Restaurant Review: Hot Suppa!

203 Congress Street, Portland, Maine

“Love Real Food.”
This is the simple slogan of Hot Suppa!, a Portland restaurant serving breakfast and lunch. Their food, classic Americana with the occasional eclectic twist, is easy to love.

I visited Hot Suppa! on a recent sunny morning. Walking inside, I was happy to find an empty booth in the small restaurant. Although the high, painted ceiling makes it feel big, the space fits only seven booths, two tables, and a small counter. There is a small waiting area, though, complete with stacks of neighborhood papers. High, half-brick walls are decorated with landscape paintings and painted clam shells, not quite ironic enough to be hip. Big windows facing Congress Street let in sunlight and interesting views. My booth was comfortable due to the black leather bolsters at shoulder height. A cake tin rested on the wooden table, full of extras like jam packets, catchup, and Vietnamese hot sauce. It was very loud, as a rowdy mix of hipsters and locals worked their way through late breakfast.

It is possible to get lunch or breakfast at Hot Suppa! regardless of the time. The lunch menu includes new American classics like grilled cheese and a cup of creamy tomato soup, mac and cheese with grilled kielbasa, or tuna melt on a bagel. They also serve unique bistro offerings like The Cubano: a grill pressed sandwich on soft french bread stuffed with roasted pork, ham, Gruyére cheese, pickles, and spicy brown mustard. Having ordered this before at Hot Suppa!, I can confirm that it is as delicious and decadent as it sounds. All lunches are served with one side. Choices include baked beans, hand-cut fries, fried green tomatoes, mac and cheese, or baby arugula salad. Lunches range from $7.95 - $9.95, and individual sides are $3.25.

The breakfast menu is a little more traditional. Hot Suppa! offers french toast, buttermilk pancakes with or without blueberries, breakfast sandwiches, and various egg options. Creative stand-outs include homemade corned beef hash, Fiddler’s Green Farm Organic 7-Grain Porridge, and Southern-style biscuit and sausage gravy. I had the latter during a previous visit. The biscuit was topped with two poached eggs, and I can confirm that it was a hedonistic experience I will repeat when my arteries recover. Most breakfast plates come with sides like homefries, fruit, toast, bagels, muffins, and bacon, Canadian bacon, or sausage. Sides can be ordered separately. Breakfast prices range from $4.95 to $9.95.

On my recent visit with my cousin Alex, we were quickly served coffee from local roastery Coffee By Design. Juice, hot chocolate, and espresso beverages were also available. Our friendly server kept our mugs full, and our food arrived fairly quickly.

I ordered Eggs Benedict with fried green tomatoes ($9.95), also available with Canadian bacon. They arrived with dark brown, cubed homefries and a beautiful circlet of grapefruit, orange, pineapple, watermelon, and strawberries. The homefries were badly overdone. However, the eggs were tight, round orbs perched atop thick fried tomatoes and crispy english muffins. A sprinkling of fresh cut flat-leaf parsley and paprika added the brush of color the eggs needed. They were delicious! The eggs were perfectly cooked with hard set whites and golden, gooey yolks. I’m used to heavy hollandaise sauce that punches me with rich density. Hot Suppa’s! hollandaise was a delicate, lemony variation that perfectly tempered the tangy, tart green tomatoes. I loved the contrasting texture of creamy eggs, crispy tomatoes, crunchy english muffin. This is one of the best versions of Eggs Benedict I’ve ever had.

My cousin got a french-style omelet with cheddar, bacon, and spinach ($6.95). It was served with homefries, fruit, and Alex’s choice of cinnamon-raisin toast. The omelet was a long, creamy yellow cylinder. Neither Alex nor I had seen a french omelet before, so the thin, fluffiness of the egg wrapping was surprising. It was more like an egg crepe than traditional, half-moon omelets. Although he was worried the omelet was underdone, Alex enjoyed it. “It’s awesome,” he said. “Oh, wait, was I supposed to say something more profound?”

All in all, it was a great visit. We were able to linger, thanks to a quiet morning at the restaurant. Our bill, for two coffees and two breakfast items, came to $20 pre-tip. We definitely loved our real food at Hot Suppa!

Breakfast and lunch are served from 7:00 am - 2:00 pm, Monday through Saturday; 7:30 am - 2:00 pm Sunday. Most major credit cards and cash accepted. No alcohol. On-street parking is required; bring quarters for the meters. Contact them at 207-871-5005.