full. No matter - we got prime seating at the bar with full view of the kitchen and watching everyone prepare everything! Right out of the gate, we were impressed with the friendliness and professionalism of the staff and the vibe of the place. Even though it was relatively small, it never felt cramped at all and the decor and look just felt so sleek and modern but also warm and just a place you wanted to be. We started with drinks - an Emerald Oasis for me and a Desert Rose for the lady. The Emerald Oasis was tasty, refreshing, slightly minty with a hint of cucumber, and relatively mild in flavor. The Desert Rose was also equally refreshing with a good amount of smoke flavor and some pleasant floral notes. What's weird to me though is that it's a tequila drink with smoke added... why not just use mezcal and call it a day? I actually mistakenly thought it was mezcal when I tried it as it had a very similar flavor profile. Overall, both solid but not necessarily earth-shattering flavor bombs. For an app, we ordered some seared halloumi to start. It was a pretty small portion (two pieces for each of us equated to about 4 normal size bites each) but the flavor was really nice with a touch of heat from the peppers and a little crunch from the sunflowers. I'm definitely glad we got it and I know halloumi is expensive, but I feel like I could've used just a little more oomph somehow. Next up was the whipped feta. My wife is celiac so they got me some pita on the side and her some crudites in the form of sliced carrots and cucumbers. The pita was warm, slightly chewy, slightly crispy in some spots, and a good amount of fluffiness. The whipped feta was tasty with the pomegranate molasses giving it some depth and character but the whole thing started getting a little soupy and hard to really scoop up without a spoon towards the end. Again, another solid dish but maybe would try the hummus next time. Lastly - entrees. I started with the paprika shrimp. It was a good amount of sauce to cover the whole dish though I feel like it relied a lot on the spiciness instead of depth of flavor. Also, and maybe this is a personal thing, any dish that has shrimp with tails still on but covered in sauce is kind of annoying to get the tails off without getting your hands super messy. I get the presentation of it but still. Also, the chickpeas were slightly dry and crunchy, but that may very well be the intention and design of the dish. I didn't mind it and the sauce balanced it out nicely, but it was a bit unexpected. My wife got the Moroccan mushroom (after an oopsie that sent what was supposed to be hers to another table by mistake first and then fired up a new one right away in about 10 minutes). It was a really nice dish with lots of flavor and locally foraged mushrooms. I'm not a mushroom fan and I even thought it was pretty tasty! All in all, a really solid experience but at the same time just about every item feels like it could have been just a little bit more - whether it was flavor or amount or something. The presentation on everything was full-blown Michelin star quality too (as it was on all the other dishes we saw floating around too), though I question why the large amount random space on the plate on our two entrees. The shrimp I guess you could get away with but half an empty plate on the mushrooms just felt like it was being a little too artsy. I'm not a chef or even a professional food critic though, so what do I know? :) I wouldn't mind going back here but I wouldn't go out of my way to go back either.

Yet another local spot my wife and I have considered an absolute favorite that we have visited for…read moreour last time. By the time you read this review they are likely already closed. Their last day of service is 8/31/25 announced recently on their social media accounts. My wife and I knew we needed to make one more trip here and glad to say we got one more visit in! The vibes have been similar over the past couple years during our visits. They have a tropical/island vibe with Asian inspired menu items along with some late night bites. They also do a phenomenal job with cocktails, and I would add mocktails as well which my wife and I each tried one tonight. Looks wise you would not even be able to tell it was non-alcoholic and the flavors were great too. I got their Platonic Best Friend which had a good spice to it, while my wife got the Lack of Meow that she loved. Food wise we each got a Double Patty Burger and split an order of the house fries. Both were just as good as all our other visits and the fries were even more seasoned than normal. We will miss both burgers and fries and especially the dipping sauce that comes with the fries. Lastly we had never tried their dessert and the Maine Blueberry Cake they had sounded so tempting, my wife's favorite fruit is blueberries. Every bite was amazing and my wife even said it was the fastest she has ever eaten a dessert. Was the perfect end cap to our final visit to Paper Tiger! We will miss this being a late night spot for us to grab a burger while people watching the madness of Fore Street bars closing. Service was fantastic with no complaints. The only negative I could mention is that talking to our server about being sad about them closing and they let us know the staff only found out about it one day before the social media post went out. Leaving them with minimal time to find another job. Hope they all can find a new job right away. If you have the chance before they close get over here for one last drink or bite!

Fun, innovative little joint in downtown Portland. It's been on our radar for so long, we were…read morehankering for a burger, and I've heard that Paper Tiger makes a good one, so we wandered in on a quiet Wednesday afternoon to check the place out. They lean heavy into the Tiger theme here. The place is totally decked out in knick knacks, artwork, and more. It's cozy but chic, with huge booths on the other side of the bar, good for big drunken outings I imagine, considering how they are known for their late night scene. We chose the small but comfy wicker chairs at the bar and got glasses of wine - $2 off on happy hour! Our bartender was super sweet and helped us with our order. We got the double smash burger and Szechuan wings with Thai chili sauce on the side. Food came out hella quick. The wings were little but they were so *crispy* and the Szechuan seasoning was tasty and not too overpowering. It was rated as 3 chili peppers on the menu but I didn't really detect any spice. Thai chili was sweet, tangy, solid. Our burger was good. I imagine it's modeled after a Big Mac - had all similar ingredients - just better beef, pickles, etc. It went down easy. I think I was just missing more flavor, maybe a little greasier, something cravable. But hey, if you've been out drinking and you need a late night snack, I guarantee that puppy will hit the spot. Their cocktail menu is an attraction in and of itself. The more you read through it, the more hilarious and charming it is. We will definitely be back to try some of them, especially one of their "party" bowls meant for multiple guests. Love the innovation and playfulness here! Can't wait to return!

My first time being made aware of Elements is actually due to them doing collaboration beers with…read moreBarreled Souls. This morning, my wife and I finally planned to go check out their space for the first time. What more could you truly ask for than a cafe/coffee shop meets bookstore meets beer bar! My wife is more of an avid reader than I am so she enjoyed the book aspect more. They have a large menu of offerings drink wise with everything you'd expect from a coffee shop. I do wish they did a rotating seasonal special drink menu, as places usually have one or more great sounding drinks on those. Both my wife and I settled on an iced blueberry latte. Overall it had hints of blueberry and tasted more like milk than anything. Would not be rushing back for it specifically that's for sure. Food wise they have some in-house baked goods as well as bagels from Rose Foods and corssiants from Little Spruce Baking. My wife got a plain bagel with cream cheese while I grabbed a chocolate croissant. I did mess up by not requesting it be warmed up but it was still delicious! Will be finding more spots that have goodies from Little Spruce. The bagel was also tasty. Book wise my wife enjoyed browsing but did not find any books she needed to grab. She did enjoy reading a couple chapters of her current book while we sat by the large windows (good spot for world watching outside). We enjoyed our visit but have other spots we would be happier to visit again.

My go to study/wfh spot for years. Plenty of outlets and seating, love that they stay open later…read morethan other coffee shops in the area. Love that they have local brews on tap + a good selection of books. The set up a few seats outside when it's nice out! Good cold brew, iced tea, chai, and matcha. Bagels from Rose Foods (aka delish). Their tapas plates are great for a snack!

LOVED PAPI!!!! We only got drinks here, but I'm really bummed we didn't eat dinner here too…read more Core Values was the best drink I had during my entire week long stay in Portland. Our bartender was amazing, super friendly, and after chatting about what kind of drink I normally like, he recommend I get Core Values and it was the best recommendation!! The inside is super fun too with a great bar. Highly recommend!!!

After a few days of eating ourselves silly on seafood, my fiance & I were dying to find something…read moredifferent. We didn't expect to find good Puerto Rican food in Portland, but I'm so glad we found this local gem! Reservations are recommended; they were still packed during the off season. We were lucky enough to snag two seats at the bar during dinner time without a wait. The bartender is super friendly and gave us some excellent food recommendations. We ordered the beef empanadas, pernil, and pollo guisado. Everything was DELICIOUS. The beef empanada filling is hard to beat - this might be one of the best ones I've had yet. We both really enjoyed the pernil & pollo guisado, but the soup was probably my favorite. I'm a soup gal, and this was just a hearty and excellent bowl of soup. Pernil portions were very generous. Definitely a highlight of our trip!