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
Maureen Daly
02:46 01 Apr 25
We had such a great experience here! We arrived a bit early for our reservation and decided to grab seats at the bar—and we’re so glad we did. Arielle, the bartender, was absolutely wonderful. She made us feel right at home, gave excellent recommendations, and kept the vibe fun and relaxed the whole evening. The food was fantastic, and the service was top-notch. We’ll definitely be back, and next time, we might just head straight for the bar!
Ed Gilbert
11:43 20 Mar 25
By far the best Italian food I have ever had. The chicken pasta dish was beyond delicious, carpaccio was also amazing. I was not a fan of their old fashion. Service was slow as they were very busy. The cost per meal was perfect for the amount and quality of food.
Mony Mandel
20:20 10 Mar 25
Still a great place to grab some affordable Happy Hour drinks, sit at the bar, and let your stress melt away.Great atmosphere for a date or get together after work and friendly service with a smile.The bar snacks are quite delicious and the glasses of wine are plentiful for the price.
Rebecca Martinez
02:37 09 Mar 25
I’ve been going to The Corner Room for a year since moving here, and it has been one of my favorite spots. The food is always fantastic, and the convenience of it being just across the street makes it a go-to for me. However, tonight was the first time I had a disappointing experience.Upon arriving, I was greeted by a gentleman at the front who asked if we were dining in. I said yes, for two people, and he informed me they wouldn’t have a table until 8:30 PM. It was just before 7 PM, so I asked to be put on a waitlist, but he said they didn’t have one. Instead, he told us we could sit in the small seating area near the entry and they would let us know when a table opened up. That was perfectly fine with me.As we waited, multiple other couples arrived. After about 20–30 minutes, the gentleman approached me and asked if we were waiting for the bar. I reminded him we were waiting for a table, as I had already stated twice before. Despite this, he continued seating other guests at the bar while seemingly forgetting about us. When I went up to clarify again, he suddenly changed our estimated seating time to 9:30 PM, even though he had originally said 8:30 PM. When I pointed this out, he hesitated and then corrected himself back to 8:30 PM, only to later insist that we would actually need to wait until 9:30 PM and that he couldn’t seat us at all. He mentioned he was confused and thought we wanted to sit at the bar & said there was a lot was going on. His attitude became increasingly passive-aggressive, and he avoided eye contact while dismissing my concerns.At that point, we decided to leave and go to Via Veccia instead, where we were warmly welcomed and had a great dining experience.This was truly disappointing, as I have never had a bad experience here before. The food and service at The Corner Room have always been excellent, and I will continue coming back, but I do believe the restaurant should ensure that the front-of-house staff is properly trained to handle guests professionally and efficiently. A more organized system and clearer communication would go a long way in preventing situations like this in the future.
C W
01:17 09 Mar 25
Dinner was delicious!! Loved watching it being made!! Our server, Leeanna, was very knowledgeable and helpful!! Would definitely recommend to anyone coming to Portland for a show!!
Ron Sargent
02:28 06 Feb 25
The fettuccine bolagnese was incredible.
Karen Larkin
18:52 21 Jan 25
Comfortable dining area, lots of windows, dining room open to both the kitchen and pasta-making area. Super tasty Caesar salad with parmesan crust and white anchovies, excellent beef carpaccio, freshly-made pasta.
Brittany Steele
10:16 12 Jan 25
Jillian gave the absolute best service! I was in town again after moving to NC, and had to pick a restaurant for my parents and I. The corner room really exceeded both mine and their expectations. Give Jillian a raise and or promotion immediately.
Rex Tychan
15:54 22 Dec 24
A good meal for a fair price. The noise level makes it a bit hard for quiet conversations. We would definitely eat here again.
Shane Kieran
23:15 24 Nov 24
Spent Dinner here for my 42nd Birthday 🎂 and the Food. The Service The Atmosphere Everything was at it Best. It was a Beautiful Day in Portland Maine. Everything was Great. I Spent 5 hours here with lots of laughs. I was Recommend here by a very very beautiful woman with heart and soul ❤️ Tyler V. Over the summer ☀️ We'll today was that day. I choose my 42nd birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 to celebrate 🥳 it here and I have to say I was very important with the outcome. I give this place 10 stars 🌟 I would highly recommend this place to anyone. Including coming back here with Tyler herself that gave me the advice. A Job Well Done 👏 ✔️ 11 /22 /24
scott brann
01:40 09 Nov 24
Went for dinner, our first time trying this establishment. We were impressed with the menu and freshly made pasta! Had fantastic meals (party of four) with apps and drinks and desserts. Cannot praise enough the quality and care taken by staff both front and back of the house. Thank you for a spectacular time!
scott herrick
16:27 18 Sep 24
Our waitress Leeanna was Great, and so was the food !!
Heidi Straghan
23:46 13 Sep 24
Last minute walk in before a show at the Merrill. Sat at the bar. Bar tender rocked, super personable even though she was busy as heck. Antipasto board was generous and yummy, drinks were on point, and the penne alla pollo was delicious. Thanks for a great start to our night!
Darc Bee
20:41 04 Sep 24
Never had a bad meal here, the staff are fantastic! We love brunch at corner room, best drinks & service!
Dajia Angell
03:09 24 Aug 24
Phenomenal! Service was excellent. The gluten free pasta is TERRIFIC. I got the penne al pollo and I have nothing negative to say about the dish. The portions are large, we got a small and still had leftovers. We will definitely return.
Rich Thomas
01:45 11 Aug 24
Great Service and Excel atmosphere. Had the Fettuccine Bolognese with a glass of 2021 Stemmar was great. Along the Tiramisu for desser did not disappoint at all!
Liz Sayre
19:21 08 Aug 24
Holy Cow!! Food was amazing! Especially the tiramisu... seriously!All of our entrée were great. We will go back again (and again ad again).
Tim Guman
02:58 08 Aug 24
Great food and friendly service
Lin Z
01:02 04 Aug 24
This place was delicious. The chicken parm was outstanding. The only thing was I didn’t love the bruschetta. It was like pasta sauce which wasn’t my taste. But the atmosphere and other food was great.
No Outlet For all my stuff
10:31 02 Aug 24
Great spot! Probably the best Espresso Martini on the planet and extremely friendly staff. The location is perfect for walking around the old port after an amazing meal. Highly recommend!
Anthony Stokes
02:35 03 Jul 24
Brought my fiancee here for dinner to celebrate the tenth anniversary of our meeting and enjoyed one of the best meals and dining experiences we've had in ages. Our server was wonderfully personable and exceptionally attentive. We're pretty basic so she ordered the spaghetti and meatballs while I ordered the mushroom pappardelle. In the meantime we devoured some of the tastiest garlic bread we've ever had and sipped on a Cosmo and a well-poured rum and tonic.By the time the entrees arrived we were well lubricated. The mushroom pappardelle was incredible! The wide ribbons of fresh pasta in truffle cream sauce with parmesan, herbs, and tender sliced mushrooms was exactly for what I'd been hoping. Our server had confided in me that this was his favorite menu item and I can see why. Delicious.After that it was cannolis and coffee while I let my belt out a few notches. Sorry I took no pictures, but we don't often review restaurants. However, in this day and age when service and quality are slipping we just had to shout about this experience. We'd been lamenting the lack of quality Italian restaurants in the city in recent years since Espo's closed but it appears we just weren't looking hard enough.Many thanks to Sean, our server, for making our anniversary celebration one to remember. We'll be back.
Veronica Vahsen
19:27 30 Jun 24
Sous Chef, made the pizza, work the fryalator. Impeccable creations, plentiful dishes, each could be a magazine cover. Delicious. Service was great. Ate before event at Merrill.Great memory ❗️♥️
Justin W
12:28 29 Jun 24
We booked this restaurant at an hour before our reservation on a Friday night and we were blown away with how good it was. The place doesn’t seem like anything special but the food is incredible. The fresh bread with olive oil was just that perfectly done. The brushetta is a must. Probably the best I’d ever had and the pastas were fantastic. Would highly recommend to anyone traveling through. Kids loved it too
Downtown Powerwashing
01:11 27 Jun 24
Great place.Great service..
Malinda Klein
02:04 23 Jun 24
The Crème Brûlée is the best I've ever had. Hands down!We had the pasta specials and pizza. Ask for Parmesan cheese. The bruschetta was different. It had whole tomatoes that when you bit into them it tasted like spaghetti sauce.
Katie Marcotte
03:22 22 Jun 24
Last minute dinner dash before a concert at Merrill. We sat at the bar. The bartender was incredibly busy, but managed to keep our drinks full, take our order, serve us and cash us out in under an hour! The food is authentic, fresh and house made. I couldn't recommend this place enough for anyone who appreciates authentic Italian food. The presentation was nice too although I didn't think to take photos until we were half done.
Myrna Morisseau
14:56 11 May 24
Oh my goodness. This place is amazing. The food is delicious. I had the steak with potatoes... wonderbar. Just amazing. Atmosphere great. Staff wonderful. I loved it and will be going back
Toni Mac
21:21 06 May 24
Our food was absolutely delicious 🤤
bradbodfitness
01:48 20 Apr 24
My girlfriend and I made a trip to Portland this weekend for my 35th birthday. This was our first time here.Our server Shawn hopefully I spelt his name right, was amazing. He was Very attentive as well as knowledgeable on the drink and dinner menu.The focaccia bread was a great starter as I had saw other reviews said to try it out.My girlfriend got the swordfish with risotto which was cooked perfectly which is hard to do. I got the hanger steak medium rare and that was cooked perfectly as well.I don’t drink so I got an athletic brew and my girlfriend got a cosmo and she said it was delicious.We got the cannoli at the end for dessert and it was so yummy! With an added birthday candle!We would definitely come back if we come back to Portland. Thank you for a great birthday dinner!
Shannon Dickinson
01:38 30 Mar 24
Great food and service, but it was very loud inside!
Инна Лищинская
18:32 27 Mar 24
Very nice place. Their homemade pastas are mighty delicious. I ordered pasta with mushrooms and it was absolutely perfect, the best mushroom pasta I've ever had. We also tried pasta with chicken which was also good. Their garlic bread is exquisite too.
Rob Pitt
14:05 05 Feb 24
Pasta is very good, lighting is less moody and more I need a flashlight to read my menu. Focaccia bread is phenomenal but you will need order it separately now thanks to this economy. Overall great food, get a reservation I highly recommend.
C L
14:49 01 Feb 24
Really delightful! Great food and wine, even for my gluten-free needs.
Marilyn McLaughlin
13:38 28 Jan 24
This is one of our favorite places to eat. We brought friends for the first time. The food is amazing, Fresh pasta made on premise done to perfection. Delicious.
terri hallenbeck
01:15 16 Jan 24
Love Love the Corner Room Antipasto
Adrian Walker
03:23 09 Jan 24
Delicious Italian cuisine! My current favorite place to eat in Portland.
Paulo Medeiros
14:57 31 Dec 23
Awesome place really would go back again
BETTY Rodriguez
13:45 03 Dec 23
Delicious authentic Italian cuisine. Lovely ambience!*Tables are very close to one another especially the ones by the windows!
Valerie Borges
23:28 25 Nov 23
My husband and I had dinner here and my thoughts are a little mixed. Service was great and it was a cozy little place. We started with the arrancini, which were delicious if a little dark, and the focaccia, which was fine. The focaccia comes with olive oil and vin cotto, but it was hard to get to the vin cotto because it was at the bottom of the olive oil. My husband had the hangar steak, which was excellent and cooked perfectly. The potatoes were great as well, but he wished the broccoli rabe came with more of the pesto because it was tasty, but a very small amount. I got the chicken parm. On the plus side, it was a large piece and cooked through without being burned. On the downside, it came swimming in a plate of fairly watery sauce which made the crust soggy. It also didn't come with anything else, so I paid $9 for a cereal bowl of buttered penne and felt a bit ripped off.We would definitely try this place again, but be a bit more careful about what we order.
E. Maria
05:21 18 Nov 23
Such an adorable atmosphere and delicious food. Love the ambiance. The focaccia bread was phenomenal- I hope they keep it as a permanent menu item.
Jen White
01:30 16 Nov 23
Omg the Aracinis are the best things on the planet!
Mandy Ho
19:46 28 Oct 23
Amazing HH experience at the bar. Arielle was our server and we agree with our reviewers; she's great and friendly. Food and service was impeccable too. Only downside: HH only served at the bar with limited seating.
David Maguire
01:33 26 Oct 23
So good!! Homemade pasta with mushrooms was absolutely perfect. Wine was great. Service was as expected. Creme brulee was way better than the not so sweet canolli. Awesome for pasta night!
Timothy Goodell
11:35 18 Oct 23
Great food and a really fun, buzzy atmosphere.
Jeffrey Mcwilliams
16:37 14 Oct 23
Great food and atmosphere.
Anthony P. Hessert
02:48 12 Oct 23
Jillian... fabulous.
Sonji Johnson
23:40 01 Oct 23
The mushrooms pasta in a truffles cream sauce was absolutely DELICIOUS! I asked for extra mushrooms which made it even more tasty.Nice atmosphere however the service was a bit slow. I would definitely eat here again the next time I'm in Portland.
Jean L
16:45 24 Sep 23
Start to finish one of the best dining experiences in Portland. They have a happy hour at the bar from 4-6pm.Arielle is the bartender and she delivers some of the best cocktails. Be sure and try her Fall Manhattan.I ordered the bolognese and my husband had the duck special. Both dishes were perfection.Can't wait to return!
Daniel Przystac
06:16 22 Sep 23
My dad came up to visit my girlfriend and I and wanted to go out. We were already excited because of how many great restaurant there are in Portland that we haven’t tried yet. After he chose here we got lucky with parking and it looked fancy but not to fancy. The bruschetta was the best I ever had and the antipasti platter was probably the same. From taste to presentation they really did have it all. Our server was extremely knowledgeable and friendly which can be hard to come by these days even in a customer service position like serving. She also never made us feel rushed the entire time we were there which is another rarity. I don’t remember the names of the 3 entrees but they were also outstanding. Without question the corner room gets 5 stars all around, with 3 new and happy patrons that will 100% be back. Hats off to the chefs, servers, and management. Well done.
Erica V
04:36 10 Sep 23
Excellent little spot! Not many seats available and is by reservation only (at least on Saturday). We didn’t know that but showed up around 4:45 & were able to grab two seats at the bar. They have happy hour from 4-6pm. Ariel was our bartender and she is amazing! She was so sweet, funny, and just a good time!! We got the focaccia bread to start, then got garlic bread, the mushroom farfalle pasta, & the penne arribata with sausage added. My sister also got a couple glasses of wine & an aperol spritzer & said they were great. The pastas and garlic bread were all to die for! We got the full orders and had plenty to take home. Highly recommend any of them. Ariel’s service & personality really made the night though. She is a gem!
Nicole Freitas
01:16 20 Aug 23
The food was fabulous! The carpaccio was one of the best I’ve ever had. Service was wonderful as well
Gary Journeay
00:20 07 Aug 23
We had arancini balls for a snack and wonderful cocktails at the bar. Arielle was warm and engaging making cocktails and wonderful conversation. We saw many dishes and the looked and from what the other patrons said- were delicious. We will be back to sample more offerings 💕.
Phil Levinton
00:16 29 Jul 23
Wonderful dining experience. I had the fettuccini bolognese and my wife had mushroom truffle cream fettuccini. Both were excellent. Our waiter Sean provided excellent very friendly service.
Tania Carosi
20:57 09 Jul 23
We decided to come to The Corner Room for a drink & appetizer as we waited for our dinner reservation. We are SO GLAD we did!! The atmosphere was quaint and perfect for a low-key night out!! The wine selection was great, and the antipasto was delicious! The whipped ricotta was amazing, and I couldn't get enough of the pickled veg! Prosciutto was my favorite of the meat selection! I would recommend extra crostini!!
