clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

The 18 Essential Maine Restaurants, October 2013

View as Map

Presenting Maine's updated Eater 18, your answer to any question that begins, "Can you recommend a restaurant ?" This highly elite group (note: elite doesn't necessarily mean expensive or high-end) covers the entire state, spans myriad cuisines, and collectively satisfies all of your restaurant needs. Every few months, we'll be adding pertinent restaurants that were omitted, have newly become eligible (restaurants must be open at least six months), or have stepped up their game.

New to this update: Long Grain, The Black Birch and Back Bay Grill.

Maine is a big state, and with this list limited to 18, there are absolutely a number of worthy restaurants not included here. For those of you readying the pitchforks because your favorite isn't on the list, wouldn't it just be more productive to leave your thoughts in the comments? Or hit us up via the tipline.


10/10/12 Added: Duckfat, Eventide, Mache Bistro, Natalie's, Street and Co., Zapoteca.
1/8/2013 Added: Local 188, Chase's Daily, The Lost Kitchen, Long Grain, The White Barn Inn.
7/9/2013 Added: Five Fifty-Five, Hugo's, Street and Co.
10/8/2013 Added: Long Grain, Back Bay Grill, The Black Birch

Read More
If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

The Black Birch

Copy Link
Elevated comfort food is served in a cool, casual and welcoming atmosphere. The food gets rave reviews and the draft beer list is one of the best around.

Robert's Maine Grill

Copy Link
Its location in the heart of Kittery’s outlet district aside, Robert’s is a fine option for traditional and not-so traditional Maine seafood served in an open, airy, riverfront setting.

The White Barn Inn

Copy Link
A former barn with a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows is the setting for Maine food that is 180 degrees from the lobster shack. Chef Jonathan Cartwright presides over a first-class dining experience for which jackets for gentlemen - with deep pockets - are required.

Fore Street

Copy Link
Sam Hayward’s spacious restaurant, with its wide-open kitchen and wood-fired hearth, helped put Portland’s dining scene on the national map. The James Beard Award-winning chef was the first in Portland to incorporate ingredients from local farmers, fishermen and foragers. His rustic, seasonal menu changes daily.

Eventide Oyster Co.

Copy Link
The cool blue raw bar was an instant success from the get go last summer, making its mark with a great granite trough of pristine oysters, inventive cocktails and a menu that ranges from crudo and charcuterie to baked beans and biscuits - as well as what may be the state's most innovative lobster roll.

Duckfat

Copy Link
Chef/owner Rob Evans won a James Beard Award and "Chopped" but left high-end Hugo's to concentrate on his palace of poutine and duck confit panini. The wait, almost guaranteed, will be well worth it.
The newly remodeled old standby made famous by former owner Rob Evans and made modern by current co-owners Andrew Taylor, Mike Wiley and Arlin Smith provides a fine dining experience unlike any other in the city.
A hushed temple of superb sushi from a master of the craft, Miyake serves only fish from Maine waters or flown in from Japan. Chef Masa Miyake’s tasting menus paired with sake offer a world-class experience.

Street and Co.

Copy Link
In a rustic brick space off the cobblestones of Wharf Street you will find fresh seafood prepared simply and near perfectly.

Local 188

Copy Link
A wide-open kitchen, Spanish-inspired menu and quirky, shabby-chic decor define chef/owner Jay Villani's West End institution.

Five Fifty-Five

Copy Link
Now ten years in, the award-winning restaurant from Steve and Michelle Corry is still going strong, providing a complete dining experience that isn't hip or trendy, just excellent.

Back Bay Grill

Copy Link
It's been a Portland fine-dining institution for a quarter century and chef/owner Larry Matthews has been a part of it for most of those years. Great food and an award-winning wine list.

Tao Yuan

Copy Link
In this tiny, mid-coast bistro, Eater Award-winner Cara Stadler and her mother Cecile create some of the state's most exciting Asian-inspired food using seasonal and largely local ingredients.
James Beard Award-winner Melissa Kelly put mid-coast Maine in the culinary spotlight when she and partner Price Kushner opened their farmhouse restaurant in 2000. Today they grow or raise the ingredients for nearly everything on the Italian-inspired menu. Upstairs, dining is more casual and affordable than in the main floor dining room.

Long Grain

Copy Link
A local favorite that has received high praise from the New York Times and others, Long Grain uses the freshest local ingredients to prepare inspired Asian dishes.

Natalie's at The Camden Harbour Inn

Copy Link
In the luxurious Camden Harbor Inn, Natalie's glamorous red and white dining room is a striking backdrop for chef Jon Gaboric's modern, seasonal dishes.

Francine Bistro

Copy Link
Chef Brian Hill's romantic, yet energy-charged, 25-seat bistro has a menu that changes daily, featuring four appetizers, a salad and four entrees. On a side street above busy Camden Harbor, it offers a respite from the madding crowds.

Long Lake Sporting Club

Copy Link
Waaay off the beaten coastal path, this northern Maine icon has been serving boaters and ice fishermen since 1922. Huge portions of well-prepared American food - fried chicken, steaks, barbecue - are accompanied by the Acadian buckwheat pancakes called ployes.

Loading comments...

The Black Birch

Elevated comfort food is served in a cool, casual and welcoming atmosphere. The food gets rave reviews and the draft beer list is one of the best around.

Robert's Maine Grill

Its location in the heart of Kittery’s outlet district aside, Robert’s is a fine option for traditional and not-so traditional Maine seafood served in an open, airy, riverfront setting.

The White Barn Inn

A former barn with a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows is the setting for Maine food that is 180 degrees from the lobster shack. Chef Jonathan Cartwright presides over a first-class dining experience for which jackets for gentlemen - with deep pockets - are required.

Fore Street

Sam Hayward’s spacious restaurant, with its wide-open kitchen and wood-fired hearth, helped put Portland’s dining scene on the national map. The James Beard Award-winning chef was the first in Portland to incorporate ingredients from local farmers, fishermen and foragers. His rustic, seasonal menu changes daily.

Eventide Oyster Co.

The cool blue raw bar was an instant success from the get go last summer, making its mark with a great granite trough of pristine oysters, inventive cocktails and a menu that ranges from crudo and charcuterie to baked beans and biscuits - as well as what may be the state's most innovative lobster roll.

Duckfat

Chef/owner Rob Evans won a James Beard Award and "Chopped" but left high-end Hugo's to concentrate on his palace of poutine and duck confit panini. The wait, almost guaranteed, will be well worth it.

Hugo's

The newly remodeled old standby made famous by former owner Rob Evans and made modern by current co-owners Andrew Taylor, Mike Wiley and Arlin Smith provides a fine dining experience unlike any other in the city.

Miyake

A hushed temple of superb sushi from a master of the craft, Miyake serves only fish from Maine waters or flown in from Japan. Chef Masa Miyake’s tasting menus paired with sake offer a world-class experience.

Street and Co.

In a rustic brick space off the cobblestones of Wharf Street you will find fresh seafood prepared simply and near perfectly.

Local 188

A wide-open kitchen, Spanish-inspired menu and quirky, shabby-chic decor define chef/owner Jay Villani's West End institution.

Five Fifty-Five

Now ten years in, the award-winning restaurant from Steve and Michelle Corry is still going strong, providing a complete dining experience that isn't hip or trendy, just excellent.

Back Bay Grill

It's been a Portland fine-dining institution for a quarter century and chef/owner Larry Matthews has been a part of it for most of those years. Great food and an award-winning wine list.

Tao Yuan

In this tiny, mid-coast bistro, Eater Award-winner Cara Stadler and her mother Cecile create some of the state's most exciting Asian-inspired food using seasonal and largely local ingredients.

Primo

James Beard Award-winner Melissa Kelly put mid-coast Maine in the culinary spotlight when she and partner Price Kushner opened their farmhouse restaurant in 2000. Today they grow or raise the ingredients for nearly everything on the Italian-inspired menu. Upstairs, dining is more casual and affordable than in the main floor dining room.

Long Grain

A local favorite that has received high praise from the New York Times and others, Long Grain uses the freshest local ingredients to prepare inspired Asian dishes.

Natalie's at The Camden Harbour Inn

In the luxurious Camden Harbor Inn, Natalie's glamorous red and white dining room is a striking backdrop for chef Jon Gaboric's modern, seasonal dishes.

Francine Bistro

Chef Brian Hill's romantic, yet energy-charged, 25-seat bistro has a menu that changes daily, featuring four appetizers, a salad and four entrees. On a side street above busy Camden Harbor, it offers a respite from the madding crowds.

Long Lake Sporting Club

Waaay off the beaten coastal path, this northern Maine icon has been serving boaters and ice fishermen since 1922. Huge portions of well-prepared American food - fried chicken, steaks, barbecue - are accompanied by the Acadian buckwheat pancakes called ployes.