If you need to eat…

Anthony’s Italian Kitchen

151 Middle St.

774.8668

10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mon-Sat

The greasiest, most delectable pizza in town. Find it between Videoport and Bull Moose, and under Casco Bay Books. You could basically live in this building. Salads, pasta and sandwiches are also very good and on the menu.

Bangkok Thai

671 Congress St.

879.4089

11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. 5 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri

12 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 5 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Sat

This place started off as a hole in the wall with good, cheap food and a bad d?cor, but time has done it well. The food has gone from good to nirvana and stayed cheap. The best part is that the dining area is now borderline Thai chic.

Benkay Japanese Restaurant

2 India St.

773.5555

11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. 5 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri11 p.m. – 1 a.m. Fri-Sat

Sushi. It’s expensive for the quality and service, but a bargain during Rock n’ Roll Sushi on Friday and Saturday nights when they turn on the disco ball and sell the sushi cheaply. During Rock n’ Roll expect a wait, not just for a table, but also for service (bring lots of friends and enjoy the atmosphere).

Bentliff’s American Caf?

98 Portland St.

774.0005

7 a.m. – 2 p.m. everyday

5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Wed-Sat

Upscale dining, but worth the price. The food is terrific. They call it American, and they mean it. They make some classics really special.

Bleachers Sports Bar & Restaurant

334 Forest Ave.

772.9229

11 a.m. – 11 p.m. everyday they close at 10 p.m. on Sun

Bar food, tons of TV’s and you can play electronic trivia anytime. It’s packed for Sox games, which can be fun to hang out for

The Brealu Caf?

428 Forest Ave.

772.9202

7 a.m. – 1 p.m. everyday

Breakfast galore. There are lots of plants in there and an extensive coffee cup collection. You can eat at proper stools. Brealu is yummy and relatively easy on the pockets, but the food tends to sit heavily.

Cinqo Terra’s

36 Wharf St.

347.6154

5 p.m. – 10 p.m. everyday

Portland’s most expensive restaurant. Cinqo’s boasts a svelte wait staff, has a good wine list and the presentation will make your eyes cry tears of joy. The bill will make you cry too.

The Clay Oven

21 School St.

773.1444

11 a.m. – 10 p.m. everyday

If you need to get away from burgers and fries, this is a nice place to get some ethnic food. Ask for Chai Tea; it tastes a lot different at Indian restaurants than at coffee shops.

David’s Restaurant

22 Monument Square

773.4340

5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Sun-Thur

5 p.m. – 10 p.m. Fri-Sat

Expensive food that looks great on a plate. Small portions may not fill the average college coed. Wallets be warned!

Dimitri’s Restaurant

185 US Route 1, Scarborough

883.9800

11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Mon-Sat

11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Sun

Wood fired Greek cooking at this fine establishment. Great service, cheap, authentic Greek food and they have an outdoor patio too!

The Dogfish Caf?

953 Congress St.

253.5400

11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Mon-Sat

Delicious food and a good place to bring parents who want to pony up for dinner. Go early, the place gets more and more crowded as the night wears on.

Down Home Cookin’

25 Preble St.

228.2064

7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Mon-Sat

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sun

Ask for batard bread for your sandwich and potato salad on the side. If you’re looking for desert, check out their cakes and pastries.

Espo’s Trattoria

1335 Congress St.

774.7923

11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sun-Thur

11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Fri-Sat

Delicious food accompanies the fine d?cor of this superb Italian eatery. You can get a monster-sized portion of lasagna and a glass of wine for under $20.

Federal Spice

225 Federal St.

774.6404

11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mon-Sat

Excellent wraps and quesadillas and is the best place for Tex-Mex Eclectic. Menu staples include homemade nachos and creative use of pumpkin. This is a secret MECA students have known about forever.

Flatbread Company

72 Commercial St.

772.8777

11:30 a.m. – later then 9 p.m.

One of the best places in Portland for down to earth granola atmosphere and healthy pizza. It’s not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Fuji Restaurant

29 Exchange St.

773.2900

11:30a.m. – 10 p.m. Sun-Thur

11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. Fri-Sat

A nice sushi/Korean restaurant. A little pricey, but for a nice date it would be perfect. Get a bento box if you don’t know the territory-it comes with a little of everything and it’s all great.

Granny’s Burritos

420 Fore St.

761.0751

11 a.m. – 10 p.m. everyday

Weekends open until 12 a.m.

The best burritos in town: huge, delicious and quick. They’ll fill you right up and are worth every penny. If you have some more cash, go upstairs for sit-down and get a beer too.

Great Lost Bear

540 Forest Ave.

772.0300

12p.m. – 11:30 p.m. everyday

If you want beer and bar food, this is the place. Very eclectic food but most everything is good. They also have over fifty beers on tap.

Gritty McDuff’s

396 Fore St.

772.BREW

11:30 a.m. – 1 a.m. everyday

Mmmmm beer. I mean, mmmmmm food. That’s right people, Gritty’s has food too. And it’s damn good. The beer’s not too bad either, by the way!

Groceria Cafe at Pat’s Meat Market

484 Stevens Ave.

874.0706

5:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. Fri-Sat

5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Tues-Thur

This place is incredibly new. Like a phoenix rising from its ashes, the Caf? opened at the end of this summer in the same place where it had closed. It’s now being run by an excellent cooking team. Their flourless chocolate cake will make your knees tremble.

Hi Bombay

1 Pleasant St.

772.8767

11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. everyday

Like all the Indian restaurants in Portland, Hi Bombay has a cult following. It’s been heard from reliable sources that Kharasu, the owner, makes the perfect Saag Paneer. Be sure to also sample the Mango Lassi.

India Palace

565 Congress St.

773-1444

11 a.m. – 3 p.m. 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. everyday

The best Indian Restaurant in Portland. The Palace Mixed Platter appetizer includes samosa, pakora and pappadum. Lamb, Chicken, Seafood and vegetarian entrees available. All dishes served with basmati rice and chutneys. Mango Lassi is a delicious Indian drink made with yogurt, rosewater and ground pistachios. Try kulfee for dessert.

J’s Oyster Bar

5 Portland Pier

772.4828

11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Mon-Sat

12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Sun

Ever wonder where the fishermen and fisherwomen go to eat out? J’s has the freshest oysters in Maine and the cheapest Maine boiled dinner (lobster, steamers, corn). As far as the bar goes it’s recommended that you keep your cocktail limited choices to beer. But the food is good, ayuh.

Jim’s

650A Congress St.

774.4111

5 a.m. – 1 p.m. Mon-Sat

Jim’s: pizza slices, beer and live music. Jim’s is a real cool place to hang out because pizza slices cost less than three dollars and the beer does too. The music is always awesome and you can eat outside while you listen to it. Look for an ad in the Phoenix that gets you a free slice when you buy a beer or wine.

Katahdin Restaurant

106 High St.

774.1740

5 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Fri-Sat

5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Tues-Thurs

This is our news editor’s favorite restaurant. Winnie, the bartender, makes the best Grey Goose martinis (straight up, with a twist) and Becky, the owner and chef, makes a cr?me fraiche for her shitaki mushroom cakes that is divine. The food is eclectic and creative without being intimidating. This is a good place for a date or anniversary if you have some extra dough.

The Kitchen

593 Congress St.

775.0833

The Kitchen has good falafel and really good breakfast wraps. Go get one. The man with the red beard makes photographs of “artful” nudes.

Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant

242 St. John St.

874.6444

4 p.m. – 10 p.m.

A wild shot in the dark, but you’ve been here, haven’t you? If not, GO. Delicious Mexican dishes and the great drinks, especially the resturaunt’s namesakes, margaritas, are the best you can get anywhere.

Mesa Verde

618 Congress St.

774.6089

11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Tues-Sun

(weekends closing varies) Excellent sit-down mexican food. Try a home-made smoothie with your enchiladas or, if that’s not stimulating enough, get a margarita at the stocked bar. Directly across the street from Portland Hall.

Mr. Bagel

599 Forest Ave.

775.0718

6 a.m. – 2 p.m. Mon-Fri

6 a.m. – 12 p.m. Sat

6:30 a.m. — 12 p.m. Sun

Awesome service and great bagels make this a cool breakfast spot. They have some of the best chocolate chip cookies in town.

Norm’s Bar and Grill

617 Congress St.

828.9944

11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Mon-Sat

4 p.m. – 10 p.m. Sun

This is the neighborhood bar and grill for those on Congress Street. You can always find a good selection of creative comfort food here, and one of the best pastrami sandwiches in Maine. The eggplant dip and flat bread is what most locals consider the signature appetizer.

Norm’s East End Grill

47 Middle St.

253.1700

11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. everyday

Carcass, carcass and more carcass. If you like to eat carcass grilled to perfection and smothered in sloppy, sweet barbecue sauce, go to Norm’s.

Old Port Sandwich Shop

89 Market St.

773.9078

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mon-Fri

Reasonably priced cold and hot sandwiches and a standard-issue beverage/chip selection. You can’t beat the location (adjacent to Tommy’s Park), but they close too early to be a true college eatery.

Oriental Table

106 Exchange St.

775.3388

11:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. Mon-Thur

12:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Fri-Sat

Their Chinese food is good for the pocket and good for the soul. At lunch the Table has the cheapest and best buffet on the peninsula. For about $6.00 you can get lunch for today and breakfast for tomorrow. This is a popular spot for people from away to see where local Mainers eat.

Punky’s

425 Forest Ave.

774.2091

7 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mon-Fri

8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sat-Sun

Locally owned, serving excellent and affordable sandwiches and burritos at rock-bottom prices. The burritos will collapse under their own delectable weight if you don’t peel their tin-foil wrapping like a banana as you go.

Ruski’s Tavern

212 Danforth St

774.7604

7 a.m. – 1 a.m. Mon-Sat

9 a.m. – 1 a.m. Sun

Great for late night drinking and screaming, it’s great for morning drinking and screaming. Anytime of day, one will stumble upon somebody swilling a PBR or Bloody Mary at the bar over his or her stack of pancakes and bacon.

Sebago Brewing Company

164 Middle St.

775.2337

11 a.m. – 1 a.m. Mon-Sat

11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Sun

Standard American fare with a full bar. Try the titular microbrew with your cheeseburger. This is a good place to eat your dinner and simultaneously begin your drinking binge on your way out to the Old Port.

Seng Thai Cuisine

265 St. John St.

773.8988

11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Mon-Sat

1 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Sun

Good Thai food and almost close enough to walk from the Portland campus. They also fast with take-out orders.

Silly’s

40 Washington Ave

772.0360

11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mon-Fri

11:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sun

Silly’s is a cult favorite. Falafels, milkshakes, fried pickles, pitchers of sangria and occasional live music. With its distinctive atmosphere, Silly’s is kind of a museum. Go there, get some fries and eat outside.

Supreme Pizza

46 Pine St.

775.3404

11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

The best pizza in town. Made by foreigners, so you know it’s good. Specialty pizza toppings include sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese and the like. 18″ pizzas available. Pasta, calzones and slices available too. The breakfast is nothing special.

Tandoor Restaurant

88 Exchange St.

775.4259

11 a.m. – 9:30 everyday

Closed 3-4:30 p.m.

Terrific Indian food. A touch pricey, but the quality is well worth it.

Tu Casa Salvadorena Restaurant

70 Washington Ave.

828.4971

11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Sun-Fri

Cheap El Salvadoren food. If you only have a couple of bucks and you’re starving, you can get your money’s worth here.

The Village Caf?

112 Newbury St.

772.5320

11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Mon-Thur

11:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sun

Classic Italian food with a vast array of seating.The chicken parm is a must-have.

Vientiane Eat In & Take Out

157 Noyes St.

879.1614

10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mon-Sat

This is the place for pad thai.

It’s delicious. It is also within walking distance of school and you can split one pad thai between at least two people. You usually will still have leftovers. A pad thai goes for about six dollars.

West End Grocery

133 Spring St.

774.6404

8 a.m. – 8 p.m. everyday

This little deli has very good food. All sorts of intricate sandwiches. My favorite are the breakfast wraps. They are only available on weekdays. Bacon Egg & Cheese or Black Beans, Sweet Potato and salsa for $2.99.

Wok Inn

1209 Forest Ave.

797.9052

11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Sun-Thur

11 a.m. – 2 a.m. Fri-Sat

This is the best place to get your greasy Chinese fix late at night. The food is often bland, but the prices are good and delivery is fast. Check out the lunch/dinner combos for the best deals.

Yosaku

1 Danforth St.

780.0880

11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. Mon-Fri

Saturday and Sunday lunch 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Closed 2-5p.m. on weekdays. Real tatami mats available, so you can remove your shoes and perch, lotus-style, while you dine. The service is fair but the sushi cutters are excellent. Try the gyoza for an appetizer. Udon, Tempura and lots of sushi available. Flavored saki too. Eat outside by the fountain.

Gorham

Amato’s

3 Main St., Gorham

839.2511

8 a.m. – 10 p.m. everyday

Weekends they close at 11 p.m.

Closer to the Gorham campus than Subway, and found only in the new-england region. The italian sandwiches are a must-try: razor sharp pickles and bitter greek olives make the cheap ($3.20) staple a masterpiece.

Chia Sen

456 Payne Rd., Scarborough

883-7665

12 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Sun

It’s not in Gorham, but it’s close, and it’s also the best sit-down Chinese in the Portland area. Located across the street from Wal-Mart, and with good prices considering the above-average quality.

Jan Mee II

14 School St., Gorham

839.4377

11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Mon-Thur

Gorham’s only option for Chinese, and traditionally a cheap, greasy dive, but the quality keeps improving. Order a dinner combo with wantan soup; you’ll pacify even the nastiest bout of the munchies.

Subway Sandwiches & Salads

81 Main St., Gorham

839.5422

10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

We only mention this one because it’s close to the Gorham campus, and choices in that town are slim. At least you are assured of fast, if sulky help from the grumpy, underpaid “sandwich artist” on your way into your Portland classes.