The Chef & The Gardener

Outstanding food. A refreshing selection of intentionally gluten free dishes (including dessert). Probably the best presentation of scallops I've ever eaten. They only have a few tables, so be sure to get a reservation. Their location is incredibly obscure, especially for such a hidden gem, but the atmosphere is great and the food, simply stunning.

This place was not only super delicious, but very affordable as well. It's a little hole in the wall underneath a salon, but once you get downstairs you're instantly transported into this really nice, sophisticated and beautiful homey restaurant. Our waiter was very attentive and funny. Definitely going back, it's a must go!

We used the Chef and the Gardener as the caterers for my sister's wedding and it was so great! The chef was very responsive during the planning phase, patiently answering questions and advising on logistics. The food itself surpassed expectations, many compliments were given by the guests! And the pricing for the catering was a steal of a deal! Excellent value for the price paid and we cannot say enough wonderful things.

We found this place via an app showing restaurants with vegetarian and vegan food in the Saco area after finding an old favorite closed on Sunday. We were very pleasantly surprised! Elegant and intimate,The Chef and the Gardiner is a small room with seating for about 30, an excellent variety of wines and designer cocktails, handpicked beers and attentive, knowledgeable service. The quinoa cakes were superb, Portuguese vegetables perfectly seasoned and cooked to crisp/tender and my partner found the pork with blueberry chutney to be moist and flavor-packed. The apple caramel cheesecake was the perfect ending to our meal. When in the area, we won't hesitate to return.

Something Delicious for Everyone. This is definitely the best meal I've had in the Portland area. The menu caters well to to vegetarians, vegans, and those with gluten intolerances or other allergies. Every course, from cocktails to apps to entreés to dessert and wine, was just lovely. It is a bit difficult to find, but worth the hunt. (There's a small sign and banner visible as you pass it. It shares an entrance with a salon.)

As a person who needs to eat gluten and dairy free, it was wonderful to have a real, fresh meal, and to have so many choices! We had the special carrot maple soup (it was to die for) and I had the special pork loin with port wine grape relish. The side of veggies was perfect, and it honestly didn't even need the extra side of mashed potatoes (I swapped mine for rice being DF). I ate to the point of being stuffed and still ordered dessert! I wish I lived here so I could go back much more often.

First off the door was locked and one couple waiting to be let in had to call the restaurant and asked them to open the door. Atmosphere was great service was poor took to long to order the food waitress never came back to see if everything was ok or to see if we needed refills for our drinks. My steak tips were dry and over cooked. Asked for medium. My wife liked her meal which was the scallops Mornay and roasted potatoes but would have liked it more if a salad was included.over all did not think it was was worth the cost.