You know the drill. You’re in Portland. You’re leaving a bar, maybe you’re a little buzzed. Or maybe you’re just a hard-working citizen and you stayed late at the office. Regardless, it’s late and you’re STARVING. You’re ready to head home and stuff your face with bagel bites when you realize your roommates ate all of them last weekend (those jerks!) and you’ve yet to go grocery shopping. You consider stopping at a restaurant for a bite to eat but then it hits you: you’re in Portland, it’s past 11 pm and all restaurants are closed. This is when you start to cry.
This embarrasing fate could’ve been avoided had you known about all the delicious late-night food spots hiding in plain sight throughout the city. Thank goodness for this post, I guess. Without it, your roommates might not have lived to eat another freezer-burnt bagel bite.
1. Boda “very Thai” Kitchen
Thai food at 7 pm is lovely. Thai food at 1 am is heavenly. This delicious street-vendor and tapas inspired restaurant has a menu unlike any other Thai place in Portland and I don’t mean that as a slight to other local Thai restaurants (I am a frequent Pom’s Thai Taste patron), I just mean it as a compliment to Boda. They take the Thai favorites you know and love and kick them in the ass with a dash of awesome (think pad thai wrapped in an omelette!). Their kitchen and bar is open until 1am Tues-Sunday. I recommend grabbing some friends and hittin’ up this place after 9pm on Sundays — the late-night food menu items are half priced.
671 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 347-7557
2. El Rayo Cantina
El Rayo’s newest culinary endeavor, a slightly more upscale version of the original, serves food until midnight. Their late-night menu won’t break the bank (the most expensive item is a $12 cheeseburger, which I hear is incredible) and they have a second happy hour from 10-midnight. Mexican cheeseburgers and cheep booze until midnight? That’s not even fair.
85-101 York Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 780-VINO
3. Gogi
Korean-Mexican fusion is the best thing to come (albeit late) to Maine since Trader Joe’s. The food is solid and they are open until 2 am Wed-Sat. The fish taco is my favorite thing on the menu, though I recommend trying whatever’s on special, as well; last time I was in the special was beef brisket taco…nom-fest. The service is good — you’ll be greeted with smiles and fed within minutes. Plus, everything is quite inexpensive. Friendly, fast, and cheap — sounds like my ideal man. Ayo!
Update: Unfortunately, Gogi has closed its doors, but is considering re-opening at a different location, possibly under a different name, so sit tight for now!
653 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
207-899-4325
4. OTTO Pizza
I know this is an obvious choice to any Portlander, but if you aren’t from town, or if you live under a horrible pizzaless rock, you may not know that this place (both Congress Street locations, in fact) serves up specialty slices until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. They also recently started delivering. Hip hip hoooray! While there are a few other pizza places serving late night in Portland, I prefer Otto’s, mostly because I’m a bacon addict and they’ve got a mashed potato, bacon, and scallion slice that’ll make a woman/man out of you.
225 & 576 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
Delivery: (207) 358-7870
576 Congress St: (207) 773-7099
225 Congress St: (207) 358-7870
*If you don’t take Congress Street on your walk home but have a yen for pizza, check out Joe’s New York Pizza on Fore Street (open til 2 am on weekends), Roma Pizza on Exchange Street (once again–2 am on weekends), or Pat’s Pizza on Market Street (open til 1 am, 7 days a week).
5. Pai Men Miyake
Masa Miyake’s noodle bar is fantastic any time of the day, but it’s super cool they now serve food until midnight Monday-Saturday. If the name “Miyake” calls to mind their sister sushi restaurant and you worry you’re about to drop $100 on late-night eating, cool your jets — the food is very reasonable (their ramen is $9) and they’ve got an extensive appetizer menu. If you do go the appetizer route, don’t you dare leave Pai Men without ordering their pork buns. They’re like the Japenese version of sliders except a hundred times cooler and more delicious. Like El Rayo Cantina, they’ve also got a late-night happy hour running from 9:30pm-midnight. $3 gin and tonics with my pork buns? Please and thank you.
188 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 541-9204
6. Nosh Kitchen Bar
Only three words are needed to convince you that Nosh is a must-visit for Portland late-night dining: Bacon-dusted fries. Despite sounding like the best dream you’ve ever had, these miraculous fries are in fact real life. Serving until 1am, this more “low key” late night spot is a great place to wind down after a night on the town. If you’re feeling courageous, try the Apocolypse Now burger, featured in 2010 on Man vs. Food. It’s huge, delicious, and not the best choice for a full stomach of beer, so be cautious.
551 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 553-2227
7. Samuel’s Bar & Grill
If you live out off Forest Avenue, have I got a late-night treat for you. The best wings in all of Portland, in my humble opinion, are served at this delightful, if not slightly divey-looking bar. This place should really be visited on a Wednesday or Thursday for 50-cent wing nights, but 50 cents or not, the food’s always delicious, the beer is cheap, and they serve a full menu until 1 am, 7 days a week. Word to the wise: Samuel’s is a bit of “regulars” type bar, so don’t make the mistake my friend Cam made of sitting in a regular’s seat — it didn’t end well. Just kidding, it ended fine, but if you don’t like getting the stink eye while you munch on the aforementioned delicious wings, take a seat at a table, not the bar.
1160 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME 04103
(207) 797-6924
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