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Welcome to Portland’s Best Readers Poll 2011! Votes are in, and now it’s time to showcase the winners! There’s tons of stuff in here, so choose a category from below to get started...

Boston

2009 Picks

2008 Picks

Arts

After-Hours Spot
Application of the Dead Science of Psychoanalysis
Art Gallery
Art/Repertory Film House
Automotive Repair Shop That Doubles As An Art Gallery
Comedy Night
Dance Night
Dance Performers
Elegant Independent Publishing House
Evolving Mural
First-Run Movie Theater
Folk Night or Venue
Graffiti/Street/Performance Artist
Hip-Hop Venue
Jazz Rat
Jazz Venue
Jukebox
Local Author
Local Comedian
Local DJ
Local Filmmaker
Local Visual Artist
Museum
Non-Gallery Art Space
Place for Karaoke
Place For South African Stand-Up
Place To Play Pool
Place To See a Band on Saturday Night That You First Heard About on Thursday
Place To Walk On Water
Reason To Go To Watertown
Reason To Pay Attention To The Utility Poles In Allston
Replacements For Matt Damon And Ben Affleck
Rock Venue
Stage Equivalent Of The Cineplex
Theater Company
Trivia Night
Undiscovered Reading Series
Use Of The Word “Masturbate” In A Rock Song

Food

800-lb. Gorilla and Shot of Wheatgrass (It's Not a Real Gorilla)
Alternative to Fenway Park (and It's Affordable)
Bagel
Ballot-box Stuffers
Bar
Barbecue
Beer Selection
Brunch
Buffalo Wings
Burger
Chinese Restaurant
Coffee Place Where Everybody Knows His Own Name (and Yours)
Dive Bar
Drink Deal
Drink Named After an Oscar-winning Film
French Restaurant
Greasy Spoon
Indian Restaurant
Irish Bar
Italian Restaurant
Korean Restaurant
Late-Night Restaurant
Latino Restaurant
Lobster Roll
Mexican Restaurant
Middle Eastern Restaurant
New Restaurant
Pig-out Vegan Restaurant
Pizza Place
Place for Coffee
Place for Dessert
Place for Ice Cream
Place for Seafood
Place To Buy Organic Produce
Place To Get Tea-ed Off
Place To Lock Lips with the Young and the Restless
Place To Spend Half a Sunday Waiting for a Delicious Brunch
Romantic Restaurant
Sandwich
Sports Bar
Steak House
Sushi
Thai Restaurant
Underground Tastings and Wine Jukebox
Veggie Restaurant
Vietnamese Restaurant
Way To Combine Drinking and Spirituality
Wine List

Shopping

Alternative to Sox Scalpers
Art Supplies
Best Tattoo Shop or Artist
Bike Shop
Buy-Everything-You-Need-Here Superstore
CD/Record Store
Electronics Store
Erotic Gifts
Facial
Fairytale-Inspired Clothing Line
Hair Stylist Who Looks Like Christian Siriano From Project Runway
Haircut
Health Club
Insanely Cheap (But Sometimes Spotty) Public Market
Jewelry Store
Manicure/Pedicure
Massage
Men's Shoe Store
Men's-Clothing Store
New-Book Store
Place To Buy Costume Jewelry And Listen To Lusty Pop Music While You Shop
Place To Buy Musical Instruments
Place To Do The Time Warp
Place To Endure Vintage Clothing–Induced Allergies
Place To Get DVDs If You Still Refuse To Subscribe To Netflix
Place To Outfit A Dude In Vintage Threads
Place To Overhear Record-Clerk Banter, À La High Fidelity
Shop For Finding Something You Didn’t Even Know You Wanted
Sporting-Goods Store
Thrift Shop
Used-Book Store
Vintage-Clothing Store
Wine/Liquor Store
Women's-Clothing Store
Women's-Shoe Store

Life

Bartender
Beach
Bike Route
Blog Surprise
Free Celebrity Postcards
Free Wi-Fi
Gay Night
Lesbian Night
Local Blog
Local Cause
Local Non-Profit
Local Politician
Open Space
Out-of-Town Destination in Town
Pick-Up Spot
Piece of Public Art
Place for Pilates
Place for Yoga
Place To Chat Up a Flapper
Place To Get Pampered
Place To Go If You've Ever Wondered What a Deformed, Severed Limb Looks Like Up Close
Place To Let Strangers Drip Sweat on You
Place To Live
Place To Make a Spectacle of Yourself
Place To People Watch
Place To Play Board Games over Sunday Brunch
Place To Run
Place To See Some Skin
Pocket-size Alternative to Guitar Hero
Restaurant/bar Bathroom That You Would Actually Want To Hang Out In
Service from a Dreadlocked Whiteboy or a Cat-tattoed Girl
Time Out
Trivia Created on the Fly by a Man with a Microphone -
TV Broadcaster
Warmest, Most Welcoming Bartender Laugh
Way To Become Saint-like (Without Becoming Sanctimonious)

1998 - 2007 Picks

2007

Arts
City
Food
Shopping

2006

Arts
City
Food
Shopping

2005

Arts
City
Food
Shopping

2004

Arts
City
Food
Shopping

2003

Arts
City
Food
Shopping

2002

Arts
City
Food
Shopping

2001

Arts
City
Food
Shopping
Heroes

2000

Arts
City
Food
Shopping
Heroes
Outdoors
Internet

1999

Arts
City
Food
Shopping
Heroes
Outdoors

1998

Arts
City
Food
Shopping
Heroes
Outdoors

Portland

2009 Picks

Arts

Art Gallery
Art-House Movie Theater + First-Run Movie Theater
Arts + Entertainment
Dance Club
Dance Performer
Folk Venue + Free Wi-Fi + Soup
Graffiti/Street/Performance Artist
Hip-Hop Venue
Homes Away From Home
Jazz Venue
Jukebox
Museum
Non-Gallery Art Space
Place For Karaoke
Place To Launch Yourself Into A Maine-Landscape Reverie
Place To Party Like It's 1999
Place To Play Pool
Portland Author
Portland Comedian
Portland Filmmaker
Rock Venue
Theater Organization
Tribute To Leonard Cohen
Trivia Night + Irish Pub
Visual Artist: TIE

Food

(Seemingly) Useless Bread
Bagel
Bakery
Bar + Beer Selection + Patio/Outdoor Bar
Barbecue
Brewpub
Brunch
Buffalo Wings
Burger
Butcher
Chinese Restaurant
Clam Chowder
Coffee Shop
Cookie
Delivery Food
Dessert Place
Dive Bar
Drink Deal
Ethnic Restaurant
Export We Can't Get Anywhere Else
Greasy Spoon
Ice-Cream Parlor
If-You-Have-To-Go-To-A-Chain Restaurant
Irish Pub
Late-Night Restaurant
Lobster Roll
Local Beer
Mexican,Latino Restaurant
Morning-Brightener
Neighborhood Store
New Restaurant + Steak
Pizza
Place For Fresh Produce
Reason To Dine On A Stool
Restaurant Décor:
Romantic Restaurant + Splurge
Sandwich,Wrap + Waitstaff,Service
Seafood Restaurant
Soup
Sports Bar
Sushi
Teahouse
Thai Restaurant
Totally-Legal, All-Ages Drug Dealer
Vegetarian Restaurant
Wine List

Shopping

Arts And Crafts Supplies
Comic-Books Shop
Facial + Manicure/Pedicure
Furniture
Gift-Procurement Site
Haircut
Health Club
Jewelry Store
Massage
Men's Clothing Store + Sporting-Goods Store
Men's Shoes + Women's Shoes
New + Used Books
Pet-Supply Store
Place For Bikes
Place For Erotic Gifts
Place To Buy Cds And Records
Place To Buy Musical Instruments
Place To Jump-Start Your Biological Clock
Props For Pretending You Just Got Back From A Tropical Vacation
Shop For Experiencing Serendipity
Tattoo Shop
Thrift Shop + Shop For Vintage Clothing
Video Store
Wine/Liquor Store
Women's Clothing

Life

Anywhere-But-Here Escape Hatch
Bartender
Bathroom In The Old Port
Beach
Beach For Avoiding Tourists
Bike Route
Blog
Drink Deal
Field-Sobriety Test
Food Blog
Free Love
Free Wi-Fi
Golf Course
-Kept Secret
Massage
Nice Try
Non-Profit Organization
Outdoor Activity
Patio/Outdoor Bar
Pick-Up Spot
Place For A First Date
Place For Yoga Or Pilates
Place To Get Pampered
Place To Live
Place To People-Watch
Place To Run Or Walk
Place To See Some Skin
Place To Shoot A Youtube Video
Politician
Portland Activist
Portland Cause
Psychic Advisor
Public Art
Public Event
Public Open Space
Radio Voice
TV Hair
TV Newscast
TV Newscaster
Way To Bite Off Fish Heads

2008 Picks

Arts

After-Hours Spot
Art Gallery
Art/Repertory Film House
Author
Comedian
Comedy Night
Dance Club
Dance Performers
Dish with Extra Cheese
First-Run Movie Theater
Folk Venue and Best Free Wi-Fi and Best Lesbian Bar
Graffiti/Street/Performance Artist
Hip-Hop Venue
Jazz Venue
Karaoke: Old Port Tavern
Local Filmmaker
Non-Gallery Art Space
Non-Striking Writers
Place for a Quick Post-Secondary Education
Place to Be Young, Wear Black, and Be Painfully Serious
Place to Find the Sweetest and Most Handsome Cats in the Universe
Radio DJ
Rock Venue: Geno’s Rock Club
Theater Company
Visual Artist

Food

Bagel
Bar and Drink Deal and Pick-Up Spot and Jukebox
Barbecue
Beer Selection and Burger
Bowl of Weeds
Brunch
Buffalo Wings
Chinese Restaurant
Coffee Shop
Dessert Place
Dive Bar
French Restaurant
Greasy Spoon
Ice-Cream Parlor
Indian Restaurant
Irish Pub and Trivia Night
Italian Restaurant
Japanese Restaurant
Late-Night Restaurant
Latino Restaurant
Lesson from a Master
Lobster Roll
Local Beer
Mexican Restaurant
Monthly Transubstantiation
New Restaurant and Vegetarian Restaurant
Organic Produce
Pizza
Romantic Restaurant
Sandwich
Siamese Siblings
Sports Bar
Steakhouse
Sushi
Thai Restaurant
Use of a Greenhouse Gas
Vietnamese Restaurant
Wine List

Shopping

Bike Shop
Bookstore (New and Used)
Canine Mascot
Cheap, Seedy Purchase
Electronics
Facial
Haircut and Manicure/Pedicure and Massage
Health Club
Jewelry Store
Men's Clothing Store
Organic Illumination
Place To Buy Erotic Gifts
Place to Buy Shoes (Men's & Women's)
Sporting-Goods Store
Tattoo Shop
Thrift Store and Vintage Clothing and Women’s Clothing Store
Wine/Liquor Store

Life

Bartender
Beach
Best-kept Secret
Bike Route
Gay Bar
Local Blog
Local Cause
Make-Out Point
Non-profit
Pick-up Spot
Place for Pilates
Place for Yoga
Place To Get Pampered and Haircut and Manicure/Pedicure and Massage
Place To Live
Place To People Watch
Place to Pinch a Loaf in a Pinch
Place to Play Pretend
Place To Run
Place To See Some Skin
Place to See the Unintended Byproducts of Capitalism
Politician
Public Art
Public Open Space
TV Broadcaster

2001 - 2007 Picks

2007

Arts
City
Food
Shopping

2006

Arts
City
Food
Shopping

2005

Arts
City
Food
Shopping

2004

Arts
City
Food
Shopping
Outdoors
Romance

2003

Arts
City
Food
Shopping
Outdoors
Romance

2002

Arts
City
Food
Shopping
Outdoors
Romance

2001

Arts
City
Food
Shopping
Outdoors
Romance

Providence

2009 Picks

Arts

Addition To ‘Walking The Wall’
Al Fresco Amble Italiano
Appreciation Of Woodworking
Art Gallery
Art-Repertory Film House
Beautiful Bucolic Browsing
Cheap Summer Date
Comedian
Comedy Club
Dance Club
Dance Company
Discovery Of Small-Town Wonders
Entertaining Surreality
Excuse To Yammer On And On
First-Run Movie House
Folk Venue
Hip-Hop Venue
Jazz Venue
Jukebox
Museum
Nod To Italian Architecture
Open-Submission Gallery
Place To Catch Tomorrow’s Bands Today
Place To Play Pool
Platter-Melting Radio Host
Rock Venue
Small Theater With Big Ambitions
Theater Company
Trivia Night
Way To Beat The Winter Blahs
Weekly Jam

Food

Bagel
Bar
Barbecue
BBQ Brunch
Beer Selection
Blues With Bright Notes
Brewpub
Brunch
Brunch Pampering
Buffalo Wings
Burger
Calamari With An Asian Accent
Cat-Alyst For Good Times
Chinese Restaurant
Chowder
Clam Shack
Class For Francophiles
Coke (And A Smile) Shrine
Cure For Asian Appetite
Cure For Jet Lag
Devilishly Good Cakes
Diner
Distance From Table To Stage
Dive Bar
Drink Deal
Eatery For Francophiles
Family-Style Ambience
French Restaurant
Fulfillment Of Aspirations
Good-Looking Dive Bar Crowd
Hallucinogenic Décor
Head-Scratching Time At Breakfast
Home Away From Home
'Homemade' (Hee-Hee) Dinner
Indian Restaurant
Irish Pub
Italian Market And Then Some
Italian Restaurant
Italian Tapas
Jazzing-Up Of Salads
Jonnycakes
Korean Restaurant
Late Night Eats
Latino Restaurant
Lobsta Roll On Aquidneck Island
Lobster Roll
Margarita
Meet Market In Town
Metaphor For Dessert
Mexican Restaurant
Middle Eastern Restaurant
Mixed Drinks For Vegetarians
Modestly-Named Eatery
Much-More-Than-Weiners Joint
New Restaurant
New Rhody-Made Condiment
New Super-Drink
Non-Maternal Way To His Heart
Not-An-Arrow-In-Your-Heart
Off-Da-Hill Italian Eats
Pizza
Pizza Peppers In The Universe
Place For A Special Sunday
Place For Coffee
Place For Dessert
Place For Ice Cream
Place To Buy Organic Produce
Place To Sip On A Huckleberry Hound
Place To Take A Bite Out Of James Woods
Potato And Egg Grinder
Reason To Keep A Secret
Reason To Not Skip Breakfast
Respite From Mall Rush
Restaurant On The Water
Romantic Restaurant
Sandwich Or Wrap
Seafood Restaurant
Slice On Thayer
Source Of Purple Lips
Sports Bar
Steakhouse
Sticky Wings And Scorpions
Sushi
Tacos With A Smile
Thai Restaurant
Vegetarian Restaurant
Version Of A ‘Same-Ol’ ’ Dish
Vietnamese Restaurant
Wiener Joint
Wine Bar, Italian-Style
Wine List

Shopping

Anti-Literacy Project
Best Place To Get A Haircut
Big Apple Fashion On A Small Scale
Bike Shop
Boutique For Dudes
Brand-Name Serendipity
Chain With A Mom-And-Pop Feel
Fast Trip To Portugal
Food For Pirates
'For Tobacco Use Only' Paraphernalia
Guilt-Trip Shopping Trip
Health Club
Jewelry Store
Make-Your-Own Bouquets
Material Boy Bargains
Men's Clothing And Shoe Store
New Book Store
New CD And Record Store
Nickname Turned Trademark
Place for a Facial
Place for a Manicure or Pedicure
Place for a Massage
Place for a Musical Instruments
Place for a Piercing and Tattoo
Place For Art Supplies
Shopping Color: Green
Shortcut Gift Solution
Sweet Tooth One-Stop Shop
Use Of Sheer Black Silk
Use Of Washable Cotton
Used Book Store
Used CD And Record Store
Vintage Clothing And Consignment Store
Wine And Liquor Store
Women's Clothing Store
Women's Shoe Store

Life

Beach
Bike Route
Blog
Cause/Non-Profit Group
City Safari
Good-Time-Had-By-All
In-City Great Outdoors Opportunity
Mult-Culti Boogie
Open Space
Pick-Up Spot
Place For Pilates
Place For Yoga
Place To Click Through Vo Dilun
Place To Get Pampered
Place To People Watch
Place To Run
Politician
Preservationally Correct Living
Radio Personality
Spots For Hand-Holding
TV Personality

2008 Picks

Arts

After-Hours Spot
Art Film House
Art Gallery
Artiste Outing
Blasts of Holiday Cheer
Comedy Club
Comedy Night
Dance Club
Dance Performers
Evocation of a Poet's Words
First-Run Movie Theater
Folk Venue
Hip-Hop Venue
Horrific Good Time
Jazz Venue
Jukebox
Local Author
Local Comedian
Local DJ
Local Filmmaker
Local Visual Artist
Museum
Museum Mashup
New Boards in South County
Non-gallery Art Space
Old Media Promotion
Performance Artist
Place for Karaoke
Place To Hear Readings
Place To Play Pool
Radical Imaginations
Rock Venue
Statewide Theatrical Buzz
Theater Company
Trivia Night
Views in a Village

Food

"Dining Experience"
Bagel
Bar
Barbecue
Beer Selection
Benedict Variations
Better-than-sex Jam
Brazilian Restaurant
Brewpub
Brunch
Buffalo Wings
Burger
Buttering-up Takeout Food
Chinese Restaurant
Chowing Down on Chowdah
City Name Alliteration
Collection of Best-kept Chef Secrets
Corned Beef Hash
Corner Store Sub
Culinary Care Package
Culinary Entitlement
Cure-all Chicken Escarole
Darn Dogs
Desayunos Mexicanos
Designer Birthday Cakes
Dive Bar
Dockside View
Drink Deal
East Meets West Dish
Eatery on the Beat
Food with ’tude
Frankenstein Beverage
French Restaurant
Gastro-cultrual Assimilation
Greasy Spoon
Having It All, Soup Division
Impress-your-date "Hamburger Helper"
Indian Restaurant
Irish Pub
Italian Restaurant
Italian/soul Food Fusion
Korean Restaurant
Late Night Eats
Latino Restaurant
Lobster Roll
Make-your-own Gaggers
Matchup of Décor and Cuisine
Mexican Restaurant
Middle Eastern Restaurant
Misnamed Food Item
New Restaurant
Non-booze Keeping-up
Nude Burritos
Pan-Asian Menu Restraint
Performance of Calamari vs. Styrofoam
Pizza
Place for Coffee
Place for Dessert
Place for Ice Cream
Place for Peanuts To Land
Place To Buy Organic
Reason Besides the Caffeine
Recycled Building
Relief for Itching Teeth
Romantic Restaurant
Romantic Window Seating
Salty-sweet Treat
Sandwich
Sappy Gesture
Seafood Restaurant
Shepherd's Pie Pizza
Sicilian Loaf
Spanish Restaurant
Special Specialty Drinks
Sports Bar
Steak House
Summer See-and-be-seen Scene
Supper with Sax
Sushi
Sweetener for Green Tea
Tastes of the D.R. via South Prov
Thai Restaurant
Variations on a Caffeineated Theme
Vegetarian Restaurant
Vietnamese Restaurant
Waiter as Tour Guide
Way To Usher in Spring
Wine List
Wrap
Year-round Valentines
Yummy Yams

Shopping

Beads To Wow Her
Bike Shop
Bike Shop in the Bucket
Bribes for a Pooch
Bulletproof Wallets
CD/Record Store
Color for Shopping
Electronics Store
Expansion of a Deli
Facial
Feminine Ostentatious Display
Gift for Your Weird Friend
Haircut
Health Club
Jewelry Store
Local Artisan Array
Manicure/ Pedicure
Massage
Men’s and Women’s Shoe Store
Men’s-Clothing Store
New Book Store
One-stop Craft Show
Party Planner
Peacekeepers for Pets
Place To "Do Work, Son"
Place to Buy Art Supplies
Place to Buy Erotic Gifts
Place to Buy Musical Instruments
Place to Get Pierced
Tattoo Shop
Thrift Store
Used Book Store
Vintage-Clothing Store
Way To Meet Artists
Way To Reward Effort
Wine/ Liquor Store
Women’s-Clothing Store

Life

"Bad Doggie" Follow-up
Animal tribute
Bartender
Beach
Best Place To See Some Skin
Bike Route
Dancin' through History
Free Wi-fi
Gay Night
Lesbian Night
Local Blog
Local Cause
Local Non-profit Group
Local Politician
Lovers' Lane
Off-the-beaten-mansion Visit
Open Space
People Watching for Fifty Cents
Pick-up Spot
Place for Pilates
Place for Yoga
Place To Get Pampered
Place To Match Up and Smoke Some Grass
Place To People-watch and Public Art
Place To Run
Rural Simulation of Urban Life
Star-gazing To Stir Your Fancy
Time Having a Ball (or Eight)
TV Broadcaster
Urbane Urban Time Travel
Way To Enjoy the Bristol Parade
Way To Give Her Orchids

2003 - 2007 Picks

2007

Arts
City
Food
Shopping

2006

Arts
City
Food
Shopping

2005

Arts
City
Food
Shopping
Romance

2004

Arts
City
Food
Shopping
Romance

2003

Arts
City
Food
Shopping
Romance

City Life

ForeFront Fashion

Best Portland Blog

Winners List

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View the 2010 Winners List

Category List

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View the Article List

Best Archives

View a list of previous years winners/categories in our archives.