From the minds of Vien Dobui and Jessica Sheahan, Cong Tu Bot on buzzy Washington Avenue offers ca phe sua da martinis — a Vietnamese iced coffee play on the espresso martini — and wine by the glass, shareable dishes, and sultry lighting that Cong Tu Bot dubs “bisexual.” This is also the first independent Maine restaurant to unionize in four decades. Dobui learned how to make noodles at his uncle’s shop in Vietnam and uses traditional techniques to create dishes like chao so, a littleneck clam congee featuring savory pork sausage and pickled shiitake mushrooms. Look for Cong Tu Bot’s Cambodian-focused sibling, Oun Lido’s, popping up at local hot spots like the Jewel Box and opening an express counter soon.

At Izakaya Minato, a compact Japanese-style gastropub across the street from Cong Tu Bot on Washington Avenue, order small plates of fried tofu, crispy skinned ocean trout, kelp-cured white fish, and bacon-topped okonomiyaki, or let chef Thomas Takashi Cooke be your guide with family-style omakase. If you sip junmai, take a moment to admire the unique sake cup — most of the restaurant’s collection comes from Japan, but Cooke crafted some himself, right down the street at Portland Pottery.

Prentice Hospitality’s swanky waterfront establishment, Twelve, carries Portland’s fine dining mantle now that Hugo’s, Back Bay Grill, and Five Fifty-Five are no more. A la carte and prix fixe menus feature dishes like Nantucket Bay scallops in an apple soy vinaigrette and a decadent hot buttered lobster croissant, made here by pastry chef Georgia Macon. Whether you go for dinner or just pop in for a tipple, be sure to pair the Coastline Martini (sugar kelp, dill, and a touch of lemon oil) with Yukon potato chips topped by onion cream and trout roe. Prentice continues to grow its strong portfolio, including Mediterranean-inspired downtown hotel restaurant Evo; seasonal Chebeague Island Inn, reachable by ferry from Portland; and the latest addition, The Good Table, whose menu of American classics has recently been reimagined in nearby Cape Elizabeth.

The grand dame of Portland’s dining scene, Fore Street hasn’t lost a step since kicking off the city’s farm-to-table movement decades ago. Signature dishes such as the turnspit chicken benefit from seasonal sourcing and cooking on the grill or oven, both of which are wood-fired and proudly located at the center of this comfortable former warehouse overlooking Casco Bay. Nearby, owner Dana Street’s seafood-focused restaurants — boisterous Scales and intimate Street & Company — are slightly easier to get into but no less worthy of your dining budget.

Steffi and Brian Davin’s cozy spot on Cumberland Avenue flies consistently under the radar regardless of its generous plates of homestyle German favorites including zwiebelkuchen — a rich onion and gruyere tart — smoked trout salad, and Rheinischer sauerbraten, whose saucy marinated beef and tangy red cabbage soak into ample bread dumplings. Fresh rye bread comes out with a paprika-heavy quark spread upon your arrival, the perfect bite to start pairing with whatever beer, wine, or cider you brought since the restaurant is BYOB sans corkage fee.

Featuring a rustic brick interior and dominated by an elegant bar on each level, two-story Central Provisions is one of Maine’s best. Memorable small plates range from spicy raw beef salad topped with cilantro and peanuts to smoked carrots with whipped goat cheese and coconut fried smelts, while the cocktails lean classic with a twist. Check out sibling restaurant Tipo for a more casual, Italian-leaning concept off the peninsula.

Chef Neil Zabriskie prepares local produce with influences from Japan, Mexico, and California at Regards in the Arts District. Slide into a chic booth and try the savory lamb neck tartare with sweet-salty razor clams and earthy sunchoke, or crispy arroz con cangrejo featuring sofrito and peekytoe crab. The drinks hold their own too, tending toward natural wines and agave spirits in winning combinations like Tenth Planet, a mezcal Negroni-style cocktail featuring strawberry Campari.

Find respite from the notoriously windy section of Free Street at aptly named Leeward, where gorgeous plates of Maine scallop crudo and beef and pork ragu bolognese have made this pasta haven a fast favorite. Led by Jake and Raquel Stevens — whose resumes include Portland, Oregon’s beloved Beast and Portland, Maine’s beloved Drifter’s Wife, both now closed — Leeward also offers a smart selection of low-intervention wines to go with its house-made

Overlooking Longfellow Square, Boda maintains its cult popularity with dishes like quail eggs served in kanom-krok pans alongside rotating specials such as goong sa-rong shrimp wrapped in crisp noodles with sweet plum dipping sauce. The homestyle dishes and street foods are inspired by chef Dan Sriprasert’s youth in Thailand, where he cooked alongside his mother at her restaurant. Down the block, Boda fans will find even more vegetarian and vegan options at sibling restaurant Green Elephant.

Chef Joseph Urtuzuastegui ran a lauded food truck with his step-daughter and her husband for several years before landing this stationary restaurant in Longfellow Square. Now, he runs Restaurante El Corazon (and its sibling, Casita Corazon SoPo, across the bridge in South Portland) with his wife, Laura, frying local white fish perfectly for chipotle aioli-laced tacos and burritos, topping chile rellenos with house-made hatch green chile sauce, and carrying forward recipes from his late mother, Rosa, including her enchiladas and birria de chivito slow-simmered goat.

A piece of art in the form of a dragon runs nearly the length of Bao Bao Dumpling House’s interior, a striking addition to this historic West End townhouse. Chef Cara Stadler’s cool Portland restaurant expands on her success at Brunswick gem Tao Yuan and benefits from the supplies of her aquaponics greenhouse, Canopy Farms, and her food production facility at Zao Ze Cafe & Market. Try the pan-fried beef bulgogi and steamed shaomai dumplings, garlicky smashed cucumbers, and a po’ boy with katsu-fried Winter Point oysters, pickled daikon, and hoisin tofu mayo on duck fat-toasted milk bread, all easy to share with a local beer or Miso Old Fashioned.