In 2019, the Press Herald began its annual tradition of compiling a list of the Best 75 restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, bakeries and bars in Greater Portland. Each year, readers greeted our picks with enthusiasm, applauding some choices loudly, debating others just as vociferously. We greatly appreciated the input, and this year we decided to do something different: Crowd-source.

That’s where you come in, as lovers of Maine’s restaurants, to help us create the Best 30. We’re winnowing down our list, too, and while we’ll still focus on Greater Portland, we’d also like to include wonderful restaurants, bars, cafes and bakeries throughout the state. We’re looking for your picks in seven categories: special occasion, budget meal under $25, breakfast/brunch, coffee shop/cafe/bakery, takeout and brewery/bar/cocktail lounge, and dealers’ choice; for that one, please pick a favorite place, wherever the location and whatever the reason or category.

Also, please also tell us in a few lines what makes you love each of the places you choose. Fill out the attached Google form with your personal best in the great and delicious state of Maine by the end of January.We’ll compile the results and publish them this spring.

– Tim Cebula, restaurant critic, and Peggy Grodinsky, food editor, Maine Trust for Local News