Breakfast and brunch fare is all about comfort. Maybe it’s just that we’re a little more vulnerable at that time of day, but of the three main meals, people seem to crave familiarity most at breakfast. So it’s no surprise that readers overwhelmingly named some of the city’s longest-standing breakfast and brunch spots as their favorites (though the category’s top vote-winner, Dutch’s, has “only” been open 12 years). 

Experts gravitated more toward relative newcomers like the West End’s Ocotillo and Saco’s Finestkind. Both venues opened in 2024 and offer dishes that are more outside the box.

Here are the readers’ and experts’ favorites:

---

---

Bayside American Cafe

98 Portland St., Portland. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Friday; 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 207-774-0005, baysideamericancafe.com. $14-$23. No reservations.

Bayside American Cafe has been a local brunch institution since 1990, when it was known as Bintliff’s American Cafe. Current owners Joe and Diane Catoggio rebranded the venue to Bayside in 2015, 12 years after they bought the business. The name might have changed, but fans stayed true. 

The eatery is known for its house-made corned beef hash, enormous specialty flapjacks, including cinnamon bun pancakes, and a selection of Benedicts like Louisiana Bayou Benedict with grilled andouille sausage, corncakes and spicy Cajun hollandaise. There may sometimes be a wait for a table, but customers say it’s worth it. One reader said they go to the cozy space for “the vibe and incredible food,” while another praised the extensive menu.

---

Becky’s Diner

390 Commercial St., Portland. 5 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. 207-773-7070, beckysdiner.com. $8.50-$21. No reservations.

Like any good diner, Becky’s is almost always open, serving straightforward, unfussy and value-minded breakfast dishes from 5 a.m. (well ahead of other spots) until 4 p.m. Unlike most diners, it’s also received praise from the former epicurean bible, Gourmet magazine, which had this to say about 8-year-old Becky’s in 1999: “If you’re still a little tired as the day begins, walking into Becky’s is a friendly thanks-I-needed-that slap in the face. You have entered nothing short of diner heaven.”

Becky’s is old school and gives the people what they want, whatever that may be (like both canned and homemade corned beef hash as side options). Customer favorites include blueberry pancakes and lobster-based egg dishes like the lobster omelette and a lobster eggs Benedict. One reader called Becky’s a “classic spot to bring out-of-towners on the waterfront, or just to get a good diner breakfast before starting out the day. It’s a Portland staple for a reason.”

---

Dutch’s

28 Preble St., Portland. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. 207-761-2900, dutchsportland.com. $9-$18. No reservations.

Chef-owners Lucy and Ian Dutch honed their culinary chops at high-end restaurants in San Francisco and Boston before launching Dutch’s in 2014. The counter-service venue sports checkerboard flooring and a Dutch’s mural, a retro, midcentury aesthetic that one reader called a “fun environment” that “feels extremely local.” 

Regular customers crave Dutch’s scratch-baked breads and pastries; Woodford Food & Beverage Chef Courtney Loreg called Dutch’s Danish a “last meal on Earth must-have.” Other fan favorites include cubed and crispy hash browns and hearty breakfast sandwiches. As The Boston Globe put it: “Dutch’s serves big breakfast sandwiches for hungry Mainers who don’t mess around,” while Conde Nast Traveler magazine once called Dutch’s fried chicken biscuit “the best breakfast sandwich in town.”

---

Finestkind

17 Pepperell Square, Saco. 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday-Monday. 207-494-7083, finestkindmaine.com. $12-$18. No reservations.

Finestkind launched in 2024 in the space that another local breakfast spot, The New Moon, had held for decades. Chef-owners Victoria and Tom Barthelmes, veterans of fine dining restaurants in New York City and Portland, decided they could thrive in Saco if they made everything in-house. 

Their from-scratch ethic extends from breads and pastries to breakfast meats and everything in between. And the quality and sheer deliciousness of the menu has made Finestkind one of the most popular brunch destinations in southern Maine. Standout dishes include an exquisite French omelette; light, crisp and aromatic brown butter waffles; the Taco Bell-inspired breakfast burrito Dorado Supreme; and a rotating selection of brioche-based pastries. One of our expert respondents, veteran local chef and Dry Dock general manager Matt Ginn, called Finestkind in “the best breakfast spot around — not to be missed.”

---

The Front Room

73 Congress St., Portland. Opens at 9 a.m. six days, and 8 a.m. on Sunday. 207-773-3366, thefrontroomrestaurant.com. $14-$27. Reservations by phone or Open Table.

Open since 2005, The Front Room offers chef-owner Harding Lee Smith’s spin on new American comfort food at dinner, like meatloaf, pasta carbonara and shepherd’s pie with local lamb. But mornings and early afternoons, the neighborhood joint is one of the city’s most popular brunch meccas.  

There’s a welcoming vibe in the snug dining room, accented by wood paneling and hanging pots and pans in the open kitchen — a signature feature in Smith’s other Portland “Room” restaurants, The Grill Room and The Corner Room. Loyal customers laud the generous portions, including standouts like corned beef hash and distinctive gnocchi Benedicts, featuring poached eggs and Hollandaise over pillowy potato dumplings. A reader said while most of the menu offers classics, they’re “well done and slightly elevated in a nice atmosphere.”

---

Miss Portland Diner

140 Marginal Way, Portland. 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday; 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. 207-210-6673, missportlanddiner.com. $9.25-$19. No reservations.

Anyone looking for a side of local history with their brunch will be delighted by Miss Portland Diner, a tasty time-capsule restaurant featuring a restored 1949 dining car built by the Worcester Lunch Car Co. Among the city’s oldest eateries, Miss Portland launched in 1949 on Forest Avenue before uprooting for 49 Marginal Way in 1964. In 2008, it landed at its new Marginal Way spot, along with a dining room annex (Maine Trust publisher Stefanie Manning is a co-owner of the Miss Portland Diner).

Grab a booth or stool in the chrome-and tile-bedecked dining car if you can, and settle in for some quintessential brunch treats like blueberry pancakes — the pancakes in general come highly recommended — sausage gravy biscuits and a selection of 10 signature omelets. One reader noted that Miss Portland has “great service and consistently good food.”

---

Ocotillo

211 Danforth St., Portland. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 207-203-4611, ocotillo.me. $9-$22. Reservations via Resy.

Ocotillo was launched in 2024 by Melanie and Pliny Reynolds, owners of the East Bayside Texas- and Mexican-influenced barbecue joint Terlingua. The West End space’s soft, sunny color scheme set the tone for its many brunch fans. As one of our experts noted, “The food is very good, yes. But there is a quality of “je ne sais quoi” / something about the warmth of the colors, the fabrics, the comfy seats, the light and the welcoming service that makes this my favorite place during the daytime.”

But back to the food, which has been widely lauded practically from the start. Yankee magazine last year named Ocotillo “Best New Brunch” in its annual food awards, while The New York Times staff called the knockout mushroom taco one of the 26 best dishes they tried in 2024. Other must-orders: Terlingua brisket hash, gluten-free buttermilk masa pancakes and supremely comforting birria grilled cheese featuring sourdough bread from their James Beard Award-winning neighbor, ZUBakery. Also take advantage of the bar program’s delicious beachy specialty cocktails, mocktails and coffee-based drinks.

Tell us about your favorite spots to eat breakfast or brunch 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?