10 Essential Bars in Portland, Maine

A modern era has begun in the city, where luxe cocktail bars sit alongside beloved breweries. These are the spots most beloved by drink pros. [...] Read More... The post 10 Essential Bars in Portland, Maine appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

Feb 11, 2025 - 18:53

Maine is known for a few things: gorgeous rocky coastlines, L.L. Bean boots and Portland, the state’s gem of a culinary destination. But despite drawing droves of tourists seeking out great restaurants and lobster rolls for years now, ambitious drinks and a top-notch wine scene haven’t always shared the spotlight. But all that is changing.

Portland has entered a modern drinking era, where luxe cocktail bars sit alongside classic, beloved breweries and a new generation of drink makers expand the local palate. We tapped the industry professionals creating this infectious energy around Portland’s drinking scene for their picks of the best bars in town.

Best Locals-Approved Bar: Room for Improvement

Old Port

Let’s start off by stating the obvious: There’s no shortage of excellent bars in this city. That’s why it’s so notable that every single industry pro we chatted with sang the praises of Room for Improvement.

This quasi dive bar was immediately embraced for serving serious, high-quality drinks in a decidedly unserious environment. It feels like a worn-in place, where one might only dare to order a beer and a shot (and you can certainly do that). But open up the menu and you’ll find fun and perfected takes on classic cocktails, like a snack-sized daiquiri. Whatever you order, enjoy—you’re sipping on your favorite drink maker’s favorite drink.

Best Neighborhood Bar: Lambs

South Portland

When Orenda and Peter Hale, the co-owners of wine shop Maine & Loire, want to kick back with a glass of natural wine somewhere other than their own store, they head to Lambs.

Occupying an oversized, hangar-like space, the laid-back bar is ideal for almost any occasion. In the summer, start early and sip a classic spritz with a rare view of Portland from the other side of Casco Bay. The rest of the year, find refuge from the cold with local beer and pizza from neighboring Night Moves, which the Hales say makes some of the best bread in town.

“We’re always ending up there,” says Peter Hale.

Best Wine Bar: Maine & Loire

East End

When the Hales first opened Maine & Loire back in 2015, Maine’s natural wine scene was effectively nonexistent. That’s changed drastically over the last 10 years, thanks in large part to their work.

The wine shop doubles as a friendly neighborhood bar, offering a place to perch and share a full bottle with friends or try glasses of whatever the staff has open. “They do a really good job of listening to your preferences and educating people,” says Colin Wyatt, executive chef at the modern New England spot Twelve.

The husband-and-wife duo aims to peel back the curtain on low-intervention bottles, so look out for special events with notable producers and be sure to pick their brains for recommendations.

Best Tequila and Mezcal Bar: Regards

Arts District

Regards is the type of place you wouldn’t exactly expect to find in Portland, Wyatt says. Perhaps because this northern spot is inspired by flavors of Los Angeles and Mexico, so you’ll find bites with things like housemade heirloom corn tortillas and masa miso butter.

The bar goes all in on agave spirits, offering more than 50 tequila and mezcal options. The selection, which is likely the most extensive in the city, can be served on the rocks or stirred up in cocktails like The Motivator, which pairs tequila and mezcal with clarified lime and fresh eucalyptus.

Best Restaurant Bar: Papi

Old Port

This Puerto Rican restaurant in the heart of the Old Port is worth a visit for the drinks alone. “I would say they are cocktail first, food second,” says Wyatt. “That’s not to say they don’t have a great food program as well, they do. They just have some of the most talented bartenders in the city.”

Experts behind the bar work off a menu that highlights the actual drinking norms of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, rather than sticking to stereotypical libations like mojitos and piña coladas. Expect cocktails like the Boriken Gold with guava, gold rum, lime and queso y coco foam that paint island flavors in a new light.

Most Inventive Cocktails: The Jewel Box

Arts District

When LyAnna Sanabria, the beverage director and co-founder of Papi, wants to find inspiration, she heads to Jewel Box. The bar pushes the limits of cocktail creation, from pairing unexpected flavor combinations to making complex syrups and tinctures and changing up the menu constantly.

Recent highlights include unusual sippers like The Magician, which is made with cilantro-infused mezcal, creme de menthe and green pepper and lime juices, and The Empress, which marries basil-infused vodka with blanc sweet vermouth, tomato water and cracked black pepper.

The maximalist tendancies don’t stop at the drinks. The space is moody with opalescent lighting, vibe-y music and disco balls and house plants aplenty.

“It just has that ethereal, sparkly MDMA niceness to it,” says Sanabria. For the full effect, visit late night on Wednesdays for a rowdy karaoke session.

Best Place to Go Dancing: Bubba’s Sulky Lounge

Bayside

Portland is decidedly not a party-hearty destination. But if you just need to hit the dance floor, Bubba’s is the place to go.

“Everybody goes dancing there, from 21 to literally 92,” says Sanabria. “There’s actually a 92-year-old couple that has gone dancing there every Friday night since the beginning of time.”

The multi-generational party rolls on across multiple light-up, sticky dance floors to the beat of songs that are just as eclectic as the clientele. You’ll sweat. You’ll stay longer than expected. And you’ll leave with some lore. “It’s the type of place where every story sounds made up, it’s just the best,” says Sanabria.

Best Cocktail Bar with Something for Everyone: Blyth & Burrows

Old Port

This maritime-themed bar has one of the largest spirits collections in the city. But even with a roster of allocated spirits that go for up to $250 a pour, Blyth & Burrows offers everything from light, refreshing drinks to intensive cocktails that employ homemade ingredients and tough techniques.

“The menu is very complex, but still accessible palate-wise in a way that can please a lot of people,” says Sanabria. “It’s a tourist haven at this point, but you still see industry people popping in and out of there because it’s so great and consistent.”

Tip back one of the bar’s most popular drinks like the coconut-forward Tom Yum Milk Punch or the Ship Captain Crew, a smoky take on an Old Fashioned, to see what they’re all about.

Five of Clubs Long Fellow Hotel — Photography by Carley Rudd Photography for Longfellow Hotel

Best Hotel Lobby Bar: Five of Clubs

Arts District

For a city so beloved by tourists, Portland was for years a lightweight when it came to lobby bars. That is, until the Longfellow Hotel came along in 2024.

The lounge takes cues from the sort of grand spaces you’d expect to find in New York City or London. Rich fabrics and a sleek, intimate marble bar with just six seats create a sense of luxury, while sweeping windows that open up to Congress Street, a main artery through the city, ensure the space feels like a gathering place for locals and visitors alike.

The bar’s name was inspired by a five-man literary society founded by the hotel’s namesake, Maine native and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Tony DeLois, one of the hotel’s co-owners, says it’s exactly the kind of place you could imagine old, bookish types debating over a couple glasses of Scotch—though today’s menu is much more balanced, featuring a slate of non-alcoholic drink options alongside riffs on classic cocktails.

Best Brewery: Maine Beer Company

Freeport

Portland is chock full of great beer, from the farmhouse ales at Oxbow Blending and Bottling in the East End to Goodfire Brewing Company’s hazy New England IPAs, which have become an industry favorite. So you certainly don’t have to drive outside the city to experience Maine’s best brewery, but DeLois thinks you should.

Maine Beer Company is one of the state’s most lauded breweries, located just 20 minutes north of Portland. If you’re already a beer fan, chances are you’ve tried this spot’s most popular offering, Lunch, an intensely hoppy, citrus-forward IPA that’s sold across the country. It’s certainly worth a quick bop to see where the magic happens.

“Sometimes the most popular answer is just the right answer,” says DeLois.