Casual Dining & Restaurants in Maine (ME)

Remember when dining by the water was a relaxed affair, maybe savoring a lobster roll or chowder or fried clams while the sun shone and the sea breezes wafted by? You can recapture that at the Anchorage Inn’s Sun and Surf Restaurant, where they’ve been serving up casual fare at their dramatic surfside location since 1963. Enjoy your meal on one of three outdoor patios or in their colorful dining room. Seafood’s a specialty, but you can order up everything from burgers and salads to steaks and pasta. Or, go for some extra creamy Maine-made ice cream at their takeout window. For quick snacks, light breakfasts or a cocktail, seek out the inn’s poolside cafe.

Open Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day weekend, The Dory at the Lodge at the Cove offers a unique dining experience for guests at the colorful poolside bar. Just minutes from Dock Square, this serene, outdoor bistro overlooking the cove offers a laid back atmosphere for friends, lovers and family. The menu features build-your-own burgers, homemade milkshakes and clever sides such as sweet potato tater tots, as well as quesadillas, lobster salad, local seafood. Creative cocktails, a daily Happy Hour (4pm to 6pm) and live local music make it festive for the adults while ping pong, lawn games and retro ice cream bars keep the kids happy. Tucked away from downtown Kennebunkport, it’s the perfect spot for a relaxing time.

Who better to know about seafood than the chef at a restaurant alongside the waterfront? That’s why the menu at BlueFin North Atlantic Seafood restaurant at the Portland Harbor Hotel features the freshest locally caught fish as well as everything else that is Maine at its best: seasonal fruits and vegetables, farm-fresh eggs and artisanal cheeses, artfully presented with plenty of culinary surprises. From house-made granola at breakfast to crab cakes for lunch to evening meals that start with marinated octopus and move on to a “clean shirt lobstah dinnah” (picked claws and split tail), paella or a grilled strip steak, dining at the BlueFin, either in a plush booth or on the lush garden patio, is not to be missed.

For distinctive dining on Maine's coast, head to Jonathan's Ogunquit.  You'll enjoy casual fine dining in a contemporary lounge atmosphere with exquisite gardens and a 600-gallon aquarium. We offer a menu that will suit all, with both innovative dishes and deep-rooted local favorites. We use sustainable, local products whenever reasonably permitted. We're open for lunch Wednesday thru Sunday and for dinner every day. Do you crave something harvested from the sea? Try our boiled lobster, seafood-stuffed haddock, or seafood chowder with lobster, shrimp, and fresh scallops. Among our other entrees: chicken piccata, Jaerger schnitzel, wild mushroom pappardelle, and Black Angus hand-cut steak. Don’t miss our award-winning chocolate mousse or our legendary creme brulee.