The 20 most popular restaurants in Portland, Maine

Restaurants in Maine

One of my favorite things to do on an open weekend is to drive out of state to eat at a new place. My wife and I will drive for hours just because I read a review, article, tip, or social media post. You get what I mean.

It’s fun, adventurous and always satisfies the palate.

In our travels around Maine, we’ve found fantastic restaurants, great pubs, outstanding sandwich shops, delicious pizza places, and perfectly brewed coffee. There’s no shortage of great places to enjoy a fine meal in the Pine Tree State.

Sometimes, however, the journey is just a few miles to a city that is a culinary monster. I’m talking about Portland, of course.

Portland food scene

It is no exaggeration to say that Portland has it all.

The Forest City’s dining scene is exemplary. Whether it’s breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or late-night snacks, Portland has the best options.

I’ve been fortunate enough to eat in some of the best foodie cities in America, but most of my favorite dishes come from restaurants here in our small town.

Portland is extremely lucky to have so many local chefs, but also chefs from out of town who have discovered how great it is to live and work in our beautiful state. This melting pot has helped make Portland a can’t-miss culinary paradise.

Portland’s Most Popular Restaurants

While I have my favorite spots, I was curious to see what most people consider Portland’s best spots. I decided to take a look at Tripadvisor’s latest “Best of” list. The popular review site compiled its list based on a number of factors, including popularity and relevant reviews.

Below is a list of the top 20 restaurants in Portland as ranked by Tripadvisor. It’s a very diverse group. There are a lot of different concepts and a lot of different Portland neighborhoods are represented. Some of these might surprise people, but I think it’s a pretty good look at a lot of the best places to eat in Portland.

How many of them have you visited? Is your favorite missing from the list? How hungry are you at this point?