The Post Supply's Guide to Maine 2023
There is so much to see, do, and love about Maine – this has always been true but the state feels especially vibrant these days thanks to so much new energy having arrived in recent years.
We wanted to share our list for favorite spots around the state, primarily focused along the coast and accessible via 295 or Route 1. The most dense focus is around Portland, where our shop is based. We get so many folks asking us for recommendations, we wanted to make them more widely accessible to all.
This is by no means a comprehensive list (and we’ll likely update annually), rather, a highlight reel from spots we’ve been able to check out or even frequent in the past few weeks, months, and years.
We hope you enjoy The Post Supply's Guide to Maine!
STARTING AT THE SOUTHERN TIP HEADING NORTH:
Kittery
We love this little working waterfront town just over the bridge from Portsmouth, NH.
Lil’s: Coffee and treats we can't resist!
FOLK : One of our favorite jewels of a shop where you can now also pick up a bottle of natural wine in addition to a special gift. (Amelia, the owner, and lovely person all around, can share more ideas in these parts!)
Anju : Noodle bar perfect for a midday meal or delicious supper.
The Black Birch: Our pick for a special dinner and drinks. They don't take reservations but you can usually get a table and it's always worth it if there is a wait.
Wallingford Dram: Thoughtful cocktails in a cozy atmosphere.
Buoy Gallery : Local art and music venue offering rad vibes and good times.
Kennebunk
There are special beaches along the shore in Kennebunkport and a great lobster shack smack in the center of town well worth checking out.
Snug Harbor Farm : We make a pilgrimage each spring to re-up our terracotta pot supply, visit the white pigeons, peacocks, and Silkie chickens. The greenhouses serve up endless inspiration and ideas as we get excited to get into our gardens each year.
Mother’s Beach : A short drive and has a playground so you can let the kids run off their zoomies and get their toes wet after leaving the fancy greenhouses.
Frinklepod Farm : We often stop off for local fruit and vegetables before heading back north.
Portland
Portland is rich with incredible restaurants, bars, shops, kid friendly locales, bakeries and coffee shops – here is a short list of heavy-hitters and some of our friends and favorites.
Coffee, Bread, and Pastries
Tandem Coffee Roasters : We love Little Tandem in the east end near our shop but the larger location on Congress has a more robust food offering.
Forage : Delicious bagels made in house (we love the whitefish sandwich on everything) and espresso drinks.
BLVL: OMG. The croissants. Now open in two locations.
Bread and Friends: Incredible in house bread and get the congee! grateful for this spot with ample (and lovely!) indoor and outdoor seating for breakfast & lunch in town.
Smalls : Great all day café. We love the ham and cheese baguette with an oat milk espresso which we like to take across the street to the little park. Browse the super cute shop while you wait or head there for happy hour and snacks before dinner.
Moonday Coffee : Simple beautiful coffee and homemade chai on the go!
Standard Baking Company : Bakery using sustainable and local grains! a Portland classic and yes worth the line.
Ramona’s : Incredible breakfast sandwiches and lunch hoagies.
Rose Foods : Bagel shop off the peninsula but worth the little drive. Also their Matzo Ball Soup is a winter favorite of ours.
Night Moves Bread : Newly opened bakery in South Portland with naturally leavened and slowly fermented breads.
Zu Bakery : Yes! Another really special bread and pastry spot. We used to make pilgrimages to the Brunswick farmers market for it but now it's open in town. Lucky us!
Lunch
LB Kitchen : Our go-to for golden milk lattes, healthy bowls, smoothies, and juices. Also their sipping broth is a staple for us.
Terlingua : Tacos, BBQ and a huge sprawling outdoor patio with delicious not too sweet mezcal and tequila cocktails. Try the lime-y fried zucchini Tacos.
Portland Cheese Shop : Load up on high-end picnic items and head up to the Eastern Prom (there’s a huge playground for kids) with plenty of green space overlooking Casco Bay.
Onggi : We love this little shop down the street. Their Gimbap and a matcha is one of our favorite lunches. Shop their curated selection of all things fermentation.
The Honey Paw : Steaming broths, wontons and noodles to warm you on the coldest days or to grab and go any time.
Eventide: If you get lucky enough to get a table during busy summer days it is true what they say, the lobster roll is really something special. We also love their big green salad packed with pickled veggies.
Tu Casa: Across from the shop, this Salvadoran restaurant has been on Washington Ave. since the early 2000s and is one of our go-to spots for tacos, burritos and other hearty favorites.
Red Sea: One of the first restaurants that brought us to Washington Avenue in the early days of moving to Maine from NYC was Red Sea. This Eritrean restaurant feels like home cooking in the most loved sense of the word.
Banh Appetit: This Vietnamese spot has all our favorites and always feels healthy and satisfying.
Dinner
Quanto Basta : Newly opened truly special Neapolitan style pizza and incredible cocktails. Gorgeous space with a little backyard.
Leeward : The top on our list always to go with pals. House made pastas, seasonal veggies and a curated wine list.
Regards : So special and the cocktails are out of this world.
Izakaya Minato : Our go-to date spot but also fun with friends - Japanese bites and cocktails.
Cong Tu Bot : Revamped the menu and stayed just as awesome. Pho that will melt your heart.
Crispy Gai : Thai-inspired fried chicken and sticky rice - so flavorful, casual, and fun.
Drinks
Lambs: Newly opened low-key bar with natural wines, great cocktails, and perfect little snacks. Outdoor picnic tables overlook the river and feel ideal for post-beach drinks in the summer.
Maine & Loire : Wine shop and bar - open a bottle for happy hour, have a glass at the stunning bar, listen to great tunes and take the rest of the bottle with you! Peter & Orenda, the owners, have a deep well of knowledge and palpable passion for special wines, often regaling us of stories from the winemakers.
Papi : This fun cocktail spot and restaurant in the old port brings a slice of Puerto Rico to Maine.
Room For Improvement : A dive bar for the ages with great energy, tunes and drinks.
The Portland Zoo : Fun for casual frozen drinks and they have outdoor seating.
J’s Oyster – A Portland staple great for a drink. Make sure to hit the raw bar too!
The Oyster Shop : Local Maine oysters and a glass of wine. What could be better?! Also their new hot dog window is a real kid-pleaser in a pinch.
Oxbow : We love sitting outside here at sunset for a beer or skin contact wine. Don’t snooze on grabbing fries from the Duckfat window - yes, they are cooked in duck fat and are delicious. Oxbow also has a location aside cross-country ski trails with a beer garden for winter hangs.
Things To Do
Washington Baths Public Sauna : Open September through June, this stunning bath house is our favorite place to spend some time to unwind solo or with friends.
Dunes : Dunes.fyi is an artist run, artist forward space with plans to offer a variety of progamming and projects in addition to exhibitions. These include artist editions, books, talks, performances, screenings, and other forms of engagement.
Portland Museum of Art : Chock full of 18,000 rotating artworks, ranging from Andy Warhol and Winslow Homer to Louise Nevelson and Claude Monet.
Mackworth Island: A short walk with great views, a little beach, dogs on leash, and a moment to exhale.
Reve Cycling Studio : One of the first things we fell in love with as we made Maine our home 8 years ago. The energy here is amazing and so contagious. Get your sweat on in their spin or other exercise classes.
Space: We always catch our favorite bands and musicians here when on tour. There's a handful of amazing venues in Portland (Thompson's Point, State Theater, One Longfellow Square,
Shop
The Post Supply : Come see us during your time in Maine for all your modern home goods and utility apparel needs! We hope you are enjoying our guide!
Judith : Women’s apparel and accessories that we frequent for special pieces and perfect basics we wear to threads.
North Optical : High-end eyewear to help define your look.
Strata : Gorgeous knives and cooking accessories with an incredibly knowledgable team to answer any questions.
Blanche and Mimi : Home décor store for gifting and finding special items.
Folly 101: Classic home décor to bring back with you from Maine.
Little : Just the cutest kids apparel and gift items we can't resist for our littles.
Treehouse Toys : You guessed it - toys, toys and more toys. Thoughtful and sustainable options and pure magic everywhere.
Starry Eyes : Check out the consignment kid’s clothes and curated European brands and toys.
Fitz and Bennet : Maine centric home décor and art by local artists.
Onggi : Fermented foods, cookbooks and pickled things. They have our heart.
Maine & Loire : Incredible knowledge base and passion around natural wine makes this our favorite wine shop to frequent. Plus they are right next door!
Small’s : All the essentials for a dinner party, picnic, or unique gift.
Gus and Ruby Letterpress : Curated cards and gift wrap to complete your shopping experience.
Ember: One of our favorite local ceramicists, Campfire Pottery, teamed up with MULXIPLY to showcase their collections and the handmade work of emerging designers and sustainable brands. Beautifully curated and special.
Viand Mercantile: A sweet little housewares shop with one of a kind vintage pieces regularly rotating through.
Kid Friendly
Deering Oaks Park : A radical splash pad and sprawling playground for the kiddos. We love to go on Saturday mornings and amble through the Farmer’s Market then take some fresh fruit and snack along down to the park.
Munjoy Hill : Check out the eastern prom playground and fields and enjoy the views.
Portland Children’s Museum : Play and discover all there is to see in this creative space and theatre. We love it here on rainy and cold days when we need to get out but stay indoors.
Thompson’s Point : Live music, maker's market, food trucks and big open spaces. What's not to love. The whole fam is welcome.
Flatbread Co. : Earth oven pizza company - they give the kids little balls of dough to play with and the pizza is delicious; plus it’s on the waterfront!
Moonday Coffee : Grab a coffee for the parents and a steamed milk for the littles and walk the shops on Washington Ave. or head to the nearby park. Can you tell we're big on coffee spots?
The Oyster Shop Hot Dog Window : Crucial kid food on Washington Ave. and a perfectly sweet frozen lemonade.
HEADING NORTH FROM PORTLAND:
HEADING NORTH FROM PORTLAND:
Freeport
L.L. Bean : The store that made this little town famous, and we do love our romps through this flagship locale. It is open 24/7! (Yeah! Its wild!) And it never disappoints.
Maine Beer Company : The beer is elegant and smooth and the space is vast. The pizza is worth the stop as well. Grab a spot at the outdoor picnic tables and enjoy the afternoon.
Pillars : One of our favorite antique shops. We hesitate to share this widely but it is so special we have to mention.
Freeport Antique Emporium : Amazing antiques at great prices. We visit often. See you there!
Haraseeket Lunch & Lobster : On the waterfront, BYOB, simple and pure Maine seafood perfection.
The South Freeport Village Market : Recently opened market and café for made to order salads, sandwiches, breakfast (including Rover bagels), and espresso plus everything you need to make a perfect beach or boat picnic.
Winslow Park : There is an entry fee and you will want to check the tides (do not go at low tide) but at high or rising tide the beach is really nice for a swim and there is a playground for kids and stairs down to the rocks with epic tide pooling.
Wolfe’s Neck : Gorgeous waterfront farm with camp spots! Some walking trails along the water and in the woods.
New Gloucester
Bresca & The Honeybee : We love everything Krista Desjarlais does and this special swimming spot with artisanal ice cream is a favorite summer destination.
Shaker Village : We are forever inspired by Shaker design and New England ingenuity (see: our store). Right down from Bresca is Maine’s Shaker Village, established in 1783. It's home to the only active Shaker community in the world. They have two gift shops selling stunning Shaker wares. Meet their gorgeous flock of sheep, and tour the buildings.
Pineland Farms : We are lucky to have Pineland for both summer and winter activities - hiking turns into cross country skiing, the educational farm teaches things like cider making and butter churning for kids, their market is ideal for essentials and lunch.
Brunswick
Farmer’s Market : Everything you could want in a Maine farmer's market - fresh raw oysters to slurp while you wait in line for freshly baked bread, locally made wool socks for winter, the most perfect produce from beloved Six River Farm. There’s usually a little banjo-lead music act happening in the center and they offer vegetable-themed scavenger hunts to keep kids busy while you shop.
Wiscasset
Rock Paper Scissors : We love this office-forward shop with unique curation and so much personality.
Treats : The perfect spot to pull off on the drive north for great coffee and bagels, baked goods, sandwiches or snacks to munch while you drive further north.
Angelo Santo : Maria of More & Co. fame has opened a jewel of a shop bursting with incredible art and photography books, books of poetry and short stories, and a carefully curated selection of objects including ceramics by local favorite Chloe May Brown.
The Shelter Institute: Technically in Woolwich, this timber framing mecca sells beautiful specialty tools for timber framing and beyond. Plus, it has an incredible library of resource books.
HEADING NORTH TOWARD ROCKLAND:
Glidden Point Oyster : A real working oyster farm where you can sit at picnic tables and eat fresh oysters and sip drinks and be happy you’re in Maine.
Table Bar : Recently opened natural wine bar with a lot of heart and personality. They spin records and surprise you with rotating food options. We happened to stop by during Gardiner community night and had the best time meeting locals over high ridge farms newest bottles.
High Ridge Farm: A small diverse farm in Midcoast Maine where we got to enjoy their newest wine from their fledgling vineyard while seeing a show in their gorgeous barn. A little slice of Maine's sweet community at its best.
Popham Beach : Pack a picnic for this classic Maine beach.
Alna Store : A sweet restaurant and market off the beaten path in Midcoast Maine.
Rockland / Rockport / Camden / Belfast
Oyster River Winegrowers : Our favorite wine for events at The Post Supply. We love their chilled skin contact wines. They have two locations & recommend you keep eyes on their barn for special events. Well worth the trip.
Daughters : Ariela has an amazing eye for apparel and accessories. Discover new collections or return for more of your favorite goods. The space is stunning too.
Goods : Opened in 2022 with a fresh take on a market - grab and go drinks and snacks and an extensive vintage cookbook collection make this a really special stop off. To make it even better than good they’ve transitioned into a bar in the evenings!
Luce Spirits: Luce is a distillery, tasting room, and bottle shop focused on herbal spirits. We have served their pre-mixed negronis at several of our events and highly recommend picking up a bottle of their creation when you see one!
Lincolnville Motel : Located just outside Camden and open May through October this rustic but well-appointment motel is the perfect resting spot for short stays in the mid coast. With a pool and sauna and fire pits on offer you can make a day of it at the property or venture to any of the many towns nearby.
Waldoboro Inn : Just opened and hosting artists in residencies, this reimagined inn feels fresh and traditional all at once.
Sammy’s Deluxe : A beloved favorite restaurant in the midcoast where Sam is catching the fish and foraging the mushrooms he serves each night. A don’t miss.
Long Grain : Incredible Thai restaurant that really hits the spot.
CMCA : The Center for Maine Contemporary Art has been supporting, exhibiting, and sustaining arts and artists with ties to Maine since its founding in 1952.
Farnsworth : The Farnsworth Art Museum offers a nationally recognized collection of works from many of America’s greatest artists. With more than 20,000 square feet of gallery space and more than 15,000 works in the collection, there is always something new on view at the Farnsworth.
Seafolk Coffee: Nestled into the peaceful town of Rockport overlooking a quiet cove, Seafolk feels like stepping into another universe - quiet, airy and beautifully laid out with just the necessities for a civilized cup of morning coffee or afternoon glass of wine with a good book or a dear friend. Catch our bud Marjory cooking up baked goods here if you miss the team behind Double Grazie at the Rockland Farmer's Market on Thursdays.
Chase's Daily : A favorite spot in one of our favorite coastal towns of Belfast. We always stop for a coffee and a cookie and to see if they have their in-house hot sauces or to see what locally grown produce is in stock to snack on in the car.
Blue Hill / Brooklin
The Brooklin Inn : A beautifully appointed boutique inn in picturesque Brooklin, ME. Complete with tavern-like basement bar and beautiful outdoor garden to sip wine and snack before dinner in their beautiful, season-driven restaurant.
The Blue Hill Wine Shop : Thoughtfully chosen wine selection and beautifully selected cured meats, cheeses, and other picnic-crucial pantry items.
Tinder Hearth: Savory pizzas and salads in Brooksville with a menu that rotates daily Tuesday through Saturday plus bread and pastries on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The Good Life Center : Also in Brooksville, The Good Life Center's mission is to continue the legacy of infamous back to the landers Helen and Scoot Nearing.
Points West
Seven Lakes Inn : We adore this lakeside getaway. Perfectly adorned with a mix of antique and new furnishings and the most beautiful breakfast spread we’ve ever seen in the states.
Nurture Through Nature : An off-grid series of cabins complete with wood fired sauna, yoga studio, outdoor showers, composting toilets and an abundance of hiking trails we love this rustic escape. Not far from North Conway, New Hampshire.
Thanks for joining us! We hope you go to visit our friends and stop in to see us too!
All photography by Tabitha Barnard.