Planning a trip to Portland add the below stops to your list:
Breakfast Spot to Check Out:
Cuties – Hip spot that looks straight from the seventies that is part coffee shop/brunch during the morning that turns into a bar a night.
- Other Places for Breakfast/Brunch:
- The Holy Donut | Gourmet Potato Donuts | Portland, Maine – potato based donuts
- Buzz Coffee
- Two Fat Cats Bakery
- Forage Market
- Rose Foods
Where to Drink All Day:
Allagash Brewery is a super popular brewery on the outskirts of the city but worth the visit for the delicious beers.
Where to Drink All Day:
Maine Craft Distilling has one of my favorite canned cocktails, the Blueberry Moonshine. They are currently closed (2025) but hope they open back up with their music series again soon.
Where to Drink All Day:
The Bar of Chocolate is one of my favorite spots in the city with a large selection of chocolate themed martinis that taste amazing.
- Other Places to Drink All Day:
- Honestly the brewery/cocktail scene here is great and hard to go wrong with anything but here are some standouts:
- Hardshore Distillery/Oxbow/Anoche/Night Mares – all next to each other on Washington Ave, get some Duckfat fried at Oxbow as well
- Shipyard Brewing
- Bissell Brothers
- Sea Dog Brewing
- Lone Pine Brewing/Hi-FIdelity/Goodfire Brewing – all next to each other
- Places to Eat Lunch
- Ramonas – good sammies
- Little Pig – highly rated Thai food
Where to Eat Dinner
Friends & Family, delicious pizza and small plates in an intimate setting.
- Other Places to Eat Dinner
- The Shop by Island Creek Oysters
- Terlingua – BBQ mixed with mexican, cool treehouse feeling in the backyard
- Duckfat – highly recommend, super popular so may have a wait (check out oxbow if want less crowd to try their fries)
- Eventide – if you want to fight the crowds for one of the more infamous spots
Where to Go for After Dinner Drinks:
Novel – coffeeshop thats also a bookshop that turns into a bar at night which means only one thing, they’re going to make a mean proper espresso martini. Hidden downstairs section as well with open mic.
- Other Places to Grab a Drink After Dinner
- Blyth & Burrows – if you can snag a seat here, do it, its worth it
- Arcadia – arcade bar, say no more
- Franciska – wine bar for a more chill night
- Wharf St Bars if looking for a more exciting night out
Things to Do in Portland
Portland Head Lighthouse – One thing that is a must do in Portland is visiting the Portland Head Lighthouse. An iconic symbol of Portland and Maine with a nice park surrounding it to check out.
- Explore the Surrounding Islands
- Portland’s water is filled with many islands some big enough to house people and others with abandoned forts to check out. Rent a boat, take a tour or rent a kayak to explore many of these islands.
- Take a Lobster Cruise
- Maine is famous for its lobsters, so whats more Maine then hoping on a cruise to pick some lobsters.
- Bayside Bowl
- Retro but modern bowling alley with a beer garden on the rooftop that hosts movie nights and concerts.
- Go Shopping
- Check out Market St./Exchange St./Commercial St. in Old Port some local boutiques and fun finds.
- While drinking at one of the breweries or grabbing dinner on Washington Ave, check out some of the local shops here like Sissle & Daughters Cheesemongers.
- Miane Narrow Gauge Railroad
- A quick railroad back and forth trip along the eastern coast of Portland on a unique railroad track.
matty.tivo 