Shining bright in Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood is Diamond Street, a popular spot for new businesses in recent years, most notably, breweries, cideries, and distilleries. There’s a reason Rising Tide calls the area #yEastBayside.
Sitting on the corner of Fox Street and Diamond Street is Rising Tide Brewing Co., an independent, family-owned brewery that has become one of the most beloved across New England since its inception in 2010. Check out the tasting room to peruse the variety of small-batch craft beers, all made using local ingredients, and enjoy elevated comfort food at The Galley. Be sure to return in the summer to hangout on the dog-friendly patio!
Rising Tide is also known for their impressive events calendar, which hosts everything from live music in the summer to Monday Night Trivia, Thursday Knit Night, and even a monthly Books + Beer Club — All fun ways to mingle with other locals over a Back Cove Pilsner.
The schedule changes throughout the seasons, but you can find their calendar posted online!
Three of Strong Spirits was one of the first on Diamond Street, launching out of a converted warehouse during the summer of 2019. The distillery sources water from Maine’s Sebago Lake and aged rum from a family distillery in Colombia to craft their line-up of rums. With both indoor and dog-friendly patio seating (available during the summer), you can stop by the tasting room for “a tasting, a tour, or a seat at the bar.” Celebrating the spirit of spirits, their tasting room menu includes a line-up of classic rum beverages, summer punches, and other creative rum-based cocktails.
They also host weekly events like Thursday Night Trivia and candlelit yoga. Keep up with the happenings here!
Orange Bike Brewing Co., one of the country’s few exclusively gluten-free breweries and only the second in Maine, opened a 60-person tasting room in November of 2023. Inspired by founder Tom Ruff’s own journey with gluten intolerance, OBB strives to meet the needs of those with gluten allergies by offering a diverse lineup of world-class and naturally gluten-free brews. All recipes are exclusively formulated by Alan Pugsley, a world-class Master Brewer who has opened over 100 internationally recognized breweries.
Diamond Street welcomed Freedom’s Edge Cider to the party this past April. The Albion-based cidery is committed to crafting premium barrel-aged ciders. While a significant portion of this location is dedicated to barrel aging and bottle conditioning for limited release ciders, there’s plenty of room for you (and 49 best friends) to pull up a stool and enjoy a flight in the 50+ seat tasting room. Offering both indoor and outdoor seating, Freedom’s Edge is the place to be this spring.
Beyond breweries, Diamond St. and the greater East Bayside neighborhood are home to a handful of local gems, including:
More into a cup of Joe than a pint of the hop? The Coffee by Design headquarters resides at 1 Diamond Street. Home to the 21,000 sq. ft. roastery, their cupping room (where every batch of coffee is rigorously tasted and evaluated), and their offices, this coffeehouse is a welcoming community hub. The beloved local roaster prides themselves on roasting with “loving attention” and “profound precision,” so much so that their award-winning team is trained extensively to understand the aroma, sound, look, and feel of beans prepared with their state-of-the-art equipment. We’re impressed!
Toad and Co. is a great place to shop for comfortable, stylish, and ethically made clothing. Committed to sustainability, the retailer recently introduced ToadAgain, a service aimed at diverting clothing from landfills by accepting gently worn Toad & Co. clothing to resell. While you can shop online, we highly recommend stopping by their new space!
Bite Into Maine, the creator of Maine’s highly-praised gourmet lobster roll, opened their first brick-and-mortar in Portland in 2023. The multi-purpose space serves as a kitchen for their two food trucks, a distribution space for online orders, and indoor/outdoor dining. Be sure to BYOB, and don’t let the award-winning lobster roll outshine delicious side offerings such as beer brats, potato salad, and pub pretzels with beer cheese.
Other spots to check out while you’re in the neighborhood include: Salud, Austin St. Brewery, and Arlberg Ski and Surf Shop.