From the moment you enter you feel welcome. “Doc & Lloyd” a delicious cocktail and inventive The scallops: quite simply, delicious and very surprising. The “Roast Duck”: the cooking was perfect, the taste exceptional. The “Grilled Swordfish”a presentation and taste worthy of a 5 star. The Dessert “Basil Mint Pudding” very surprising in taste, a delight, a very beautiful revelation!! Stéphanie was adorable, the chef very friendly, a whole wonderful team. Can't wait to come back!!
Patrick Buchanan
Been here about 10 times; it’s never been less than great. Worth a drive. They are cooking some of my favorite food in all of New England. Come hungry, order the menu, live it up. Top tier spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sean Joy
I have been here many times and this place is amazing. I recommend ordering a bunch of the small plates so you can enjoy different dishes.
Sarah Conly
Terrific food, and good for vegetarians, pescatarians, and carnivores. Excellent service, as well.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brett Banhazl
First time there depsite living nearby. Lovely elevated atmosphere that doesn't feel stuffy or intense. All about good vibes & good food.Everything we ate was delicious, but the Chicken Liver Toast & Brocollini were some of the best dishes we've ever had. The menu changes often so we'll be sad when those leave, but we can't wait to keep coming back and trying new things!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Liver Mousse
jesse thomas
Our favorite restaurant in the Portland area. Reliably excellent and adventurous dishes with flavors that sing to the palette. Truly underrated, far more than the fried chicken that carried them through the pandemic, Chef Chris is at the top of his art. The service is great, the drinks are fantastic… gotta love a good Gibson. It should be impossible to get a table here but somehow there’s always a great seat.
Ali Rowe
Such a great spot with fantastic food. The gnocchi was out of this world delicious. Great date night spot, with food cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daisy Wilson
Fool me once... we tried to enjoy this neighborhood restaurant but have been disappointed by the quality and value of each meal we've had, so no going back for us. At our most recent visit, I ordered blistered carrots with ricotta and lavender. The lavender was the main draw, but I couldn't taste it at all. I asked the server about this and her response was that the carrots were initially boiled with lavender, but that the taste was subtle because not everybody likes lavender. Why you would feature an ingredient on the menu and then hide the flavor of it makes no sense to me.That's just the tip of the food disappointment ice berg - the flavors are either way too complex or completely lacking. Sorry, won't be back.
Bostontravels
We've been here 8 or 10 times now and are always happy. They rotate their menu frequently so it's fun to visit frequently. Had an amazing pork chop the other night as well as one of the best chicken liver mousses I've ever tried.
Lucky Strike
Hit or miss. Gizmo vs stripeUpdate: Decided to try again. Cocktails are as unbalanced as a person trying to use a see saw by themselves. I didn't even finish my drink it was so bad. Be wary of who your bar tender is...food is awesome though. Go for food and get drink at Cafe loise.
Excellent attention to every detail of this well appointed restaurant. We are Vegetarian and enjoyed sharing the cheeses, delicious gnocchi in a cloud of parm, a subtly blue cheesed salad and blistered cauliflower. We had very tasty cocktails and do be sure to save room for a dessert of delicious butterscotch delight. The service was impeccable and the chefs clearly know their assignment.
Randy939
Wow impressive meal. Small plates and each one was incredibly tasty and amazing flavors and food combinations. Great cocktails also.
David Engle
Fantastic food and great service. Open kitchen concept. If it is was in downtown portland, it would take months to get a reservation. More people need to know about this spot!Will 100% be going again!
Vegetarian options: Ate 6+ things, and everything we ate was vegetarian friendly.
Parking: Parking lot right across street -- very easy parking
Susannah
Love this restaurant. Food is delish! Staff is great, great atmosphere. I just wish it was more vegetarian friendly.
WMSME
Dining at Judy Gibson is like being invited to the home of someone who cooks very well. No, this does not look like a residential dining room (more like a converted luncheonette) but the food has a combination of creativity and feeling that the cook is making what they like. The menu actually matched what was on the restaurant's website, which was both unusual and helpful. There are about six starters, two entrees and one dessert. For moderate appetites, two starters make a treasonable -- and very cost-friendly- meal. The four of us liked just about everything, none of which was quite conventional and none of which was challenging. Pork rillettes come on toast rather than in a small crock, and have small chunks of meat and less fat that one would see in a French restaurant. A salad had granola sprinkled on it, which was very much enjoyed. Gnocchi are clearly home-made and cloud-like, though the herbs lying under the pasta did not mix as effectively with the rest of the dish as would have been best. The parmesan on top was generous, which many would like, but was bit much for me. Two of us had the duck breast entree (the other was fish, haddock, maybe). The duck was perfectly cooked (on the rare side of medium rare) but I found it a bit tough and hard to cut with the flimsy knife provided. It cam with romesco sauce on the side, which I found paired better with the vegetables which were outstanding, while not being fussy. Brocolini was cooker perfectly, just a bit of crunch, and the butter beans seemed plain but were succulent. None of the four of us had room for dessert, though I would have liked to try it. There are a number of craft cocktails, of which we tried four. Each was well-received. They are for the most part riffs on conventional drinks, with a couple of ingredients changed. None was overly sweet. The restaurant is exceptionally friendly and the food was interesting and enjoyable. We look forward to returning.
From the moment you enter you feel welcome. “Doc & Lloyd” a delicious cocktail and inventive The scallops: quite simply, delicious and very surprising. The “Roast Duck”: the cooking was perfect, the taste exceptional. The “Grilled Swordfish”a presentation and taste worthy of a 5 star. The Dessert “Basil Mint Pudding” very surprising in taste, a delight, a very beautiful revelation!! Stéphanie was adorable, the chef very friendly, a whole wonderful team. Can't wait to come back!!
Been here about 10 times; it’s never been less than great. Worth a drive. They are cooking some of my favorite food in all of New England. Come hungry, order the menu, live it up. Top tier spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have been here many times and this place is amazing. I recommend ordering a bunch of the small plates so you can enjoy different dishes.
Terrific food, and good for vegetarians, pescatarians, and carnivores. Excellent service, as well.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time there depsite living nearby. Lovely elevated atmosphere that doesn't feel stuffy or intense. All about good vibes & good food.Everything we ate was delicious, but the Chicken Liver Toast & Brocollini were some of the best dishes we've ever had. The menu changes often so we'll be sad when those leave, but we can't wait to keep coming back and trying new things!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Liver Mousse
Our favorite restaurant in the Portland area. Reliably excellent and adventurous dishes with flavors that sing to the palette. Truly underrated, far more than the fried chicken that carried them through the pandemic, Chef Chris is at the top of his art. The service is great, the drinks are fantastic… gotta love a good Gibson. It should be impossible to get a table here but somehow there’s always a great seat.
Such a great spot with fantastic food. The gnocchi was out of this world delicious. Great date night spot, with food cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fool me once... we tried to enjoy this neighborhood restaurant but have been disappointed by the quality and value of each meal we've had, so no going back for us. At our most recent visit, I ordered blistered carrots with ricotta and lavender. The lavender was the main draw, but I couldn't taste it at all. I asked the server about this and her response was that the carrots were initially boiled with lavender, but that the taste was subtle because not everybody likes lavender. Why you would feature an ingredient on the menu and then hide the flavor of it makes no sense to me.That's just the tip of the food disappointment ice berg - the flavors are either way too complex or completely lacking. Sorry, won't be back.
We've been here 8 or 10 times now and are always happy. They rotate their menu frequently so it's fun to visit frequently. Had an amazing pork chop the other night as well as one of the best chicken liver mousses I've ever tried.
Hit or miss. Gizmo vs stripeUpdate: Decided to try again. Cocktails are as unbalanced as a person trying to use a see saw by themselves. I didn't even finish my drink it was so bad. Be wary of who your bar tender is...food is awesome though. Go for food and get drink at Cafe loise.
Restaurantji Recommends
Excellent attention to every detail of this well appointed restaurant. We are Vegetarian and enjoyed sharing the cheeses, delicious gnocchi in a cloud of parm, a subtly blue cheesed salad and blistered cauliflower. We had very tasty cocktails and do be sure to save room for a dessert of delicious butterscotch delight. The service was impeccable and the chefs clearly know their assignment.
Wow impressive meal. Small plates and each one was incredibly tasty and amazing flavors and food combinations. Great cocktails also.
Fantastic food and great service. Open kitchen concept. If it is was in downtown portland, it would take months to get a reservation. More people need to know about this spot!Will 100% be going again!
Vegetarian options: Ate 6+ things, and everything we ate was vegetarian friendly.
Parking: Parking lot right across street -- very easy parking
Love this restaurant. Food is delish! Staff is great, great atmosphere. I just wish it was more vegetarian friendly.
Dining at Judy Gibson is like being invited to the home of someone who cooks very well. No, this does not look like a residential dining room (more like a converted luncheonette) but the food has a combination of creativity and feeling that the cook is making what they like. The menu actually matched what was on the restaurant's website, which was both unusual and helpful. There are about six starters, two entrees and one dessert. For moderate appetites, two starters make a treasonable -- and very cost-friendly- meal. The four of us liked just about everything, none of which was quite conventional and none of which was challenging. Pork rillettes come on toast rather than in a small crock, and have small chunks of meat and less fat that one would see in a French restaurant. A salad had granola sprinkled on it, which was very much enjoyed. Gnocchi are clearly home-made and cloud-like, though the herbs lying under the pasta did not mix as effectively with the rest of the dish as would have been best. The parmesan on top was generous, which many would like, but was bit much for me. Two of us had the duck breast entree (the other was fish, haddock, maybe). The duck was perfectly cooked (on the rare side of medium rare) but I found it a bit tough and hard to cut with the flimsy knife provided. It cam with romesco sauce on the side, which I found paired better with the vegetables which were outstanding, while not being fussy. Brocolini was cooker perfectly, just a bit of crunch, and the butter beans seemed plain but were succulent. None of the four of us had room for dessert, though I would have liked to try it. There are a number of craft cocktails, of which we tried four. Each was well-received. They are for the most part riffs on conventional drinks, with a couple of ingredients changed. None was overly sweet. The restaurant is exceptionally friendly and the food was interesting and enjoyable. We look forward to returning.
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