The West End is our new favorite neighborhood in Portland, Maine. Once home to a wealthy merchant class, it’s filled with grand 19th-century Victorian mansions, an Olmsted Brothers-designed waterfront promenade and park, and quiet, leafy residential streets. Located about a 15-minute walk from Old Port, the West End has its own small but vibrant food scene, along with cozy taverns and coffeehouses.
“It’s a very cool, distinguishable community,” says Jacquelyn Sabol, West End resident and sales manager for Uncommon Hospitality, owner of two West End hotels. “It’s a lot less touristy and more authentic than other places in Portland.”
Here’s a quick guide to this relaxed area, with its casual, diverse vibe, seemingly worlds away from bustling Old Port and the waterfront.
STAY We love the aesthetic of The Longfellow: clean, light-filled, with a Scandi-style minimalistic design. The five-story, newly built property has high ceilings, tall windows, hardwood floors, and modern custom furnishings; comfy couches, banquettes, and chaises add splashes of color. There are 48 rooms and suites, designed to encourage a restive and restorative stay, with soothing neutral color palettes, king-size beds with lush, organic linens, thick walls, special noise-reducing windows, and light-blocking shades. Enter one of these rooms, and you’re immediately in a quiet, luxurious oasis. It is, in fact, one of the most restful hotels we’ve stayed in.
For further relaxation, visit Astraea Spa, with two massage rooms and two private sauna suites, each with a six-person hot infrared sauna and rain shower (turn on the cold water for hot-cold therapy!)
The large lobby, with cozy seating areas, feels like a neighborhood gathering spot to grab coffee and light meals during the day, and cocktails during the evening. It was buzzing day and night the times we’ve visited.
Looking for something more historic? The Francis Hotel, located across the street from The Longfellow, both owned by Uncommon Hospitality, a family-owned hotel management and development company based in Portland, is housed in a renovated 1881, four-story brick mansion. The 15-room boutique property retains much of its original details, including stained-glass windows, beautiful oak woodwork, massive oak doors, high ceilings, and a steep staircase leading to the upper floors.
Another option is Blind Tiger on Danforth Street (there’s also a second location on Carleton Street for a more independent self-guided stay with online support). Housed in a gracious 19th-century mansion, it has 13 fireplaces, original woodwork, and maple and oak floors throughout, a grand staircase, and a subterranean billiard room that once served as a “blind tiger,” a secret place to imbibe during Prohibition.
PLAY Take a walk along the 18.3-acre Western Promenade, a park laid out in 1836 by the Olmsted Brothers, including wooded trails, waterfront views, historic statues, and plenty of benches and overlooks. You’ll also pass by some of the city’s most elaborate and historic mansions, including the 1898 neo-classical Cox-Chisholm House, the 1911 Colonial Revival George C. West House, the elaborate 1906-07 Colonial Revival Richard Webb House, and the 1845 Gothic Revival John J. Brown House. Also nearby is Western Cemetery, the resting place of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s parents.
History buffs will want to visit Victoria Mansion, an 1860 Italianate brownstone and National Historic Landmark, showcasing Gilded Age grandeur and opulence. Also known as the Morse-Libby House, it was built as a private residence for Ruggles Sylvester Morse and still retains 90 percent of the original and lavish objects and furnishings. Also check out the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, built in 1785-86 for the maternal grandparents of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It’s the oldest standing brick structure in Portland.
Longfellow Square is a lively intersection with a 7-foot statue honoring the famous poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It’s also home to One Longfellow Square, an intimate and beloved performing arts and live music venue.
DINE Perhaps, the thing we like best about the West End is its cluster of neighborhood restaurants, which remains largely undiscovered by visitors.
Top of our list is Chaval, a cozy spot with a changing menu, driven by locally available ingredients, and inspired by Spanish and French cuisine. The friendly but lively vibe belies the sophisticated plates coming out of the kitchen. Start with appetizers like classic dry-cured ham or Iberico de Bellota chorizo, then share plates of Siberian caviar, patatas bravas, and blistered shishitos. We’ve also tried a rich and tasty paella packed with chorizo, shrimp, and chicken, and a classic steak frites au poivre that were especially satisfying on a recent chilly evening.
The Wayside Tavern is an intimate, comforting pub with soft lighting, leather banquettes, and a marble-topped bar. It’s also a surprise. You can get a pub-style smash burger or fish and chips, but you can also dine on foie gras truffles, orbs of delicata squash with gorgonzola cream and spicy honey, a creative chicory salad with anchovy dressing, and halibut with brown butter, capers, and roasted mushrooms, hitting way above your typical pub grub.
There are times when there’s nothing better than a good fried chicken sandwich. Head to Hot Suppa to satisfy that craving. This popular Southern-style kitchen, serving all-day brunch, has also mastered corned beef hash, French toast, shrimp and grits, and biscuits and sausage gravy, all made in-house. Or just go for the Mother Clucker: a fried chicken thigh atop a buttermilk biscuit, smothered with cheddar curds and sausage gravy, with hash browns or grits. Oh my, so good.
Expect a line out the door at Tandem Coffee + Bakery, housed in a ’60s building that was once a gas station and then a laundromat. The coffee is excellent, but the pastries, including their buttermilk biscuits and sticky buns, are worth the wait.
Dinner at the longstanding Roma Café feels like a fancy meal at your Italian momma’s house. It’s a cozy, quiet affair, with candlelight and a handful of tables, and a menu of classic American Italian dishes. Popular choices include the tagliatelle bolognese, spicy vodka and burrata carbonara, and the eggplant parmigiana.
The West End is home to a variety of ethnic restaurants. For authentic Thai street food, try Boda, from the same owners as the award-winning Green Elephant; for Mexican, check out Calafia, with creative Baja California style dishes like Jonah crab churros, masa-battered fish tacos, and oyster and shitake mushroom enchiladas. Ocotillo serves Tex-Mex cuisine and was awarded Best New Brunch in 2025 by Yankee magazine (their mushroom taco with salsa macha was awarded New York Times’ 26 Best Dishes in America in 2024); for Japanese specialties, try Pai Men Miyake, serving authentic ramen and sushi.
Let the world and your cares slip away at Bramhall Pub, a dimly lit modern speakeasy, with creative cocktails and one of the city’s largest selections of bourbon, scotch, and rum. The kitchen delivers elevated tavern food, like the eggplant parm burger and katsu pork sandwich.
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at bairwright@gmail.com