Schmear tactics


Here's the hole truth: We've eaten a lot of bagels in Maine. And been underwhelmed by most of them.

Not so at 158 Pickett (formerly One Fifty Ate) in South Portland. If you weren't looking for it, you'd drive right by this tiny cafe — it's nestled between Spring Point Marina and the SMCC residence halls, FYI. Our advice? Seek it out.

Not only are the bagels the best we've had in Maine – they impose a six per person limit, if that tells you anything – but this tiny little shack of a restaurant is impossibly cute (the Boston Globe described it as "an old boat builder's shop that looks like a pirate clubhouse" and we can't top that.) The service is great, if a little spacey, and everything else that passed us looked decadent, too.

But back to the bagels: crisp on the outside, soft and light on the inside, served with your choice of cream cheeses — try the chili garlic or the herbalizer.

Just don't try to find one after noon on a weekend.

If you don't live in the Portland area, 158 Pickett St. is a bit tricky to find. Map it here.

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