The Corner Room Italian kitchen & Bar
A Casual , Affordable, Italian-Inspired Restaurant
Harding Lee Smith, Chef, Restauranteur
13+ Years of Service
The Corner Room, founded in 2009, is the third restaurant from award-winning chef Harding Lee Smith. Preceded by The Grill Room, an urban steakhouse, and The Front Room. serving new American comfort food, master chef Harding created an Italian-inspired rustic dining experience at The Corner Room.
Patrons can expect a warm, comfortable atmosphere marked by the rich aromas of housemade pastas, pizzas, antipasti and artisanal breads. Come and enjoy the taste of Venice in the heart of Portland, Maine!
Reservations available. Please call 207-879-4747. Walk-ins welcome.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
Kayla F
02:45 04 Sep 22
I have to say thank you to the staff that closed two Saturdays ago. My husband and I were going on a belated honeymoon to Portland and we found this spot to eat. It looked so nice, and I love Italian food. It was going to be closed the rest of our time in town, so we booked a reservation for the night we arrived in Portland. Our flight was delayed and it was going to push us dangerously close to closing time. When I called ahead to notify them -- they were more than happy to work with us. We ordered the PIZZA MARGHERITA and TRUFFLE MAC & CHEESE. They got it out in no time and it was phenomenal! Instead of turning us away (for missing our reservation by most standards) they gave us a fantastic meal and a wonderful memory. We are so grateful for their kindness that night!P.S. My husband said their pizza was some of the best he had ever eaten!
Jeff Gendron
23:07 20 Aug 22
Our favorite restaurant in Portland. Amazing food. Seriously. Happy hour specials are an unexpected treat. Walk in early and snag bar seats. Can't wait to go back!
Madison Hubler
22:42 10 Aug 22
Stumbled upon this gem of a restaurant, and I’m so happy we did. The best Italian food I’ve ever eaten.
James MacWilliams
22:35 29 Jul 22
I would eat their fried squid every day. The microshaved lemon that is fried with teh sqiud and pepperoncis is so damm good.
Kyle Arnold
20:06 29 Jul 22
My wife and I ate here during dinner for our one night trip to Portland. The bread was incredible. The pasta dishes were incredible. The dessert was incredible. Our waitress was top notch and cleared up some confusion we had on the menu. Small place and every table was full by 7pm (we had a 6pm reservation). Some people were turned away because they didn't have a reservation (Thursday night), so make sure you make a reservation ahead of time. We will be back.
Paul Hathaway
14:16 17 Jul 22
Busy little Italian restaurant on the corner across from the Press hotel.Good food and a vibrant atmosphere. Did have to wait quite a while for service but overall experience was positive.
Mike Stevens
09:48 25 Jun 22
Very good. We had salads, several pasta dishes, and pizza. All were great. The summer sangria was really nice as well. Our second "room" restaurant. Long time fan of the Front Room.
Matt Roberto
01:23 23 Apr 22
Great service and phenomenal food for the price. Highly recommend
sarah simpson
10:23 21 Apr 22
Excellent cuisine and prompt service with courtesy. Have been visiting here since it first opened. Portland being the top among best cities in the U.S. for restaurants...and this place still is la crème de la crème. Authentic and exquisite ❤️
Sean Kaplan
01:23 03 Apr 22
The garlic bread and homemade marinara is is magnificent. Everything else is good too but that stuff is just memorable.
Max B
16:13 29 Mar 22
I've been here 3 times in probably 10 years and God do I love this restaurant. I'm not here enough, apparently. This particular time we had transcendent ricotta toast, cioppinno and mushroom and cream pasta as well as excellent rabbit ragu and a lovely, virtually unknown wine made with a lovely cousin of Riesling, Kerner. Paired with the most excellent service of Suzanne... How do you go wrong. Keep doing you corner room, and let me know when the oxtail hits the specials menu.
Steven Mccoy
00:46 29 Mar 22
Food is excellent great atmosphere
Lucas Brien
16:21 22 Mar 22
Excellent service, pretty good food
Chip Carlson
03:15 13 Mar 22
Sat at the bar and started with a hot spicy toddy to warm us up as it was snowing. I was wanting a specific Italian dish and the chef was able to prepare it perfectly! The service and food was amazing and we left with big smiles on our faces! Highly recommend!
Marc Dionne
13:00 15 Feb 22
The Corner Room was a delight. Fresh made pasta, with GF option available. Good atmosphere, attentive service. The place was very busy too, which is a good sign.
Donna Theriault
00:52 15 Feb 22
The pasta is made fresh. The bolognese was excellent, and I like that you can choose a large or small portion. We ordered a margarita pizza for an appetizer and that was great too.
James M
01:42 05 Feb 22
Visited while we were in town for 2 nights. Sat at the bar. Great atmosphere, terrific bartender, terrific food! Highly recommend.
Ray Lazarine
02:53 24 Jan 22
Great Italian food, very good service!
Dillon Ballweber
11:14 16 Jan 22
Friendly waitress and hostess, food was phenomenal!
Katie Hannon
13:02 21 Dec 21
This was a great restaurant. Ambiance was nice and good was very good. Our waitress was friendly and gave knowledgeable recommendations on both food wine. I much prefer Corner Room to Solo Italiano on Commercial St.Two things to be mindful of: tables are fairly close together so if you are being Covid cautious you may want to see if you can request a booth and the kitchen is open so that always comes with a bit of a food smell on your clothes when you leave 🙂
Lisa Steele l Fresh Eggs Daily
00:43 02 Dec 21
Probably the most perfect dinner I've had in a long time. From the quiet ambience, to the superb service, from the heady scent of garlic to the soundtrack playing in the background, The Corner Room delivered. Wonderful, hearty Italian fare. The bruschetta appetizer was the best I've ever eaten. Thick crusty grilled bread was the perfect chew beneath tomato, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil with a drizzle of balsamic and olive oil. The foccaccia came warm from the oven with olive oil, salt and herbs for dipping. For my main course I choose papparadelle with mushrooms and truffle cream sauce. Expertly prepared and garnished with fresh grated Parmesan. A Paloma fizz accompanied my meal. The portions were hardy, bit I couldn't resist ordering cannoli for dessert ( although I did get one of the two to go!). The plating was phenomenal - in keeping with the delicious ricotta chocolate chip filling and crisp shell. Even the decaf coffee was good. Served with cream and sugar. Five stars all around !!!!
Bettsy Fick
22:34 23 Nov 21
Samantha our waitress was fabulous...food was great...a little noisy, so if you want an intimate place, probably not here, however, everything was great!!!
Makaio Iokepa
17:34 21 Oct 21
Perfect!! They were so busy but still took such great care of us.
Teddy O
00:08 18 Oct 21
Awesome/perfect give it a go 🤠
Nicholas Teper
14:00 08 Oct 21
Great to have them back!
Brandon “SmokeDawg” Long
06:56 30 Jun 21
I loved working here!!!
ben bartlett
20:25 11 Jun 20
Fantastic charcuterie. Risotto balls are great.
Michael Deming
21:07 17 Feb 20
Pricey, but delicious.
Andrea Bolduc
16:44 16 Feb 20
Nice atmosphere even with the construction going on. Good service and selection.
Carrie Knox
17:40 02 Feb 20
Best expresso martinis
Darren Faglie
07:16 02 Feb 20
Had an Awesome night. Packed house. The Lamb Sirloin was delish. The Chicken Parm was great. The only grips maybe would be the contruction going on inside/outside made the seating inside a lil cramped and the amount of whipped Ricotta on the Brushetta. Everything else was Top noch.....will go again.
Brian T
18:35 27 Jan 20
we always go for dinner when we’re in town but went to sunday brunch the other day...bit on the pricey side, as bloody maries were $10 a pop, but the butcher’s plate i got was really good.... def soaked up everything from the night before ahah... would go again w/o a question... great spot up there
Mike D
01:33 25 Jan 20
In spite of it's cramped seating during their window reconstruction we enjoyed a carbohydrate filled meal. The chicken parmesan was a real bang for your buck, easily the best chicken parmesan I've ever had in my life. The Mama's Marinara Sauce was simple, yet delicious. The macaroni Mac and cheese was adequate, but I personally wouldn't get it again. My wife's scallops with risotto and sofrito were fresh and tasty, and came with a wonderful bittergreen and radish side salad. unfortunately we weren't able to experience the desert because the portions are more than. Our server was short, but we think it was just her personality and we tried not to take it personally. She rolled her eyes when I ordered water, even though it happens to be what I prefer to drink with meals and I happen to be a good tipper. Overall, Corner Room is one of the better Portland Italian restaurants.
alison parker
01:28 21 Jan 20
Best pizza, risotto balls, and salad specials at lunch time
Jeff Slaton
12:50 06 Jan 20
Great place to go and relax with some friends. Saturday and Sunday brunch menu is guaranteed to excite. Great choice is the orange brioche French toast and the corned beef hash with sweet potatoes and poached eggs. The bloody Mary's are one of the best in the city.
Bonnie Cole
00:00 06 Jan 20
The food and service was the best! The most delicious Italian food I've had in years!
Stacy Keefer
03:16 05 Jan 20
Great Italian restaurant
Chris Lee
13:12 17 Dec 19
I was up in Portland Maine for a photoshoot and was delighted to find this absolutely amazing Italian Restaurant!! The Corner Room is a wonderful hidden gem in the middle of downtown Portland with great rustic decor and amazing cuisine! I was a little pessimistic at first however the owner of the restaurant guaranteed me that I would not be disappointed! The owner was 100% correct! I ordered the Bruschetta to start and the Duck for the entree!! A+ and 5 Stars Across the board! Everything was prepared perfectly, the presentation was great and the portions were delightfully generous! My server was Shannyn who is absolutely amazing! She's attentive, professional and makes you feel right at home! I'm definitely coming back to the Corner Room again soon! Trust me if you like fine dining without the stuffiness and pricing you're going to love The Corner Room! When you go there please tell Shannyn Spike The Photographer sent you!
Paula Gillies
20:14 16 Dec 19
Consistently good, helpful wait staff, make a reservation!
Cheryl Anderson
11:45 15 Dec 19
We had a delicious lunch of small plates before a concert at Merrill Auditorium nearby.
Will Hodgkins
22:42 14 Dec 19
The building is undergoing a rebuild so don't be put off by the staging outside. The menu is varied and can easily satisfy many a person's hunger. In house pasta and bread. Great place for a lunch or dinner. Mixed drinks and good selection of beer.
Libby Cochran
20:57 20 Nov 19
The food was great but the service could have been a little better
Thomas Romano
20:50 13 Nov 19
Good food and service
shaun harrigan
02:25 10 Nov 19
Every bite delicious. Great service.
Jonathan Little
14:11 09 Nov 19
The food is very good here with generous portions. Prices are reasonable. The service sometimes is great and sometimes leaves something to be desired. They seem to recommend reservations and then sound a bit put off when you call to make them.
Letizia Sablone
18:43 28 Oct 19
Un buon posto per mangiare un ottima focaccia ed una zuppa veramente buona!!!
Brandon Morton
00:54 23 Oct 19
This place is amazing. My wife and i absolutely loved it. The hostest was very sweet. The server Cory steared our pallets in the perfect direction like shrimp boat captain Forrest Gump! Hahaha! We will definitely be returning on our next trip to Portland.
Eddie Cotter
13:26 16 Oct 19
Best Italian food in Portland by far.
Mike S
20:03 13 Oct 19
Food is very good. I got the last pizza!
Emily
02:50 12 Oct 19
Wonderful brick oven pizza. Delicious fish tacos!
Russ Nappi
23:12 11 Oct 19
Fantastic food and service. Can be a little noisy but well worth it.
Brandi Gray
11:43 04 Oct 19
The place was buzzing and happy. We just came here for appetizers and drinks. The food was delicious! We sat at the bar and watched as the bartender whipped up tge drinks. Next time we will stay for dinner!
griffin gribbel
10:58 01 Oct 19
The Corner Room is one of the best places in Portland to get brunch. They make great spicy bloody marys. If you're going there for brunch I recommend ordering the smoked salmon bruschetta. It's fantastic.
Shane Rowan
11:31 23 Sep 19
Great experience. We just walked in off the street on a Sunday. Had an excellent wine recommended by the server, then started with bruschetta and beets. The bruschetta is heavier than usual... More like a meat sauce with melted cheese. The beets were absolutely delicious. For dinner, I had the gemelli. If you're looking for a pesto dish, highly recommended. The small portion was more than adequate. Would go again
Mark McGill
12:28 22 Sep 19
Very cosmopolitan atmosphere in an old downtown building.Very busy, close to Merrill Auditorium.
david john
12:54 10 Sep 19
from the moment we arrived(terrific hostess)to the moment we left with great hesitation it was a home run. we love the place, the terrific service with big smiles and skill to the fantabulous and delicious food it is a place worth a trip to portland for. we'll be back and will definitely recommend. many thanks for helping to make our trip to maine a memorable one.
marco litalien
23:39 07 Sep 19
Sat at the bar. Good food, drinks and service
Michael Kelly
00:59 02 Sep 19
Great food and great service but a few unruly customers at the bar directly behind us.
JP Review
21:26 27 Aug 19
Best service, best food. Fish cooked beyond great. Salad wonderful. Pepper cream soup so yummy.
Andy Stott
02:41 27 Aug 19
Went for Sunday morning brunch. It was great. Busy lively place and I was the only one there listening to the test match.
