David's 388

Fabulous food, service and atmosphere. Very reasonably priced for the excellent quality.

We've enjoyed David's 388 many times in the past. This month they are featuring Wednesday 'date night' special which provided a little extra nudge to get us out on cold nights. We had a wonderful time. As always the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The food was great. Of special note was the "Mushroom & vegetable risotto - Mushroom mix | carrot | leeks & shallots | - parmesan | tomato | kale | cream". It had an incredible layered flavor. The proportion of rice was much lower than typical – with a wonderful vegetable-forward mix of flavors/textures. Outstanding. Also notable was the "Cheese Cake Cinnamon rum caramel ". It was deeply flavorful with perfect textures

This place does not disappoint! It's a warm and cozy atmosphere from the minute you sit down. The servers go out of their way to make you feel welcome and give patrons just the right amount of attention. Not only are the meals beyond delicious, the portions are exactly right - there's room for dessert without being overly full. I enjoyed the duck with blueberry gastrique (beautiful crispy skin) while my husband's meal of perfectly prepared scallops was also a treat. Topping it off with their chocolate pecan tartlette and an excellent cup of coffee was truly satisfying. The experience was exactly what I hoped it would be and I can't wait to come back.

Restaurant Review: Dave’s 388 – South Portland, Maine Dave’s 388 is the kind of neighborhood spot that reminds you why dining out should feel special. From the moment we walked in, the warm and welcoming atmosphere set the tone for a great evening. The space strikes a balance between cozy and lively, making it equally suited for a casual dinner with friends or a celebratory night out. Our server, Carolyn, was outstanding—knowledgeable, attentive without being overbearing, and genuinely personable. She made excellent recommendations and ensured that every detail of our meal was handled with care. The meal began with freshly baked bread that was warm, flavorful, and the perfect start to the evening. For appetizers, the potstickers stood out—crispy yet delicate on the outside, packed with flavor inside, and paired with perfectly prepared steak and some greens. We also had the brussels sprout appetizer which other members of the party said were phenomenal. For the main course, the hamburger was a highlight. Cooked exactly to order, it was juicy, well-seasoned, and came on a fresh bun that held up beautifully. It’s the kind of burger that makes you appreciate when a classic is done exceptionally well. The wine and beer selection was also impressive, offering both familiar favorites and thoughtful choices that paired well with the menu. One of the most memorable parts of the evening came at dessert. A member of our party was celebrating a birthday, and the Carolyn, went above and beyond by surprising them with a chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream. It was a thoughtful touch that made the experience feel personal and celebratory. Overall, Dave’s 388 delivered on every level: food, service, and atmosphere. Caroline’s outstanding hospitality and the kitchen’s attention to detail made for a memorable dining experience. This restaurant is a gem in South Portland and well worth a visit. Additionally, there only appeared to be limited parking on the street and handicap accessibility would be limited. Also, I would avoid sitting at the table just to the left of the main door as the restaurant is very busy and there is a lot of in and out traffic. This could leave a little something to be desired during the winter months. Reservations are highly encouraged.

One of the best dining experiences! Staff was very friendly, the restaurant was extremely clean and the food was exceptional! definitely be back

We sat at the chef's table. It is always adds an extra dimension to the meal to see how the magic is created. The meal was terrific, we liked everything we had here. Particular stand out was duck with blueberry gastric. The scorched scallop appetizer was nice. And I like the strawberry sorbetto with basil. An excellent palette cleanser, and basil with strawberry turned out to be an interesting ( in a good way) flavor combination, a surprise in your mouth.

Had a lovely dinner tonight! Sat at the counter and watched the action. Very impressed with the calm and quiet kitchen. Emma was impressive and every dish was 10/10.

We had the best experience at David’s 388! We were able to book a table a few hours in advance on a weeknight. The food, service, and atmosphere was amazing. I am gluten free and there were many menu and dessert options I was able to chose from! Highly recommend!!

Many gluten free options. The salads are delicious and fresh and innovative. We ordered the broiled haddock and the lamb. The lamb was amazing. I wasn’t sure I liked lamb but it was my favorite-tender and juicy and delicious with the light curry sauce. We sat at the counter which allowed us a front row to the cooking and to see everything being made for the entire restaurant. I would eat here often if I lived nearby. Staff was super friendly and helpful. Michaela is an amazing chef. Everything we had was gluten free. Almost everything on the menu can be made gluten free or substituted for GF.

Delicious dinner! The mushroom asparagus risotto was one of the best risottos I’ve ever had. The brussel sprouts were also delicious. Our waitress was great. We were sat easily with our reservations. Would absolutely return.

Wonderful dining experience. We have been to David’s on Monument Square, but this was our first time at David”s 388. The service was on point, and the food was delicious. We started with the brussel sprouts , caramelized, crispy, with a sweet soy sauce,and then moved on to the main course. Sesame Crusted Salmon and Focaccia Crumb Roasted Haddock were our choices The presentation of the food was beautiful and the taste was delectable. Both pieces of fish were tender and the accompanying vegetables paired perfectly.

We can't wait to come back here. We came here with a small group to celebrate our friend's birthday. Everything was phenomenal from the atmosphere to the food and service. One if the best meals we have ever had.

Stephen was wonderful and attentive, and even helped another patron down the steps to her car! Stellar service and great food. Filet was tender and rack of lamb was delicious. Pear mocktail is a must!

It was wonderful in every way, the food, the wait staff, the atmosphere and most of all the smell of butter and garlic when we walked in. We had Stephen as a waiter who was awesome even though he was new.

My husband and I made dinner reservations here while visiting from out of town. It was one of the best meals we've had in a long time. We got the potstickers appetizer to share, salmon and filet mains, and chocolate tartlette to finish. Every dish was a 10/10. If I was local I would come here more frequently.

Amazing food. Really creative use of ingredients, but not just for creativity's sake... All the flavors work well. Rich seafood, fantastic sauces, generous portions. Even the bread basket was top notch! Try the lobster pasta in cream sauce- it is amazingly decadent (almost like a savory dessert)!

Very good food. Service from Morgan was attentive and professional. Not in a trendy area of town but the restaurant is worth going off the beaten track.

One of my favorite restaurants - perhaps ever. Comfy neighborhood spot with phenomenal food, great waitstaff and superb vibe. We were visiting friends staying in a summer rental a few blocks from David's 388, and I made reservations based on the incredible online reviews. As it turns out, the reviews were accurate and well deserved. Our appetizers and dinners on Saturday evening were exceptional, so we returned on Sunday evening, which was every bit as good as our Saturday meal. It's a neighborhood restaurant - highly recommend reservations. I'd return again anytime!!

1st time at David's 388. The staff was great! Friendly and personable. The restaurant was very busy and while we had reservations, we still needed to wait. The host and team made us feel very comfortable and it didn't matter that we had to wait. The food was phenomenal!!! We will be back!!

We have been here twice. First time on an Open Table whim; second time because we drove by and stopped in again. Get the chef's table!!! You get to see magic happen. Great variety of amazing dishes

I've been on the hunt for the best burger in Portland and this was top notch. The truffle fries were also spot on with sauteed garlic and homemade spruced up ketchup to boot! Fresh ingredients and high quality presentation. The tiny bar was a tight squeeze but nice - felt like I was on a boat.

I travel a lot with work and search for gems like David's 388. One of the best meals I have ever had: lamb, fingerling potatoes, and daisy greens. Then, I finished with blueberry/lemon bread pudding. If I was staying in Portland, I would eat here every night. Fay was a great bartender and waitress. Just a good experience all around. I HIGHLY recommend David's 388.

I have not been to any of the other David locations, but if they are anything like 388, this guy has the market on good food and service in Portland. We had a large group so we had most of the entrees on the menu. They were all cooked too perfection, served perfectly and most importantly delicious! The wine list will make you happy, the beer list is sorry but again something for everyone. From fish to burgers, they have it right.

Such beautiful atmosphere! Delicious food, and very attentive service.

Visited David’s 388 for the first time while on a short visit to Maine. Our dinner was exceptional. The lamb was prepared perfectly to our request for medium rare ( most restaurants we visit usually overcook ). Great atmosphere with friendly and attentive servers. We will definitely return on any future visits to Maine.

Excellent food in a nice but unpretentious atmosphere. Crispy brussel sprouts were out of this world and while the entrees were not the most emeritus portions, they were very well priced for the quality of food.

We sat at the chefs counter and had a terrific meal. We both had the torched scallops which were a nice start. For our main courses we had the rack of lamb and the duck magret. Both were very good but id give a slight edge to the duck

A bit on the small side, but a very enjoyable place for dinner. Price can be daunting, but the quality of the food makes up for it. Staff are fantastic, and hardly any wait at all!

Drop the utility junk fee please. I’ve been to David’s many times in past years and always had great things to say about this neighborhood restaurant. Our most recent visit did not disappoint - food and service were all spot on. We had the beef carpaccio, seafood pasta, and risotto, all of which were excellent - but the blueberry bread pudding was simply ridiculously delicious. Furthermore, everyone from the hostess to the bartender to the waitress were wonderful! Thank you for a great evening. My only complaint is the ridiculous junk fee, namely the 4% fee hidden in the fine print of the menu for “utilities”.

This was our first visit to David’s. We were seated timely and the server was helpful and friendly. We were expecting a great experience. There was a table that had been seated before us with a young child who screamed off and on for over 30 minutes before the mother took him out. There were no other children in the restaurant. It was obvious the child was disrupting several diners around us by their facial expressions. The food was tasty and well presented. The screaming child caused a potential wonderful evening to be ruined. The management should have stepped in. One couples lack of consideration took precedence over many others desiring an enjoyable night out.

The food was delicious overall. Tuna carpaccio appetizer was tough to chew though. The salmon portion was very stingy. For perspective, wife is usually not one to finish meals and takes home half of most restaurant meals. She ate every bit and could have easily eaten more. Unfortunately, the kitchen was not at all flexible (asked to sub a sauce to avoid someone’s allergy ingredient and they refused), which will be a reason to not come back. Too many great places are willing to be much more accommodating.

We have dined at David's many, many times as we are local to Cape Elizabeth. And years ago at David's place in Kennebunkport. But, tonight was a huge disappointment. We both ordered the duck entree per the chef's recommendation for temperature. "Medium/rare". But it arrived almost cold. The risotto and greens were cold as well and the risotto was garlicky and cheesy. Well I think it was risotto. Many times having ordered duck, it was quite disappointing. The strawberry/green salad was very good. Hoping this Monday night was an anomaly. Staff was not apologetic.

This place is pure chaos. We got the wrong food three times and our entrees were delivered separately by a fair amount. The server was apologetic and it was ok in the end but it's anarchy. The carpacio was good. The little cheese croutons were the highlight. The arancini was blah. Not well distributed with the fruit. Get a dry bite or a fruit bite just luck of the draw. I think if you just shove the whole ball in your mouth it's probably good. The scallops were solid and that apricot butter was insanely good. That made the entire meal. The blueberry drink thing I pictured was good. Price was really reasonable. Maybe $60 per person plus tip. All in all a solid three.

Very small and cramped restaurant, the food is good but the filet that I ordered med rare, came well done. I returned it and they prepared another one, but by the time it came back, the rest of my party had finished their meals. Not the dining experience that I was hoping for, and this was the 2nd time something like this has happened to me there, needless to say, won't be returning any time soon.

Our waitress Morgan was surly and ungracious. On top of that, she asked several times if we were still “picking.” Dinner was rushed and essentially thrown at us. The lamb was drowning in a sickening sweet greasy sauce. It was accompanied by grease-soaked potatoes and wilted arugula (billed as “greens.” The caesar salad was barely dressed, had limp lettuce, and had one measly anchovy. We used to come for the very good seafood pappardelle, but we will not be back anytime soon, especially because of the rude service. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants, but things have changed.

I'm not sure whats going on here.... I feel bad writing this..... We used to go here pretty regularly and we visited on our anniversary last week. The setting was nice next to the window. The waitress was young and friendly but visibly nervous and/or upset about something... which was fine I guess but immediately created a weird vibe.. My wife ordered haddock which when it came out was maybe 3-4 oz.... A tiny piece of fish for a haddock serving. It was extremely salty, like it has been cooked in a salt bath. The small protein portion was overwhelmed by the number of potatoes on the plate, which turned out to be undercooked and/or raw. I'm not a chef, but it just seemed like whoever was in charge of the kitchen clearly did not know how to set up a plate, or cook a potato. I got a burger and although I did not time it, the time it took to serve haddock and a burger was probably twice as long as it should have been. The dining room was pretty empty for 7:30 on a Saturday night. The waitress did comp the fish portion which was the right thing to do, so maybe it was just a bad night, but I don't feel like I can afford to give second chances anymore. Not for a while anyway. I'm giving 3 stars because its a local restaurant and maybe it was a bad night but I'm on guard about going back.

Conclusion first: extremely overpriced food. Taste is average. Amount of Protein: scarce. Avoid this place. I had their seafood papardelle, a 35$ dish before tax, and a drink. All it contains are 2 medium size shrimps, 2 small scallops, 1 tiny lobster claw (about 0.5 x 1 x 2 inch in size), undercooked broccoli and carrots, and carbs. No need to say much about it. A very disappointing experience. There are many other good restaurants around, avoid this one for your best interest.

We are locals that have dined here before and the food is generally good. Our last trip was notable for the poor treatment we got from our server. One person in our party requested a rare filet. We made special mention it needed to be rare. It came medium, and we attempted to return it for another. The servers attitude changed in an instant. At first he said ok, but then returned with the dish and tried to argue it was rare. He said we might not see it properly in the dim lit room, so he shined a flashlight on it. My companion was undeterred, as it was medium. He relented and brought a new filet, announcing to the table “lets hope third time is not a charm”. Disgraceful. The filet was done rare properly this time, but the behavior of the waiter was extremely poor. Will not return, nor recommend to my many Airbnb guests that we host each summer.

We have been coming here often and usually have a great experience here. I had booked a reservation for Sunday the day after valentine's day to celebrate a late valentine's day with my boyfriend since we work on valentine's day. They had put us in the far back corner for a table that was meant for 8 people. The rest was not too busy and it seemed that they isolated us from the rest of the crowd there and there were two top tables available. Seemed like they did not know where to place us even though I had booked a reservation. We would have been fine with it but we had gotten forgotten about multiple times. The biggest issue and concern was that I was served a alcoholic drink when I had ordered a mocktail and my boyfriend was served my mocktail when he had ordered the alcoholic drink. I strictly do not drink alcohol due to health issues, past issues with alcohol abuse in my family and it is part of my beliefs to not drink alcohol. We had notified the waitress that our drinks were wrong. She did not really apologize and even stated that she had tested our drinks with a straw and was not sure which drink was which. With that knowledge she still served us the drinks without even knowing which drink was which. This upset me and she didnt even offer for our drinks to be remade. This was suppose to be a special night to celebrate a late valentine's day and the experience was horrible.

The food was overpriced and did not meet my expectations. The fish was overcooked and dry, and the soup was cold when we got it. I also heard the owner yelling profanities at the kitchen staff while I was there. Would not recommend.