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Updating the Eater Maine Heatmap, April 2014

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More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends and family of Eater have one question: Where should I eat right freaking now? Restaurant obsessives want to know what's new, what's hot. And while the Eater 18 is a crucial resource covering old standbys and neighborhood essentials across the state, it is not a chronicle of the 'it' places of the moment. Thus, we offer the Eater Heatmap, which will change continually to always highlight where the crowds are flocking to at the moment. New to this update: Mill 67 in Sanford, the reopened Palace Diner in Biddeford and Fresh, now under new ownership in Camden.

Did we miss your personal favorite blisteringly hot restaurant? By all means, let us know in the comments. Know of a hot upcoming opening? Hit up the tipline. The anonymous tip form is also there for all forms of correspondence.


12/6/12 Added: Gather, Yarmouth; Tao, Brunswick; Zen Bistro, Buck's Naked BBQ and David's Opus Ten, Portland.
1/3/13 Added: Otto (Arts District), Portland
2/7/13 Added: Owen's Farmhouse, Kennebunk
4/4/13 Added: In'finiti Fermentation & Distillation, The North Point, Little Tap House, Blue Rooster Food Co.,
7/11/13 Added: David's KPT, Hugo's, Seabright
8/1/13 Added: Portland & Rochester Public House, MJ's Wine Bar
9/5/13 Added: Elsmere BBQ & Wood Grill, Salvage BBQ, Boone's Fish House & Oyster Room, Portland Hunt & Alpine Club
10/3/13 Added: Piccolo, Empire Chinese Kitchen, b.good
11/7/13 Added: Seaport Fish and Orchid Thai
12/5/13 Added: Verve and Otto (South Portland)
1/2/14 Added: Top of the East and Vinland
2/6/14 Added: Central Provisions, Miyake Diner, Blaze (Bangor)
3/6/14 Added: Easy Day
4/3/14 Added: Mill 67, Palace Diner and Fresh

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Mill 67

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Situated in the renovated Sanford Mill overlooking the Mousam River, Mill 67 offers a locally-focused menu of gourmet pub food in an industrial-chic setting. It gives the unheralded Sanford dining scene an exciting new option.

Palace Diner

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Chad Conley and Greg Mitchell reopened Maine's oldest diner, keeping the classic feel while elevating the menu with scratch-made diner standards, like corned beef that's brined and braised in-house using local, grass-fed beef.

Easy Day

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A bowling alley, restaurant and lounge all in one, this spot offers diners water views. There's a focus on fresh, local ingredients, "Detroit-style" pizza (with the sauce over the toppings and cheese), 10 lanes to bowl and a full bar with a solid draft beer selection.

Vinland

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David Levi's restaurant is taking local to a whole new level. The food is 100% locally sourced, organic and gluten-free. That means there are no kitchen staples like black pepper, olive oil or lemons. There are creative, beautiful plates served from the open kitchen.

Miyake Diner

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The original Miyake Food Factory has been reborn as a 16-seat izakaya-style sake bar. With local food celeb Joe Ricchio on the bar most nights and an all-star crew in the kitchen, Masa Miyake's latest venture has generated a huge buzz despite its diminutive size.

Top of The East

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There's no better spot in Portland for a drink with a view. The landmark lounge is open again after an expansion and renovation. The hotel on which it sits atop received a $50 million makeover.

Central Provisions

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Chris Gould's brand new Old Port spot features a wide-ranging small plates menu, pre-Prohibition cocktails, an impressive wine program and local craft beers on tap, all in a beautifully renovated space that captures the character of the historic building in which it resides.
During the off-season, chef Steve Steeves and his wife bought and renovated the waterfront restaurant. The revamped and reinvigorated menu has Mediterranean and Balkan influences and showcases fresh, local ingredients.
Matt Haskell's second Blaze (the other is in Bar Harbor) is an ambitious restaurant, offering up a menu of wood-grilled steaks and seafood, wood-fired pizzas, a raw bar and lots more, along with huge wine and draft beer lists, and craft cocktails. The extensive renovation produced a sleek space unlike anything else in town.

Mill 67

Situated in the renovated Sanford Mill overlooking the Mousam River, Mill 67 offers a locally-focused menu of gourmet pub food in an industrial-chic setting. It gives the unheralded Sanford dining scene an exciting new option.

Palace Diner

Chad Conley and Greg Mitchell reopened Maine's oldest diner, keeping the classic feel while elevating the menu with scratch-made diner standards, like corned beef that's brined and braised in-house using local, grass-fed beef.

Easy Day

A bowling alley, restaurant and lounge all in one, this spot offers diners water views. There's a focus on fresh, local ingredients, "Detroit-style" pizza (with the sauce over the toppings and cheese), 10 lanes to bowl and a full bar with a solid draft beer selection.

Vinland

David Levi's restaurant is taking local to a whole new level. The food is 100% locally sourced, organic and gluten-free. That means there are no kitchen staples like black pepper, olive oil or lemons. There are creative, beautiful plates served from the open kitchen.

Miyake Diner

The original Miyake Food Factory has been reborn as a 16-seat izakaya-style sake bar. With local food celeb Joe Ricchio on the bar most nights and an all-star crew in the kitchen, Masa Miyake's latest venture has generated a huge buzz despite its diminutive size.

Top of The East

There's no better spot in Portland for a drink with a view. The landmark lounge is open again after an expansion and renovation. The hotel on which it sits atop received a $50 million makeover.

Central Provisions

Chris Gould's brand new Old Port spot features a wide-ranging small plates menu, pre-Prohibition cocktails, an impressive wine program and local craft beers on tap, all in a beautifully renovated space that captures the character of the historic building in which it resides.

Fresh

During the off-season, chef Steve Steeves and his wife bought and renovated the waterfront restaurant. The revamped and reinvigorated menu has Mediterranean and Balkan influences and showcases fresh, local ingredients.

Blaze

Matt Haskell's second Blaze (the other is in Bar Harbor) is an ambitious restaurant, offering up a menu of wood-grilled steaks and seafood, wood-fired pizzas, a raw bar and lots more, along with huge wine and draft beer lists, and craft cocktails. The extensive renovation produced a sleek space unlike anything else in town.