Best French Bakery in Sebago Lake

"This place serves excellent potato donuts, which are just a slightly denser version of the donuts you’re probably used to. Their flavors are all over the place and they usually have 20-30 options available, like pomegranate, maple bacon, and our personal favorite, chocolate sea salt. Stop by The Holy Donut shop for breakfast, or when you need a midday snack."

"The restaurant name is fitting, considering the Holy Donut produces some of the best donuts on the East Coast. There are two locations in Portland, so you’re never far from these sweet treats. The donuts are slightly denser than your typical donut, but delicious regardless."

"This cult-favorite shop serves up fresh, handmade Maine potato doughnuts in flavors such as maple, coffee brandy, sea salt, and toasted coconut. There’s a doughnut for everyone here — even gluten-free and vegan options!. The Holy Donut | Guide to the Old Port"

"While Tandem Coffee Roasters had already established its presence in Portland — offering a wide range of highly complex, single-origin coffees — the arrival of pastry chef Briana Holt took its recognition to an entirely new level. Situated in the West End, the bakery completely redefines the level of pleasure one can attain from biscuits with butter and jam, while producing equally superlative pies, cakes and scones, to name just a few selections. Most Portlanders have memorized the best times of day to procure their breakfast sandwich on a biscuit, which goes quite well with one of the lattes steamed with housemade almond milk."

"It would be extremely wise of you to choose a hotel or Airbnb near one of Tandem’s two locations (we’re partial to the Congress Ave one). That way, you don’t have to waste time before you stand in line for what will be a magical, caffeine and pastry-filled morning. You can even skip the line by ordering online for pick-up at a separate window and take a seat on their covered benches to enjoy Portland’s best coffee shop each morning."

"It can’t be all lobster all the time, but good thing there are places like Quiero to break up the barrage of seafood. This Latin cafe serves baked sweet and savory empanadas, tamales, Cubanos, and Colombian hot dogs, just to name a few of the best things on the menu. Their quick counter service means more time to check things off your Portland to-do list too, like heading across the street to the historic district and Western Promenade or the Portland Museum of Art."

"The key to great gelato is truly capturing the essence of the main ingredient and, in turn, making it so decadent as to cause your eyes to roll back in your head after every bite. With so few ingredients involved, it goes without saying that they have to be of very high quality. Gorgeous Gelato sources the best milk from local farms while procuring other ingredients from the places where they thrive."

"Artemisia Cafe is one of the top brunch restaurants in Portland, ME. You can find all of your classic brunch foods on the menu and feel at home in the environment. This little spot is beautiful to visit, and it opens a bit earlier than most places in Portland, so you don’t have to wait until 11 a.m."

"You’ll usually find the owner, Charlie, in the shop or surfing waves in Scarborough. MSU sells custom, locally hand-shaped surfboards and offers lessons including the popular Lady Slide Nights at Higgins Beach, and rentals for those interested in the year-round surf culture in Maine. Aside from surf gear, the shop has clothing, gifts, features local artists and has a very adorable shop dog."

"Though a mention of Portland, Maine still brings to mind lobsters for many, the city offers so much more than seafood. Gone are the days when everyone flocked to the waterfront district of Old Port. Impressive pockets of eateries have sprouted up in places like Longfellow Square, the east side of Washington Avenue and the historic West End."

"DiMillo’s On the Water is a floating seafood restaurant with a colorful history. In 1965, local restaurateur Tony DiMillo opened a popular, successful restaurant on Portland’s waterfront and later, in 1978, bought a disused wharf and transformed it into DiMillo’s Marina. In 1980 Tony purchased The New Yorker, a former car ferry and in 1982 the boat became home to the relocated DiMillo’s restaurant, boasting beautiful outside decks with stunning harbour views."

"The gist: This buzzy neighborhood brasserie, housed in a storied mid-century modern space,tweaks classic French and American fare with contemporary Maine flair, and delivers one of the warmest hospitality games in town.The food: It’s tempting to put together a meal of starters when choices include smoked trout mousse with house-made potato chips, icy seafood plateaus, deviled eggs with smoked bacon, and pickled crudité. They’re all terrific with cocktails like the Emergency Margarita (Reposado tequila, Grand Marnier, Aperol, grapefruit, chipotle salt) or expertly prepared Negroni. But don’t miss out on larger plate offerings like Parisian gnocchi, spicy shrimp & grits with fried pickled okra, meaty pork chops with a buttery potato and cabbage mash, or one of Portland’s most beloved burgers."

"In Woodford's lovingly restored mid-century modern space, Douglas fir accents and orb lighting draw your eye to a multi-peaked ceiling that recalls a vintage Howard Johnson’s motel. A long zinc bar suited for drinking and dining is the heart of the restaurant, its central mirror reflecting the buzzy dining room and the traffic lights of the bustling five-point intersection outside. Tuck into a comfy booth and look out onto the illuminated "Hopeful" sign that sits atop Speedwell Projects, the art gallery across the street."

"A while back, we’re not entirely sure when, the neighborhood bistro just kind of disappeared. Gastropubs and New American raged red hot, crashed and burned, and hipster sushi joints with record players took their spot. Somewhere in that timeline the bistro up and left."

"The North Point is a charming bistro-style eatery in the heart of the Old Port with the feel of a Parisian sidewalk café. The cozy restaurant has exposed-brick walls, sidewalk tables and bright orange chairs, and potted flowers and greenery, and serves a menu of delicious, beautifully presented cuisine along with creative cocktails, casual wines by the glass and craft beers on tap. Dishes on the menu include small, shareable plates of charcuterie and cheeses, Iraqi flatbreads and dips, olives, and gourmet sandwiches like the Ultimate Grilled cheese with tomato and bacon."

"The gist: This buzzy neighborhood brasserie, housed in a storied mid-century modern space,tweaks classic French and American fare with contemporary Maine flair, and delivers one of the warmest hospitality games in town.The food: It’s tempting to put together a meal of starters when choices include smoked trout mousse with house-made potato chips, icy seafood plateaus, deviled eggs with smoked bacon, and pickled crudité. They’re all terrific with cocktails like the Emergency Margarita (Reposado tequila, Grand Marnier, Aperol, grapefruit, chipotle salt) or expertly prepared Negroni. But don’t miss out on larger plate offerings like Parisian gnocchi, spicy shrimp & grits with fried pickled okra, meaty pork chops with a buttery potato and cabbage mash, or one of Portland’s most beloved burgers."

"In Woodford's lovingly restored mid-century modern space, Douglas fir accents and orb lighting draw your eye to a multi-peaked ceiling that recalls a vintage Howard Johnson’s motel. A long zinc bar suited for drinking and dining is the heart of the restaurant, its central mirror reflecting the buzzy dining room and the traffic lights of the bustling five-point intersection outside. Tuck into a comfy booth and look out onto the illuminated "Hopeful" sign that sits atop Speedwell Projects, the art gallery across the street."

"A while back, we’re not entirely sure when, the neighborhood bistro just kind of disappeared. Gastropubs and New American raged red hot, crashed and burned, and hipster sushi joints with record players took their spot. Somewhere in that timeline the bistro up and left."

"Though the name seems somewhat vague at first, after your first meal here "Hot Suppa" starts to make a lot more sense. The menu is essentially the definition of comfort food, inspired by places as varied as Maine, Montreal and Louisiana, and it is a rare occasion to arrive for brunch — served seven days a week, at any hour — and not experience a wait for a table. Eggs Benedict with velvety BBQ pulled pork, sweet Belgian waffles, and country sides like fried green tomatoes and proper stone-ground grits anchor the brunch offerings."

"A Southern kitchen and bar, Hot Suppa is always there when you need it - whether you had a late night of brewery hopping in Bayside or have a big day of walking around the Old Port ahead of you. Just make sure to follow their number one rule found in the entryway: Be nice or leave!. Fill up on French-style rolled omelets, corned beef hash, and buttermilk waffles for breakfast, or the fried green tomato BLT and poutine with local cheese curds at lunch."

"Hot Suppa sure isn’t new to Portland; they’ve been serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch in a West End brick Victorian since 2006. But at every step of the way, Hot Suppa has been ahead of the trends. They’ve been partnering with local farms before it was cool."

"At Solo Italiano, Genoa-born chef Paolo Laboa turns out an impressive menu that changes daily and reflects a perfect balance of his Northern Italian background and adopted Maine home. The mainstay handkerchief pasta, rolled thin and bathed in the smoothest, greenest, most vibrant basil pesto you’ve likely ever seen, has become his calling card, but the rest the menu sings, too. Don't miss the gonfietti, a lightly fried sage focaccia topped with paper-thin prosciutto and creamy burrata cheese, and be sure to try one of each of the gorgeous crudos and salads."

"The gist: In a rustic, warehouse space in bustling Old Port, Genoa-born chef Paolo Laboa makes daily updates to his extraordinary Northern Italian menu. The food: Laboa’s traditional six-section menu begins with a beguiling array of crudo. Start with a plate of Atlantic Bluefin tuna tartar with salsa verde, a farm egg yolk, and beet mostarda then move on to antipasti."

"Solo Italiano is one of the most beloved restaurants in Portland, ME to get Italian food. The menu here changes daily, but you will not be disappointed with the chef’s choices. Salads, pasta, or seafood, whatever you are craving, you can find at Solo Italiano."

"The Treehouse is an intimate eatery with unique treehouse-style decks where visitors can dine outdoors surrounded by woven tree boughs strung with fairy lights in the summer months. The restaurant serves Mediterranean-inspired comfort fare and a variety of creative cocktails and causal wines and offers the perfect place for a special celebration or romantic dinner beneath the stars. The menu features delectable dishes like wild mushroom flatbread, three-fish salad with littlenecks, shrimp and mussels pan-fried Brussels sprouts, Maine crab cakes, and juicy pork tenderloin with blueberry-ginger glaze."