5 Best Restaurants in Penobscot Bay, Maine

You probably wouldn't expect to find an eatery run by Franciscan friars in this little town, but you'll be glad you did. Dressed in long brown habits, your hosts happily serve excellent European-style beers brewed in their nearby mountainside friary, which pair well with sandwiches on freshly baked baguettes, or hearty entrées that blend Maine and French Canadian flavors like family-recipe meat loaf, from-scratch soups, pâté, and fresh local fish dishes. Sit at the bar and watch Brother Don cook, or choose a table with a view of the Penobscot River and the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. Be sure to grab a loaf of friary-baked bread or a sweet treat from the to-go selection by the door.

A summertime fixture for five decades, the Harbor Dogs shack on the town landing is the perfect place to grab lunch to enjoy at a nearby bench beside the harbor or before or after a cruise. Hot dog toppings include southwestern, Asian, and Chicago, and there are also lobster and crab rolls, fish tacos, haddock Reubens, and fried-seafood platters.

Famous for the size of its breakfasts—don't pass up the lobster or fish-cake Benedict—Rockland Café has been a local favorite for decades. The large menu includes plenty of lunch and dinner choices from the excellent clam, fish, and seafood chowder to fried haddock, clams, shrimp, and scallops or lobster, clam, shrimp, and scallop rolls. For nonseafood eaters, there are burgers, chicken baskets, meat loaf, and even liver and onions. For big seafood eaters, there are all-you-can-eat fried seafood dinners. Breakfast is served from 6 am until 11 am in the summer, and until 4 pm on weekdays in the off-season. 

Located in a historic old brick building with an interior that is reminiscent of an Old English pub—dark heavy woods, dark atmosphere, a wood-burning fireplace that takes four-foot-long logs, copper kettles—the restaurant and pub are basically one. Among the items on the menu are steamed lobsters, mussels, seared tuna, fried calamari salad, broiled scallops, and other seafood, as well as prime rib, charbroiled steaks, ribs—and the very popular British-style fish-and-chips. There's live music on Saturday nights. For nice-weather days, there's a water-view deck, and small, sandy Lincolnville Beach is mere steps away.

Locals and visitors alike are drawn to this community gathering spot by the irresistible aroma of freshly roasted coffee; it's a great spot to visit with friends or open your tablet to do some work. There's a wide selection of hot and cold coffee drinks, chai variations, and hot chocolate, as well as Italian ices and to-go choices that include porridge, yogurt, toast, soup, quiche, grilled cheese, pie, and even beans on toast!