278 Best Restaurants in Maine, USA

Housed in a historic barn, this wine bar and its front patio get busy in summer, and for good reason: artisan cocktails and flavorful small plates are expertly made, and, as the name suggests, the wine list is stellar. Except for a six-week break in midwinter, it's open year-round and cozy on cold nights, too. Stop in for live music or book a small-group cocktail class.

This pint-size but well-stocked independent bookstore with a tiny café has been serving Camden for more than 50 years. The full menu of coffee drinks is based on locally roasted beans and includes a selection of homemade baked goods.

There's terrific sushi being rolled at this casual brick-walled Japanese gastropub, but it’s the cooked stuff that brings in the crowds. Some of the richest, most flavorful ramen this side of Tokyo is served, like big bowls of steaming pork and chicken broth laden with roasted pork belly, soy marinated egg, scallion, and ginger, or the lobster miso ramen with bok choy, corn, and sesame. Wash it all down with one of the bar’s local beers and you’re well on your way to a Matsuyama-meets-Maine feast.

Everything about this diner, set in a 1927 old-fashioned pre-fab diner car just off Main Street, is retro except the food. Hop on a stool at the counter (that's all there is), enjoy the Motown tunes, and tuck into one of the deluxe sandwiches for breakfast or lunch. The diner doesn't take reservations—and it's cash only—but it's well worth the wait.

This upscale, sprawling, and stylish (yet somehow still relaxed) dining room in The Pentagoet Inn is the focal point of Castine's social scene. Look for simple but well-executed renderings of specials like smoked trout paté, grilled duck breast, and the flaky lobster potpie that pairs nicely with a well-curated selection of wines, craft cocktails, and local beers. Stay a bit later for a postprandial cocktail in the adjacent Mister's Pub, an eccentric combo of Dickensian charm–meets–nautical lore.

Chef Melissa Kelly has twice won the James Beard Best Chef: Northeast award (1999 and 2013), and she and her world-class restaurant have been written up in such magazines as Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and O. Named for the chef-owner's Italian grandfather, Primo serves masterfully prepared pasta, fresh seafood, and local meats. The restored Victorian house offers a variety of atmospheres: downstairs rooms with white-tablecloth-covered tables have a formal feel; a new Primo Room offers a more contemporary feel; and upstairs dining rooms tend to be livelier. Reservations, the earlier the better, are strongly advised. Behind the restaurant is the 0km (as in zero kilometers) Bungalow, a rustic structure where you can enjoy a drink before or after dinner. It's also the place for $1 oysters on the half shell on Sunday afternoon, along with live music. No matter where you sit, it can't get more farm-to-table: the restaurant raises its own chickens and pigs, cures its own meats, produces its own eggs, and grows its own fruits and vegetables.

Whether you have a table or a seat at the bar, you’ll feel comfortable at this acclaimed longtime downtown restaurant, where yellow walls, white tablecloths, and the white brick fireplace add lightness and wood ceilings and floors add warmth. Rich with locally sourced foods, the seasonally fine-tuned menu has entrées such as lobster risotto with asparagus and maple-glazed baby back ribs, grilled with crescendo after slowly braising, or choose an inventive burger, perhaps with Red Sky hot sauce; pasta is made in-house.

The customers lined up beside this little red shack at the bottom of Wiscasset's Main Street, just before the bridge across the Sheepscot River, have come from far and wide for one of the Maine Coast's best lobster rolls—namely, a perfectly buttered and griddled split-top roll that's absolutely, positively stuffed with fresh, sweet meat and served with melted butter and mayo on the side. Devotees swear that the wait (up to two hours!) is worth it, and it helps that staffers hand out ice water, Popsicles, umbrellas to protect from rain or hot sun, and even dog biscuits for the pups. You can also get your lobster in a gluten-free roll or on a plate without any bread. Other choices include crab rolls, hamburgers, and onion rings, as well as clams or other local seafood fried in house-made batters. Enjoy your hard-earned feast at a table on the bilevel deck behind the shack or at a picnic table on the grass by the water. For a shorter wait, come on a weekday at an off-hour (not lunch- or dinnertime).

Known until recently as The Whale's Rib Tavern, the tavern and outdoor space are a smart and charming place to stop for a pint of one of the many Maine craft beers on tap, and a pub snack or two. But, it's the recently renovated adjacent dining room that's become an ambitious dinner spot with a menu from celebrated and Michelin star–awarded chef Ryan McCaskey that includes dishes like local halibut with leeks and foraged mushrooms or scallops with saffron chili butter.

Perched on the bridge that spans the river between Damariscotta and Newcastle, this sweet little restaurant is passionate about growing or locally sourcing as many ingredients as possible. They're always fresh and top-quality, and shine in simply yet deftly prepared dishes such as monkfish chowder with crab and corn, or fermented mushroom salad with chestnut and sesame oats. Damariscotta River oysters are always on the menu, and there's an exceptional burger, made from local beef and topped with local cheddar. The wood-fired grill just inside the front door features in many of the preparations. 

Have an open mind and an adventurous palate when you walk inside this tiny shop as you won't find plain vanilla or chocolate on the menu. Rococo's has a rotating rooster of internationally inspired flavors that range from olive oil, rosemary, caramel, and pepitas to goat cheese, blackberry, and Chambord.

In opening this pitch-perfect bagel shop, chef-owner Chad Conley filled a long-neglected gap in Portland's food scene. Here you'll find spot-on New York–style bagels (made in-house every morning) with both expected and unusual add-ons, including pastrami nova, chopped liver, and whitefish salad.

Seafood purists and adventurers alike find bliss in this menu of superb pan-roasted, smoked, and grilled fish; fresh-as-can-be seafood crudos; and fried shellfish. Perched on Maine Wharf directly over the harbor, the contemporary-but-comfortable restaurant was opened by two local culinary heroes, restaurateur Dana Street and chef Sam Hayward, in 2016, and has since become one of Portland’s most beloved. There are New England classics like fried clams and fish-and-chips (perfectly crisp outside, tender and sweet in) alongside creative dishes like Bangs Island mussels in hard cider, cream, dill, and locally made Raye’s mustard. If you’ve got time, come a little early and grab a drink at the expansive room’s buzzing bar.

In a petite gray Cape (look for the mini red-and-white-striped lighthouse beside it), the Scone Goddess makes what are almost certainly the best scones you've ever tasted. Tender and a little crumbly—they bear no resemblance to those stone-hard lumps so often passed off as scones—flavors, which change daily, include ginger lemon, wild Maine blueberry lemon, raspberry cream, and bacon cheddar. You can order a latte, Americano, tea, iced tea, or lemonade to go with your treat. You can also buy mixes, in about a dozen flavors, to bake at home or give as a gift.

Try for a table by the windows in the dining room of this little landmark restaurant, perched beside Pemaquid Lighthouse at the very edge of the rocky shore. Blueberry pancakes with Maine maple syrup are the clear breakfast favorites; the lunch and dinner menu features fried fresh seafood, lobster and crab rolls, salads, and mouthwatering entrées like the shipwreck pie (lobster, crab, shrimp, and scallops sautéed in butter and topped with a cracker-crumb crust). Desserts include ice cream and homemade pies or strawberry or blueberry shortcake. Alcoholic beverages aren't served, but you're welcome to bring your own. The gift shop is packed with jewelry, Maine-made jams and condiments, prints of local scenery, and other great souvenirs.

This charming neighborhood restaurant and bar just steps from the beach serves generous, deeply satisfying dishes filled with locally sourced ingredients. Seafood plays a big role in the menu—lobster rolls brimming with fresh meat; Maine crab and corn fritters; blackened haddock sandwich; and Atlantic fish chowder with Maine lobster, clams, and cod—but there are also options for landlubbers, like burgers, sticky pork ribs, and grilled flank steak.

The namesake of this shack first got the idea to set up shop when her father posed the simple question: “Where can you buy a quick lobster roll in Boothbay Harbor?” Unable to answer, Shannon’s Unshelled was born, and the shack is now beloved for its grilled, buttered buns stuffed with whole lobsters and served with a side of garlicky, sea-salted, drawn butter.

On a side street near the Village Green, this place (and its sister arm, The Annex) hops on busy summer evenings as folks line up for scrumptious "creative comfort food" like fish tacos and burgers (there's a handful of entrées, too). Outdoor and indoor dining spaces, one anchored by a horseshoe bar, flow together; exposed brick and a cork wall and ceiling warm up the welcoming, family-friendly vibe. The main restaurant and The Annex (no lunch) have the same menu until 9 pm, when the former closes and The Annex offers simpler fare for its final hour. Flanking Side Street and The Annex are the establishment’s two sister businesses: Thrive Juice Bar & Kitchen, serving breakfast and lunch (you can eat at tables in The Annex), and Side Treats Bar Harbor, a frozen yogurt place with self-serve toppings.

With an absolute lack of pretension and a laser-focus on ultra-fresh seafood, SoPo Seafood is one of the most dependable spots around Portland for local and truly excellent eats from the sea. Not only do they supply many local restaurants from their seafood market, but they make their own incredibly tasty and high-quality seafood dishes that go down incredibly easy at the spot's 23-seat raw bar. Think incredibly fresh local oysters with juniper and cucumber mignonette, or smoked trout toast, or a peekytoe crab sandwich. You can't go wrong with any of it.

One of the more pitch-perfect bakeries in the Pine Tree State, you'll have to visit early (or put in an advance order) to get your mitts on these delectable baked goods. The perfectly airy croissants, crusty baguettes, beguiling tarts, dainty madeleines, and creative breads incorporate locally sourced grains and are nothing short of revelations.

Trained at the Tokyo Sushi Academy, Keiko Suzuki is an artist when it comes to preparing and presenting sushi—everything is almost too beautiful to eat. The fish is sweet and ultrafresh, and nothing on the menu is fried. Many say this is the best sushi in Maine, and some claim it's even better than what they've had in Japan. Order the omakase—it changes according to Keiko's whim and what's available. In addition to sushi, there are a few cooked noodle dishes. The restaurant is small, and very popular, meaning reservations are a must.

New England—and especially Maine—may not be known for its barbecue, but Terlingua is one of the exceptions. Pitmaster/owner Piny Reynolds started the fire in steel smokers here in 2015, applying what he learned while living in Austin to Maine foods, and he continues to smoke up a gorgeous brisket (to say the least), as well as smoke lobster tails to make tostadas. The kitchen is just as apt to smoke mackerel for a dip or carnitas for tacos as they are to smoke up some local mussels in seaweed before marinating them in chili oil and topping rich deviled eggs with them. Grab a chair inside or out back; both spaces are as convivial as can be.

Maritime accents and a crisp color palette help to make this unfussy, beachside restaurant a good place to relax and enjoy a prebeach bite or a post-beach sit-down meal. The menu features lighter seafood fare and salads alongside heartier options, such as lobster rangoons, crispy fried-chicken sandwiches, and burgers.

Tinder Hearth is well known in these part for its amazing pastries and wood-oven-baked breads, but it also makes pizza that's delicious enough to plan your whole week around—a must given that you have to reserve your pie days in advance, especially since the restaurant was named one of the nation's best by the New York Times. It's worth the bother, though, as the crust is thin but chewy, and the toppings are a mix of the classic and the inventive. Other options on the menu include local beer, good wine, oysters, and ice cream.

Named for the finest grade of flour milled in Italy and owned by the same husband-and-wife duo behind Old Port's wildly popular Central Provisions, Tipo is a Back Cove gem and a neighborhood favorite. The Italian flour is put to excellent use in homemade pastas (like the buccatini with local mussels, fennel, and preserved lemon) and brick-oven pizzas (don't bypass the Casablanca, loaded with merguez sausage and roasted tomato). Service is swift and friendly—including on the sunny, bustling patio—and there's an emphasis on simple, intense flavors throughout the menu.

One of the most sophisticated restaurants in town (Executive Chef Colin Wyatt returned to Portland to open Twelve after sharpening his knives for years at Daniel and Eleven Madison Park in New York City), this is a place to indulge in some of the best dining Maine has to offer. But don't let the pedigree, the artfully decorated dining room, or the gastronomically ambitious menu fool you; Wyatt's refined food is standing the test of time because its execution is dedicated to real Maine ingredients and pays homage to (read: riffs on) traditional local dishes. Those pure flavors shine through in plates like cod with Jonah crab and carrot bisque, and the house's spectacular take on a lobster roll, which will have you rethinking everything you thought a lobster roll could be.

A regular stop for pie lovers around the city, Two Fat Cats bakes up delectable bourbon pecan, sour cherry, and coconut cream masterpieces. Meanwhile, the bakery’s whoopie pies rely on light and fluffy, hand-scooped chocolate cake batter and a filling that’s based on whipped vanilla buttercream, not the more typical marshmallow. The signature pie is made with wild Maine blueberries sourced from Maine-based and family-owned Wyman's. A second shop is located in South Portland.

In the Press Hotel, Union Restaurant has a sophisticated but unpretentious air that is reflected in its menu, which focuses on local ingredients, many of which are foraged and fished, or in the case of honey, gathered from its rooftop beehive. Most dishes are modern and upscale comfort food, like the lobster tagliatelle with snap peas and tarragon. Breakfast and brunch are a treat: you'll find maple pain perdu served alongside smoked-salmon tartines and classic dishes like eggs Benedict.

Sparkling and gigantic crystal chandeliers aren't exactly the first thing you'd expect to greet you in a brick-and-ivy building tucked into a cobblestoned street, yet here they are—along with myriad other unapologetically glamorous touches. Settle into a green velvet booth and order up a meticulously made craft cocktail, or tuck into small Italian-inspired plates such as juicy lamb belly skewers or bucatini with spicy ‘nduja cream. If the weather cooperates, the alfresco patio is a primo spot for people-watching.

Step into this airy space, and settle at a table with a view of the Sheepscot River, or try out a seat at the bar. Many of the dishes (particularly the pasta, paella, and the tremendous house risotto) have a Mediterranean flavor; other dishes showcase the kitchen's creative approach to modern American cuisine, like roasted Maine lobster with whiskey tarragon butter; half-portions of any of the pasta dishes are also an option.