While visiting Portland we decided to check this restaurant out. We heard many positive things about it and I'm glad we did. To start with our server, she was super friendly and knowledgeable of their menu and gave us some recommendations. This restaurant is very nice it's feels cozy around this time of the year. Food was amazing, they said they change the menu constantly. Great wine selection. Their sourdough bread is great. I will definitely recommend people to try this restaurant. Highly encourage to call for a reservation.

WOW! what a place! we came without reservations, waiting in line at 4pm until the doors opened at 5. we were second in line, and luckily our party of 4 got a seat. the atmosphere is incredible. you're surrounded by chefs cooking over open flames and preparing dishes. the place is dimly lit and intimate. our food was amazing - mussels are not my taste but the rest of our party enjoyed them. my chicken was amazing. we'll be back!

Fore Street is my first 5 star review. We drove up from NYC to see what the food chatter was all about at Portland Maine. And after 4 days of eating at the best restaurants - FORE STREET is my overall best foodie restaurant for its freshness, quality and preparation. It's matched by the comfort style ambiance and welcoming friendly professional waiter service. He assisted us with pairing of some of their amazing wines. Our dinner included halibut, scallop and stuffed fish with crabmeat and sliced duck. The overall meal was truely a wonderful experience.

Fore Street in Portland, ME, is a culinary gem that truly embraces the essence of farm-to-table dining. The restaurant's commitment to local sourcing is evident in every dish, with a menu that changes daily to showcase the freshest ingredients Maine has to offer. Each meal feels carefully crafted to highlight bold flavors and the natural quality of the ingredients, creating a memorable dining experience. The open kitchen is the heart of Fore Street, allowing diners to watch the chefs in action. It adds a level of excitement and intimacy to the meal as you see everything--from the sizzling meats to the vibrant vegetables--cooked with care and precision. The wood-fired cooking methods bring a unique warmth and smokiness that permeates many dishes, making them both rustic and refined. Fore Street is an absolute must-visit for anyone looking to enjoy the freshest local ingredients, skillfully prepared in a cozy yet sophisticated atmosphere. It's a true celebration of Maine's bounty, and every visit here is a delightful culinary adventure!

Great food and even better service in a warm and inviting restaurant setting. After some particularly long and stressful travel delays, we decided to treat ourselves to Fore Street. We had long wanted to try it, having always stocked up at the downstairs bakery every time we visit Portland. I'm happy to say it lived up to the hype and then some. As soon as we arrived, our waitress, Sarah, noticed our table was wobbly and immediately fixed it. She then talked to us about the food, and her passion for the restaurant as a longtime employee was so genuine that we were even more excited about choosing this spot. We ordered the pork loin ($32), hanger steak ($36), and garlic mashed potatoes ($8). Everything was outstanding, but the pork loin might have been one of the best things I've eaten recently. Very tender and tasty. Throughout it all, Sarah was extremely attentive and friendly, elevating an already outstanding meal. It was exactly what we needed after a long day. We'll definitely return next time we're in town.

Fore St was one of those restaurants that was repeatedly recommended to us and it more than exceeded expectations! One recommendation is to make sure that you aim to book at least a few weeks in advance, especially on a weekend evening. We were able to get a table for 5 people on the later side on a Friday evening several weeks out and reservations were starting to get slim. We immediately were greeted with the delicious smell of meet cooking over a spit (pork shoulder) and spices. The staff was fantastic from the moment that we arrived - providing recommendations on food, drinks, and places to visit in the area. We enjoyed all of our appetizers with a special callout to the Foie gras and squid. Dishes are seasonal and with many of the ingredients locally sourced. The pork shoulder melted in your mouth and the crab stuffed haddock was also a table favorite. If you can, try to reserve the corner table in the back for groups of 4 or more. It provided a great view of the restaurant, port outside, and gave us a little extra space for hanging out.

Fore Street... always topshelf... never disappoints. Amazingdinner w family and friends. Reservation needed, arrived in time for drinking the bar area. Hardest part of eating at Fore St is deciding which amazing menu item you pick. Also David was absolutely wonderful in helping with our reservation and confirmation.

Are you visiting Portland? This is a must do dining experience for dinner! My wife and I absolutely loved our dinner experience at this restaurant. Please make a reservation! We had dinner reservations at 5:45pm on a Monday night! We parked behind the restaurant in a small parking lot with complimentary parking. We had to ask the valet attendant where we could park. We entered the restaurant and we were immediately greeted and seated at a small table for 2 people. Our seats provided a great view of the free dinner show you receive at this restaurant! The open kitchen with a wood fire oven, grill and rotisserie is amazing to see! Watching the chefs all work together in unison to prepare and cook some amazing food is a fantastic unique experience! Our waitress Hannah was exceptional! She provided us great service. She explained everything we needed to know about drinks, wine, food specials and menu items. We decided to split an entree and add quite a few sides. We ordered the bourbon roasted half chicken which came with a small portion of collard greens and a few small potatoes. We added garlic mashed potatoes, grilled squash, and honey butter pecan corn bread. We also ordered the cherry chocolate terrine for dessert to go. Our meal was wonderful! The chicken was moist and flavorful and just delicious. All of the sides were great! Our favorite side was the cornbread! Melt in your mouth delicious cornbread! You can't come to this restaurant and not order the corn bread on the menu! This was one of the best meals we have ever had! We truly loved this restaurant and our dinner! Hannah even provided me a warm wet napkin to wipe off my hands. From start to finish this restaurant hit a home run!

Food and ambience was excellent. You could tell that the menu and open kitchen area were well thought out and planned. Our server, was also very well informed and more than happy to explain anything and everything on the menu. In addition to the food in the pictures, my wife and I had the squid and a serving of the oysters (apologies-forgot to get a pic of those items). Get the squid, it was really good. Scallops were prepared well, steak was on point...this place knows what they're doing.

A fine dining destination with a focus on food quality and the evening experience. On the advice of a coworker, I stopped at Fore Street for my last meal of my vacation. The open kitchen is a treat - watching someone diligently working is always fascinating. The daily menu gives me confidence that nature's bounty helps to decide what's most worth consuming. I was seated 15 minutes before my reservation, and before long, Megan showed up to talk me through the menu. You'll see from my pictures that I ate very well. I nearly passed up dessert, but I just had to go for it to help prolong the experience. It wasn't perfect. None of the available seafood entrees really lit my fire. The squid was great as an app, using a cherry tomato vinaigrette to help prime the palate. But I didn't really want plain old haddock to be my entree, and I wasn't adventurous enough to try the "poor man's lobster", monkfish - so I ended up going with an apple sausage, butternut squash, and scamorza pie. It was fancy and tasted good enough, but I wanted a fish entree like a salmon or a halibut. Megan, my attendant, noticed that I wasn't really into the Cabernet I'd ordered without really thinking. She generously switched it to the Sangiovese after talking with me about what I wanted from my wine. It was way more to my liking. If I were in the area again I'd at least consider the menu as part of making dinner plans.