15 Exchange Grille

I had a wonderful meal on a snowy night during the holidays. Many places were closed down because of the snow, but the hosts were welcoming and we chose this place for the reasonable prices and the cool atmosphere.
We couldn’t have been more pleased with our whole experience. The mussel appetizer was delicious and the meal was amazing. My wife asked for a drink they didn’t traditionally make and the bartender came over and said he would do his best and see what she thought and try it again if not great.
The atmosphere was great and everyone made us feel at home and treated us well. And the food was amazing with what we thought were reasonable prices. Would definitely stop in again next time we are in Portland.

I recommend this restaurant to anyone. The appetizer and entrée was absolutely delicious. The service was warm and accommodating.

Way over priced for mediocre food. Portion size was on the small side too, especially the apps. Would not recommend the shrimp scampi… Flavor was ok but the amount of oil used was excessive; made the last half of the dish unedible, unless you enjoy having to wait for the oil to drip off your pasta before every bite! We also tried to pay part of the bill with a
certificate which was not put in correctly and our credit card was charged for the full amount. Rec’d paying with cash if you have one of these to use up!

The food was good and the staff was very friendly. We were pretty cold throughout dinner though, as the front door opens on the restaurant and it is a small space. The menu was pretty small and the food priced a bit high for none of us having anythign that was «oh my goodness» good. In a town known for foodie places, I think it just didn’t stand out. I would like to try again and see what I think.

Service was very slow, took over an hour to get our dinner.
I had the pork loin and it was pretty dry, my wife had the pasta with shrimp and she said it was good…

Awesome place. Killer grub.

I took my mother here for lunch, and being a resident of portland it is up against some serious competition. I found the service to be quick and knowledgeable and the menu was simple and affordable. We both enjoyed out lunches and unlike other lunch spots the pricing was great! The only thing I would change is to add some more diverse seating, everything is very high and not very accessible. I think they are still in their infancy, but once they get their footing this could be a strong lunch contender.

I thought I was getting bruchetta, but what I ended up with was way better. Granted, I was in the mood for something a little more substantial and gluttonous than the typical toast and tomatoes deal — it’s not always my style — but what I got was just perfect. Somewhere between traditional bruchetta and tostada.
Since moving back to Maine from Boston, I’ve consistently been impressed with Portland’s abundance of good food at a reasonable price. I would expect to pay twice what I did here for food of this caliber in the bean. My friend who came with got a steak for $ 22 that he said was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The fries that came with the meal weren’t much to scream about. But that bruchetta… Let’s just say, I’ll need some serious fries to enjoy that dish done traditionally again.

I give very few one star reviews. Very few. I often think that most places have redeeming qualities… And, if I could give 15 Exchange one star, it would be for the physical ambience and décor. But I’ve seen that space change hands a couple times and it’s just an awesome space, regardless of who inhabits it.
We went with our counter-​couple (my bro and sis in law) on a Friday night at 7pm. We were sat right away at a table… And that’s where it starts to go downhill.
As C.B. stated in their review, the staff seemed overwhelmed and under prepared for their Friday night. This is a Friday night people — in Portland! Patrons have a HUGE selection of restaurants to choose from in this town… You’ve got to have your A-​game on. Our waitress was fairly meek, not loud enough, never offered us water, brought out the wrong bottle of wine, and clearly overwhelmed as both a bartender and a server.
We ordered a couple apps… Those took about a half hour and didn’t blow me out of the water. We ordered our food shortly after ordering our apps. Here’s the really big problem — we didn’t get our food for an hour and a half! At 8:30ish, our food arrived. My steak was on the rarer side of medium (which is fine with me, but I would say it was much closer to medium rare/​rare, which could upset someone). Our veggies seemed like they came out of a bag (maybe yes, maybe no?) and were cold.
No one at my table was really excited about their food and it’s really really hard to be excited about it when you’ve waited an hour and a half. Prices aren’t unreasonable for the portion size, but again, it’s hard to appreciate that when you leave with such a bad experience behind you. We weren’t the only ones that felt that way — I saw a table get up and walk out after no acknowledgement from any server.
I hate to say this, but I will never go back to 15 Exchange and I don’t expect it to last too long here in Portland. It’s a shame because it’s got a great idea (fresh, ever changing menu — although nothing was particularly seasonal about this menu we saw) but the service really really killed it. Sorry, guys. :(

My girlfriend and I walked in for the jazz music and affordable prices. I ordered a whiskey hot mash that had so much sriracha it was undrinkable and her wine pour was half of a typical portion. When I protested to the server she lectured me on fair pours and glass size. As a bartender and server myself I was taken aback. The supposed 20 oz wine glass was closer to 12 oz. The food was alright (veal was like beef stew and salad dressing tasted like Krafts) but the onion soup was too oily (her excuse?: the carmelized onions exuded oil) and came out late. To make up for all the downfalls the server took a whopping 2 dollars off the bill. All in all an unpleasant experience.

Upscale and industrial– copper pots hanging above the chefs working in the open kitchen; exposed brick walls; golden lighting above the bar. Cozy. Reminded me a little bit of Central Kitchen in Cambridge, MA, but without the copper surfaces or minimalism.
One of the proprietors was working the bar when we arrived and poured a delicious, tangy white wine (see fig 1) for my girlfriend and I. As we settled in, he told us a little bit of the backstory behind Exchange street’s newest restaurant.
He told us that they make all their own food from scratch, offer separate menus for lunch and dinner, and have a Sunday brunch. Forced to choose off their new menu, our proprietor said he particularly enjoyed their original Butternut and Mascarpone ravioli.
Although we only had time for drinks, we’ll be back next time we visit Portland ME.