Restaurants in South Portland

“Went there for New Years Eve at the new location. They told us it was going be at least a 45 minute wait and we were ok with that. Host took our phone number and added us on the wait list on his tablet. Took a seat out by the host stand and waited. Another couple came in about 15 minutes after us, also a party of two, and the same host told them it was going be a wait and they took a seat next to us. Even though we had been there 15 minutes longer and greeted by same host with tablet, he forgot about us and seated them first. Even though we were waiting right next to them and he looked right at us when he came to tell them to follow him to a table. We finally just got a seat at the bar. We ordered appetizers, two rounds of drinks and dinner. Again told it was going be a wait because kitchen was backed up. That was fine. Got our drinks and appetizers. Then my girlfriend’s entrée finally came out but they forgot to bring mine! I thought it would be out in a few minutes, but after 1o more minutes waiting for my food I finally inquired, and they had somehow forgotten my entrée. They comp’d one round of drinks. Love the new location. Love the food. But we chose the wrong night to go! I’ve never gone out to eat and ordered the food and had them forget to bring my entrée out.. By the time I got my dinner my girlfriend was done with her food. Just asked them to bag it for take-away. Still tipped 20% as I’ve worked twenty years in resturants. Kind of disappointed with New Years Eve dinner. Took the night off early to go have a nice meal and they forgot my meal!”

“✨ Testimonial for Bistro Leluco ✨ After teaching last night, I finally had the joy of dining at Bistro Leluco in South Portland — and what an incredible experience! The warm, welcoming atmosphere and sweet décor made it feel instantly special, with both cozy indoor seating and a charming outdoor option. Owners Antonio and Michele, who met in New York and brought their passion for food to Maine, have truly created something magical here. The restaurant, named after their three children, is filled with heart — and it was especially meaningful for me since little Luca is one of my former Tikes students. I just had to experience it firsthand! The food did not disappoint — we shared several flavorful small plates, and the chicken kabob was absolutely delicious. Every dish was fresh, unique, and beautifully prepared. If you’re looking for a place that blends incredible food with a heartfelt story and atmosphere, Bistro Leluco is a must-visit!”

“Very limited lunch menu but the chicken pesto pita pocket was delish. Ordinary shoestring fries followed a tasty appetizer of fried cauliflower. No regular ranch dressing for dipping available. Nothing intriguing enough for a repeat visit.”

“10/10. Beautiful location with an amazing menu. My 5 year old rates the clam chowder “1000 and some numbers out of ten”. Definitely recommend!”

“if you don't stop here on your next visit to this area you are seriously missing out. Great food awesome service. this was the highlight of my short visit here. I'll be back.”

“Outrageously good food that is always artfully presented. Great cocktails - wonderful atmosphere. Love it!”

“Great small cigar lounge. Good selection of cigars, reasonably priced. Good selection of beer, also offering coffee drinks, sodas and water. Great, relaxing atmosphere.”

“Great experience. Friendly staff, great food. First time we’ve found blue crab since moving up here from Maryland in 2018. We left full and happy. And the value for the money, ya it’s definitely worth every penny. We’ll be back”

“Had a fabulous time with my friend. Food was hot and delicious and received in a timely manner. Waitress was informative and friendly, quick, funny, and kept the drinks full while balancing many tables as the place was booming for lunch. Kudos to the kitchen too for making our food the way it was ordered and they also kept up with the pace. Means there was great teamwork amongst the staff and I will definitely be going back. Thank you to all.”

“I went here in October and I truly have thought about it once a week since. There was a cool vintage seller pop up while we there. The beer was great, the olives were tasty. The bartender was friendly and gave us lots of recommendations. I don’t know what else you could ask for”

“The PB&J Gunner Runner is the best flavor-added stout I think I have ever had. They also sell Cape Whoopies from next door, after they’re closed. We had a flight and enjoyed all 4 offerings.

Small place, worth a stop. Wish I could’ve taken home some of the PB&J stout. That one alone was worth the stop.”

“I stopped in on a whim and boy I’m glad i did! We created by a very friendly host and then sat at a table and immediately greeted by our server whom was beyond amazing! His name is Erik (Eric) in sure of spelling! But he was friendly and warm and made us feel completely welcome the entire time! Ask for him if you want great service! It’s hard to find these days . Thank you for a great day out that doesn’t happens often . You Erik made it great THANK YOU!”

“We did take out the steak&cheese sandwich was excellent and I loved the fries”

“The food was amazing! We received our order very quickly and it had so much flavour. I would definitely recommend!”

“Legit sandwich artist. The old guy that makes the sandwich does good work ! Super fast service. Don’t know about the pizza didn’t try it. Attached to the citgo and a Dunkin’ so one stop shopping for lunch.”

“Friendly staff. Linguine with meatballs hit the spot. Loved the window seat near the bar area.”

“I think our server was new, but he was so kind and patient with my kids. Food was a little slow coming out, especially considering it was only 2 in the afternoon with hardly anyone there, but it wasn’t a huge issue. It was quiet, food was good, there was no wait.”

“Love their variety of drink & food choices! I have dined here multiple times and have always had a great meal! Also love the atmosphere! You quickly forget that you are eating in a hotel restaurant!”

“Had a good time at the hibachi. I ordered the rib eye and was surprised by the generous size and quality of the ribeye. Definitely left very full. Would recommend”

“Best part: If you squeeze in between the desk and chair, you can sit on the floor right next to the (floor to ceiling) window, and it's like sitting on the edge of a cliff looking out over the Turnpike. The noise level is well-controlled, and it's quite peaceful looking at cars and trucks roll by from six stories high. Needs to be high room on the back of the West tower for this effect. Quietest a/c / air system in any hotel I've stayed in, and the controls were pretty legible. Bed was comfy and slept well. Some mystery spots on the coverlet. If you're a DIY type, take along a scraper and some paint and you can fix the peeling paint in the bathroom. Stay away from the breakfast, if you're not used to a mass-market diet, either way you'll do just as well at McDonald's. 'Fridge is useful if you want to lightly freeze things. If you want the good ol' days of a freshly-made bed every day, get on it immediately. We waited til day 3, and despite obediently ordering 24 hrs in advance, chaos still ruled when we returned at 6 pm. The same fellow running check-in eventually arrived with a few towels; we decided he was probably running the whole place on his own that night.”

“Antony was our waiter this evening and he was great! He was running the house as the only waiter, bar tender, and maybe even cooked our dinners! The food was excellent and our waiter made our our visit to Pattaya really enjoyable! ❤️”

“The food was excellent! The young man who made our tableside guacamole and our waiter were two of the best serves I have ever encountered! This place is TopShelf!”

“while visiting the New England area we literally randomly picked an ice cream shop and Willard's was close to where we driving nearby. It was such a wonderful experience. the 2 ladies working were as kind as could be and the variety of flavors were exceptional. my wife had the blueberry ice cream and I had a sundae that was loaded with chocolate fudge. so delicious! so good we may drive the 1200 miles to come back again!!!”

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 10/10 absolutely delicious carne! The quesadilla is one of my faves. Add guacamole and crema 🤤🤤🤤”

“very good food and adorable place inside! Very nicely sized portions and overall GREAT food! and the ladies in there seemed very upbeat and happy!”

“Their strawberry cheese tart might be the most delicious thing I have ever tasted in my 34 years of life. Just saying. 😮‍💨”

“Thank you for being one of the only places in town with healthy and vegan options � the amazing taste is a bonus”

“Look at the gingerbread lasagna and it’s 10 out of 10!!!!”

“Really amazing avocado toast. This place has just the cutest and best energy. Staff were very friendly and service was fast. This is a great place to stop before seeing some lighthouses!”

“Loved working with Q Street Diner! Very kind and professional while sharing her space during our service today. It’s not easy having to shut down the kitchen in a professional setting for cleaning, and we were met with kindness and coffee ☕️😁”

“Came here after visiting Portland Headlight in Cape Elizabeth. Many options to choose from and they were delicious! My girls ordered three different kinds of pad Thai.”

“So, so, SO good! We’re from out of town but ALWAYS make a point to stop by Jaffa when we’re in South Portland. Seriously cannot recommend this place enough. #drool”

“Had an amazing time hanging out at the Tavern. Right away we were charmed by the bartender; Niko, shoutout, you’re the best. The bar food is delicious, better than a lot of more expensive places! We played pool, the other patrons were awesome and super chill to hang out with. We’re not even local but anytime we’re in the area we are sure to stop by Spring Point Tavern!”

“If you like sushi but are on the go, you owe it to yourself to try Poké from Big Fin Poké. It fills the craving and is a healthy fast food option to boot! :) Customer service is always friendly and prompt, and the food is always fresh.”

“We absolutely loved our meal tonight, it was easy to dine here with kids, staff were excellent, service was quick, food was incredible and we all felt happy the whole time we were there. So glad we stopped in!”

“We used Cake Elizabeth for our wedding cake and desserts. Our cake turned out beautiful. Excellent desserts, and the team was very responsive and accommodating!”

“Outstanding fare; courteous, professional staff; charming atmosphere; a must—highly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️”

“Best BLT I had in a long time. I had my sandwich on their fresh no preservatives white bread,, baked fresh every day. DELICIOUS”

“We ate here after finding out one of our favorite places for Chinese food closed and we were pleasantly surprised to find this one not to far from where we use to go. It’s a small place that seems to do big business. It’s one of those places that you might just drive by and not notice but you would be missing out if you do. When we go to Portland and are in the mood for Chinese food this is where we will be going. Great food and super friendly folks. Definitely give them a chance I don’t believe you will regret it 😁.”

“Best market around! 🎉🍕🍺🍷🎉”

“What a nice place with great tasting food and shakes! We will be back to try different menu items!!”

“The young people who work here give stellar customer service. They are appropriately friendly and engaging. Bravo to ownership and managers for this!!!”

“So glad we made this stop. Mrs. Wiggins, the owner, greeted us at the counter and helped us picked out our whoopie pies. She was such a joy to speak with. The entrance is on the back side of the building opposite of the mast landing brewing company. Don’t miss this place!!”

“Such a fun atmosphere!! Always a great time!”

“I wanted to try a new flavor but unsure what I wanted, Staff recommended Summer Splash and it was the bomb!! It’s my new favorite flavor now!! Thanks! Highly recommend!!”

“These guys are awesome and the food is fantastic! Stop in and try it out if you haven't already.”

“The Maine Mall is awesome a lots stores to buy from Old Navy Spencers Best buy so on Starbucks Cafe at the the Mall. so on lotes more. I would always go there when I can. it's great for family or friends gatherings to go with and so on.”

“The food here is very good 😋😋😋😋”

“This restaurant is my favorite when visiting the Maine Mall. It’s located in the Food Court. The service is fast and the food is very fresh. The owners are very kind and considerate. When my pregnant daughter was in the line with her big belly (8 years ago) the owner pulled her to the front of the line and treated her to a meal. Great place!”

“Small sandwich shop, reasonable prices and good food! Perfect place to stop and grab a bite to each. Couple tables inside and a couple pick nick tables right out front.”

“We stopped into DeAngelo’s in South Portland and were met with fast, efficient service and big smiles all around. The team was on point, and everything was fresh, quick, and exactly what we needed. It’s always a win when great service meets great food—thank you, DeAngelo’s! From all of us at S.B. Taylor Transport, we appreciate you!”

“On behalf of the Cape Elizabeth Little League, thank you for your kind donation of our new microwave! In addition your tasty treats, your commitment to your community and staff (even former ones!) is admirable. We'll be back!”

“Their service is amazing. My personal favorite is their latte. I did try their strawberry banana smoothie the other day and it tasted so fresh. Highly recommended!”

“The best tacos around! Carne asada and pastor, sooo dang delicious!”

“Normally I'd recommend the place but between the inconsistent quality and pricing as of late it's difficult to. It started off on high note when the store reopened as FVM, but has since started to fall back to what it had formerly been. Still my favorite place for italians but I'll unfortunately be ordering from elsewhere until things fall back in line. Update-2022: Expecting any level of quality from this place is still a joke. I still enjoy getting their food on occasion but I can't help but laugh at what I get. They're lucky for their location and lack of competition. This order will definitely be the last chunk of change I spend there. Burned food, scarce toppings, and little to no filler in a calzone described to have a generous portion of chicken in it. Speaking of the calzone, it was a chicken parmesan and it didn't even have any cheese! It's laughable really. I'd usually say they're a fair priced store but when they continue to cut back it's hard to even give them that much credit. Go in with low expectations and they might just exceed them if you're lucky enough.”

“Restroom is always clean, lots of options for food and beverages. The kitchen has greatly improved in the last couple months. Go in and ask for Carson; he's extremely talented and knowledgeable about food. Makes the best Cuban sandwich!”

“Great service! They aim to make sure you are happy with your order! Great environment, great service. Our #1 coffee stop every year when we come to visit!”

“I had so much fun tonight attending the Unicorn cupcake class!! The instructor was so informative, fun, and easy to learn from. Thank you and I will definitely be back!!”

“Nice employees. Fast service.”

“We were needing a quick stop for lunch by the airport before flying home and chose this spot for pizza. We were delightfully surprised they had an Italian sandwich, not Maine style. The sandwich was delicious and that bread!! We also got the pulled pork with scallions pizza and added mushrooms and pepperoni- it was so good. The crust was thin with a perfect char. We couldn’t decide if the sandwich or pizza was better but all agreed if this place existed in Oklahoma, we’d be regulars.”

“Call ahead as brewery is semi-appointment only with larger tasting room planned for next summer. Unique, must-do experience with first hand look at one of the oldest craft brewing operations in Maine. Loved talking to knowledgeable brewer – his passion for beer and the Maine craft scene really shows! Enjoyed great samples and walked away with some delicious affordable cans.”

“Just happened to stop here yesterday for a late lunch! So glad we did! My husband has had their pizza before I hadn't. The pizza was soo delicious! I ordered a Pineapple, Bacon & Hot Honey small pizza. It was one of the BEST pizza's I've ever eaten! I didn't take my receipt so I can't remember our waiters name & I wish I could because he deserves a shout out! He was amazing!! Would definitely recommend! & will definitely be back!”

“This place is amazing!! I ordered on the Toast app and I wanted to take the boba home to my boyfriend since he wasn’t with me so I called and asked if I could get the drinks with no ice, the woman who answered the phone was sooo nice and very politely explained that the drink needed a little bit of ice so the drink could be shaken up well. I love this place it is the main reason I love going to the Maine mall! Everyone was super nice when I picked up the drinks:)! The boba is always amazing as well, I normally get strawberry tea with mango and strawberry boba it’s AMAZING. I always order on toast and my order is never wrong, always perfect!! If you order ahead on toast while you’re shopping in the mall, you can keep shopping until it’s ready which is so convenient! They also gave me a bag to carry the two drinks I got which was so perfect!!”

“I’ve been to several auntie Anne’s in other locations SO excited to see one coming to the Maine mall and they are working so fast it’s almost open! ? projected to open middle of April,2022!”

“Best pizza we have EVER had. Fries great too”

“This is a food court Johnny Rockets in South Portland. The shakes here are high quality and the food is a really well done, on top of the staff is very nice. Again it was a very good burger. This is more like an 80s burger joint family style. the food was excellent. However....I shake, 1 fry, 1 burger, 1 soda. $31.00 before tip.”

“Taco Trio is the best! Not only is the food delicious, but the service is quick and friendly. The salsa bar is amazing! I also really appreciate the cardboard packaging - very little single use plastic there.”

“I love this location and the staff. They are sooo sweet and friendly, they always know my go to rushes, either a blue Hawaiian or beach bum with extra pineapple. they make me smile all the time and I love seeing them bright and early before i go into work. One morning, one of them wrote "happy Saturday :)" and I didn't realize it until I drove off and the little things like that make it for me. I wish I knew her name😬 shout to her though!! Jill is also a sweetheart and I love the 10-15 sec convos we have. Thank you guys!! Love yall💛”

“If you know, you know. Amato's is one of the quintessential sandwich shops in Maine, and as a born-and-raised local, there really is nothing like it, as they proport in their slogan. When living out of state, every time I came home to visit, my first stop was for a Real Italian, a Moxie, and Humpty Dumpty All Dressed chips.

I've had a generic review here for years, but I needed to update it after this weekend. It was a busy Friday, I was on my way home from work and picking up an order my wife had placed for the whole family. I didn't have the order details, and so some of this was certainly my oversight, but when I arrived home, a sandwich was missing, and another was generously lacking in vegetables, though I would only learn this last bit on the drive back to the store.

Upon explaining the situation, no less than three staff members jumped to fix the situation, finding the lost sandwich, remaking the other, and additionally providing me with a quart-sized soup/salad container of freshly sliced veggies, just to make sure that we had all we needed. The customer service was - in a word - exceptional. I had even proclaimed that this was not enough to sour me as a customer, and they still insisted on going above and beyond.

Thank you again to the Amato's South Portland staff. You made our evening.”

“My first time today! I’m hooked. The jerk chicken fell off the bone and she was kind enough to let me try goat curry.. delicious! I’m so happy!!!”

“Convenient drive-thru! Very basic selection, but good for a simple and quick bite to eat! Located in an intersection. The food was hot and ready. Crab Rangoon is decent, orange chicken was tangy, teriyaki was sweet and tender, lo mein was consistent. Nothing dry. Would try again.”

“Food good but way too slow, was freezing inside…. If prepared to sit you will enjoy…”