The 5 Best Breakfast Spots in Portland, Maine
From a wharfside diner that opens before dawn to the biscuit sandwich that sells out by 10:30, here is where Portland actually eats breakfast.
Portland, Maine eats breakfast seriously. The city packs more good morning spots per block than almost anywhere in New England, and the weekend lines prove it. These are the five we send people to, with what to order and when to show up.
1. Becky's Diner
The classic. Becky Rand opened her Commercial Street diner in 1991 so the fishermen working the wharf could get a real plate at a fair price, and it still opens at 5 a.m. seven days a week (Becky's Diner). The lobster omelet, wild blueberry pancakes, and homemade corned beef hash are the moves (Yankee Magazine). Sit at the counter, watch the harbor, don't overthink it.
Order: the lobster omelet or the blueberry pancakes. Find it: 390 Commercial St., on the waterfront.
2. Tandem Coffee + Bakery
Home of arguably the most famous single breakfast item in Maine: egg and cheese on a griddled buttermilk biscuit with pimenton mayo, from a bakery run by James Beard nominee Briana Holt. The sandwich has been known to sell out by 10:30 a.m., so go early or order ahead online (Chowhound). The line looks long but moves fast.
Order: the biscuit sandwich, plus a plain biscuit for the road. Find it: Congress St.
3. Hot Suppa
Southern-inspired cooking in the West End since 2006. Everything is made from scratch, from the house-made corned beef hash to the biscuits and gravy, and the fried green tomato eggs Benedict has a cult following (Hot Suppa). It is open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week, first come first served, no reservations.
Order: chicken and waffles or the fried green tomato Benedict. Find it: 703 Congress St.
4. The Holy Donut
Donuts made with Maine potatoes, in roughly 30 flavors a day, each worth the inevitable wait (The Infatuation). Get there mid-morning on a weekday if you want to skip the line entirely. There are a few spots around town, so pick whichever is on your route.
Order: dark chocolate sea salt, or maple bacon if you want the full Maine experience.
5. Rose Foods
A bagel and smoked fish counter in the Oakdale neighborhood that The Infatuation calls your first stop in Portland for bagels and lox (The Infatuation). Deli case, strong coffee, zero pretense.
Order: an everything bagel with lox and cream cheese. Find it: Forest Ave., Oakdale.
Honorable mentions
Standard Baking Co. in the Old Port is Tripadvisor's top-rated breakfast stop in Portland (Tripadvisor), Belleville bakes some of the best croissants north of Montreal, and Forage Market hand-rolls its bagels and fires them in a wood-fired oven on Washington Ave.
Good to know
Hours shift with the seasons and a couple of these close one weekday, so check before you drive. Our cover image is an illustration, not a photograph.