After spending a hot August day wandering around Old Port with my mom and her former college roommate, I was ready to explore Portland’s culinary landscape (and take full advantage of the fact Mom was treating!) After many failed attempts to get a table along the waterfront, our party stumbled upon Cinque Terre. The restaurant is located on Wharf Street, off the main stretches of shops….so glad we stopped in!

The restaurant has an unassuming exterior and a cozy yet lively feel. There are two levels, and the upper level serves more of a balcony function (can see down to the middle of the restaurant below from above). We sat on the second level, and I loved it! It was enough out of the way to carry on our own convo, but we were right in the midst of the activity. There is an open kitchen, which is one of my favorite restaurant qualities….I love scoping out other people’s food :) We were seated immediately without a reservation at 6:30pm on a Wed night, though the restaurant quickly filled, so a reservation is likely recommended. CT uses many ingredients from local farmers (these are indicated with italics on the menu itself). As a result the menu changes nightly, which adds to the feel of authenticity and freshness.

CT has a somewhat limited menu compared to other Italian restaurants, but don’t let that deter you! Warm bread is served at the beginning of the meal (try not to fill up!) which sets the tone for deliciousness. Appetizers range from salads to mussels to grilled vegetables with goat cheese, and entrees encompass all sorts of meats as well as seafood options. Appetizers were great, and portions were quite generous compared to other upper scale Italian restaurants I’ve dined at. I ordered the arancini appetizer (rice balls with crab meat) which I loved, and I generally shy away from fried food! My other two dining companions thoroughly enjoyed their salads, saying the dressing was quite flavorful and the veggies were very fresh.

I ordered the swordfish entree, which was beautifully presented. The dish consisted of a hefty serving of swordfish (around 8-9 ounces), served over a well-seasoned chick-pea salad. The restaurant is well known for its homemade pastas (notably the gnocchi), so I guess I have my meal picked out for me the next time I’m up North!

And, as expected…desserts are excellent. After two glasses of wine apiece, ordering three desserts sounded like a great idea (well, in retrospect, it still was!). We decided to cover all food groups, and got the honey cheesecake, chocolate tart with mint ice cream, and blueberry tart. I’m a cheesecake fanatic and hogged most of that dessert, but the blueberry tart was by far my favorite. Not to sweet, served slightly warm, and all three desserts were the perfect portion size (don’t get me wrong – I was stuffed after the meal!)

Delicious meal, excellent atmosphere, and a memorable dining experience. I definitely suggest it to any Portland visitors (the more well-known and fancier restaurants, such as Fore Street, and Bresca can be impossible to get in to, even w/a reservation!) Buon appetito!

Fantastic restaurant in the heart of the Old Port. The food is italian with almost entirely Maine ingredients. I had the Maple-glazed Beef Ravioli as a first course, a sautéed filét of Sole for the second, and three scoops of homemade Peach gelato for dessert. Expensive, but totally worth it!