Scales
Seafood restaurant · Portland
68 Commercial St, Portland, ME 04101
Highlights
Seafood, raw bar, New England classics, waterfront views
Seafood, raw bar, New England classics, waterfront views
"A slightly upscale seafood restaurant on the waterfront that delivers refined yet unpretentious fare as part of a group known for local favorites; signature offerings include pillowy cloverleaf rolls, halibut with brown butter and hazelnuts, and a rotating custard that often steals the show." - Jacqueline Dole Jacqueline Dole Jacqueline Dole is a food and travel journalist based in Maine. A lifelong New Englander, her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, TimeOut, Insider, Thrillist, Eater, and more. With a background as a pastry chef, she’s always on the lookout for the next best snack. She is a theme park enthusiast and expert, and embroidered hotel robes, amazing pools, and hot dogs are some of her favorite things. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"If you’re celebrating a special birthday, or just enjoy a quick glass of champagne and some oysters as much as we do, then Scales should be on your shortlist of dinner reservations in Portland. In a town where seafood is on the menu nearly everywhere, this place sets itself apart by keeping things elegant and simple with New England classics like homemade bread, fish and chips, and a stunning dessert list that features rhubarb crumbles and wild blueberry ice cream. Between the great service, airy dining room, and beautiful waterfront views, Scales is one of the best places to start thinking about booking your next trip to Portland, or maybe just never leaving." - alana dao 2
"If you’re celebrating a special birthday, or just enjoy a quick glass of champagne and some oysters as much as we do, then Scales should be on your shortlist of dinner reservations in Portland. In a town where seafood is on the menu nearly everywhere, this place sets itself apart by keeping things elegant and simple with New England classics like homemade bread, fish and chips, and a stunning dessert list that features Indian pudding, frozen custard, and a butterscotch sundae. Between the great service, airy dining room, and beautiful waterfront views, Scales is one of the best places to start thinking about booking your next trip to Portland, or maybe just never leaving." - Alana Dao
"Portland restaurant duo Sam Hayward and Dana Street have another success in this waterfront stunner with a classic seafood menu. Chef Fred Eliot adds his signature French touches with specials like head cheese and bone marrow onion soup pies. The dining room’s huge windows offer expansive views of Portland’s working waterfront." - Kate McCarty
"Scales, set in a bustling, post-industrial warehouse space on a wharf in Portland’s Old Port neighborhood, sports a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook one of the city’s busiest working waterfronts. In front of a sprawling open kitchen, ice falls from a ceiling-affixed metal chute—fish packing-plant-style—into a large open bin. The cubes keep the raw bar—a striking display of freshly caught whole fish, including octopus, oysters, and clams—appropriately icy cold. Even with 150 seats and a huge bar open to first-come first-serve diners, reservations are strongly recommended." - Alexandra Hall
