The Independent Ice Co
Old Port, Portland
Bar in Portland, United States
Book with PearlThe Read
Waterfront Bar Program
Why go
The Independent Ice Co is a smart Old Port pick when drinks and atmosphere matter more than a full dinner plan. Book it for a date, birthday drink, or small-group start to the night; choose Gritty McDuff's Brew Pub or J's Oyster instead if food is the priority.
About The Independent Ice Co
The Independent Ice Co is a Portland venue with a casual dress code and Recommended Bar recognition for 2025. With limited verified detail available beyond that bar recognition, the most reliable way to frame it is as a casual bar option rather than as a fully documented dining destination.
Use it when you want a Portland bar pick and do not need confirmed details about menu format, seating, service style, or pricing. If you are comparing options, consider The Independent Ice Co alongside Blyth & Burrows, Gritty McDuff's Brew Pub, J's Oyster, Room for Improvement, or Cuties depending on the kind of night you are planning.
Use it as a casual bar option
The verified information supports The Independent Ice Co as a bar, but it does not confirm a specific food program, cuisine, menu format, or dining style. That means it is safest to plan around the bar identity rather than treating it as a confirmed dinner destination.
For a casual Portland night, the Recommended Bar recognition for 2025 is the clearest trust signal. If food, seating, reservations, or a specific service format are important to your plans, confirm those details directly before committing.
Where it fits in a Portland night
The Independent Ice Co fits best as one Portland bar option to consider while planning a broader night out. Pair it with a dinner plan from our full Portland restaurants guide, or use our full Portland bars guide if the night is more about comparing bar options than choosing a seated meal. Travelers building a fuller weekend can also cross-check Portland hotels, wineries, experiences before locking the itinerary.
If The Independent Ice Co is not the right fit, compare it with options such as Blyth & Burrows, Gritty McDuff's Brew Pub, J's Oyster, Room for Improvement, or Cuties. the verified takeaway is simple: it is a casual Portland bar with Recommended Bar recognition for 2025, while more specific details should be checked directly before you plan around them.
Planning details
- Location
- 52 Wharf St, Portland, ME 04101
- Reservations
- Book on OpenTable
- Website
- independentice.com
- Phone
- +1 207-956-7150
The take
The Take
The Vibe
The Independent Ice Co reads like an argument in brick and timber: a historic, industrial room that foregrounds its maritime past. Low ceilings, load-bearing walls and industrial salvage are not decorative afterthoughts but inherited conditions the bar leans into, creating a compact, story-driven space. Rather than chasing volume, the layout encourages direct engagement with the bar itself—seating that favors conversation and lingering. The result is a classic, characterful drinking room anchored in Portland’s working-harbour architecture, where the building’s provenance is as much a part of the experience as what’s on the menu.
Best For
This is a place for slow, attentive drinking—early evenings, after-work detours and nights when conversation matters more than background spectacle. The bar’s spatial discipline and intimate arrangement make it well suited to couples, small groups and solo visitors who want to settle in and stay. Because the room emphasizes craft and the building’s lineage over throughput, guests can expect a measured pace: arriving for a focused drink, talking across the bar and lingering without the push for rapid turnover that defines louder, busier spots.
Venue details
Ambiance
Sophisticated and cozy whiskey bar atmosphere.
Tags
Vibe
Best For
Experience
Format
At the Bar
- Late Night
- Closes by Midnight
Signature Pours
- rosemary_sour
- Rufus_Page_Black_Walnut_Old_Fashioned
- smoked_Manhattan
Planning details
Location
Recognition and awards
Also consider
Where to go if this does not fit
If food matters more than cocktails, choose Gritty McDuff's Brew Pub or J's Oyster. If the night needs a more cocktail-led occasion, cross-shop Blyth & Burrows first.
Bar context
How it compares in Portland
Choose The Independent Ice Co when the occasion calls for a bar-forward night with a more polished feel than a casual pub. Gritty McDuff's Brew Pub is the better fit for beer, pub familiarity, groups that care more about a full meal than cocktail mood. J's Oyster is the clearer choice when seafood and waterfront-adjacent character are central to the plan.
Against Blyth & Burrows, this is the easier call for a lower-pressure drink when the group does not need a highly produced cocktail-bar experience. Blyth & Burrows is the stronger special-occasion cross-shop if the room and drink program are the whole point. Room for Improvement and Cuties are worth checking when booking flexibility, a looser room, or a less formal stop matters more than a composed Old Port date-night feel.
Explore Portland
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full The Independent Ice Co guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare The Independent Ice Co
| Venue | Location | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| The Independent Ice Co | Portland | Pearl Recommended Bars |
| Room for Improvement | Portland | No published awards |
| Gritty McDuff's Brew Pub | Portland | No published awards |
| Blyth & Burrows | Portland | No published awards |
| Cuties | Portland | No published awards |
| J’s Oyster | Portland | No published awards |
How The Independent Ice Co Portland compares with similar nearby venues.
