We happened to go by the restaurant on our way to Portland Head Light. On our way home, we decided to stop and were so glad that we did! Neither of us wanted anything too heavy, so were a little hesitant about BBQ. We did not need to worry! This BBQ is simply plated, lightly sauced and was SO delicious! Not the over sauced, salty gut bomb that so many places offer. Our sandwiches came on homemade brioche rolls that were light as feathers. Delicious bbq chicken and brisket, along with perfectly pickled onions. The sauce is on the table for you to add as you like it. Excellent late lunch!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kirk H
Okay, so New England is not the place to go to get great BBQ. And we are from great BBQ country. That said, this was not bad. The brisket was a little bit dry, and the ribs were tender, but not super flavorful. However, if you are in the mood for BBQ, this place will fill the need. The wait staff was friendly, though it took a while to get our food. And the atmosphere definitely feels like a BBQ place.
gowelltony
We just had a wonderful dinner ,the place is a quaint small restaurant, the staff got us seated fairly quickly, the drinks were good,the brisket was moist,the sausage had great flavor,nachos were good .
gailh224
While waiting for takeout we ordered pineapple juice and a rum punch. Both were terrible. At home we tried the cole slaw (worse we'd ever had) and corn bread (excellent). The quesadilla was average. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere.
Franck Fleury
Low key, very good food , well selected beer choice , excellent service , what more do you want.., will come back for more ! Thanks
Katie Johnstone
Sunday night at 7pm-we were told the kitchen is closed because they are “out of everything”. We live in the area and many local places have closed so have limited options. I planned my whole day around this dinner and am very disappointed.
Kim Henderson
What a difference a location makes… love the South Portland location but this one is a BIG NO. Worst brisket I have ever had & the ribs had so much gristle & super dry & lacked flavor they weren’t worth the trouble of eating them. I had the exact same meal at the different locations one week from another. The two meals could not have been any different. I will NOT be coming back to the Portland location ever again. It is South Portland only for me & I suggest for you too. Service was good & I want to point that out. But food wise this place is not good.
AlyssaF02
The food was fantastic! I had the tornado burrito and it was so much that I couldn’t even eat it all! The max and cheese was to die for! The waiter wasn’t super friendly but the food made up for it.
Mindyelaine43
We had some of the best brisket we’ve ever eaten. It practically melted in my mouth!!!! The place was cozy and we sat in front of the grill which made it even better!! All the fixings were delicious and we highly recommend eating here!!!
Heather Doyle
I've ordered take out from Elsmere at least 10 times over the past year. I have always been very pleased. The food was excellent and worth the money. I ordered last night, and it was not the same. The pulled pork had a lot of fat in it and tasted like it had been made the day before. The chicken was good but also didn't taste fresh. The coleslaw was different. It had SO much mayonnaise in it. It was soupy and gross, I did not eat it. Even the cornbread was different. I'm not usually a fan of cornbread but I've always loved it from this place. Not anymore. The meat on the nachos also tasted old. I'm very disappointed. I don't know what has changed. My order totalled $72. Previously, I didn't mind paying that much for 2 people because it was excellent. This time I feel like it was a waste of money. Half of the food was thrown away. I will not be ordering from Elsmere again.Update: I received a very nice email from the owner apologizing, and offering to make the situation right. This also included an explanation as to why this happened, and that they were unaware of some of the things I mentioned in my post. Now with my feedback, they can work on getting their restaurant back to the awesome establishment it used to be. They could not have handled this situation any better! I'm changing my review, and will order again soon.
Best BBQ. Very consistent. Everything is always good. Tornado burrito is my favorite
Terresa Wellington
We just had Elsmere cater our wedding and we couldn’t have been more pleased! Everyone raved about our food!! Elsmere has been our favorite place for years and having them cater our wedding was an easy decision! Placing the order and organizing with Molly was stress free! Thank you Elsmere for making a very important part of our special day go smoothly!
Robert Blow
One of my favorite places to get lunch. I come here often and I am never disappointed. The BBQ from the pulled pork to the brisket is so good that you find yourself asking for some to take home for 4:20 in the morning. I do...
Kyle And Kimi L.
This place was more than okay for bbq food! The rice and beans are really good! My husband enjoyed his food as well. I loved my noodles and brisket! Give this place a try!
Kimi L.
This place was more than okay for bbq food! The rice and beans are really good! My husband enjoyed his food as well.I loved my noodles and brisket! Give this place a try!
We happened to go by the restaurant on our way to Portland Head Light. On our way home, we decided to stop and were so glad that we did! Neither of us wanted anything too heavy, so were a little hesitant about BBQ. We did not need to worry! This BBQ is simply plated, lightly sauced and was SO delicious! Not the over sauced, salty gut bomb that so many places offer. Our sandwiches came on homemade brioche rolls that were light as feathers. Delicious bbq chicken and brisket, along with perfectly pickled onions. The sauce is on the table for you to add as you like it. Excellent late lunch!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Okay, so New England is not the place to go to get great BBQ. And we are from great BBQ country. That said, this was not bad. The brisket was a little bit dry, and the ribs were tender, but not super flavorful. However, if you are in the mood for BBQ, this place will fill the need. The wait staff was friendly, though it took a while to get our food. And the atmosphere definitely feels like a BBQ place.
We just had a wonderful dinner ,the place is a quaint small restaurant, the staff got us seated fairly quickly, the drinks were good,the brisket was moist,the sausage had great flavor,nachos were good .
While waiting for takeout we ordered pineapple juice and a rum punch. Both were terrible. At home we tried the cole slaw (worse we'd ever had) and corn bread (excellent). The quesadilla was average. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere.
Low key, very good food , well selected beer choice , excellent service , what more do you want.., will come back for more ! Thanks
Sunday night at 7pm-we were told the kitchen is closed because they are “out of everything”. We live in the area and many local places have closed so have limited options. I planned my whole day around this dinner and am very disappointed.
What a difference a location makes… love the South Portland location but this one is a BIG NO. Worst brisket I have ever had & the ribs had so much gristle & super dry & lacked flavor they weren’t worth the trouble of eating them. I had the exact same meal at the different locations one week from another. The two meals could not have been any different. I will NOT be coming back to the Portland location ever again. It is South Portland only for me & I suggest for you too. Service was good & I want to point that out. But food wise this place is not good.
The food was fantastic! I had the tornado burrito and it was so much that I couldn’t even eat it all! The max and cheese was to die for! The waiter wasn’t super friendly but the food made up for it.
We had some of the best brisket we’ve ever eaten. It practically melted in my mouth!!!! The place was cozy and we sat in front of the grill which made it even better!! All the fixings were delicious and we highly recommend eating here!!!
I've ordered take out from Elsmere at least 10 times over the past year. I have always been very pleased. The food was excellent and worth the money. I ordered last night, and it was not the same. The pulled pork had a lot of fat in it and tasted like it had been made the day before. The chicken was good but also didn't taste fresh. The coleslaw was different. It had SO much mayonnaise in it. It was soupy and gross, I did not eat it. Even the cornbread was different. I'm not usually a fan of cornbread but I've always loved it from this place. Not anymore. The meat on the nachos also tasted old. I'm very disappointed. I don't know what has changed. My order totalled $72. Previously, I didn't mind paying that much for 2 people because it was excellent. This time I feel like it was a waste of money. Half of the food was thrown away. I will not be ordering from Elsmere again.Update: I received a very nice email from the owner apologizing, and offering to make the situation right. This also included an explanation as to why this happened, and that they were unaware of some of the things I mentioned in my post. Now with my feedback, they can work on getting their restaurant back to the awesome establishment it used to be. They could not have handled this situation any better! I'm changing my review, and will order again soon.
Restaurantji Recommends
Best BBQ. Very consistent. Everything is always good. Tornado burrito is my favorite
We just had Elsmere cater our wedding and we couldn’t have been more pleased! Everyone raved about our food!! Elsmere has been our favorite place for years and having them cater our wedding was an easy decision! Placing the order and organizing with Molly was stress free! Thank you Elsmere for making a very important part of our special day go smoothly!
One of my favorite places to get lunch. I come here often and I am never disappointed. The BBQ from the pulled pork to the brisket is so good that you find yourself asking for some to take home for 4:20 in the morning. I do...
This place was more than okay for bbq food! The rice and beans are really good! My husband enjoyed his food as well. I loved my noodles and brisket! Give this place a try!
This place was more than okay for bbq food! The rice and beans are really good! My husband enjoyed his food as well.I loved my noodles and brisket! Give this place a try!