The East Ender

What an incredible place to eat and drink. Starting with our amazing server Ethan and some of the best cocktails we tried in the city. Highly recommend "The Bee's Knees, Babe". As it does wonders to an already delicious gin. Ended up with the cheese board to share and wasn't disappointed with their cheese selection, which comes from a local shop, however it could've used more crackers or bread to backup the plenty of cheese. Dinner was the star of the show for us. The smokestack burgers were perfectly cooked and some of the best my friends have tested. The pork chops were seasoned and fried to perfection, only made better by their "apple compote." But the best dish and the one I will come back for, was surprisingly the chickpea patty melt. Whoever decided to take a chickpea fritter, so good it that it could be served on its own, and throw it on a bed of caramelized goodness just to smother it in a rich cheese sauce deserves a raise. But to take this so called "patty melt" even further and serve it on the most beautiful slice of French "sandwich bread", truly made the meal. And yes it can be made vegan. And yes, you can get dessert to go. The chai bread pudding was quite good. We will definitely be coming back when we are in Portland.

Came for drinks first time and returned for apps and drinks second time. Same great bartender upstairs and super friendly as usual. Had the fried deviled eggs which being a southern is different. They had a good taste and not what I expected. Still tasted like a deviled egg and not to overly fried. Also had the nachos which omg loved them. Not soggy not overdone and just perfect

This quirky restaurant has a limited menu and unique ambiance. We enjoyed our food, and our waiter was attentive. There are many parking options nearby, but none close enough that you wouldn’t have to walk. The portion sizes for some of the items were quite small. The pulled pork queso dish comes with some tortilla chips that were not my favorite. The beet salad was delicious.

Had a great cocktail here while waiting for my food from next door. I went with the Papa Doble, (Hemingway Daiquiri) which varies widely from bar to bar. Theirs is more on the tart and boozy end of the spectrum, which I enjoyed. The bartender was fun to talk to, helpful and skilled. He also gave me a good tip for food in the area. I didn't try the food, but everything coming out looked and smelled great!

No happy hour for another month or so, unfortunately. Bartenders were friendly. The female lived up to my expectations when I asked her to make her favorite drink to mix, which turned out to be a nice twist on the Paper Airplane. The burger was outstanding, best I've had in 2021. Accomodating my gluten-free needs, they subbed a fresh salad for the bun at no extra cost. Now thats excellent customer service! I will be back with hubby in tow.

East Ender has taken care of us time and time again. The vibe is intimate, relaxed, and fun. The staff are so warm and welcoming, the menu displays something for quite literally everybody. The menu features the best tastes of Maine alongside modern twists on classics (smokestack and the hot dog are to die for!). I visited a few times for summertime drinks on the patio, beautiful set up! Make sure you stop here, you won't regret it.

Great service, delicious cocktails, and food! Our waitress shared that the menu was recently changed so it wasn't what we expected from the online reviews, but we were not disappointed one bit with our orders! I got the braised short ribs with housemate chips and it was amazing. My boyfriend got the burger and fries (it had a fancier name) and was very pleased. Cocktails were unique and tasty! Great atmosphere. We sat at a window booth upstairs and enjoyed the view. Thank you!

I'M EGGSTATIC! THE SEARCH IS OVER! I FINALLY FOUND THE BEST DEVILED EGGS. I mean, look at these beauties. Everything we ate was also eggceptionally delicious no yolks about it. Don't eggnore this place, you have to try it. Gigi and staff are also very charming and you will have a great eggperience here. They also have KaraYoke here during the week!