If your passion is seafood, you may feel like you have to hop across the pond to Europe in order to find some truly delicious oysters. However, if you’re living in or visiting Portland ME, there are plenty of great spots around the city where you can find exceptional oyster dishes. With so many options out there, how do you choose which ones will satisfy your cravings? Read on to discover our pick for the 7 best oyster bar in Portland ME!
Best Oyster Bar in Portland ME
DiMillo’s On the Water
- Address: 25 Long Wharf, Portland, ME 04101, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (4485)
- Phone: +1 207-772-2216
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 12:00 – 9:00 PMTuesday: 12:00 – 9:00 PMWednesday: 12:00 – 9:00 PMThursday: 12:00 – 9:00 PMFriday: 12:00 – 9:00 PMSaturday: 12:00 – 9:00 PMSunday: Closed
5 Replies to Best Oyster Bar Restaurants in Downtown Portland ME
Leave Reply
Top 7 Most Popular Oyster Restaurants in Portland ME
Eventide Oyster Co.
- Address: 86 Middle St, Portland, ME 04101, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (3658)
- Phone: +1 207-774-8538
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PMTuesday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PMWednesday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PMThursday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PMFriday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PMSaturday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PMSunday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
- Reviews:
When we decided to make a stop in Portland during our most recent trip, Eventide was at the very top of my list for places to try. A few things to know before you go- they don’t take reservations and they are ALWAYS busy. Be prepared to wait. But just know, the wait will be well worth it. We went at about 3:30 on a Sunday, the hostess quoted us an hour to an hour and a half wait, we ended up getting a text about 45 minutes later that our seating was ready. We were sat at the window bar. We ordered a dozen oysters, the lobster roll, chicken bun and the stuffed clams. All were seriously so amazing. The sandwiches were SUPER small but the lobster roll may have been the best I’ve had. And I’ll be dreaming about that chicken bun until I can have it again. Great food, friendly and quick service. Small space that’s guaranteed to always have a waitlist. But do yourself a favor and wait. You will be glad you did!!By Megan Krolo (7 months ago)Decent place for oysters, lobster rolls and the like. The wait can be a bit so show up early. Seating is adequate however, the place does get busy and the prices may be steep for some. Definitely a tourist favorite. The menu had ample offerings and the beverage list was good. Service was relatively fast, efficient and courteous however, note that they do like to move people in and out quickly. Worth a stop when in the area.By c “cfl” lane (3 months ago)The food was excellent and the place was packed on a Monday early evening. The wait was an hour but we opted to stand and got in right away, otherwise it would have been over an hour wait. The food was good and I honestly didn’t realize there were so many species of oysters. The crab roll, lobster roll, oysters and fish sandwich was amazing, definitely a must try and stop by if you’re in Portland, ME.By Ken Duong (6 months ago)Eventide takes their food and business seriously. Everything we had was simply delicious! The oysters were so fresh and flavorful, we almost ordered a second dozen. We had a front row seat to all the shucking! It was awesome. The fried chicken sandwich was our favorite order of the evening. Highly recommend! They are usually slammed…year round, so truly plan on a 2+ hour wait. Go early, put your name in and get a drink or apps somewhere. There is no parking, so street parking is your best bet! The service is quick and accommodating. Enjoy!!By Kaitlin Altieri (8 months ago)Eventide was a treat. We were able to snag a spot without reservations early in the afternoon although I imagine we were just lucky as a line quickly formed. Service was helpful and congenial and drinks had a nice variety available.
Food overall was phenomenal with the oysters and inventive ices a great experience. I also want to highlight the lobster roll and pastrami as being delicious too. Would not hesitate to recommend Eventide to a friend or family.
By Jeremy Yowell (4 months ago)
J’s Oyster
- Address: 5 Portland Pier, Portland, ME 04101, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (2466)
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: ClosedTuesday: 11:30 AM – 9:00 PMWednesday: 11:30 AM – 9:00 PMThursday: 11:30 AM – 9:00 PMFriday: 11:30 AM – 10:00 PMSaturday: 11:30 AM – 10:00 PMSunday: Closed
- Reviews:
Easily one of my favorite spots to eat in Portland with an incredible lobster roll. The location is great. You can’t beat it on a nice day as you can sit right on the water. Service is always good. Love their oysters and the adult grilled cheese. Clam chowder is top notch too so be sure to get at least a cup. Let’s be honest though… you have to try the lobster roll. It’s fresh and buttery and the bread is soft and delicious. I put it up there in my top 3 favorites in the city.By Taylor Snipes (2 months ago)Visited with friends on December 6, 2021. Stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Portland Downtown/Waterfront. Drove down to the restaurant to eat. The food was beyond delicious. The clam chowder is a must have. The staff there are very friendly. If you happen to be around this area come by with friends and family. There is a bar inside. The prices are very reasonable. Will definitely come here to eat again. I can’t wait for my next visit. Happy Eating everyone and enjoy.By Jedi Knight (a month ago)J’s Oyster house to me was the best of all restaurants that I have tried in Portland Maine. They had more items to offer and their food is very good. They have the best clam chowder to me. It has a lot of clams in it and it was very creamy and rich. This place has more to offer then Luke Lobster down the street. But Luke Lobster has the best price in town for boil Lobsters. Everyone needs to stop by and have some great sea food here. You’ll love and your tummy will thank you for it.By Hoang Dang (4 months ago)This is definitely a staple in the Portland area. Located on the dock in Old Port, J’s has some of the freshest oysters around. Since it’s summer, the place stays fairly busy. I was a party of one and was promptly seated at the bar. Waitress immediately took my drink order and showed me the board with the days specials. I opted for a Cajun haddock sandwich and of course, a half dozen oysters. Now when they are shucking them right in front of you, it’s going to just taste fresh and amazing. While I waited for my sandwich, I devoured my oysters and accompanied it with a hot sauce highly recommended by the waitress. Once my haddock sandwich arrived, it took me no time to eat it. Everything is fresh, delicious, and oh so flavorful.By Crissy Ruiz (6 months ago)We had the most amazing birthday dinner here! Highly recommend the Lobster Stew, Oyster Sampler and Bouillabaisse (mom has not stopped talking about it). Wait staff is polite and quick. Bloody Mary was really good too.By carrie kittel (5 months ago)
The Porthole Restaurant & Pub
- Address: 20 Custom House Wharf, Portland, ME 04101, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.3 (2387)
Gilberts Chowder House
- Address: 92 Commercial St, Portland, ME 04101, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (2292)
Scales
- Address: 68 Commercial St, Portland, ME 04101, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (1723)
Boone’s Fish House & Oyster Room
- Address: 86 Commercial St, Portland, ME 04101, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.2 (1487)
Docks Seafood
- Address: 15 Evans St, South Portland, ME 04106, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.3 (1277)
That’s it for our list of the best oyter bar in Portland ME! If you have any arguments or additional information, please leave a comment. We love to hear from our readers. And don’t forget to check out some of the other posts on our blog for more travel inspiration. Happy beachcombing!
Highly Recommend! We didn’t have a reservation, but they got us in right away. The service was great and the food was amazing! We had clam chowder, french onion soup, lobster stew, bacon wrapped scallops, and salad to start. Mom opted for the lazy lobster, which she said was great. My brother and I both went for the deep fried lobster, and if you’ve never tried it you definitely need to! The views were nice too. Overall just an excellent dining experience!
When we arrived, there was wait line. But it’s not long before we got called into the restaurant. The restaurant feels roomy with beautiful decorations. As I expected, we love all the food we ordered. My 15-years-old love the Lobster Roll. We ordered four appetizers and… OMG, the appetizers are big. We only finished 3 1/2 plates. Overall, the food prices are very reasonable for the amount of food we got. We strongly recommend this restaurant.
Great food, atmosphere and service!
Our server, Annie was amazing! She made sure that we had everything that we needed and always with a smile!
She was extremely personable and made our night out more memorable. We loved feeling like we were eating on a boat.
Loved the whole experience! We did a walk in, because no one was answering the phones unfortunately. And it was a quick 5 minutes to be seated.
Food was so delicious and filling! We split everything for two people, so it was just enough.
Our waiter Chris was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! He was very kind, understanding and patient.
My sister, who doesn’t like seafood, was shocked that she liked the scallops and lobster!
My favorite was for sure the scallops!
Total came out to $117 and some change and then of course the tip is separate but yeaa!
Really interesting restaurant with waterfront view, and some interesting exhibits…
Fresh seafood too but I bet most of the other restaurants nearby provide seafood of similar quality.
I enjoyed the Peruvian peppers on the fried calamari…I thought they were weirdly shaped tomatoes because of the sour-sweet taste but they had this seedy texture. I wonder if I can get some in New York.
Oh and they have free parking