Reviews of Central Provisions (Restaurant)

Gabriel Stosz

Best food I had during our visit to Portland. The dishes here are wonderfully complex and we'll balanced and bursting with flavor. Great staff and environment, don't miss it!

Emmett Sprecher

Phenomenal food. Very good cocktails. Can see why it is so popular. Every dish was one of the best I've had in a long time.

Mark C

If you visit Portland and don't eat here, you are a moron.

Ari Modugno

Best in town for drinks and small plates. Staff is excellent knowlegable friendly with welcoming touch. Must try suckling pig but every dish is well attractively plated with exceptional texture and taste.

Melissa Selvon

Lovely small plates well executed timely service which is i formative and friendly

Maggie Sprattmoran

Handsome spot with food to be savored, service was friendly and excellent. We sat at the 'bar' which overlooks the kitchen and enjoyed studding our conversation with observations about the food prep, the cooks were happy to answer our questions. Best of all was the wonderful food; each bite was a treasure to be savored- textures, flavor profiles, colors, plating-- yum! Vegetarian food is often overlooked in establishments that serve meat, but not this one. I can't recommend this place highly enough. Thank you

Shaun O'Brien

This is my favorite spot to eat even with so many great restaurants in the area. The food is wonderfully thought out and the staff was both knowledgeable and attentive. I highly recommend.

Ryan Barr

Very small plates...but this is as advertised. Still, the food is pretty amazing and definitely unique offerings not found elsewhere. They will NOT seat you until all people in your party are present, so keep that in mind.

Lesley Jones

Food was good quality & tasty; small plates and very pricey, spent $90+ for brunch! Short menu selection.

AJ Klein

Upstairs was crowded so my girlfriend and I went to the cocktail bar downstairs. Excellent decision; our bartender Vinny was attentive, hardworking, and helped pair us with amazing cocktails. Dinner was incredible. I highly recommend. Vinny, thanks for the cocktail making pointers. I took them all to heart.

R LF

So delicious. Every bite is a treat. Don't be intimidated by all the fancy sounding stuff, just dive in.

Cory Hughes

I was a walk in on a Sat night at 9pm. I walked in the lower bar, greeted by a friendly doorman who gave me the lay of the land. He suggested I hang out and try and get a seat at the bar for food because the upstairs was on a wait. 10 mins later I squeezed into a seat and was elated by the mocktail menu. I started off with the hamachi crudo. Amazing, the hints of fermented sweetness from the melon was offset by the herbaceousness of the petit flower buds and finished with the heat from peppers all complimenting the fish. My bartender was awesome, she poured my smashed ginger mocktail and was helping me with info about the menu. I also had the foie torchon which was totally on point, dove into the roasted carrots with ricotta. Loved that dish! It was very rich ricotta offset but a sweet and tangy carrot. But my grand finale of foie gras ice cream root beer float hit every pleasure spot! From one Chef to another, hats off brother. Hoped your cooks enjoyed the round of beers! Cory Hughes

Sean Perry

Way to high priced. It was $180.00 for two people. The food was good but not $180.00’s good. I was in the restaurant business for 20years. As a Chef my goal was alway to bring amazing food to people at a cost that was approachable. To be clear.... we saw the prices on the menu. For the price of each dish I would have expected much more food. For instance we got Tuna. I believe it was like $20 or so. There were 5, 1 inch pieces. Completely unacceptable!

Alaric Harris

If you want to treat your tastebuds with a blast of flavours, place to go!

Lawrence Filippelli

Easily some of the most technically made food you will find in Portland. You will taste EVERY ingredient. The menu is incredible. Try and get a seat near the open kitchen and watch the magic happen right before your eyes. If you are even remotely a "foodie" then you wont be disappointed. Bloody Mary's are sick and the service is equally matched to the environment and oddly enough, the menu. You will not be disappointed stopping here.

Erin Slonaker

So delicious! We felt comfortable hanging out on a quiet Thursday for lunch, and I wanted to eat everything twice!

Gianna L

Not going to be long winded with this one. If you like innovative, fresh, beautifully presented and equally flavorful food, come here. And get their fried cauliflower with ras el hanout, chickpeas, feta, and mint. Sounds all over the place but it's not. Its perfect. Cocktails are also on point! Thanks for a wonderful meal, Central Provisions!

Ben Ebbrell

Best place I ate in Portland... Enjoyed about 15 different small plates with friends... Not a bad one amongst them. The roasted white asparagus with crab bearnaise was my fav.

Dennis Charolle

Worth the wait and a downstairs bar with finger food and quick drinks for holding you over while you wait.

Angel F

The food was amazing, get there just before they open as there will be a line and it will fill up fast.

Philip Swank

Delicious food, really liked the bone marrow toast

Doug Jacobs

Delicious food served in a fun atmosphere. Sat at the counter and enjoyed watching the well run kitchen.

Derek Tow

Delicious but small plates

Ken Crites

Wow, amazing. Bone marrow toast was special. Beef salad was amazing. Will come back every time we are in Portland.

Kimberly Miner

Very rude hostess & bartenders. Almost as if we were disturbing them by being there so they can do the job they are paid to do. Very poor way to treat those that just want to eat. I'm pretty sure that's what you're in the business of doing. Just plan rude. Esp the bartender downstairs with the crew cut. Will never recommend this place to anyone... Too bad we never got to try the food. Want real food with a great atmosphere try Gilbert's just a few blocks away.

Joe Slone

Stopped in for lunch and was seated upstairs at a barstool where I was able to observe a very talented kitchen create delicious looking tapas plates. The food tastes amazing. Each dish had perfectly complimentary flavors and made for a wonderful experience.

Abby Baker

Decent place, I was just at the drinks and snacks part on Warf Street before the dining room opened up. It's a little expensive but the food is good. The atmosphere is nice but it can be a little loud for a small space. The bartenders definitely know what they're doing.

Gayle Hathaway

Fabulous. Each dish was gorgeous, intriguing as well as delicious. These are small plates for tasting, but rich and scrumptious. Parking garage across the street...very handy. Wait staff were attentive, but not bothersome.

Victor Shierly

This was an absolutely amazing meal. I would put the quality of food, plating, and unique ingredients on par with a Michelin restaurant. Don't let menu scare you off!

Chanel Haskell

Great experience from start to finish! Our server was knowledgeable and polite, the specials were absolutely incredible! The cornbread was made to order and paired with an out of this world orange & blueberry butter. Pairing scallops with grapefruit is genius and made our tastebuds sing! The fried cauliflower with warm chickpeas are a must try, texture and taste in this dish are perfectly in sync. The brown butter and apple sauce under the suckling pig tastes just like fall, absolutely incredible! We had the banana cream pie special to finish, light and flavorful! We can not wait to come back!

Benjamin Crocker

Amazing food and service. They are advertised as "small plates". They didn't look horribly small--just not a lot of extra stuff to go with the main course. The burger I had on the first visit was amazing, and when I came back for snacks and cocktails I had the cheese board, which was also fantastic. I ordered the CP version of a Manhattan with their own whiskey. Before visiting Central Provisions the best Manhattan I have had away from home was at Trump Tower in NYC...Central Provisions edges the Tower out slightly. This is a popular spot. The drinks are great--in addition to cocktails Central Provisions has exotic sodas (I had jalapeno lime soda with my burger). It's an awesome place with a little for everyone. Will be visiting regularly!

Michael Herrold

Delicious. Tapas. Great service.

James Kelby

The atmosphere was nice and that's about all. Average provisions. Below average service.

David Purdy

Amazing!! Been several times and always fantastic. Best of Portland, ME!

Rojin Mansouri

The food was mediocre at best so were the cocktails. We order salmon tartar but we got was anything but a salmon tartar. So overrated this place. I would not go back and recommend to avoid it at all costs.

Mark Rowe

One of our favourite restaurants of our whole trip, amazing food - great quality and a little different from the norm - fab little place with a really buzzing atmosphere. Great service too. We had the beet salad (really good), the bread and butter/dip (great dip/foam), the bhaji, the cauliflower (different!) and the cods cheek (probably too much batter - bit disappointing). Massive thumbs up for a good Old Fashioned (our rest of a good bar!) Don’t get put off by a long wait upstairs, just sit downstairs - same menu and same atmosphere Would definitely recommend!

Cotopaxi Sprattmoran

Absolutely fabulous food and cocktails. The service was great, taking into account dietary preferences and allergies. On a bitter cold night the bar whipped up hot toddies to warm us while we waited on our food. Each dish was better than the last. I highly recommend Central Provisions.

John Lapointe

Favorite meal in Portland. Amazing food and drinks. Really enjoyed ourselves

Jeremy Dean

As a vegetarian, very good. Enough different plates and special enough that you wouldn't necessarily make them the same way at home. Everything was good!

James Carlson

At first look I wasn’t sure what to expect, however, the food was amazing the service was great, fast and friendly.

Nick Orth

Always great food and cocktails. Friendly and informative staff. One of my favorite places.

R C

The food, drinks, atmosphere and staff are all amazing. Found this gem on a weekend trip and went back multiple times. Shout out to their bartender Shaun and the rest of the staff! 10/10 We'll be back!

Will Johnson

Thos restaurant never ever disappoints! The food is Incredible. The service is great! I will keep coming as long as they'll have me.

Carlo Bauli

My wife and me was amazed in looking at the very professional way they cook and the taste they let you discover with fine ingredients. One of the best food experience we had. Bravissimi

Ryan Tyler

Had one of the most amazing meals at Central Provisions, if Michelin came to Maine these guys would be getting a star for sure. My first time in Maine and I've been pleasantly surprised by the food.

Peter Morris

Consistently excellent. We come here every time we're in Portland. Usually sit at the bar downstairs, which you access via an entrance around the back. Most recently had the Smoked Carrots, Bone Marrow Toast (lighter than it looks), Roasted Cauliflower, and Suckling Pig. All excellent. Equinox cocktail was excellent while M enjoyed her Perfect Storm. Foundation Gretel Octoberfest was a flat pour and forgettable.

Sonny howell

Yes, it is worth the wait. This by far is the best restaurant in Portland. I'm blown away by every menu item I have experienced. It is rare to have such a well developed menu executed flawlessly and they do it everytime. Thank you CP for a memorable dinner. See you tomorrow!

michael ta

Great place. I sat at the bar and really enjoyed it. The food was seasoned just right. The abalone was my favorite. I would recommend ordering everything needed all at once. I mistakenly ordered the ribeye halfway through and waited a bit longer than I expected. I’d visit again when back in Portland. Nice intimate small place.

Bonnie Goodman

This is by far the coolest restaurant/bar I have ever been to. There was an hour and a half wait upstairs went downstairs and got an awesome spot at the bar, big shout out to Lee the bouncer for being super cool and giving us the lowdown and seat hookup! This is our new favorite spot in Portland! The menu is different but the bartender was really helpful, the food is life changing... so good! Can’t wait to get back!

Anthony Sciola

Been at least 8 times and this continues to be a fav in Portland. Highlights include the seared foie gras, chop salad, and bone marrow toast. Even the bread and butter is with getting! I've been less impressed with the smoked carrots but if it's on the menu, get the Brussel sprouts. Cocktails are also good but the cold fashioned and ginger smash are with getting if you're the designated driver.

Dan Silverman

Everything is amazing. Always. Drinks are top notch. Arrive at 5 to get the best table. In fact you can have a few cocktails and appetizers downstairs while waiting for the dining room to open.

Theresa Pugh

One of the best meals I've ever had. Every bite we had was fantastic. Highlights included the cauliflower, caramelized sheep's cheese, tempura cod cheeks and the coconut dessert. The drinks downstairs were top notch and the wait was about half the time we were initially told. We went at 8:30 on a Thursday and waited about 20 minutes. It was fun to sit at the bar and watch them produce the deliciousness. Fabulous!

Asdfghjkl

Tuesday night, walked in sat down to this unassuming bar. Had a great time. If you enjoy ginger, try the perfect storm. Shared 3 small plates. The bone marrow toast had me drooling. Thanks so much. A great way the start a night in the Old Port!

Adam Jerred

Sat at the kitchen bar Wednesday night. It was great to watch the calm laid back chefs at work. The food they prepared was delicious and we'll portioned for two to share. Plates are tapas style with a good variety of choices. I'm a vegetarian and was impressed with the options.

Christopher Della Grotta

Creative scrumptious offerings. I cannot wait to visit again and try more yummy dishes and beautifully crafted cocktails. Excellent wines and beers too.

Rob Moore

One of the best meals in Portland. Don't bring kids, don't make plans for after - you'll be digesting.

Randy Wilson

Great food with staff who are passionate about food. The peach gazpacho was stunning.

Gregory Malicki

Everything was incredibly. Foie Gras Lobe - Share it with some friends. To die for! Great service!

Christine McHale

We shared I'd say 6 appetizers and had plenty between us. Definitely some of the best food I've had lately. I've tried to get a table for over a year and this is the first time I pulled it off. It was worth the wait

Becca Blackmore

Pretty sure this was the best meal of my life, and I've never felt like I was skimping on great meals before. I had the madai crudo, Brussels sprouts, and carmelized sheep's cheese, and I would highly recommend all of them. I had a glass slipper cocktail as well, and it was gorgeous. Great service, too. I have some allergies, and everyone was incredibly accommodating. Cannot wait to come back!

Bryan Fainer

Central Provisons. More like center of my heart. This craft cocktail and small plate scratch bar is the medicine for those New England winter blues. The staff will make you feel at home! 13/10 will consume alcohol here again

Jonathan Collum

I have to confess me and my coworkers went here two days in a row on a recent work trip. Day 1 we got cocktails in the downstairs bar and day two we posted up same spot near back windows and got beer. A great spot with knowledgeable and friendly staff as well as great list of beer and cocktails. Not a huge place so don't bring a giant group.

Katie Grillo

Amazing! The Caramel Goat cheese was our favorite but really everything we had was exceptional.

Debbie Booker

Nice bar staff, great bloody mary, with kimchi garnish

Paul Uriarte

For not experiencing the dinner menu I was still satisfied, I’ll have to come back. Seating downstairs prior to dinner hours is first come first serve. Good service.

Leon Curtis

Amazing meal, get the Bloody Mary. Service was outstanding.

Andrew Webber

There's no shortage of of great restaurants in the old port, but this is our favorite. The small plates menu keeps your favorites, but always has new things as well and are ALL delicious. Spicy beef salad is a must order. It's first come first serve so get there right when they open to get the best seats at the bar!

Erich D.

Amazing food. Fresh, high quality ingredients and great attention to detail. Service was super polite and very attentive. Highly recommend this place!

Eric Rector

Cozy local foods pub in the Old Port with creative cocktails and small plates.

Sonal Dhar

Loved the drinks and the food! Awesome place and the service was great too!

John Fagan

Eclectic and unique concept, delicious food and very well conceived wine program.

marina albertson

Came here for my birthday and the bartender went above and beyond. Our small plates were unique and flavorful and they gave us a dessert for free for my birthday!

Alec Boucher

Really unique menu and fun atmosphere. Love sharing small bites and friendly staff.

Cody Hussey

I was more than excited to check this one off my list, but the price tainted the entire meal. We ordered around the menu and a few specials, so we weren't short of variety. The taste was there, but the portions were much too small even to be considered tapas. I've spent much less for more food of the same quality at a handful of other tapas style restaurants in Portland. I would consider coming back if the kitchen were willing to beef up the plates a bit. One example was the duck pate, which was more of a tablespoon smeared on the side of a bowl with minimal sourdough included.

Jerry Ridder

Tapas/small plate restaurant with notoriously long wait times. Your best bet is to make the reservation and go home or shop for two hours. You will have 10 minutes once you get the call to claim your table. Once inside expect good to great food, fast service and expensive drinks.... some would say worth it. We tried ten different plates from the ham to the octopus. Each had its own unique character. Most are big enough to share for two or three but plan to order more. Expect the bill to be at least $50-75 per person for a drink and a reasonable amount of food. The ginger cake for dessert was really good.

Mike Burns

1 star should be 5 but let me explain. This is a 5 star restaurant when you consider the atmosphere, vibe, food, drink and table service- when you get seated. We knew this was a much sought after place and we dropped in at 6:10 on a Friday night knowing full well we might have to wait a while to seat our party of 4. They told us to expect to be seated between 8 and 830 which we were ok with because we were going to have drinks at the bar. You actually could eat at the bar but we wanted to be seated at a table. They have a nice text based service to let you know about your wait so we went to the bar. By 8pm there was still a substantial wait and my cell service was bad so I went to the hostess to tell her we were at the bar and she said she she would come and get us. By 845 we checked in again and were told we had at least another 45 minutes. By this time we were getting irate. A manager said they would comp us some apps which they did. At 930 they told our party of 4 we could sit at the upstairs bar for dinner. We were at the downstairs bar for 3 hours already and could have been served there! We wanted a table. We were seated at 945. Once seated the service and dinner was great but the lead up to finally getting seated was awful. At the end of the night there was no apology and they didn't even offer to comp us any drinks or dessert. The takeaway is- if you can get seated at the bar downstairs, eat there. The menu is the same either way. Our bad for not acting sooner but they could have suggested we just eat at the bar.

Kailee Gritu

Went to the bar downstairs just before dinner hour. Cocktails and rations only. Cool little spot with good drinks. The rations menu has a good variety to chose from.

Nicholas Dyer

Awesome specialty drinks. Artsy type of food so it's not your standard, but if you're even remotely adventurous check it out. 100%

Mollie Gunn

Friendly informed staff. Delicious creative food! Definitely check this place out!

Lars Nikolajsen

I need seven stars. This place is amazing food is incredible and staff is making this place perfect. An absolute must do when in Portland.

Christian Read

Quality crafted cocktails, spicy bloody mary garnish with house made kimchee. Regret not getting food.

Trish Hayes

Had the bacon burger for lunch. It was done perfectly and so tasty! Great service too!

Daniel Greenberg

Every dish is amazing!

Frank Velarde

Innovative food. Amazing flavors. A menu like no other. Service was amazing. Waitress was extremely well versed on specials and the products. Good assortment of wines

Margot Skelley

So good. In times past the staff seemed a bit entitled, however this time our waitress was so friendly kind, and helpful that I can't but help sing her praises. The food was top-notch as always, I like sitting up at the chef's tale because you can see all of the action.

Ghia G

Everything about this place is outstanding. The dishes are good sized for sharing. All the food was really fresh. The beet salad was a favorite but I love beets. The bread and butter was so good too. Can't wait to go back.

J A

First experience, food was good (especially the dessert), and the experience was fun. Good mocktails. I was by myself at the bar. Second experience....yikes! We were downstairs at the bar and the bartender was rude and aggressive. We were straight up uncomfortable. He acted like everyone was an idiot and an inconvenience. Interrupted before you were done talking, slamming everything around, and at the same time being pretentious. Dude, we spent $40 on drinks and toast. Get your act together. We then went upstairs for dinner, and they sat us at a table. Instead of staggering the tables, since it wasn't busy yet, they sat us at a table that was 6 inches away from the next table. My shoulder was about 1 foot away from the table next to me. The man actually started whispering to his date instead of talking because we were seated so close and they were uncomfortable (as were we). We left. 3 stars because of the first experience (was a 5 before the visit today), but we're not coming back.

Jourdana Webber

There is a beef dish with siracha that is BEYOND amazing. However, we were disappointed in portion sizes, even in relation to sharing as tapas. We've had cheeseboards all around the world and for $15, their cheeseboard was three small pieces of cheese (BUT they did have delicious chutney, honey and something else.) It was all just very small. I spoke to a local about my experience later, and she said she likes this place for their fabulous drinks.

Ahtoy Juliana

I couldn’t get into this restaurant the first few times I tried. It is always packed. I finally got in for lunch right at the last seating. The food was outstanding. I am still dreaming about the beet salad. It was so fresh, so perfectly balanced. Of course I had so many other dishes, and every single one was made with the same standard - the freshest ingredients available, cooked not a second too long, balanced with subtle flavors. Can’t wait to come back.

rajah nagarajah

An experience, not a meal. Been here 3 times now and it just keeps getting better. Eddie the head chef is simply superb. The food is the best in Portland and I would eat there every night if my body and wallet could afford it! The ambiance, taste, and all in between makes for one of the best dining experiences in New England. Thanks Eddie and Team for such an experience, every single time. FIVE STARS+

Noel Heath

Great bartender and great food

Ryan Dubay

One of the finest eating establishments is Portland and New England

Anthony Wong

The food here is inventive, fresh and delicious. You really have to come here before it opens to grab a seat as it is very popular. Every dish that came out was well thought out and perfectly put together. Excellent restaurant. The only down points are that it is a bit on the pricey side.

Chris Kim

Very nice place with delicious food. Always packed, so expect a wait. You get faster service if you decide to wait for the first come first serve downstairs.

Scott Luro

The sunchoke and pear soup was the most delicious dish during my visit to Portland -- and I enjoyed a lot of tasty food! I'm at a loss for words to describe the rest of our meal. The soup was that absurdly outstanding.

Jared Hall

Delightful meal with great service. We brought our two-year old, and they were super understanding.

Katherine Brana-Milian

This was unfortunate. These two stars are solely for the benefit of the doubt because we did not have any food. Our experience here was bitter and therefore short. The only other couple there exiting-words were and I quote “we are never coming back here” and we soon understood their reasons... Despite the bartender’s unwelcoming attitude we tried ordering drinks which were terrible, my lemonade was basically seltzer water. Upstairs dining room was unfortunately closed so we were stuck with the bad service of the horrible bartender so we left in a hurry.

Ricky Leung

Great music, chill vibe. Recommend to sit at the bar table to view the action.

Mitch Tyson

Amazing food. One of the best places I've eaten.

Wilmarie Gonzalez

Overpriced! Staff not so nice. Won't be going there again ☹

Geoffrey Darby

My wife is grosning in pleasure as she slowly consumes what she says is the best thing she has had in ages until the next dish which took is place. I think that pretty much sums this find up

Thomas Mcgreevy

CP is probably one of my favorite restaurants in the world. I went two nights in a row the last time I was in Portland. Highly recommended.

Jeff Kingsbury

A great place for Tapas Style Dining. I really enjoy new and unexpected preparations that they change out regularly. Great weight and bar staff that put up with my punny nature.

John Gelcich

Great meal and great service. An excellent experience.

Adam Stewart

A total foodie culinary experience but be prepared to shell out a ton of money. We did a progressive dinner got a couple small plates that were delicious and spent $30-40 for what amounted to an appetizer and then ate dinner at Gilberts Chowder House and got a root beer float at an ice cream place. However if I had unlimited money the flavors and stuff they had was absolutely amazing...the most gourmet place I've ever been and every single thing in the menu and decor was considered. I lived in France for 3 months and was very interested by the many types of Duck Foie Gras this restaurant had. Cozy atmosphere and everyone around seemed to be having a wonderful time. If you want to drop $150-200 on a meal and take a lot of risks most likely you would have an unforgettable experience. However, the 2 of us on a vacation exploring Portland were happy with just an appetizer and drink. Someday when I'm rich I will come back and order everything on the menu.

Charles Crandall

I always enjoy this place. It made me open up my pallet to nee things. Hard to say no when every bite never let you down.

Brian Pfohl

The food is next-level delicious. For lunch, I got the bacon cheeseburger, a humble sounding restaurant staple, but the flavors were so complex and balanced, I was blown away. The other sandwich pictured is the bacon & kimchi grilled cheese. Yes, you read that right. Yes, it totally worked. Lunch time was a great way to avoid their legendary long waiting lists.

Finnoner EVERYTHING

Amazing!! My friends and I had almost everything on the menu, and it was all phenomenal!! Great, and friendly staff, too!