Wayside Tavern — Restaurant in Portland

My partner and I took a road trip to Portland, Maine over the Easter long weekend to explore the food scene, and Wayside Tavern was on our list of must-tries. We wanted to love this place — and it started off strong.

First off, the ambience is fantastic. The space is cozy and intimate, perfect for a date night. The different dining rooms gave off serious Clue board game vibes — moody, classic, and charming in a very intentional way.

We started with the “greens and beans” special, which was a highlight. Perfectly seasoned with a bright, acidic kick that opened up the palate nicely. That said, we wished there had been a bit more kale in the mix — it felt a little skimpy and the balance leaned more heavily on the beans.

Unfortunately, things went downhill with the mains.

My partner ordered the roast chicken over ricotta toast, and it just didn’t make sense. The dish felt disjointed, like something thrown together from pantry leftovers at the end of the week. The textures didn’t work well together — the chicken, ricotta, and toast felt oddly mismatched. He also noted a vinegar flavor that ran through the bread — not overwhelming, but it felt out of place and unnecessary.

I had the smash burger special, which our server hyped as “the best burger in the city.” It was… fine. Not terrible, but not memorable either. The edges didn’t have that crispy sear you expect from a proper smash burger. The house-made American cheese was a nice detail but leaned too salty.

All in all, the ambiance is lovely, and the starters show promise, but the menu could use some refinement — especially when it comes to the main courses. We might give it another shot in the future, but for now, it was a...

We have been to many Portland restaurants, but Wayside Tavern ranks towards the top of the list. We visited tonight for the first time and were blown away by every dish we shared.

The baked oysters and tuna crudo were perfect starters, paired with a glass of Lambrusco.

Next, the eggplant terrine was the perfect combination of crispy, cheesy, saucy and comforting.

We then shared the pork schnitzel, which was cooked to juicy perfection with a light crispy coating on a bed of creamy tonnato. It was topped with a fresh fennel salad as the perfect complement to the generous portion of pork.

We also shared the elevated smash burger, which came with extremely crispy and fluffy potato wedges that needed no condiments whatsoever.

Finally, we ended this perfect meal with a slice of boozy tiramisu which ended the night on a delicious note.

The service at the bar was friendly and welcoming and provided much help in selecting the dishes that would set the tone for the night.

For a casual night out or a celebratory dinner, Wayside Tavern proved to be a top destination in a town full of high quality establishments.

We will definitely make a...

I really liked this small restaurant on Congress towards the West End of Portland. It was nice to get away from the tourist crowds!

They have a full bar and a select group of their own cocktails, which were quite good. The menu is small but super interesting. You can get individual bites of items priced per piece. I love that! I had one cod cheek, which was perfectly cooked. I also got two "foie gras truffles", which were surrounded by chopped nuts and served with pepper jelly. Yum!!! My husband got one scallop, also perfectly cooked, and the salt cod.

I had the mussels. They were delicious!! I asked for bread instead of garlic toast, which was wonderful!! My husband had the special of the day, a lovely pasta with fennel sausage.

They had two desserts. The chocolate mousse serving was huge and topped with toasted hazelnuts. The other was tiramisu. They easily accommodated my chocolate allergy with a wonderful panna cotta topped with raspberries and crumble.

The food here is marvelous. The service was perfect. The ambience is great. I highly recommend this...