Reviews of Sur Lie (Restaurant)

Jason Singer

In a city full of outstanding dining experiences, Sur Lie was one of the best restaurants we've visited. The broiled octopus was terrific both in texture and flavor, the sweet pea hummus was outstanding, the Brussels sprouts and lamb specials were memorable, and the Dango was one of the best desserts we've had in Portland. We can't highly recommend this restaurant enough.

Caitlin Sweet

One of my favorite restaurants in Portland! Arroz con pollo is the best thing on the menu, could eat it every day!

Reda Benembarek

Tasty tapas cooked with heart

Lise Kirk

Very disappointing. Based upon the reviews, we expected some exciting flavors and mixtures. What we got was mouthfuls of bland and underwhelming food. Even the choices on the menu didn't sound very good. I gave it 2 stars because the potatoes and the dessert were delicious. Who doesn't like sugar and starch??

Roland Miller

The food was spectacular. The service was great. Love the atmosphere at the restaurant. It's a five star choice.

Susan Flaherty

Love this restaurant great food great atmosphere never had a bad meal here. Great variety of food good cocktails amazing desserts

Cyndi Dusek

This is the best restaurant I’ve ever been to. The food was fresh and so delicious. The service was incredible. The atmosphere is perfect.

Cj Castonguay

Simply one of my favorite restaurants in all of Portland. Love the changing menu, the plates are so well put together both visually and gastronomically. Must try.

Seán O'Connor

Relaxing atmosphere, fantastic and engaging bartenders/staff, and well thought-out and delicious drinks. I think I've found my new favorite place.

Andrew Mitchell

Wonderful food and service. Busy all evening yet still looked after. Tasting menu was exquisite.

K Wind

Amazing food!! I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was at this great little place. Every plate that we ordered was delicious. We will definitely be back. Service was good, too.

Katryn Mitchell

Atmosphere was great, casual and warm. The bartender and service was well-informed and helpful. I had the opportunity to meet the owners and their story and vision for the restaurant is exciting... The food is unique and it wasn't your typical tapas experience in that the portions were generous and the prices were affordable - especially for the creative and delicious menu. Definitely recommended!!

Sarunas Vil

Hidden gem in Portland old town. Atmosphere is super cozy and welcoming. Interior is fresh and modern. Service is first class and super friendly. Food is delicious and garmet. It is highly recommended to have reservations, other way you most likely will be seated at the bar. Our bartender was super awesome and set us up for success when it came to picking our options. Octopus and beets were just out of this world. Overall great place for a date or any other occasion.

Nick Wilson

The most underrated hidden gem in the crowded Portland restaurant scene. The food is excellent and a good value, and the cocktails are stellar. Most importantly, the service is always exceptional in a city not known for good service.

Jamie Kirkland

Had a delightful and memorable meal here. Great service, and excellent small plates. Each of us ordered about 3 dishes (as suggested by the waitress) which were served in courses. My favorites were the minty pea hummus and an incredible tomato watermelon ceviche. And the desserts were inspired! I've never had such an amazing cheesecake, and believe me I have tried a great many cheesecakes.

Joanne Allard

Wonderfully delicious food. Excellent service.

Andrew Karhan

Food was decent, atmosphere is great, service was pretty standard, some items were priced in-line for a tapas style restaurant, some others I thought were a bit excessive. Particularly the scallops (which were cooked perfectly), but $19 for two scallops is excessive.

Julian Klenda

Omfg delicious come here all the time can’t get enough of this place. Every dish is unique and I’m pleasantly surprised with their unique food and drinks. Definitely a treat with an uplifting business classy environment.

Pavel Golovinsky

Great food, creative chef, excellent presentation. Very attentive and helpful service. We had (for two) 5 tapas and 1 desert, and it was just a right amount of food to leave without help. Very spacious place, accepts online reservations. Highly recommended.

Clarke Thomas

You only need 2 dishes per person. It's easy to order more if you are still hungry...versus being full & dreading the next dishes. Delicious cocktails. Some are quite potent. Fantastic service.

Jude Anthony

Great little place located in the heart of Portland, Maine. Was brought there by a beautiful woman, which made the food more enjoyable. Tapas options at the bar which combine different flavors and textures. This was octopus. Definitely will be back.

MaryBeth Walz

The food was fun and different. Ordering food was a bit different but the waitress helped us. The flavors were good and gluten free was available on most food items. Expensive, but it was our anniversary so we didn't mind. Ambiance was nice too.

John Gavin

Absolutely outstanding.

Alison Andreasen

Our absolute favorite.....the bartenders, owners and wait staff never fail to make us feel like family. There is no better place to enjoy creative-delicious food and drink. Never pretentious....just delicious!

R Foltz

Good vegetarian options

Ramey Echt

Menu sounds great, terrible execution. Too many things deep fried, terrible presentation, service was good and I like the playlist. Other than that totally uninspiring.

Angi Stone-MacDonald

Excellent food and such high quality. Totally delicious and worth a try.

Justin Holmes

Wonderful dining experience. Will be back. Chef is extremely creative

Brandon Morris

Staff really makes me feel a part of the family

Andrew Earle

Awesome! We got to experience food instead of merely eating it. Staff and chef take great pride in what they do and it shows. Keep it up guys! We will be back and with friends next time.

Gloria Barker

Love this place!Tapas very tasty and many different choices.Staff and atmosphere very friendly,trendy and a great place to bring family or friends that like trying new items and sharing.

Bradford Clem

Delicious food, friendly staff. We had a large party sharing family style off a pre fixe menu. Everyone was well taken care of and just the right amount of food.

Brent Crossman

I love the food here. My favorite is the sweet pea hummus but the cauliflower and pork chop are also great.

William Pentland

Great tapas place. Prices are reasonable and service is excellent. Chef stopped by our table and asked it we were happy with our food and service. We responded that both the service and the food were very good. Strongly recommend.

Unni Krishnan

Absolutely nothing for a vegan. Got to change with the times

sam tarbox

Great cocktails. Had a couple of the "Oh Jeez Rick"s. Nice ginger drink.

Andrew Schaefer

Outstanding food. Everything was delicious, well cooked and inexpensive. Anyone complaining about the portion sizes must not grasp the concept of tapas. I'd happily go back.

Joshua Peck

Amazing cocktails, great food. Small plates are always good, the local cheese plates are fun. The cocktails at Sur Lie raise this place above its peers in the city.

Lauren Keen Aumond

We sat at the bar and had some drinks before heading to the improv club. We also had the hummus. A bartender served us and did a good job. The wine and hummus were absolutely delicious which is the reason for the 5 stars!

Juliano

Eclectic, high-quality tapas style food, each with its own unique taste and zest. The plates are to be shared and enjoyed, not consumed. I'd recommend 2 to 3 plates per person, all varied for the greatest experience. Prices are on the upper side, since you are paying for quality not quantity. Take your time exploring the various dishes, drink, and simply enjoy!

Randy Wilson

Very disappointing. The menu sounded great, but all five dishes we ordered came off flat, low in flavor, etc. For example, the cheese board had too many bread crisps, two similar (blue-ish) cheeses, and not enough other accompaniments. The cauliflower was overcooked.

Mary Shannon

Food, service, and drinks Are all top notch. Definitely a must do in Portland. Great wine and cocktail program.

Mike Vecc

Really good selection of small plates. Nice atmosphere. Our waiter Spence was great. Definitely a place we will return to.

Laura Searle

Phenomenal. 4 course tasting menu was to die for.

Chris Crowley

Intriguing, balanced, and expertly crafted cocktails. Equally delicious tapas with near perfect execution. This place is a foodie must. My only criticisms are that the decor is a bit drab and menu is a little short.

Vicki Trundy

I don't cook beets or brussel sprouts because I didn't really care for either, but at Sur Lie those dishes were my favorites. Six of us ordered twelve different dishes and two desserts. EVERY bite was delicious! Bravo chef!! The service was just as excellent. Loved the whole experience. Thank you Tony and Krista, very impressive! I'm recommending Sur Lie to everyone in Bangor traveling to Portland.

Michelle Mabley

Good wine list, fantastic tapas, excellent service.

Bill Lang

Basic tapas. Group of 10 and we got about 2 plates/person which worked out pretty well (not big eaters). I usually find tapas to be expensive for what you get, but this was reasonable

Dmitry Gerber

A nicely decorated restaurant in a minimalist style. The portions are tiny and if you are hungry, go elsewhere. It is, after all a tapas restaurant.The staff is friendly with a touch of pretentious. The "staggered" style of service translates into exquisitely painful wait times followed by the presentation of miniature portions of mashed baby food. I must admit, I'm new to the Portland, ME restaurant scene but I doubt it would "pass muster" in a bigger city. It's puzzling to find this restaurant listed in a moderately priced section because one needs to order 3-4 dishes to get enough calories to call it a meal which adds up to a higher than average bill. The porkchop turned out to be a piece of Canadian ham. Now for the taste... mediocre is probably the most generous description I could think of.

Gretchen Riordan

Delicious! We enjoyed every dish and the drinks were fantastic too!

Paimon Dehghanian

Great place, drinks, and food. The ravioli was incredible

Landon Fake

Meticulously put together food, much of it sourced locally. Widely ranging flavors in relatively small number of tapas plates. Knowledgeable and welcoming staff. 3 rotating local beer taps and Impressive wine list designed around the food.

Kryston Lemay

The food was wonderful. The staff was wonderful. We visited tonight for my mother's birthday and it was excellent. We ordered a ton of different things. I had a "Girl with the Goldfish Tattoo" drink. The donburi was rice with carrots and vinaigrette. Being vegan, this is one item that didn't need to be changed for me and I loved the dish. I also had north spore 'shrooms. This was made to fit my dietary restrictions and again, it was fabulous. I also tried one of their specials tonight (also vegan) which was a udon bowl with spicy coconut sauce with baby bok choy. Amazing.

Janet Proulx

Fantastic meal! So many wonderful flavors-really expanded my palate. Server was great! Thanks for a great experience!

Jonathan Delaney

While riding the small plate/tapas trend that has recently infiltrated Portland's restaurant scene, Sur Lie seems to have actually hit the nail on right on the head. From a plate selection, cost, flavor, quality and ambience perspective, Sur Lie offers a unique dining experience that leaves patrons with an affordable, wide-spread, and delicious meal. Personal favorite dishes are the Cauliflower, Scallops, and Hummus plates.

Richard Morgan

Delicious food and great atmosphere.

John F Iltis

Outstanding restaurant with excellent and creative small plates. Service is the best.

K.A. MacDonald

Worth the trip to Portland just to eat here.

Sara Ameigh

Absolutely delicious. Service is stellar as well.

Barry Mc Carthy

Some of the nicest food I've tasted in Portland. The serving sizes were small enough that four of us got a good bite each from around 8 or 9 different menu items. All the food was delicious and I was shocked at how inexpensive the menu was considering the quality of the food. Can't wait to come back here.

Jerad Kirkland

Fantastic tapas topped by amazing deserts! If you enjoy group meals this is the place!

Nicole Weiler

Exceptional on all levels. Food was amazing. Loved everything we ordered. Waitstaff was attentive. Nice atmosphere.

Benjamin Murphy

Friendly atmosphere with great drinks and plates. Price is great for the quality of food you are getting.

genine b

It's a shame Google only allows 5 stars because I would give them 10 if I could. The food and service were top notch. My boyfriend and I shared about six or so plates - even he tried things that he typically won't eat and enjoyed them! It's difficult to pick a favorite dish as all were delicious - we tried the Vermont triple cream with lemon murstada, pea hummus with mint oil and lavash, brussel sprouts with marcona almonds and lardons, smoked porkchop with pickled mushrooms, milk fried cauliflower with a spicy miso sauce, beets, and coffee cheesecake. The standouts were the hummus (my boyfriend isn't a fan of peas so I got to have the lions share), cauliflower, porkchop, and brussel sprouts but everything was spectacular. If you feel like being daring with your palate, Sur Lie is the place to go. I got to sample dishes I might usually have shyed away from and was pleasantly surprised. Our meal was effortless and our server was so sweet. It was our first but certainly not our last!

Drew Elia

What in absolute incredible jewel of Portland. Small plates perfectly crafted and paired with a fantastic cocktail or bottle of wine. You’ll be in heaven. Can’t say enough about this place. If you’re with a group of friends do the chef tasting.

J Thomas

It's good food, way cheaper to pick your tapas vs doing the chef's choice and you'll get more of what you like!

catherine knott

Excellent cocktails and small plates. The Manhattan of the Month was a standout. Loved the swordfish ceviche!

Adam Curtis

Absolutely amazing. The food was exquisite and the attention to detail is impressive to say the least. I have serious allergies and the service I received surpassed anything I have experienced in Maine. This restaurant makes Fore Street look like McDonald's.