At this Old Port shop, the choices are creative and delicious.

There are a lot of places to grab lunch in the Old Port. Some are ho-hum, others are great but maybe serve a little bit more than what you want for just a quick lunch.

Mainely Wraps lies in the happy middle, offering delicious, creative sandwiches fast and at reasonable prices.

This friendly sandwich shop started out in Scarborough. Its new Portland location opened at the end of 2013, and when I popped in last week it was bustling, even though the temperatures outside made the Old Port feel like the North Pole.

The number of people ordering to eat in was about the same as the number coming in to get takeout. There are only a few tables in the place – a couple in the front overlooking Boothby Square and Rosie’s across the street, and some in a back room. You order at the counter, then go sit and enjoy the warm brick-wall-and-wood-floor interior while waiting for your food.

I was a little concerned when I ordered that I might be there a while. People were streaming in, the phone was ringing off the hook, and there appeared to be a long line of order slips before mine laid out on the counter waiting to be filled. I was astonished when, not even five minutes after I sat down, the first part of my order arrived. The rest came a couple of minutes later.

I started with one of the soups of the day. They were offering cream of onion and chicken and rice, and I chose the cream of onion. It was thick, hot and, yes, really creamy, with bits of onion floating throughout for good flavor. Maybe it’s just because I love onions, but this was one of the best bowls of soup I’ve had in a while.

The soup comes with your choice of oyster crackers or one of the shop’s homemade cheddar biscuits, and the woman who took my order pretty much told me I really should get the biscuit. She was right. It was crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and it was huge. I found myself wishing that I had just ordered a bowl ($4.99) of the soup, instead of a cup ($3.49), and skipped the sandwich. That would have been a hearty meal on its own.

But since I hadn’t been here before, I also ordered the Sandpiper, a wrap filled with beer-battered cod, avocado, lettuce, tomato, red onion and chipotle ranch dressing.

The specialty wraps are all $6.98 and come with chips or an apple. They have the usual variations on chicken, turkey and roast beef, but there are some more interesting selections as well. The County, for example, is made with pulled pork and beer-cheddar mac-n-cheese, and the whole thing is tossed on the grill before serving.

The Salmon Run contains fresh salmon topped with lettuce and tomatoes, feta, cucumber and red onions. The Cranberry Island is chicken salad with almonds and orange-infused cranberries, topped with lettuce, tomato and red onion.

There’s a cooler of drinks to choose from to wash it all down, but I chose the housemade green tea lemonade, which was refreshing even though it was so cold outside.

In addition to wraps, the menu includes a large selection of salads such as the Cape Neddick, made with grilled chicken, avocado, hard-boiled egg, applewood-smoked bacon, bleu cheese crumbles, tomato and red onion on a bed of lettuce with chipotle ranch dressing. All salads are $6.98.

Mainely Wraps also serves breakfast. Breakfast sandwiches begin at $2.99 and go up as you add extras such as caramelized onions, spinach, peppers, avocado, Hollandaise, house-roasted corned beef, salmon or lobster. The sandwiches are made on a croissant, English muffin, bagel, or one of those delicious Cheddar biscuits.

Breakfast burritos, wrapped and grilled, start at $4.99 for two eggs scrambled with peppers, onions, and your choice of American or cheddar cheese. All the same breakfast sandwich toppings are available at extra cost for the burritos as well.

The breakfast menu is rounded out with home fries, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits and a variety of breakfast pastries.

Mainely Wraps is worth a visit, both for the food and for the good people-watching that’s available at the seats by their front windows.

Staff Writer Meredith Goad can be contacted at 791-6332 or at:mgoad@pressherald.com