When it comes to fine dining in southern Maine, the first place people think of is Portland. But there’s a lot more to the southern Maine restaurant scene than just Portland! Ahead, check out 5 new southern Maine restaurants from Westbrook, Portland, Biddeford, and South Portland!
Elda-Biddeford
If you’re going to leave Portland and try out some southern Maine restaurants, Elda in Biddeford is a pretty good reason. Having only been open since December, Elda is run by Chef Bowman Brown, who was the winner of the 2009 Food and Wine Best New Chef Award, and a six-time semi-finalist for Best Chef: Southwest for the James Beard awards. What this translates into is a new restaurant that focuses on the best of our local offerings, with shareable plates and a meal that you aren’t going to forget. If you’re (somehow) still not convinced, Dine Out Maine awarded the new restaurant 4 1/2 stars last month. We know, the question on everyone’s mind is: what do I order? Try the warm crab with egg yolk and carrots or the diver scallops served with pickled pearl onions and roasted shallots.
Veranda Kitchen & Bar-Westbrook
When it was announced last year that the Veranda family was expanding to Westbrook and opening a new southern Maine restaurant called Veranda Kitchen & Bar, people went a little crazy. Portlander’s know that Veranda is the place to go for delicious Thai food, including some seriously killer pad thai that won’t break the bank. Although Veranda Kitchen & Bar has only been open for less than a month, it’s already immensely popular! The menu is expansive and reminiscent of what you’ll find at their Commercial Street location, Veranda Noodle House, with a focus on Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. We love the pho or the classic pad thai!
Quill Books & Beverage-Westbrook
Quill Books & Beverage isn’t technically a southern Maine restaurant, but it is a hot new spot to try! Here at Portland Website Co., we’re a little bit partial to Westbrook, since it was our former home until we moved to our awesome new location in Portland. That being said, Quill is a great addition to an up and coming downtown scene in Westbrook. It’s got a little bit of everything: pastries from popular bakery Tin Pan, local craft beers on tap, cocktails, books for sale, and fun games you can play at the bar. Quill has been open just under a month, but it’s already become a safe space for anyone looking to hang out and meet new people!
Tuscan Table-South Portland
Portland has been overflowing with fine dining options, but South Portland has entered the fine dining scene with the new Tuscan Table. Conveniently located next to the Maine Mall, this is one of the southern Maine restaurants that’s a must try! After a long hard day of shopping, rest your feet and be rejuvenated with comfort food Italian. Tuscan Table is conveniently open for both lunch and dinner, so your weekend shopping can be rewarded with dishes like the meatball wood fired pizza, braised veal, or a chicken parmesan sandwich. Find yourself in love? Make sure to also try their sister restaurants: Royal River Grill House in Yarmouth, and the Tuscan Bistro in Freeport!
Black Cow-Portland
When Sonny’s announced they were closing last year, Portland diners were ultimately concerned. But sometimes, you just have to usher in the new and move forward, and that’s exactly what’s happened at the new Black Cow. Black Cow is open in the old Sonny’s space, with the same ownership. The focus is on burgers and shakes, as well as sandwiches and sodas. Much of Sonny’s excellent cocktail menu lives on, with libations like When Doves Cry-bittersweet with heat in a blouse ginger, chili tequila, campari, grapefruit, soda or the Ramos Fizz-Hardshore gin, citrus, egg, saline, flower, bitters, and cream.
