NY Times Names Portland, Maine, Restaurant Among 50 Best For 2026

Each and every year, the New York Times releases several lists centered around the restaurant industry. Some focused on new restaurants while others focus on the best of what is out there.

One of the most coveted lists the NY Times releases is the 50 Best Restaurants Right Now. That gives foodies across the country a snapshot of where the focus their attention nationwide.

That NY Times list has just dropped and a Portland, Maine, restaurant that is barely a year old was the only one in the state to be featured.

Douro in Portland, Maine, Named to NY Times 50 Best Restaurants in 2026 List

The NY Times sent staff members to 38 states nationwide to dine at more than 500 restaurants so the publication could put together a list of the 50 Best Restaurants in 2026.

The only restaurant in Maine to be featured was Douro, a Portuguese-inspired seafood spot that opened in October of 2025.

The NY Times applauded Douro's seafood offerings as the perfect blend between the Portuguese coast and Maine coast. They also gave Douro high marks for how impressively the restaurant uses vegetables in their farm-to-table approach.

Two Maine Restaurants Made The NY Times Best Restaurants List in 2025

In 2025. two Maine restaurants made the list of 50 Best Restaurants Right Now and neither one of them was in Portland.

The NY Times fawned over the Pilgrim's Inn seafood offerings last year. Those included creative preparations of Maine bluefin, roasted monkfish and skewers of eel local to the state.

One of the unique elements to the food at Pilgrim's Inn is that it comes from a rotating list of chefs. 5 different culinary experts led the Pilgrim Inn's menu throughout 2025, keeping the dining experience in the small town lively and exciting.

The other restaurant included last year was Sammy's Deluxe in Rockland, Maine.

The New York Times couldn't get enough of the 'world famous' haddock snacks as well as the freshly foraged ingredients featured in other dishes on the menu.

Rest assured, Sammy's Deluxe is a New England restaurant. It features brown bread (baked in a can) on the menu as well as Moxie.