Food & Wine Names Surprising Maine City as Next Culinary Destination

Once upon a time, Maine used to be a two season destination. Summer was for beach lovers, hiking enthusiasts and those that appreciated the great outdoors. Winter was for ski bums and snowmobilers, willing to grit the cold for some adventure.

But that time has come and passed. Maine is a year-round destination now and a lot of that has to do with the food and the beer. For more than a decade, Portland has been under the food and beer spotlight, with droves of people flooding into the city to try anything and everything.

More recently, Biddeford has gotten lots of attention. The city spent years building up its arsenal of unique and charming offerings, from creative restaurants to cozy coffee shops.

South Portland is on the Culinary Rise

Now, Food & Wine says that visitors should be keying in on another Maine city, South Portland. Specifically, South Portland's Knightville neighborhood, which has undergone a very noticeable transformation over the years to include some must-try restaurants, breweries and bakeries.

Food & Wine acknowledged that it started and continues with some of the mainstays of the neighborhood like Amato's (for a classic Maine Italian) or SoPo Seafood, which as Food & Wine points out will give you almost everything you'd find at Eventide in Portland without any of the lines.

Knightville's New Offerings That are Making Noise

There's a lot of new to Knightville that has brought this attention from Food & Wine. Restaurants like Cafe Louis, which has rocketed in popularity. There's also Night Moves Bakery that holds a pizza night that is so popular, you need to order in advance to have any hope of grabbing a pie.

There's also a new Thai noodle house as well as Taco Trio, a neighborhood secret people don't want to share.

Knightville is Poised to Have More Than Just Food

Food & Wine also pointed to the growing list of quality recreation available for visitors. Whether that be a casual stroll along the Greenbelt Walkway, a nearly-six mile path that will lead to you to most of the great restaurants, coffee shops, breweries or more.

But there's also Broadway Bowl, Bayside Bowl's new venture that they continue to mold like clay.

Is South Portland Maine's next great culinary destination? Food & Wine seems to think so.