3 Best Restaurants in The West End, Portland

Let the fact that this incredibly popular outfit doesn’t even bother to call its signature foodstuff “pizza” (but instead, “Sicilian street food”) be your first hint that the pie here is a different animal altogether. And while there are perfectly good sandwiches on offer, almost everyone’s here for the pillowy, chewy, old world--style pizza, by turns smothered in mushrooms or meats, freshly chopped herbs, or graced with a dollop of blue cheese dip. The thin-crusted, designer versions take a tad longer (about 25 minutes), but are always worth the wait—for renditions like pickle and bacon, sausage and bacon, or loaded with prosciutto cotton, black olives, mozzarella, and honey.

In a historic town house with traditional Asian decor (a 30-foot copper dragon watches over diners) in Portland's quaint West End, this dumpling house serves deeply satisfying Asian-inspired comfort food in an intimate setting. Start with the house-made Asian slaw, then move to dumplings filled with tried-and-trues such as pork and cabbage or something less traditional, like beef bulgogi or shrimp and bacon. For a change from dumplings, consider the zha jiang mian (Beijing noodles) or lo mai gai (pork, sausage, chestnuts, and sticky rice wrapped in a lotus leaf).

You won't find a more local or unfussy place—or one more abuzz with conversation at 4 am—than this waterfront institution way down on the end of Commercial Street. The food is cheap, generous in proportion, and has that satisfying, old-time-diner quality. Sitting next to you at the counter or in a neighboring booth could be rubber-booted fishermen back from sea, college students soothing a hangover, or suited business folks. From the upstairs deck you can watch the working waterfront in action.