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From sushi to 'cooking with a whimsical twist,' Maine restaurants garner national attention once again

Courtesy / Mr. Tuna Jordan Rubin, chef and co-owner of Mr. Tuna, was honored in the Food & Wine’s 2025 Best New Chefs, the 37th class, which highlights 10 of America's emerging culinary talents.
By Alexis Wells

Maine is back in the national foodie spotlight, with Mr. Tuna’s Jordan Rubin named among Food & Wine magazine’s best new chefs of 2025 and two coastal eateries featured on the New York Times annual best restaurants list.

Photo / Catherine Dzilenski
Jordan Rubin

Rubin, chef and co-owner of Mr. Tuna, was honored in the Food & Wine’s 2025 Best New Chefs, which highlights 10 of America's emerging culinary talents who are "shaping the future of American dining."

“Each year, Food & Wine Best New Chefs remind us that the future of American dining is as dynamic as it is diverse,” said Hunter Lewis, editor in chief of Food & Wine. “This class is cooking from memory, culture, and experience, and, in doing so, redefining what American cuisine looks and tastes like today. We’re honored to recognize their creativity and welcome them into this extraordinary community.”

The chef behind Mr. Tuna

Rubin opened the doors at its relocated brick-and-mortar location, at 83 Middle St. in Portland, in 2024. The business, which opened in 2017, also includes three food trucks, a seasonal presence at Portland's Eastern Promenade, catering and events.

Known for his innovative interpretations of Japanese cuisine at Mr. Tuna and Bar Futo, Rubin has played a key role in Portland's emergence as a nationally celebrated food destination, while also earning national recognition for himself.

In early 2025, Rubin was named a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best Chef: Northeast. His restaurants, Mr. Tuna and Bar Futo, also won the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s Taste of Maine Innovation Award for their commitment to sustainability, with an estimated 90% of their seafood sourced locally from the Gulf of Maine.

Rubin is also co-owner of Crispy Gai in Portland.

Outside of the kitchen, Rubin is involved in No Kid Hungry, a member of the James Beard Foundation’s Climate Solutions for Restaurant Survival campaign, and “Behind You," a no-cost mental health counseling services program for restaurant industry workers in Maine in 2024.

“Being named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs is an incredible honor,” said Rubin. “This recognition is not only about the food we create, but also about the people, the community, and the values that drive our work every day. I’m humbled and proud to represent Portland and Maine in this moment, and to be part of a movement for better food, better policy and a better future.”

The New York Times’ 50 best list

A total of five restaurants across three New England states made the cut on the list of the 50 best restaurants in the country, according to the New York Times. 

Two Maine restaurants, Pilgrim’s Inn and Sammy's Deluxe, were recognized, as well as two from Boston and one from Connecticut. 

Pilgrim’s Inn, at 20 Main St. on Deer Isle, opened in 1890 and is owned by Andrew Shapiro and Bosco Hernandez, a San Francisco couple who purchased the property in March 2025.

The restaurant is known for its "classic New England fare," and at the helm is chef Cortney Burns, who made her name at Bar Tartine in San Francisco. 

"We are thrilled about the recognition and we are feeling very grateful," said the owners in a phone interview today.

Sammy’s Deluxe, at 488 Main St. in Rockland, is owned by Sam Richman, a former chef at Lincolnville's Salt Water Farm, which closed in 2015. Richman was also a chef at Jean-Georges in New York City. 

Richman opened Sammy's in late 2016. It offers an ever-changing and seasonal menu featuring simple dishes made with locally sourced ingredients. 

"It’s skilled cooking with a whimsical twist, proving that sometimes the best restaurants happen when chefs focus on cooking the food they want to eat," Melissa Clark, cookbook author and food writer for the New York Times, wrote in the best restaurants piece. 

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