Amy Traverso’s Best Places to Eat in Portland, Maine

For “Trade” (season 2, episode 4), Weekends with Yankee traveled to Portland, Maine, for a tour of some of our favorite restaurants in this food lover’s paradise. Here, Weekends with Yankee co-host and Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso shares a longer list of her favorites places to eat in Portland, Maine.  As Portland’s culinary reputation continues to grow, I’m often asked to share a quick roundup of some of our favorite Portland, Maine, restaurants and eateries. Whether you’re interested in a homestyle breakfast, gourmet donut, creative small plates, to-die-for lobster rolls, fresh oysters, Belgian-style frites, Sicilian pizza…the list goes on and on…Portland has you covered. Here’s a roundup of some of the best places to eat in Portland, Maine. Come hungry!

BEST PLACES TO EAT IN PORTLAND, MAINE

CENTRAL PROVISIONS

An always-packed restaurant/bar in a 19th-century former storehouse in the Old Port neighborhood, Central Provisions brings small-plate dining to delicious new levels. Our best advice is to order a few plates at a time, retain a menu on the table, and keep going until you can’t eat another bite. Also, don’t arrive too hungry. Central Provisions doesn’t accept reservations and waits can be long, but are well worth it.central-provisions.com

MIYAKE

The flagship of Masa Miyake’s mini-empire (including the noodle-centered Pai-Men Miyake, a farm, and a catering operation) offers not only some of the best sushi in New England, but also some of the most affordable. miyakerestaurants.com

HOT SUPPA

Scratch-made breakfast specialties—such as rave-worthy corned-beef hash, biscuits and sausage gravy, French-style omelets, and burritos—draw the faithful to this venerable brick Victorian in the city’s West End.hotsuppa.com

EVENTIDE OYSTER CO.

Lobster shack classics (the rolls, the stews, chowders) are all given a creative spin with Asian and Middle Eastern accents at this nationally acclaimed seafood haven, and one of our all-time favorite Portland, Maine, restaurants. I’m especially fond of their Brown-Butter Lobster Roll. You can also sample Maine’s growing roster of oyster varieties from the raw bar. eventideoysterco.com

HOLY DONUT

All twenty-odd flavors at this Portland icon use Maine-grown potatoes in the dough, producing a dunker so light and moist, you’ll wonder why anyone makes donuts without them. See which Holy Donut variety made it onto my list of 3 Favorite New England Gourmet Donuts. theholydonut.com

SLAB

Stephen Lanzalotta’s thick Sicilian pizzas are made with an oil-enriched crust so tender and lofty, you may never go back to thin-crust Neapolitan-style pies again. slabportland.com

DUCKFAT

One of the most popular Portland, Maine, restaurants for those in search of gourmet comfort food, Duckfat does it all. Here you’ll find excellent renditions of panini, salads, charcuterie, soup, and milkshakes, but you’re really there for the Belgian-style frites that are fried in the flavorful fat that give the restaurant its name. duckfat.com

SEE MORE: Get Yankee‘s picks for the Best Seafood in Portland and where to find the Best Breakfast in Portland.