Maine's Best Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurant Is A Quirky Seafood Shack Hidden In A Quiet Corner Of Portland

If you're not local, you're probably cruising straight to Old Port, Portland's lively hub of waterfront fun, renowned seafood, and quirky shops. You'll likely miss the signboard from way back when on this nondescript seafood shack hidden in a quiet, drab, unspectacular corner, a 10-minute drive from the mainstream action. And how would you even know that this hole-in-the-wall is one of Maine's best restaurants? No one cares that they're refueling in a former auto garage decked in cheesy nautical decor that's a blast from the past,  with signs scribbled on takeout boxes, condiments stuck into cardboard cups, and random knick-knacks scattered haphazardly about. All you have to do is whisper "Susan's Fish-N-Chips" to bait Mainers into gushing about the best fried fish around, declaring their eternal dedication, and putting their money where their mouth is by showing up all year round for their favorite shanty of "dinnahs, chowdahs," and of course, "lobstah" rolls.

You'll hear so many yarns about how accomplished chefs with fine dining pedigrees have fled gastronomical hotspots like New York, Boston, San Francisco, and even Italy for this gorgeous New England city and elevated it to one of the best foodie destinations in America. But Susan Eklund has always been here, since 1989, when Susan's Fish-N-Chips was mostly a blue-collar, friendly, rough-around-the-edges Portland joint with boots planted down to earth. For every cod with seaweed kimchi and dandelion greens, there's her iconic fish and chips (or smelts, or shrimp, or haddock, or scallop, or calamari, or trout, or clam cakes). For every luxurious lobster roll plied within 108 buttered layers of croissant, there's her lobster tail-on-a-stick. For every microbrewery's curated industrial-cool aesthetic in today's yuppie-hipsterified "Portlyn," there's her no-frills, no-pretension ambiance down to lobsters getting picked right in front of you — the Maine attraction, some say.

This is the perfect palette for the flash-frying artistry of Susan's fish, slung right off the coast, sharply dressed in supremely crispy vestments of batter smacking of the ocean's salinity, and onto generous platters heaped heavenly high with your choice of fries (splash with vinegar!), potato or pasta salad, or coleslaw. Toss on homemade onion rings, yet another menu highlight, for a well-rounded meal. The only things that stand between you and this hot mess, one that's tantalizingly tasty, are tartar sauce, ketchup, and napkins. On top of all the usual fishy suspects that validate Susan's as a veritable Northeast Atlantic institution worth its sea salt, go for the fried oysters, crunchy pearls not commonly found on such menus.

As dining out prices surge towards metropolis levels in Maine's largest city, Susan's keeps theirs humble through tight relationships with local fishermen formed over decades in business, without compromising on freshness. Weekly specials, such as two fish burgers for $5 on Mondays and Tuesdays, and special occasions like the Valentine's Day seafood platter for couples at $46.99, warm the cockles of every diner's heart (prices are as of this writing).

But dollars and cents aside, an endearing customer-first sensibility and thoughtful touches preserve the village vibes of Portland's past. Birthday celebrants get $10 off a dinnah plate, you're welcome to free refills on fountain drinks, and you can even haul in your own catch and get it sizzled by Susan's for $5 per 2 pounds. And if all this isn't a sweet enough deal, indulge in deep-fried ice cream, deep-fried banana Moose Tracks ice cream sundae, and frappes, all under $7, while campaigning for Susan's to be one of the money-saving hacks to make your New England vacation more affordable.