Have I hit peak Bon Appétit fandom? Is flying to a city for a long weekend of religiously following every single restaurant recommendation and @-ing the Social Media Director of a food empire too far? Rubbish. It is EXACTLY my 2019 vibe of finding my “passions” and I have no shame in stuffing my face with the best food and beer Portland, ME had to offer. Add a little rendezvous to my other true love, LL Bean, and I may have crafted my perfect weekend?

So here we gooooo. First - the inspo. This is the list we followed, outlining Portland as the BA Restaurant City of the Year in 2018. We hit almost every recommendation and then some. What we missed, we will visit when we return to Maine in some future summer season because I LOVE MAINE. This is my third trip to the “Pine Tree State” and I love everything about it. Most of my time has been spent on coastal Maine in Bar Harbor and hiking through Acadia National Park, although I have driven the length of Maine on a journey to Nova Scotia, Canada as a youth. Love it. Recommend it. Will do it all again.

As a first timer to Portland, I was pretty impressed with this coastal hot spot. We visited just after the foliage turned so crowds were sparse and it felt like we had the city to ourselves. Portland is very walkable and we spent three days exploring without a car. A few Lyfts were necessary to escape the cold, but you can easily navigate without ever needing to jump in a car if you have good walking shoes and fair weather. You’ll want to get some exercise if you eat like we did here.

This is a port city, so there is plenty of seafood to be had and waterfront views to take in. The cobblestone streets in the Old Port remind me of my home, Baltimore, in many ways. You can safely wander the streets here and we recommend even taking the trail along the waterway to visit East End Beach. Below I have outlined all of our stops for beer, food, and recreation. Get your stretchy pants ready!

Where to Stay

We chose The Francis, a historic, luxury hotel located just outside of the main downtown area. Mostly, we chose this hotel because BA told us to… but how could we skip out on old school charm and some of the best biscuits in the city viewable from our window? The Francis is a 15-room hotel with a very warm feel that was perfect for our blustery fall weekend. The fireplace on the ground floor with cozy couches is a VIBE. They also are attached to Flood’s, a cozy cocktail bar with small plates. While we did not try the food at Flood’s, the cocktails were the perfect nightcap (or pregame) for our stay.

Where to Eat

Where not to eat should be the question here. We ate about 4-5 “meals” a day to really capture everything Portland had to offer so I will offer just a few words (or at least try to be brief) about each recommendation. We rarely had to wait for any of our meals and only made one dinner reservation. If you are visiting during the busy summer months, you might want to think about more reservations or prepare to wait at some of the hot spots in town.

BREAKFAST

The first obvious choice here is Tandem Coffee + Bakery. This converted gas station was our first indulgence for three out of four mornings in Maine. This location near The Francis is our preferred location and the second spot from this coffee powerhouse. What to order: Espresso with Loaded Biscuit with Jam + Butter, Savory Loaded Biscuit with Cheese, Hot Honey and Cracked Pepper, Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich (please oh please add the greens and chorizo), or/and a slice of Black Sesame Banana Cake (bread). See a common theme here?

Catch a Lyft or take a stroll towards the University of Southern Maine to Rose Foods. Take a deep breathe when you step in and you will be transported to your fave Jewish Deli. The bagels are light and delicious, the coffee is hot, and the space is a contemporary chic that really makes you want to settle in with a good book and consume bagels and latkes all day long. What to order: Coffee and an Open Classic Nova on an Everything Bagel. This open-face bagel is loaded with cream cheese, nova lox, cucumber, dill, onion, capers, and a lemon wedge. It is heavenly. Grab a tote on the way out and hold tight to that beautiful bagel memory.

LUNCH*

What is lunch, really? I don’t subscribe to this idea that only one afternoon meal is allowable. I am including these locations in my lunch* category, but really they are appropriate for all meals of the day, with the exception of one where you MUST arrive promptly at 11:30am for the goods.

So what are these goods I am referring to? Pizza squares. Fresh out of the oven at 11:30am from the bakery geniuses of Belleville. The Fig Rosemary square still appears in my carb dreams. This is a great spot to indulge in after walking along East End Beach and heading back into the city.

Our next little stop can either serve as a meal or a meal pregame. Your choice. The Shop at Island Creek Oysters is along infamous Washington Avenue and fresh oysters are obvi the go-to. I have never indulged in the slurping of oysters and I admit that I was judgy of everyone throwing them back on the streets in Fells Point in Baltimore. SORRY. I am an oyster convert. What to order: Oysters in any quantity with a glass of bubbly white wine. We asked the staff for recommendations on smaller oysters and ordered all of the “toppings” to try everything. I am partial to the mignonette.

Are you a stalker? I *might* have some stalker tendencies and they were on full display as we tracked down the elusive Mr. Tuna. Sushi is a common love in our household and we were on the hunt for Mr. Tuna, a guy who serves sushi hand rolls out of a Yeti cooler at breweries around town. You can find his location on Facebook and be sure to get there early to have your pick of his catch. What to order: whatever hand rolls he offers!

DINNER

As I mentioned, we had one dinner reservation and it was at the formidable Drifter’s Wife, a cozy spot along Washington Ave. and sister to the natural wine store next door, Maine & Loire. You absolutely need a reservation here so log on and snag one in advance of your trip. What to order: A bottle of natural wine to share (we had a spicy red blend upon recommendation from our server), a shared appetizer and entree. Sound vague? The menu here is always changing and aligning with what is fresh. We were weeping over the mussels toast and pork loin available during our visit.

Luke’s favorite meal of all time and one that he continues to bring up any chance he gets is from Công Tử Bột. This no-reservations pho locale is pretty epic. We waited for about 45 minutes on a chilly night and loved the design of the space. We sat at the bar and slurped noodles with hot tea to warm our not-accustomed-to-cold-weather-anymore bodies. What to order: Pot of Hot Tea, Pho Ga (a classic), and Ca Ri Chay (curry noodle soup).

Another cold weather home-run: Bao Bao Dumpling House not far from the art museum. We had every intention of checking out their Dim Sum Sunday Brunch, but ended up here for dinner instead. We did not have to wait for a table and they have adorable nooks right by the front windows to cozy up in with steaming hot dumplings. What to order: Cabbage Slaw, Pork and Scallion Dumplings, Shao Mai, and Kung Pao Chicken and Peanut Dumplings.

Where to Drink

As yes, Portland beer. We devoted an entire day to traveling around town for breweries and tried at least one new one every other day. There are just so many to see! Below are the ones we visited and four of them are located on the Industrial Way “campus” that will require a Lyft ride outside of town. Worth it.

Allagash Brewing Company: Located on that aforementioned campus, this wildly popular brewery is a good first stop for the day to beat the crowds. Take a tour, grab a flight, and hit up the food truck for some tasty lobster rolls or clam chowder.

Austin Street Brewery: A tiny taproom is located across the street from Allagash and makes for a cheery little stop. We also visited their downtown location in our hunt for Mr. Tuna.

Foundation Brewing Company: I loved all the funky beers at this stop tucked inside the Industrial Way campus. We opted for a flight here and enjoyed the hop hip playlist!

Definitive Brewing Company: Our last stop before heading back into town, this brewery was easily a top three for us. We brought home some cans and are savoring each one as slowly as possible! We also had lunch here, some traditional Maine clam chowder (gluten free!), and continued to order it everywhere we went because it was so delicious.

Oxbow Blending and Bottling: This place rocked my socks off. We started and ended our trip here, and had at least eight unique beers that were all amazing. We showed up for “Fruit Fridays”, which is how I will forever refer to Fridays from now on. The space is moody and inviting, and the Duckfat Friteshack makes this a place to hang out at for a few hours.

Bissell Brothers Brewing: Another Portland powerhouse brewery. This is one of the largest taprooms in the city and is surrounded by a distillery and winery - so you can make this QUITE a day if you want to.

Lone Pine Brewing Company: This space is tucked away not far from all of the great restaurants on Washington Ave. It has a locals-vibe with comfy couches and games scattered about. We had a great time here!

Urban Farm Fermentory: While not really a brewery… they do card you for their kombucha here and the space is worth the visit. We had basil kombucha, which was pretty spectacular, and were really in awe of the massive space and unique nooks and crannies. Definitely add this to your list for a little boost to your gut.

What to See Around Town

So yes, eating and drinking made up about 75% of our time in Portland. But we also did things! We experienced art and culture! Check out some of our favorite stops around town and try to squeeze in a few breaks from the beer and carbs.

Hop on The Mailboat Run: Portland is home to way more islands than I ever imagined and they are serviced twice a day by a mail ferry to deliver and collect mail. They are kind enough to allow tourists to ride along on this route and we learned that locals also use this to make their way into “town” for shopping or swim lessons or whatever they need to do! We had the boat to ourselves on the out trip and were quickly joined by families on the way back into Portland. While it was frigid and windy out on the deck, we thoroughly enjoyed this 3-hour ride and highly recommend!

Follow the trail to East End Beach: Just beyond the ferry terminal, stick to the coastline and follow the old train tracks to East End Beach. This a nice little stroll filled with runners and bikers and families with strollers. The path is well paved with benches and plenty of opportunities to get close to the water. At the end, you'll find a cute little slice of sand with dogs playing and kids looking for sea glass. A great activity to get some fresh air before diving into some pizza!

Explore the Portland Museum of Art: We had a great evening exploring this museum right outside the Old Port. They offer free admission on Friday evenings and we were lucky enough to visit on a free Saturday as well. This is a great escape from the cold and we really enjoyed meandering through the many different rooms.

Shop at Portland Flea-For-All: On the weekends, this deceptively large space opens up for flea seekers. We spent Sunday morning checking out the furniture, clothes, records, and trinkets. We bought a few vintage prints for our gallery wall and almost walked out with a checkered coat from the 80s. Luke just couldn’t handle the shoulder pads…

Explore the Grounds of the Portland Head Lighthouse: On our last day we rented a car to check out LL Bean (see below) and hit up the Portland Head Lighthouse on our way back to the airport. You can also easily take a Lyft here if you’d like. There are some walking trails along the coast and we really enjoyed the views! Definitely try to visit on a sunny day and check the visitor center hours if you are in town during the off season.

Rent a Car and Find the Boot: I am an LL Bean fanatic. I visited the beloved Bean Boot at their flagship store in Freeport over a decade ago and somehow still think about it? The physical boot was less impressive than I remember, but the shopping really is what we came for. Freeport is about 25 minutes away from Portland, and our rental car set us back $30. Worth it! Freeport has built up outlets around LL Bean so you can make an afternoon out of shopping if that is your thing. The LL Bean is open 24/7, 365 days a year and did not even install locks on their doors! You can check out their campus and hop from their main store to their home store to their ski store. So many options! We are such dorks that we even ate lunch at the cafe inside the LL Bean… NOT SORRY.

And that’s Portland, Maine in a nutshell! We flew through this city in four days and are already scheming on ways to go back. The airport is a dream to fly in and out of, there is barely any traffic, very few tourists in the off season, and the charm is oozing from every street. I can’t wait to see it in all its summer glory sometime soon!

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