Tomaso’s Canteen

To call this a dive bar would be a bit insulting, but the prices will make you think you just made it to local bar heaven!

Love this place best place for tacos on taco Tuesday. Don’t be thrown off by the size the food and the friendlies makes up for it. Always had a great time here and the staff is amazing.

Fun little bar. Pretty good service but not enough help. They need another bartender or server. The food took a long time to come out. The dirt wings were delicious, fresh, and hot. Could have used more spice/​heat but were extremely tasty nonetheless. The chicken bomb was okay but over sauced. Good portions and reasonably priced beer.

Nice vibe!
Good drinks, great wings!!!
Port lands best kept secret!
Stop in and give it a try! You won’t complain!

I had gotten so many «suggestions» to check out Tomaso’s but never ended up going as it was always a Friday or Saturday night when I thought of it and I figured they would probably be packed!
So…when an opportunity presented itself to check out Tomaso’s for lunch on a random Friday, I jumped.
I was able to find street parking easily and upon entering noticed that while they were busy, there were still a few tables to choose from.
Our (amazingly helpful) waiter came over pretty quickly to take drink orders. There were a bunch of beer specials listed under a special table note entitled «liquid lunch». The beers on that list ranged from $ 3 – 5 bucks each. Pretty sweet. The food menu was both listed on paper and on a chalkboard above the bar.
After asking our waiter for suggestions, we settled on the mozzarella ball appetizer, a haddock wrap with fries for my friend and a cheeseburger for me. There was no issue at all with asking for the fries to be well done.
While waiting for our food, I was able to get an opportunity to take in the vibe of the place. I really liked the mix. This was definitely not a hipster hang, yet while there were clearly hipsters in the room, there were also old time Portlanders and a few people who looked as though they may have spent the last 40 years sitting on a downtown bar stool.
The food arrived pretty quickly. We both loved the flavor of the mozzarella ball app, but found it crazily small for $ 8, especially for a place that is known for a good value. The cheeseburger, on the other hand, was $ 7 (with cheese) and was very, very good. My friend loved her haddock wrap and the well done fries were perfect!
We ended up hanging out and talking for so long, that we ordered a dessert to share. A Key Lime pie, made in house for $ 6 which was quite good. We both loved it and considered ordering another one.
All in all a VERY positive experience, I will definitely return for lunch! I still might check ahead on a Friday or Saturday night as it is a small space and probably does get packed on the weekend.

This place hits its niche hard. It has a higher end menu, simple short beer list, beer-​n-​shot combos, and sleek simple hipster décor. Anyone coming here cuz they knew sangillos are in a hellova surprise, and anyones whose been there will obvi come back. Not too many seats tho, so fill er up quick!

A great find! After determining there was a 2 hour wait at Duck Fat, my husband and I came across Tomaso’s Canteen. The place looked slightly sketchy from the street, but since we were starving we took our chances. I am so glad we did! We ordered hamburgers, side salad, french fries and two brews. The prices were very reasonable and the food freshly prepared and delicious.
*Hamburgers — 5 oz fresh ground-​chuck hand made patties, cooked perfectly to order.
*Side salad — nice size portion of fresh mixed greens, very tasty.
*Fries — hand cut potatoes, nicely seasoned and delicious.
While it gives off a sketchy vibe from the street, it is very clean and welcoming once you step through the doors.

This place is awesome, with great grub. My only hope is they soon get an even bigger place. On a saturday afternoon the place was packed, yet with excellent service. They have tons of food and drink specials, including happy hour, weekend liquid lunch or taco sundays for $ 2. There is a jukebox for your listening pleasure in this divey casual bar.
They have food special that changes on their chalk board and we had the pleasure of enojying the dog in a poncho. My only regret is not ordering my own or some to take home. It’s a red hot dog wrapped in bacon, dipped in beer batter and fried to perfection and served with honey mustard. The chicken parm eggrolls were yummy, packed with ground chicken, parmesan and spice with marinara for dipping. The suasage quesadillo was the classic sweet sausage loaded with peppers and onions, often found in the hand of country fair goers, but wrapped in a warm torilla with melted cheese. I wish I had room to try one their dessesrts, like fried cheescake, however I had already eaten so much I almost had to be carried out.

This place made me smile as I walked through the door.
I used to frequent Sangillo’s before it was shut down and purchased by the successful, dive bar owner, of «Samuel’s». I love the quaint dive bar appeal of Sangillo’s and I think Sam did a great job embodying the essence of trendy and divey.
The walls are covered in chalkboard paint with the specials written across. You can find a shot and beer here for very cheap. With the rising number prices in Portland, Thomaso’s has combatted the expensive tapas style dining that is popping up in so many Portland establishments.
We had a Sierra Nevada for 3 $ during Saturday Liquid Lunch time. My friend had a Cliff Island Coffee, sweet and SUPER strong for 9 $ (a bit pricey, but normal for Portland).
We also had buffalo shrimp to share and a famous Maine Red Hot Dog wrapped in bacon, breaded and deep fried. The breading on both was fluffy and light. Next time, I would order the buffalo sauce on the side because it caused the breading to get soggy.
We also split an order of cannoli. It was 6 $ for 2 and they were fabulous. I’m pretty sure they had a coffee liquor in the filling.
They also offer the Samuel’s fabulous and locally famous dirt wings. I feel as though these wings are some of the best in Portland.
I will be visiting this place again. It’s divey, fun, affordable, and off the main strip, so parking is easy to find.

Love! This is my idea of a perfect bar. It’s not divey, and also not uppity. For instance, a person like me, who likes intoxication-​by-​martinis is totally acceptable here. Plus, there’s a juke box, hallelujah! I haven’t had the food, but it looks pretty good. Oh, and service was really friendly, I could become a regular, easily.
I’m definitely a fan.

I can’t help but echo Leah W and Tony W’s reviews… Tomaso’s is fabulous! My friend and I had a great time chatting with some of the other bar-​goers. From out-​of-​town cops to local line cooks, Tomoso’s seems really friendly and welcoming. And our bartender, Adam, was terrific. He wasn’t even thrown off when I asked him to make me a custom cocktail using Maine Craft Distilling’s Blueshine. The drinks were strong (believe me) and reasonably priced especially by Portland standards. Yes, the space is small but it works — as does everything about this gem.

This is a small, simple, amazing bar, aka my favorite kind of bar.
I loved the buffalo shrimp and the burger was pretty flavorful and tasty, although I might try a different sandwich the next time I go.
There is not a ton of space, which is totally fine, but might mean you are waiting or need a second option on a busy night. The space that is there is clean and well kept.
The service is friendly but not overly assertive.
Overall, a must try and I will definitely be back.

A new favorite for me. Food has been great each time I’ve been. It is refreshing to walk out of a Portland restaurant for a great casual dinner and drinks for 2 under $ 50.

Tomaso’s Canteen is a wonderfully SMALL, affordable, and cozy update, the exact opposite of what Sangillo’s Tavern used to be: a dodgy, run down dive of ill repute, where most Portlanders were afraid to venture inside, and where every night you’d have about a 20% chance of accidentally getting into a fistfight. Based on the squeaky clean ‘rustic modern’ interior — and the new class of patrons who now frequent this place — I’d say those odds have dropped down to about 3%. It’s a great addition to this part of town, which is mostly surrounded by trendier, more expensive restaurants.
When we went around 6:30pm on a Tuesday night, the place was hopping. Thankfully ‘hopping’ here means busy, and not patrons crawling over you at the bar to get a drink, obnoxiously loud music, and servers trying to push through you in a crowd to get to a table. Luckily my friend snagged me a spot at the bar just before I arrived — otherwise every other seat was taken.
The bartenders are attentive and friendly, and they make their drinks STRONG and fast. I ordered an old fashioned based on positive feedback I had heard. This ended up being more of a working man’s old fashioned (READ: mucho bourbon plus sugar, sans the Angostura bitters). The simplicity was refreshing. Plus, the bitters just take up the space where more bourbon could be added. The have divey drink specials to offset some of their pricier cocktails, and they seem to have a pretty solid happy hour. We also ordered buffalo shrimp (served in a classy martini glass!) and bacon cheese fries. All very good, although maybe a $ 1-​$ 2 more expensive than they should have been? My friend ordered a burger, which I tried. This was also very good, and well priced to match.
If you visit, keep in mind that seating is limited; it’s probably best to show up during off-​peak times, as this will maximize your odds of getting a seat. I’m not sure this place can hold more than 25 – 30 people.

Friends server. Great beer selection both draft and cans. Awesome food. Had the buffalo shrimp and a single burger.

A friend and I decided to check this place out. I was pleasantly surprised that it still had a bit of the Sangillo’s vibe to it. It still feels like a place where everyone belongs.
We got the buffalo shrimp which were great! Nice portion size and just the right amount of spice.
The bartender was super welcoming which in my book makes all the difference in a small neighborhood place.
Definitely on the repeat visit list. I can’t wait to make the trip with the group of high school girls I use to go to Sangillo’s with!

I had only been to Sangillo’s a handful of times, mostly at the end of a long night to finish off with some heavy pours at wicked cheap prices or a two dollar jello shot but Tomaso’s keeps alive the spirit of cheaper beers and spirits!
The inside is completely redone. Not much more in the way space on the floor because really how much can you do with less than 400 square feet of space but they have tried to add more seating and more stools (and they are in working order!) The bar is awesome, with a modern design and liquor easy enough to spot.
I did not try a lot of the food but did have an onion ring. Perfect hand cut rings, a good even amount of batter vs. onion, dipping sauce with slight a slight zing.
Plenty of cheaper domestic beers and craft beers are abound. They seemed to have at least one craft beer that was on special.
The only knock is that it will fill up fast with people trying to get in. This bar is owned by the same person that owns Samuels down on Forest Ave. Once again doing a great job at identifying the market and catering to the locals.

So glad we stopped in!!! Clean bar with a comfortable atmosphere is such a rarity in Portland and Tomaso’s Canteen nailed it! Beer is reasonably priced and the food is wonderful. I ordered the full order of wings and boyfriend ordered a house salad. Portion sizes are huge and worth the price. We’ll definitely be back!

This is the perfect local bar with a cool, contemporary, and casual vibe. The place is tiny but arranged very smartly with a long bar, several tables with seats, and several TVs to watch sports. The food and drink are all super reasonably priced with a good number of selections. Just a great, chill, unpretentious vibe with friendly bartenders. I will be back all winter at this cozy spot!

Tomaso’s is a fantastic little bar with affordable drinks and food. The food is delicious, they even serve sausages made fresh by the owners, and it comes out quick enough to stop in for lunch during your break! Tomaso’s is run by the owners of Samuel’s so the old port is now blessed with those award winning dirt wings. They are constantly changing the specials so every day is a new eating and drinking experience.
They also have great beer + shot specials like the Adult pb&j which is a PBR tall boy and a shot of jack for just $ 8. They also have a list of locally themed cocktails like the Munjoy Mule which is their spin on a classic Mule, this one features locally distributed Ice Pik Vodka which is incredibly smooth.
They are open and serving food and drink until 1 am every day, which is a gift to every last caller in the Old Port!
I suggest you stop in at any point in the day or night as there is always a group of friendly and/​or entertaining customers there but if you are out on a week night looking for a lively bar this is a great place to stop in because it’s seats are often filled with locals just getting off their shifts at nearby bars and businesses.