Powered By OpenTable: Restaurant Reservations. Right this way.
Restaurant Reservations - Free • Instant • Confirmed

  • Fore Street

  • Online Reservations

Reserve at Fore Street

Date

mm/dd/yyyy

Time
Party Size
Fore Street
Fore Street

Fore Street Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Dining
  • Website: http://www.forestreet.biz
  • Phone: (207) 775-2717
  • Hours of Operation: Monday - Thursday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm, Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm - 10:30pm, Sunday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm; Bar opens daily at 5:00pm
  • Payment Options: AMEX, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: Contemporary American, Organic, Seafood
  • Executive Chef: Sam Hayward
  • Dress Code: Casual Dress
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Farm to Table, Full Bar, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Getting there

  • Cross Street: Franklin and Pearl
  • Parking: Private Lot
  • Parking Details: Fore Street has free parking from 5pm to 12am in the parking lot behind the building, depending on availability. Street parking is available as well as customer paid parking in 2 parking garages within 1 block.
A word from Fore Street
Located in Portland's Old Port District, Fore Street opened in June, 1996. The interior surrounds a unique brick and soapstone hearth with a wood-burning oven, grill and turnspit; visible from most tables. We believe that good food travels the shortest possible distance between the farm and the… table. Our menu changes every day and is founded upon the very best raw materials from a community of Maine farmers, fisherman, foragers and cheese makers. Most of the Maine foods are organically grown or harvested wild, each brought to us at the peak of its season. In 2002 and again in 2007, Fore Street was named by Gourmet Magazine as one of the Top Fifty Restaurants in the United States. In 2004, Chef-Partner Sam Hayward was named Best Chef: Northeast by the James Beard Foundation.Continued
Foodspotting photos
See all photos >
Awards voted by OpenTable diners
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Overall
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Ambiance
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Food
Diner Reviews
  • "We have come here many times and are never disappointed. The service is warm and efficient and the food always wonderful."
    Dined on 7/17/2014
  • "Hadn't been to Fore Street (or Portland) in years - food was just amazing. Will go back next year!"
    Dined on 7/16/2014
  • "We celebrated another anniversary at Fore Street recently and once again, Fore Street provided an evening to remember. Our starters (oysters and charcuterie) were excellent. The scallops were perfect with their unusual red cabbage accompaniment. The duck was phenomenal -- the best I have ever had -- and the chanterelles and cauliflower puree were wonderful. The service was attentive and just right. What a treasure Fore Street is!"
    Dined on 7/15/2014
  • "Reservation were honored timely. Service and food excellent.drinks were perfect. Pricey but worth it"
    Dined on 7/15/2014
  • "Fore Street has it all inspired menu,great wine list,well trained staff, great service and a very cool room. Clearly they go for the freshest in season produce and local protein. The plates are simple but clearly well Thought out with complimentary and subtle favours. The wait staff know their stuff and can match the menu To your preferences and experience you want. Great diverse wine list. Would highly recommend for foodies."
    Dined on 7/9/2014
  • "We've been to Fore Street many times but this time was a bit disappointing. The mussels, one of their signatures, tasted very funky--low tide-ish. Several of the plates seemed smaller than we remembered, such as the shared vegetables and some of the fish dishes. Portions were small, prices still top dollar. All in all, at the price, it wasn't our best experience at a restaurant that is usually a home run. However, some of the dishes were as tasty as ever and the service was excellent."
    Dined on 7/8/2014
  • "Great restaurant...super menu and delicious tastes by chefs"
    Dined on 7/3/2014
  • "Freshest food, and masterfully presented. Well informed staff on the ingredients and food preperation. Our waitress guided us through the entire dining experience from appetizer, to side dishes and drinks. Highest rating possible!"
    Dined on 7/3/2014
  • "Fun to deal with a knowledgable server with whom you can have repartee."
    Dined on 7/3/2014
  • "Of Portland and still fabulous. Not a trendy spot any longer, just damn good food served appropriately with knowledgable staff."
    Dined on 7/1/2014
  • "Roast quail appetizer is delicious. Roast mussel in sizzling pan is perfectly seasoned. Tip: Dip the sauce with bread. Roast half chicken, spit roast pork and whole roast sea bass are simpler seasoned and very flavorful. Will be back again soon."
    Dined on 6/28/2014
  • "My wife and I try to dine at Fore Street every time we visit Portland. The food and service was outstanding."
    Dined on 6/27/2014
  • "Although the food was good. The tempo was rushed. Dessert was excellent."
    Dined on 6/27/2014
  • "So hard to choose from the appealing menu, but I went for the linguini with fresh mozzarella followed by the grilled quail with hush puppies. My husband had smoked cod fritters followed by blue fish with sardine aioli. We shared a side of braised chard with pork belly. Ok, we shared everything because we wanted to taste everything. So, so good. Wines by the glass were well-priced, nice choices. Crunchy, caramelized banana with house made ice cream for dessert was terrific."
    Dined on 6/17/2014
  • "Any trip to Portland, Maine must include a dinner at Fore Street. The food, service and ambiance were impeccable. We have dined here before and brought friends from New York with us to sample the marvelous experience of dining at Fore Street. The wood-roasted mussels were beautifully prepared and were absolutely delicious as was the pork belly and duck two ways. Desserts were decadent and worth the calories. We will return soon."
    Dined on 6/17/2014
  • "Couldn't get a reservation after 5:30pm and made the reservation 2 weeks prior. So we order a cocktail, our appetizer was rush to our table right after receiving our cocktail. My partner ordered as a main course the scallops that is listed as a entree. 3 scallops for 37$, I ordered chicken and that was about it in the plate, I think this restaurant is over rated for what it is. We will not go back, we can find better restaurant in Portland then this one."
    Dined on 6/14/2014
  • "Brought some friends here for dinner during our college reunion weekend. Everyone loved it! We had great service. Just need to have more affordable wine-by-the-glass options! :-)"
    Dined on 6/6/2014
  • "What makes ForecStreet so good? The extra touches in food and service and the extremely high quality of the ingredients. Worth every penny and quite a few more!"
    Dined on 6/2/2014
  • "In a business where fashions change and customers can be fickle, Fore Street deserves recognition for sustaining its popularity as long as it has. Most dishes from its varied menu are nicely presented and well prepared. Service is friendly and appropriately attentive. However, the restaurant is catering to a large crowd, which can mean that certain dishes that require greater care, such as squid, can be overdone, while others may be underdone. Unfortunately, the woman at the reception podium, forgetting that there's only one chance to make a first impression, treats arriving patrons as if they are problems to be solved instead of customers to be warmly greeted."
    Dined on 5/30/2014
  • "Fore Street is one of those very special places where everything comes together and results in a wonderful dining experience! We've been coming here for years, and look forward to it each and every time. Never disappoints."
    Dined on 5/29/2014
  • "This is a go to spot for us when we visit portland. It's right in the middle of the old port. The staff is welcoming and very knowledgable of their menu and wines. The menu changes daily according to what they can get in. All of the bread is baked in house which was amazing. We started with cod fritters which were lightly fried and served with a garlic aoli and greens, it was heavenly. For dinner I had a 1/2 chicken spit roasted over their wood fired stove and my husband had duck prepared two ways both were amazing, perfectly cooked and well seasoned. We ate amazed every time we go at the open kitchen and how well the staff work together no matter how busy they get, they are always smiling and truly seem to enjoy what they do. Will return!"
    Dined on 5/28/2014
  • "I had high expectations and was not disappointed. The food was delicious, atmosphere was warm & inviting, and service excellent. "
    Dined on 5/27/2014
  • "Fore Street is one of our favorite places to dine when we're in Maine. I would like to thank the staff as we were seated next to a window as I had requested. Marie was our server for the evening and she was very professional and personable. She took great care of us! The service was the highlight of the meal as was the atmosphere. We started the meal with the squid appetizer and it was delicious. We also shared a mixed green salad. I had the halibut and my Wife ordered the spit turned chicken, both meals were well prepared and served in comfortable serving sizes. Fore Street is a great place to enjoy a wonderful meal when visiting historic Old Port. We will definitely return again next time we’re in town."
    Dined on 5/27/2014
  • "We had a nine pm reservation & planned the rest of our day accordingly. We arrived about an hour early & they seated us well before 9. Our server was superb- knowledgeable, courteous, and very easy to deal with. The food was amazing! The duck (the server's recommendation) was superb- both the breast and confit were prepared well and arrived at proper temperature and consistency. Local tap beers were excellent, the shared dessert delightful, and the Scotch list was quite reasonably priced. Overall, one of the best meals I've had in the last few years. "
    Dined on 5/23/2014
  • "Fore Street never lets us down. Try the fantastic rope-grown mussels."
    Dined on 5/21/2014
  • "Professional, attentive, knowledgeable staff. Well thought-out interior space, rustic but very comfortable. The whole black bass was incredible - sophisticated preparation and carefully balanced flavors. By contrast, the halibut with lentils was heavy and uninspired, though if served in the absence of the other, it would have been a fine dish. A trifle rushed on a Saturday night, not pushy, but the food came out quickly and the servers didn't allow for lingering. Not surprising given that people were still streaming in at 9:30 PM. "
    Dined on 5/17/2014
  • "My wife and I recently ate at Fpre Street. The food was excellent as was the service...very attentive without hovering. What came close to ruining the experience was that our table was in the dark. It was so noticeable that our waiter commented on it. No effort was made to seat up elsewhere. When we're in Portland next we'll probably go back but will make sure to request a table that is sufficiently lighted that we can see our food. I guess one can always take a headlamp just in case."
    Dined on 5/3/2014
  • "From food to ambience to service, Fore Street does it best. We drive 2.5 hrs just to go here. I'm sure that all of the wait-staff is amazing but we've been fortunate to have had Lance as a waiter the last two times we came here. Very knowledgeable and helpful - he just makes it an even better experience. The rustic beams, huge windows and open kitchen with wood-fired oven make for a great ambience. There is absolutely no way you will be disappointed with the food here. From muscles to fresh catch to raw bar to cocktails and wine, we have never been disappointed with Fore St. This is by far the best restaurant in all of New England."
    Dined on 5/3/2014
  • "Love farm to table concept. Everything was great. Would have liked to see more menu items from Maine, but more local options might have been limited for time of year (early May)."
    Dined on 5/2/2014
  • "Menu changes daily and everything is good. Great wine and drink list. Top tier service in a beautiful old building. If you are in Portland and want a very nice meal and experience, go to Fore Street!"
    Dined on 5/2/2014
  • "The food was amazing and the service was even better!"
    Dined on 4/28/2014
  • "We had the most enjoyable dinner at Fore. It's an open kitchen with a fabulous menu. I had the scallop entree and my son had the hanger which were both excellent. Our waiter took his time explaining the menu and made the evening fun for us. Can't wait to go back!!!!"
    Dined on 4/24/2014
  • "A trip to Portland is never complete without a meal at Fore St. We have been coming for years and it is one of our all time favorites! Had salad and sweetbreads to start, followed by the bluefish and fresh pasta, with a side of broccaulini. Our server was excellent! We often have dinner early and then return later in the evening for dessert at the bar. This is just a fantastic restaurant with awesome food and service. Just make your reservation far in advance and enjoy!"
    Dined on 4/21/2014
  • "We used Open Table to secure a convenient dinner time. This restaurant had the best food I've had in a long time. The offerings of different delicious foods had everyone gently stuffed. Good sized portions but not over the top as is the case in so many restaurants today. I would go here again in a heartbeat! With the upscale eats, there is an upscale cost so plan accordingly. The wait staff were great too! We loved it!"
    Dined on 4/21/2014
  • "We liked everything. Be sure to get the roasted mussels. "
    Dined on 4/16/2014
  • "Great place , even if i live in a different state i try and eat here at 6 x per year---They are on the cutting edge"
    Dined on 4/15/2014
  • "Love Fore Street. The food, the ambiance and the service are superb. If there weren't so many other high-end restaurants in Portland I would head back to Fore Street every time."
    Dined on 4/14/2014
  • "The menu is fit for foodies and wine connoisseurs, of which I am neither, so take that into consideration when reviewing my comments. I had the steak frites and it was good, but my girlfriend's fish had lots of little bones and turned her off. The wine was good, but the prices were a bit expensive. Overall, the place is best for foodies and those that do not mind rich foods prepared in heavy butters and oils."
    Dined on 4/4/2014
  • "We keep returning to Fore St., although there are many other options in the area, mainly because we are never disappointed. This time the oysters were delectable, the soup & salad tasty, and the entrees amazing---Mackerel was melt in your mouth. And, the desserts met our high expectations. We will be back!"
    Dined on 4/4/2014
  • "We have eaten here numerous times per year over the past twenty years and never been disappointed. Using locally sourced ingredients, the chefs are able to create unique dishes that always please. The wood grilled fish and meats are always a winner, with creative side dishes, such as beets in a ginger vinegarette, adding the right touch. The wine list is well chosen to compliment the food and fairly priced. Servers are very knowledgable and willing to share chef's ingredients in meals, something other restaurants are not interested in doing. Save room for the desserte, all made in-house."
    Dined on 4/4/2014
More reviews ›
Larger map ›
Smaller map ›
Diners' Choice Awards
  • Maine Winners
  • Best Overall
  • Best Ambiance
  • Best Food
  • Best Service
  • Contemporary American
  • Fit for Foodies
  • Most Booked
Learn more ›