If you’ve ventured around town, it should not come as a surprise that that Portland, Maine, ranks very high in the Best City for Foodies list.

Wikipedia defines a ‘foodie’ as a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food and who eats food not only out of hunger but also as a hobbie.

Over the last decade, unique restaurants have been popping up all over the city, giving foodies, or just people that enjoy dining out, a large number of options. Whether it’s seafood, Italian, steakhouses, Asian, or tapas and beyond, there is something here for everyone.

According to Zumper.com, the east coast had 3 cities rank high on their list with both Portlands (Maine and Oregon) ranking in the top 2 in the nation.

The cause for the rapid growth in Portland, Maine’s restaurant industry isn’t exactly known for sure but it’s a safe bet that the expanding culinary scene, vast availability of local ingredients and the increasing number of tourists are all factors.

Bon Appetit named Portland, Maine, the restaurant city of the year in 2018 partly due to the large number of new restaurants that had been opening and even comparing the quality with New York City and LA’s best restaurants.

Places like Eventide Oyster Co., Central Provisions and Duckfat, just to name a few, have grown to be considered very popular attractions bringing tourists and locals back for more.

With the shortage of staffing over the last few years being a major cause, it’s been sad to see some of these restaurants having to close their doors. On a brighter note, this unfortunate issue has only appeared to improve, which will likely keep this great city booming and expanding with even more great mouth-watering restaurants for years to come.