When I travel, one of my favorite activities is eating and drinking my way through where ever it is that I am visiting. I am not sure if I would qualify as a “foodie”, but I can say that I do have a deep love for food and I enjoy trying new cuisines when I can! So obviously, when my boyfriend and I decided to go to Portland, Maine this past weekend, my first question to all of my friends who had been there before was, where should we eat?

We were only there for a short time, from Saturday around noon to Sunday afternoon, so I tried to squeeze as much food as possible in during that time. I compiled a list of suggestions that I would recommend after trying them, as well as a few that I didn’t get a chance to try, but are on my list! Hopefully next time any of you are in Portland, you will be able to try some of these tasty choices!

Places We Tried That I Recommend:

1. Bonobo Woodfire Pizza: This was a cute and cozy woodfire pizza place near our Airbnb in the “west end” area of Portland that was recommended by one of our friends who lives in Portland. They also have a local craft beer selection (which my Boyfriend loved, I am not a beer fan). We absolutely loved this place. The ambiance was super cozy and they had cute string lights hanging on the ceiling. The pizza was honestly one of the best pizzas I have ever had. It had a thinner crust and had a lot of flavor. My boyfriend ate an entire pizza to himself, which I would have done myself if I could have fit it in my stomach. He got the pepperoni, and I got the caspian roasted chicken, both of which I would strongly recommend!

2. The Bar of Chocolate Cafe: For anyone that knows me, it is common knowledge that I have a sweet tooth, in particular for chocolate. So of course, when I heard from a friend that there was a small bar completely dedicated to chocolate, I had to try it. It is a very tiny place, easy to miss if you are not looking for it, on a cobblestone street which I loved. We really enjoyed this place as well, and it was the perfect spot to grab dessert and drinks after dinner. The name says it all – the bar has a collection of chocolate martini drinks, as well as chocolate desserts. My boyfriend and I had such much fun here getting chocolate “wasted.” 🙂

3. The Holy Donut: Almost every single person that I asked to recommend food in Portland, immediately said that I had to try The Holy Donut. I am a huge donut fan, and do love trying different donut places, so I made sure to make this a top priority to check out, and it did not disappoint. The donuts were absolutely delicious (and they have gluten free options as well!). My boyfriend said it was the best donut he has ever had, and I can’t disagree. They had many delicious flavors, but I especially loved the vanilla and the cannolli flavor. I read later that the reason for the consistency being so different is because the donuts are hand-made with Maine potatoes. They really do melt in your mouth and I would recommend trying these for breakfast or a yummy snack!

4. DuckFat: Alongside the Holy Donut, this place was across the board the most recommended to try. Everyone said that I have to try the poutine as well as the milkshake. The (not-so-secret) secret ingredient in the Belgian fries and poutine, was that they were all fried in duck fat. This place was absolutely amazing! It is very tiny, and they do not take reservations, but luckily we didn’t have a wait. We did, however, have to sit uncomfortably close to the people next to us, which was my only complaint. The AMAZING poutine and milkshake completely made up for it. I could immediately see why this place was recommended so many times – it definitely was the best poutine I have ever had, and the milkshake was super delicious as well.

Places We Missed That are Still on My List:

1. Petite Jacqueline: This restaurant is actually owned by one of my boyfriend’s friends sisters, so we stopped by, but after all of the other food we ate that weekend, didn’t have any room to actually eat here. However, I would love to come back again and try it. As you may have guessed from the name, it is a French bistro, with French selections including Steak Frites, Crepes, and delicious french pastries such as Macaroons (My favorite). The food looks delicious from what I scoped out on Yelp, and it has great reviews, so this will definitely be a must for next time we are in Portland.
2. The Honey Paw: We actually walked past this place when headed to Duckfat, and I was found myself staring/drooling at someone eating noodle soup in the window (sorry, dude but your food looked awesome). This Asian fusion cuisine includes broths, wantons, and noodles galore – basically the perfect place to go when it’s cold outside and you want some warm soup. This place also has great reviews and I will definitely be making my way here next time in Portland!
3. Central Provisions: I discovered this place when researching about Portland beforehand. It is a tapas restaurant with a really unique looking menu. One of my favorite things about tapas is that you can have a little of everything, which works well for me because I can be very indecisive when it comes to food! Can’t wait to try this place next time around.
4. Taco Escobarr: This place was recommended by a friend, but we didn’t get a chance to check it out quite yet. If you are in the mood for some Mexican food and Margaritas, this looks to be the place! The photos I’ve seen of the food look absolutely delicious, so next time I am in Portland and need a Mexican food fix, I will be sure to check out this spot!

I hope this list was helpful for you if you are headed to Portland, Maine anytime soon. There are tons of good food places there, and this is just a small list so feel free to leave any additional suggestions in the comments!