Empire Chinese Kitchen, Roma Cafe and Fore Street list Monday service in Portland, Maine. Empire covers lunch through dinner; Roma starts at 5 p.m.; Fore Street opens at 4:30 p.m. Choose your restaurant by meal time and booking policy, then check its official page before leaving.
Where can you eat in Portland on a Monday?
You can eat Monday lunch at Empire Chinese Kitchen or plan Monday dinner at Empire, Roma Cafe or Fore Street. These three restaurants publish different service windows and reservation arrangements, so an opening time alone is not enough to plan your evening.
- Empire Chinese Kitchen, 575 Congress Street: Monday 11:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; walk-ins only, with no reservations.
- Roma Cafe, 767 Congress Street: Monday 5–9 p.m.; its website links to Resy and lists dine-in service and takeout.
- Fore Street, 288 Fore Street: opens every day at 4:30 p.m.; its posted closing time is simply “Close,” so confirm your intended arrival time directly.
This is a practical shortlist, not an exhaustive count of every Monday opening or a ranking of the city's restaurants.
Which restaurant serves Monday lunch?
Empire serves Monday lunch from 11:30 a.m., while Roma and Fore Street's published schedules begin in the afternoon or evening. That makes Empire the lunch option among this selection; neither of the other two should be treated as a midday backup.
Empire's official website combines its schedule, menu and online pickup link. Its menu includes wonton soup, small plates and dumplings, alongside larger dishes. Check the current menu before choosing food for the table, especially if someone has ingredient restrictions. A restaurant's dietary labels do not establish that a dish is suitable for a particular allergy.
Can you book a table for Monday dinner?
You can follow Roma's official Resy link or call Fore Street about a Monday dinner reservation; Empire does not take reservations. Bookable service and walk-in service solve different planning needs, and neither a booking link nor published hours proves that a table is available.
Roma's website is the starting point for its reservation link and current menu. Fore Street's website gives 207-775-2717 for reservations. If your group needs a firm start time, establish the booking before organizing the rest of the evening. For broader planning, see our Portland reservations and walk-ins guide.
What kind of dinner does each menu offer?
These dinner menus offer Italian pasta and secondi at Roma, Chinese dishes at Empire, and a changing selection at Fore Street. Fore Street describes locally sourced food from farmers, fishermen and foragers. Choose from those differences, then read the restaurant's own menu for the specific dishes available.
Roma's posted selection includes Bolognese, eggplant parmigiana and halibut. Fore Street describes wood-fired preparation and publishes a sample menu with seafood, meats and vegetables; a sample is not a promise that a particular dish will be served on your Monday visit. Its listed mussels, for example, illustrate the menu rather than a guaranteed order. Use the official sources to check details instead of treating an old photo as tonight's menu.
What should you check before leaving?
Check the date, service hours, booking status and current menu before leaving for any Monday meal. A regular weekly schedule does not rule out a holiday closure, private event or a changed service window.
For takeout, follow the restaurant's official ordering route and confirm the available pickup time. For dine-in, clarify any arrival-time or party-size question directly with the venue. If a specific dish is the reason for your trip, confirm it rather than relying on a sample menu. Our takeout and pickup guide covers additional ordering choices around Portland.
How this guide was made
Researched guide by Where to Eat Portland, prepared with AI assistance from official restaurant sources checked October 25, 2026. This is planning information, not a firsthand dining review.
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