This place is closing permanently not because of Covid19 but no one that lives outside of Portland, wants to go into Portland Maine because of rioting,roads blocked by protesters that has become normalized(9/28/20---Lio Restaurant in Portland announced on its website that it's permanently closing.)
Becca Gagnon
Yum! This place has great small plates, yummy drinks and a beautiful patio! Highly recommend.
Libby Rountree
Just had a wonderful celebration dinner. Tried 11 different items (3 people) there was nothing we wouldn't eat again, ten times per daughter Sarah. Thank you for such a nice evening.
Tom Nash
First time there and it won’t be my last! Everything was superb - from the presentation to the quality and creativity of the various dishes (courses tonight for MRW). Great service too!
Brett F.
Let's start with the good: that serpentine bar! It's freaking gorgeous and snakes through nearly the entire restaurant. It's physically probably the nicest bar in the entire Old Port. But no one really goes to Lio. Is it the hidden location in the old Styxx building, or something more? I was determined to find out, so I visited during Restaurant Week with the intention of ordering off the regular menu.The problems started almost immediately. I was informed that the regular menu wasn't being offered, and that it was only Restaurant Week or an abbreviated (and not overly appealing) menu. Really?? I've never heard of a restaurant not offer their menu on a Thursday night. To add insult to injury, they said my whole party of four had to order off the same menu. So if I walked in alone I could order anything, but since I was with others I'm forced to get Restaurant Week? Not a great way to attract customers.Overall, the food was nothing special. The $35 Restaurant Week menu:-Tasting board of almonds, olives and a small biscuit. These were brought to share, and basically acted as an amuse bouche. Just a snack.-Chicory Salad with lamb pancetta, pecorino, hazelnut and apricot sherry vinaigrette. This was the best of the items, with the vinaigrette stealing the show.-Pan roasted fluke with beet and farro salad. The portion size was fine, but the fluke was mostly flavorless. It wasn't bad, but didn't stand out.-Cilantro Lime Semifreddo. This shortbread and yogurt dessert was awful. I had two bites and pushed it to the side.Service was also odd. We did the wine pairings, which were great for $18. But the wine consistently came out ten minutes before the courses would, and there was a very long wait between courses. Considering they were only offering a limited menu and the restaurant was less than half full, it was frustrating.The bar at Lio is stunning enough to be worth a stop for drinks. But I doubt that's enough for this restaurant to survive being in a hidden location in the Old Port. The food just isn't good enough, and the area is saturated with pricey restaurants. Worth a drink, but keep walking for dinner.
Liana Lemke
Awesome tapas, amazing wine list and great service. Definitely recommend!
Claudio C.
So, I'm a foodie, and I collect and drink wine as a hobby. That said, this spot is definately in my demographic. Very modern decor and excellent wine storage, and display, expensive stuff. About 40 3oz or 6 oz pours by the glass. Mostly non traditional stuff, but they have a sommelier cruising around to help you navigate the wine. The tapas menu is a graduated increase in substance...but fair warning, if this is your dinner spot...you need to order some food, and you're going to run up a tab. That said, I liked everything we tried.Marinated olives and the cheese puffs were first..very nice.We tried a couple winter point oysters with a funky medicine dropper hot sauce. It was good. We tried one each of the poached shrimp, which was very flavorful, and had a crunchy texture component to dip in. Next we split the goat cheese and the prosciutto taranes. Both very yummy. I could have done a re order here, and gotten more of them.Next I had a small bowl of lamb and pancetta ragu in pasta, it was rustic and el dente pasta, very well executed. I finished with a grilled octopus and roasted potato medley that was ok..but not the flavorful octopus I've tried at Emelisa or Solo Italiano, but it was still decent. It took about 2 hours and 20 mins to individually order and eat, which wasn't a dreadful pace..it was enjoyable.About $220 for two people with me ordering four 6 oz pours over the course of 2.5 hours, and several flights if food and coffee and a split dessert. I'm 4 stars here. Staff was nice and knowledgable.
Andrea Treadwell
Fabulous! We'll definitely be back soon! Food was out of this world and the cocktails were unique and delicious!
Vince Nez
I've gone to Lio twice. Both times it was amazing. The menu changes but always has thoughtfully created delicious food. The serpentine bar is super cool to sit at. And the service was perfect. I wish I could eat here every night!
Joshua JD Dunlap
Absolutely delicious. We tried pretty much everything and nothing disappointed. Great views and interesting seating give it a cafe feel. Try it out! I’ll be back for sure!
Very small plates, not just tapas but all very small. Black cod about one inch of fish for $16.00. Would not go back.?
Jenny H.
My Fiance and I had a lovely dinner at Lio last night! We started off the meal with a flight of wines from Italy. The sommelier, Nathan, came over and explained each wine to us in great detail. There was even a paper which told us the names of the wines, region, and the year. I thought this was so unique and just really cool. The wines also paired fantastically with each dish we ordered. We ordered 6 small plates and each was perfectly sized for sharing between the two of us, and they were all very tasty. My favorites were the cheese puffs (kind of like a delicious mini cheesy biscuit) that had just a hint of heat, and the duck breast, GOD that was so good with the red wine! We capped off the evening with chocolate cake and another glass of the red that Nathan showed us. Overall Lio was a great experience. Really cool décor and bar design, very friendly service, and the small plates came out in a timely, but not rushed manner. Definitely a great spot in Portland!
Vineel Kondiboyina
Everything was delicious. The cocktails were fantastic. Would not recommend if you are extremely hungry and want something cheap and filling. However, if you want to taste some exquisite food and great wine, this is your place.
Derek DiGiacomo
Doing everything right! Brave experimentation on both ends of the restaurant! The wine selection might do with a little enhancement, but I'm really trying to be picky at this point. Wonderful creative dishes. Not all stick the landing, but they are mini adventures that never disappoint and sometimes wow! Service is excellent and oozes from the staff throughout the gorgeous dining room. Honestly, one of the better experiences in all of Portland! Suffering from a little bit of sub-ideal placement, but can't highly recommend the couple-block walk for this spot!
Emily E.
We dined here with a large crowd and no expectations. The plates just kept coming, one after the other, all so different and delicious. And they had offered a large selection of wine by the glass -- definitely can't get that everywhere. Loved the pastas and the toasts and the vegetables. Truly, it was all delish! Just wished there was more oh forgot about desserts.
This place is closing permanently not because of Covid19 but no one that lives outside of Portland, wants to go into Portland Maine because of rioting,roads blocked by protesters that has become normalized(9/28/20---Lio Restaurant in Portland announced on its website that it's permanently closing.)
Yum! This place has great small plates, yummy drinks and a beautiful patio! Highly recommend.
Just had a wonderful celebration dinner. Tried 11 different items (3 people) there was nothing we wouldn't eat again, ten times per daughter Sarah. Thank you for such a nice evening.
First time there and it won’t be my last! Everything was superb - from the presentation to the quality and creativity of the various dishes (courses tonight for MRW). Great service too!
Let's start with the good: that serpentine bar! It's freaking gorgeous and snakes through nearly the entire restaurant. It's physically probably the nicest bar in the entire Old Port. But no one really goes to Lio. Is it the hidden location in the old Styxx building, or something more? I was determined to find out, so I visited during Restaurant Week with the intention of ordering off the regular menu.The problems started almost immediately. I was informed that the regular menu wasn't being offered, and that it was only Restaurant Week or an abbreviated (and not overly appealing) menu. Really?? I've never heard of a restaurant not offer their menu on a Thursday night. To add insult to injury, they said my whole party of four had to order off the same menu. So if I walked in alone I could order anything, but since I was with others I'm forced to get Restaurant Week? Not a great way to attract customers.Overall, the food was nothing special. The $35 Restaurant Week menu:-Tasting board of almonds, olives and a small biscuit. These were brought to share, and basically acted as an amuse bouche. Just a snack.-Chicory Salad with lamb pancetta, pecorino, hazelnut and apricot sherry vinaigrette. This was the best of the items, with the vinaigrette stealing the show.-Pan roasted fluke with beet and farro salad. The portion size was fine, but the fluke was mostly flavorless. It wasn't bad, but didn't stand out.-Cilantro Lime Semifreddo. This shortbread and yogurt dessert was awful. I had two bites and pushed it to the side.Service was also odd. We did the wine pairings, which were great for $18. But the wine consistently came out ten minutes before the courses would, and there was a very long wait between courses. Considering they were only offering a limited menu and the restaurant was less than half full, it was frustrating.The bar at Lio is stunning enough to be worth a stop for drinks. But I doubt that's enough for this restaurant to survive being in a hidden location in the Old Port. The food just isn't good enough, and the area is saturated with pricey restaurants. Worth a drink, but keep walking for dinner.
Awesome tapas, amazing wine list and great service. Definitely recommend!
So, I'm a foodie, and I collect and drink wine as a hobby. That said, this spot is definately in my demographic. Very modern decor and excellent wine storage, and display, expensive stuff. About 40 3oz or 6 oz pours by the glass. Mostly non traditional stuff, but they have a sommelier cruising around to help you navigate the wine. The tapas menu is a graduated increase in substance...but fair warning, if this is your dinner spot...you need to order some food, and you're going to run up a tab. That said, I liked everything we tried.Marinated olives and the cheese puffs were first..very nice.We tried a couple winter point oysters with a funky medicine dropper hot sauce. It was good. We tried one each of the poached shrimp, which was very flavorful, and had a crunchy texture component to dip in. Next we split the goat cheese and the prosciutto taranes. Both very yummy. I could have done a re order here, and gotten more of them.Next I had a small bowl of lamb and pancetta ragu in pasta, it was rustic and el dente pasta, very well executed. I finished with a grilled octopus and roasted potato medley that was ok..but not the flavorful octopus I've tried at Emelisa or Solo Italiano, but it was still decent. It took about 2 hours and 20 mins to individually order and eat, which wasn't a dreadful pace..it was enjoyable.About $220 for two people with me ordering four 6 oz pours over the course of 2.5 hours, and several flights if food and coffee and a split dessert. I'm 4 stars here. Staff was nice and knowledgable.
Fabulous! We'll definitely be back soon! Food was out of this world and the cocktails were unique and delicious!
I've gone to Lio twice. Both times it was amazing. The menu changes but always has thoughtfully created delicious food. The serpentine bar is super cool to sit at. And the service was perfect. I wish I could eat here every night!
Absolutely delicious. We tried pretty much everything and nothing disappointed. Great views and interesting seating give it a cafe feel. Try it out! I’ll be back for sure!
Restaurantji Recommends
Very small plates, not just tapas but all very small. Black cod about one inch of fish for $16.00. Would not go back.?
My Fiance and I had a lovely dinner at Lio last night! We started off the meal with a flight of wines from Italy. The sommelier, Nathan, came over and explained each wine to us in great detail. There was even a paper which told us the names of the wines, region, and the year. I thought this was so unique and just really cool. The wines also paired fantastically with each dish we ordered. We ordered 6 small plates and each was perfectly sized for sharing between the two of us, and they were all very tasty. My favorites were the cheese puffs (kind of like a delicious mini cheesy biscuit) that had just a hint of heat, and the duck breast, GOD that was so good with the red wine! We capped off the evening with chocolate cake and another glass of the red that Nathan showed us. Overall Lio was a great experience. Really cool décor and bar design, very friendly service, and the small plates came out in a timely, but not rushed manner. Definitely a great spot in Portland!
Everything was delicious. The cocktails were fantastic. Would not recommend if you are extremely hungry and want something cheap and filling. However, if you want to taste some exquisite food and great wine, this is your place.
Doing everything right! Brave experimentation on both ends of the restaurant! The wine selection might do with a little enhancement, but I'm really trying to be picky at this point. Wonderful creative dishes. Not all stick the landing, but they are mini adventures that never disappoint and sometimes wow! Service is excellent and oozes from the staff throughout the gorgeous dining room. Honestly, one of the better experiences in all of Portland! Suffering from a little bit of sub-ideal placement, but can't highly recommend the couple-block walk for this spot!
We dined here with a large crowd and no expectations. The plates just kept coming, one after the other, all so different and delicious. And they had offered a large selection of wine by the glass -- definitely can't get that everywhere. Loved the pastas and the toasts and the vegetables. Truly, it was all delish! Just wished there was more oh forgot about desserts.