We have long been fans of Bread & Friends bakery items and brunch, but this was our first dinner in the space and the food was outstanding. While the menu was small the food was inventive, flavorful and well composed. Things we could not make easily at home, which in our view is a key factor in the pricing. Service was excellent, friendly without being intrusive. We shared each dish and ordered from various places on the menu, appreciating the sizes and richness varied. Starting with grilled oysters with kelp butter, shiro dashi pearls and pickled green apple were delicious. Just a small taste. The harissa roasted carrots were our favorite with spiciness offset by the labneh and was our favorite. The rich buttery Rabbit agnolotti was perfect for the cold winter evening. As for the ambiance, it can't escape the brunch cafe decor but it was a very quiet setting making it easy to converse without raising our voices, which I can't say for most restaurants. We will definitely return and try other menu items.
m
Came here for our anniversary and loved it ! Very intimate and warm atmosphere , with outstanding and well balanced menu. Service was incredible and sweet , overall great experience, they even gave us custom menus to help celebrate :) loved it !
Mark
When you walk into a casual bakery don't be fooled by the setting, the food is spectacular. This is a true gourmet experience. The dishes were impeccably crafted with an amazing flavor range that made you say wow with your first bite. Every dish was excellent. One of the finest dining experiences I have had in awhile.
Nicholas
This is easily my favorite farm to table restaurant in Maine. The staff is passionate and knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. On a sidenote, the music is always really good too-classic and modern R&B with some eclectic selections sprinkled in, and the volume was perfect. I will definitely be back often.
Gaby
This was my first time at Bread & Friends, and I can't recommend it highly enough! The OpenTable app must have informed them it was my birthday, so they had set aside a special table and printed “happy birthday” menus. The servers were so friendly, and the food was creative and delicious.
Martha
Waitstaff was very knowledgeable and courteous, but somewhat overzealous. Portions were small and prices were high. The carbonara was good, but I've had better. Dessert; upside down, banana cake was very good. I don't think I'd go here again, just didn't get enough for my money.
Kevin
The food here was amazing. Everything fresh and local. The chef is great about creating dishes with complex flavors. Our best meal this vacation. Service was top notch.
Susan
Beautifully presented, delicious food. Plates are meant to share. Get the pear appetizer and the duck plate!
David
Simply one of the best restaurants in New England already. Everything we ordered was delicious and complex. The veggies, pastas and Duck rounded out our meal. The wine list is eclectic and great options. This will be a go to in Portland for us for sure. We hear their brunch service is just as great.
Lynn
The meal was great as well as the service. We ordered two appetizers and two entrees and everything was prepared to perfection. Each item was served nicely spaced so we could relax and enjoy ourselves. The cranberry bean appetizer was amazing! So many flavors in one dish. Salmon entree with charred cabbage was so well done. Again perfect flavors and textures - horseradish creme fraiche and garlic plum jam. Corncake and ice cream dessert was the perfect ending to this fabulous meal. Thank you, B&F!
This was truly one of the best meals out that I've had in a long time. Despite a small menu for dinner, everything was so perfect curated. I went with one of my pickiest friends, and she agreed with my take that this was a top meal we've had! So delicious, can't wait to go back for brunch.
Ruby Chan
The restaurant was really busy when we visited on a weekend afternoon. We wasn’t able to dine in as the wait was at least 30 minutes. We got some pastries and drinks to go instead.
The guava kouign amann was DELICIOUS. If you can only get one thing here, go for it!! It was flaky on the crust, while the guava filling was so light, tart and refreshing.
The pain au chocolat was also decent. The chocolate almost like hazelnut, which I guessed they made it with dark chocolate as it wasn’t too sweet.
The drinks, however, were underwhelming. The cortado had a cute latte art which I appreciated, but the espresso base was too sour that it didn’t complement with the milk. The iced blueberry lemon matcha just tasted like…blueberry syrup. Matcha flavor wasn’t there at all.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Dara
A delightful ladies dinner, gorgeous food, great service, an overall enjoyable dining experience!
Marshall
A bit of a mixed bag. One of these restaurants that tends to overdo its dishes, in a quest for recognized creativity I guess. Oysters were great, duck was good but not warm, tortellini was weird, too much going on. Dessert as described--basically corn bread with more corn and tomatoes--seemed bizarre, not really a dessert- and we passed on that. Expensive place, small menu, which can be ok if value is there and dishes are good and varied. May return, but in no hurry. wine was good;-
Andrew Suri
In town for the weekend and glad we had our only breakfast here! The lobster omelette was delicious and not overpowering. And the sourdough break is delicious! Reminds me of the ones in SF. Staff was very attentive and the decor inside was lovely. Recommend!
We have long been fans of Bread & Friends bakery items and brunch, but this was our first dinner in the space and the food was outstanding. While the menu was small the food was inventive, flavorful and well composed. Things we could not make easily at home, which in our view is a key factor in the pricing. Service was excellent, friendly without being intrusive. We shared each dish and ordered from various places on the menu, appreciating the sizes and richness varied. Starting with grilled oysters with kelp butter, shiro dashi pearls and pickled green apple were delicious. Just a small taste. The harissa roasted carrots were our favorite with spiciness offset by the labneh and was our favorite. The rich buttery Rabbit agnolotti was perfect for the cold winter evening. As for the ambiance, it can't escape the brunch cafe decor but it was a very quiet setting making it easy to converse without raising our voices, which I can't say for most restaurants. We will definitely return and try other menu items.
Came here for our anniversary and loved it ! Very intimate and warm atmosphere , with outstanding and well balanced menu. Service was incredible and sweet , overall great experience, they even gave us custom menus to help celebrate :) loved it !
When you walk into a casual bakery don't be fooled by the setting, the food is spectacular. This is a true gourmet experience. The dishes were impeccably crafted with an amazing flavor range that made you say wow with your first bite. Every dish was excellent. One of the finest dining experiences I have had in awhile.
This is easily my favorite farm to table restaurant in Maine. The staff is passionate and knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. On a sidenote, the music is always really good too-classic and modern R&B with some eclectic selections sprinkled in, and the volume was perfect. I will definitely be back often.
This was my first time at Bread & Friends, and I can't recommend it highly enough! The OpenTable app must have informed them it was my birthday, so they had set aside a special table and printed “happy birthday” menus. The servers were so friendly, and the food was creative and delicious.
Waitstaff was very knowledgeable and courteous, but somewhat overzealous. Portions were small and prices were high. The carbonara was good, but I've had better. Dessert; upside down, banana cake was very good. I don't think I'd go here again, just didn't get enough for my money.
The food here was amazing. Everything fresh and local. The chef is great about creating dishes with complex flavors. Our best meal this vacation. Service was top notch.
Beautifully presented, delicious food. Plates are meant to share. Get the pear appetizer and the duck plate!
Simply one of the best restaurants in New England already. Everything we ordered was delicious and complex. The veggies, pastas and Duck rounded out our meal. The wine list is eclectic and great options. This will be a go to in Portland for us for sure. We hear their brunch service is just as great.
The meal was great as well as the service. We ordered two appetizers and two entrees and everything was prepared to perfection. Each item was served nicely spaced so we could relax and enjoy ourselves. The cranberry bean appetizer was amazing! So many flavors in one dish. Salmon entree with charred cabbage was so well done. Again perfect flavors and textures - horseradish creme fraiche and garlic plum jam. Corncake and ice cream dessert was the perfect ending to this fabulous meal. Thank you, B&F!
Restaurantji Recommends
This was truly one of the best meals out that I've had in a long time. Despite a small menu for dinner, everything was so perfect curated. I went with one of my pickiest friends, and she agreed with my take that this was a top meal we've had! So delicious, can't wait to go back for brunch.
The restaurant was really busy when we visited on a weekend afternoon. We wasn’t able to dine in as the wait was at least 30 minutes. We got some pastries and drinks to go instead.
The guava kouign amann was DELICIOUS. If you can only get one thing here, go for it!! It was flaky on the crust, while the guava filling was so light, tart and refreshing.
The pain au chocolat was also decent. The chocolate almost like hazelnut, which I guessed they made it with dark chocolate as it wasn’t too sweet.
The drinks, however, were underwhelming. The cortado had a cute latte art which I appreciated, but the espresso base was too sour that it didn’t complement with the milk. The iced blueberry lemon matcha just tasted like…blueberry syrup. Matcha flavor wasn’t there at all.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
A delightful ladies dinner, gorgeous food, great service, an overall enjoyable dining experience!
A bit of a mixed bag. One of these restaurants that tends to overdo its dishes, in a quest for recognized creativity I guess. Oysters were great, duck was good but not warm, tortellini was weird, too much going on. Dessert as described--basically corn bread with more corn and tomatoes--seemed bizarre, not really a dessert- and we passed on that. Expensive place, small menu, which can be ok if value is there and dishes are good and varied. May return, but in no hurry. wine was good;-
In town for the weekend and glad we had our only
breakfast here! The lobster omelette was delicious and not overpowering. And the sourdough break is delicious! Reminds me of the ones in SF. Staff was very attentive and the decor inside was lovely. Recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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