Portland, ME: 4 Places Worth Visiting

Four places that make the three hour schlep worth it.

Portland, Maine has built up a food-and-beer-lovers paradise persona over the years. There’s a brewery on every corner (along with a Dunkin, or it wouldn’t be New England) and there are so many restaurants packed in and around the city, you get stress sweats deciding where to grab dinner. Local chefs (including five in this article) say it’s their favorite city for food travel, and I understand the allure. But is it built up to astronomical heights that are met with a few decent beers and one good meal? Perhaps. Sorting out the good stuff takes time (and since restaurants evolve, you might have a miss one time and a hit the next). So, with that in mind here are 4 places (note: just two are restaurants) that I think are worth a stop should you make your way to Vacationland.

1. Allagash Brewing Company

I’ve been here four times, and every time I’m convinced Belgian-style beer is my favorite (to heck with IPAs, sorry).

What’s Good: While they’ve changed the beer tour and tasting to be somewhat exclusive (it’s $35 a pop for their Cellar tour), you get to sample some pretty darn cool brews. They start you off with Allagash White (because it’s their flagship brew) before diving into an array of coolship/spontaneously fermented/barrel-aged brews. Let it be known, most of these are sour, and most of them are not like the guava-passionfruit-punch-creamsicle sours you might find at your local brewery (those are kettle sours, and are a little bit less nuanced, though often still tasty). Instead, expect a little funk, some fruit (but hardly blue raspberry), and, in some cases, nuances imparted from various barrels (wine barrels, rum barrels, Portuguese brandy barrels, you name it). We really enjoyed almost every beer we tried, and went home with two ($$) bottles for further tasting.

What’s Not So Good: At $35 per person for small samples of four beers (plus Allagash White), it’s pricey.

2. Crispy Gai

We hopped in this little nook at 5 p.m. on the dot (we’re old souls who eat early, okay), and it’s a good thing because it got PACKED—and for good reason. I haven’t had a banger of a dinner in a while, but here, at Crispy Gai, I had such a moment. The Waterfall chicken, which featured the joint’s signature fried poultry, was tucked under a “waterfall” of cilantro and mint, nuoc cham, and a dusting of ground, toasted rice on top. Revolutionary? No (it’s a riff on a Vietnamese dish). A fantastic combo of rich, crispy fried chicken thighs, nuoc cham, a shower of fresh herbs, and nutty, toasty, crispy rice dusting the top that, together, made me salivate? Yes. The fried chicken wings with NSJ ranch (garlic, chili, buttermilk) were also great—the wings were crispy, juicy, perfectly cooked—as was the fried rice studded with Chinese sausage. Everything was balanced, well-seasoned, devourable. Oh, and the cocktails were fab, too. The Brandy Alexander (an old-school drink that the restaurant tweaked; their recipe includes Cognac, amaro, banana, Thai tea, house coconut cream, and bitters) tops an Espresso martini any day, and the Same Same But Different (rum, coconut milk, ginger, makrut lime leaf, lime, tom kha tincture) was limey and creamy, with a lovely floral note from the lime leaf. Everything knocked my socks off.

What’s Good: Everything, but especially the fried chicken, the Waterfall chicken (it usually comes with fried mushrooms which I’m sure is also fab), and all the cocktails.

What’s Not Good: Nothing really, except maybe not getting a seat.

3. Washington Baths

No, this is not a restaurant (though they do serve food, which is supposedly pretty good), but it’s definitely worth a visit to this bathhouse (especially on a snowy winter’s eve). There are men’s and women’s changing rooms with attached saunas (they’re nude—though you can wear a bathing suit if you’d like), a shared outdoor courtyard with a hot tub and cold plunge, and a gorgeous sitting area with warm wood-paneled walls, 70s speakers, flowers, and mellow funk playing. While I can’t attest to any medical claims of soaking in a hot tub followed by a cold plunge, it really does loosen and soothe your limbs; I slept like a baby after.

What’s Good: The hot tub and cold plunge were lovely, as was the outdoor setting dusted with freshly fallen snow. And the sitting area was great for relishing your lightened, loosened limbs afterward—it was a quiet but lively space, and the lilies decorating the tables perfumed it nicely. Also, the whole experience is only $35 per person and you can stay as long as you want.

What’s Not Good: If you’re uncomfortable with nudity in changing rooms, be forwarned. However, the public bath area requires bathing suits. Oh, and don’t forget to bring a towel and flip-flops (though they do have slides you can borrow if you’re alright with that).

4. Rose Foods

While you can’t sit down and savor your sando (it’s takeout only), Rose foods hits the spot when you’re craving a bagel with some sort of fishy accouterment (like whitefish salad or more mainstream lox).

What’s Good: While I’m not a bagel expert by any means (I admit I’m totally happy with a Stop and Shop bagel), Rose Foods’ bagels are pretty darn good. They have a nice bit of chewy crust while still being soft and pliable inside (no jawbreakers here). Plus, you just can’t go wrong with the classic lox + capers +cucumber+dill+ onions+cream cheese combo. The Uncle Leo (a.k.a a nova lox and onion frittata with herb cream cheese on your bagel of choice) is also a solid pick.

What’s Not Good: We had trouble ordering online (the order would go through, charge our card, then reject it and reimburse immediately), so it’s best to just call or order in-person. It’s also takeout only, which might relegate you to eating your breakfast in your hotel room if it’s too cold outside to enjoy your bagel on a park bench. The coffee is also carafe-coffee and it tastes as such.