Delicious street food in Freeport: Maine Menu checks out Lily’s Food Cart
FREEPORT, Maine —
Miss Lily Perilla is famous on Instagram and TikTok, and doesn’t even know it. Her Asian food cart, Lily’s Food Cart, is set up right behind the Starbucks on Main Street in Freeport.
“I have Southern China Asian food. I have rice, fried rice, noodles, scallion pancakes, dumplings,” Perilla said.
The mini chicken dumplings are one of her specialties.
“Eat it with a toothpick. So, it’s like a snack on the go,” she said.
Shoppers, tourists, and retail workers all rush to her food cart for a bite.
“It’s a lot of work. It’s very hard work I know. But I like it,” she said. “I have a lot of names. I heard. I’m Miss Lily. The Dumpling Lady. The Noodle Lady.”
She says all she cares about is the food she prepares and the faces on the people eating and enjoying it.
Perilla is from southern China, near Vietnam, but calls Freeport home now and her home cooking – street style – is a big hit.
She has been cooking in downtown Freeport for eight years and has gained many fans.
“I was in Freeport for a meeting and smelled it and off I went. I said – oh my gosh she’s here to today amazing,” said Ori Baylin of Falmouth. “These are the famous Chicken Dumplings. You get 25 of them. Pretty amazing. Taste delicious.”
Other customers make it a priority to eat at Lily’s Food Cart quite often.
“Today, I got the Shrimp Stir Fry with Noodles. I added a little bit of spicy chili sauce. I like a spice. I love that it’s really authentic. I’m from St. Thomas and so this reminds me a lot of the food carts or local eateries down there,” said Kevin Coast, an L.L. Bean Employee who is a regular customer.
Perilla has even captured the attention of some pretty popular foodie influencers.
“People just come to tell me oh I saw you on Instagram it’s like oh – okay,” Perilla said.
Come down and get your dumplings, the rice, and the noodles soon, because Lily is only open from mid-April until the end of November, and then she takes the winters off.
Dining and Cooking