Central Provisions

Central Provisions is the small plates restaurant your brother wanted to open during the years he was “finding himself,” but then decided it’d be too much work and just grew a handlebar mustache instead. He missed out, because this spot in the Old Port is excellent and extremely popular with both out-of-towners and the people who visited Portland once and never left. They serve a wide range of shared plates, like surf clam ceviche, suckling pig, and a bunch of charcuterie, which makes it a great spot to come with a group and order as much as you can. Since this place is so popular, it’s best to get here early and then head to the bar downstairs, where you can grab a drink and some snacks in the meantime, or just order from the full menu and forget about waiting another hour for lunch or dinner.