Both the readers and experts who responded to our survey overwhelmingly favored Asian restaurants for takeout. And it stands to reason: Asian food tends to be ready relatively quickly for pickup or delivery, and with some exceptions, both travels and reheats well. 

The experts picked more Indian and Chinese restaurants, while readers leaned toward Thai. And, as in other categories, readers often voted for time-tested (10+ years) venues, places they can trust for convenience and quality on those nights when cooking at home or dining out aren’t options. Interestingly, Congress Street seems to be ground zero for Asian takeout orders in Portland.

Here are the readers’ and experts’ favorites:

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Boda

671 Congress St., Portland. 4-9 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday; 4-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Appetizers $4-$15, entrees $19-$28. 207-347-7557, bodamaine.com. No reservations.

Boda had been open for a full 10 years before owners Danai “Dan” Sriprasert and Nattasak “Bob” Wongsaichua instituted takeout ordering in response to the pandemic in 2020. Today, it’s one of the city’s go-to to-go spots. 

While their popular kanom-krok quail eggs aren’t on the takeout menu (presumably they don’t travel well), customers still delight at what Boda calls its “very Thai” street vendor specialties and homestyle dishes. As they explain on their website, “Our food is the Thai food that Thai people eat in Thailand, from inside people’s homes to the market and vendor options prepared across the streets of Thailand.” Reader favorites include pad Thai; double-fried Brussels sprouts spiked with a double-dose of umami from fish sauce and mushroom sauce; sweet dates wrapped in smoky bacon; and beef panaeng. 

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Empire Chinese KITCHEN

575 Congress St., Portland. 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sunday-Monday and Wednesday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-8:45 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Appetizers $7.50-$12.50, entrees $18-$25. 207-747-5063, portlandempire.com. No reservations.

While it’s worth the wait for a table at the ever-bustling Empire Chinese Kitchen, takeout rewards impatience. Maine’s first dim sum restaurant (est. 2013), Empire specializes in dumplings and savory small Chinese brunch plates. But the Cantonese-focused menu also offers Empire’s take on traditional and modern Chinese “soul food,” including stir-fries seductively scented with smoky wok hei, or “wok breath.” 

Co-owner Theresa Chan has Asian restaurants in her blood — her parents opened China Rose and Little Tokyo in Brunswick. Some locals’ favorite Empire orders include any of their buns or dumplings, like char siu bao or shu mai; bacon fried rice; Chinatown pork marinated in honey, hoisin and roasted shallots; duck lo mein; and the gluten-free and vegan broccoli and broad noodles. Maine chef Josh Berry said while not all of the menu travels well, “the green beans, honey-walnut shrimp, bao buns and fried rice maintain their integrity for takeout nights.”

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Mitr Ping Yang Thai Kitchen

1281 Congress St., Portland. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 4:30-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Appetizers $8-$18, entrees $14-$24. 207-536-0868, mitrmaine.com.

This 4-year-old restaurant — owned by some of the same team behind Mi Sen Noodle bar and the former Cheevitdee — specializes in Ping Yang-style food: typically charbroiled or grilled Thai street eats, a cousin to Japanese yakitori. The magic happens when you pair the meat and seafood skewers with sauces that hit all the sweet, sour, salty and spicy Southeast Asian notes. 

Former Press Herald restaurant critic Andrew Ross said Mitr’s lemongrass beef skewer “tastes like summer on a stick, with charbroiled dark bits and aromatic, funky Jeow sauce.” Ross also noted that their delicious som tum green papaya salad may not travel well; co-owner Darit Chandpen confirmed that the papaya can sog out after half an hour or so. Other popular dishes include pad kra pow stir fry and red curry coconut soup with eggplant. Leeward chef-owner Jake Stevens called the quality of Mitr takeout “very consistent,” while Maine cookbook author Vanessa Seder said, “I love how fresh and flavorful everything is without being too heavy.”

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Sichuan Kitchen

612 Congress St., Portland. 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Appetizers $9-$20, entrees $15-$28. 207-536-7226, sichuankitchenportland.com.

Sometimes you crave Chinese. But sometimes, you need the spicy, numbing heat and ma-la flavors you can only get from Sichuan food, and that’s where Sichuan Kitchen delivers, literally.

Owner Qi Shen and her family, natives of China’s Sichuan province, offer a menu that highlights the region’s sometimes spicy and always intensely flavorful cuisine. Customers’ favorite dishes from the 9-year-old restaurant include pork zhong dumplings, xiao long bao, ma-la dry hotpot, fried green beans, sweet and sour cabbage, spicy sour soup noodles, mapo tofu and “Ants Climbing a Tree,” featuring saucy pea noodles and ground pork. One reader summed up their Sichuan Kitchen takeout experiences thusly: “Consistently wonderful flavor, travels perfectly.”

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taj indian cuisine

333 Clarks Pond Parkway, South Portland. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 4:30-10 p.m. Monday-Friday; 11 a.m.- 11 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. Appetizers $5-$17, entrees $14-$20. 207-828-6677, tajofmaine.com.

The downside about takeout from Taj? You don’t get to enjoy the warm and professional table service at the incredibly popular South Portland restaurant. But among the upsides, the blast of seductively fragrant, warm Indian spices that hits you when you first walk into their dining room now surrounds your own dining table at home.

Some of the many crowd-pleasing favorites: house specialty potato- and pea-stuffed samosa; dosa crepes; Indian standards like tikka masala, butter chicken, biryani and spinach-stewed saag; chef specials like the karaikudi chicken; and of course, pillowy, buttery naan. “The spices (bought in India several times a year) mean authentic dishes that travel well, and the prices are sane, so I can buy dinner for my entire family of 6,” said Maine-based food writer Alexandra Hall. Tom Barthelmes, chef and co-owner of Finestkind in Saco, marveled at the 14-year-old restaurant: “Huge flavors for the price point, super consistent product, and if you’ve ever joined the huddled masses to pick up takeout on a busy Friday night, you’ll know it’s a well-oiled machine at this point. That goat biryani is insane.”

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Veranda Thai

9 Veranda St., Portland. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Appetizers $9-$28, entrees $14-$24. 207-874-0045, verandathai.com.

Tucked into a snug little green building on Veranda Street, humble Veranda Thai has built up a strong and sizable following over its 18 years in business. It’s part of the stable of Asian venues — owned by the husband-and-wife team of Hai Pham and Sonka Nguyen — that includes the neighboring Vietnamese restaurant, Veranda Noodle Bar, Veranda Kitchen & Bar in Westbrook, and Veranda Asian Market. 

What loyal customers seem to love most is the value for the money — they’re often blown away by the serving size — and how quickly orders are ready. As one reader notes, “Inexpensive and huge portions, but still really good and fast.” They cite standout dishes like the spicy and subtly sweet drunken noodles, pad Thai, red curry and massaman curry. Another reader liked the mix of Thai and Chinese dishes, like lo mein and orange chicken.

Tell us about your favorite takeout spots in the comments below or weigh in with other commenters on our entire Best 32 picks here: What are your favorite restaurants? Which did we miss?