On The Road: Seafood Shacks of Southern Maine
From Kittery to Cape Elizabeth, here are five of our favorite spots for lobster rolls, fried clams, and more.
Welcome to the weekend! Here’s what you’ll find in this week’s newsletter:
On the Road: The drive from Portland, Maine, to the southern tip of the state is dotted with seafood shacks featuring some of the area’s best lobster rolls, fried clams, and more. This week, we dive into five of our favorites from Kittery to Cape Elizabeth.
June’s Free Field Guide: Get all our recommendations for the Southern Coast of Maine, which stretches from New Hampshire to Portland, by downloading our Field Guide to the Southern Maine Coast. It’s a 40-page dining guide organized into a four-day itinerary with 20+ recommendations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks. It’s free this month for paid subscribers!
Weekend Reading: Amy talks to the bartenders who shaped the French 75 Bar for Plate magazine, chef Corey Lee shares his favorite San Francisco restaurants in
, plus another endorsement for a weekend in Door County from .
Seafood Summer
YORK, MAINE — A summer getaway in southern Maine means you are never far from a seafood shack. Whole belly fried clams are a great go-to when available, and the area has an abundance of excellent onion rings. But when we are in this part of the country, we can’t resist a fresh lobster roll. (Some of you may already follow our sister Instagram account, @BestLobsterRolls.) For the uninitiated, it’s important to figure out your lobster roll preferences. Maine-style lobster rolls are served cold and the meat is tossed with mayo. Connecticut-style lobster rolls come hot and are simply dressed with drawn butter. There is no wrong answer here. Over the years, we’ve tried dozens and dozens of lobster rolls at seafood shacks up and down the coast. We’ve fallen in love with classic spots like The Clam Shack, which traces its roots back to the 1930s, as well as The Lobster Shack, which has been serving Vacationland visitors since the 1920s. And while it can be hard to compete with longtime traditions, newer entrants like Bite Into Maine have managed to perfect the genre. Here are five of our favorite seafood shacks along the southern Maine coast.
KITTERY
Bob’s Clam Hut
Open since 1956, Bob’s Clam Hut is a local institution known for, yes, its fried clams, but also lobster rolls, fried scallops, fish sandwiches, and crab cakes. The restaurant is mostly outdoors, so grab a blue picnic table after you place your order at the counter. Whole belly fried clams are the thing here (they come in two styles, one is egg and milk-washed, but both are good); they come out fat and delicately fried, and are a good shareable starter before moving onto lobster rolls with butter or mayo. Pair your seafood feast with a local beer, like a draft pour of Allagash White.
315 US-1, Kittery, ME | @bobsclamhut
OGUNQUIT
Barnacle Billy’s
This waterfront restaurant serves some of the best lobster rolls in the area; the buns are stuffed full of fresh lobster mixed with mayo and topped with paprika and served with a bag of Ruffles and cup of pickles. There are other gems on the menu, too — clam chowder and shrimp cocktail available by the single piece are also worthy orders. A full bar menu is available, though most tables are ordering the rum punch. Make sure to sit outside on the deck to watch the boats coming in to dock.
70 Perkins Cove Rd, Ogunquit, ME | @barnaclebillysperkinscove
KENNEBUNK
The Clam Shack
This iconic seafood shack is charmingly located on a bridge over the Kennebunk River, and locals and visitors line up for some of the best lobster rolls in the area. The lobsters are cooked in salt water so they’re tender and flavorful, and the lobster rolls come loaded with meat on a bun with your choice of butter, mayo, or both (you already know the right answer). The crab sandwich is great, too. Squeeze lemon over the top before taking a bite — this roll is worth the wait in line.
2 Western Ave, Kennebunk, ME | @theclamshack
CAPE ELIZABETH
The Lobster Shack at Two Lights
Enthusiasts know that The Lobster Shack at Two Lights regularly tops best lobster roll lists. The restaurant is situated along the rocky shoreline of Cape Elizabeth and the incredible ocean vista shares top billing with your lunch order. The buttered and toasted split top bun is perfect, and the lobster itself is very good, though not quite as tender as others. The gob of mayo makes this lobster roll photogenic, but it is admittedly a little cumbersome to eat (try your best to mash the mayo into the lobster meat). Be sure to add on some crispy onion rings and a steaming bowl of chowder. And don’t forget the whoopie pie.
225 Two Lights Rd, Cape Elizabeth, ME | @lobstershacktwolights
CAPE ELIZABETH
Bite Into Maine
We have saved the best for last. Early readers of American Weekender may have read about Bite Into Maine last summer. We’ll keep writing about them because their lobster roll is outstanding. As we noted, while you can order fancy versions with toppings like cole slaw or flavored mayos (curry and wasabi are on offer), classic Maine-style is the way to go. Upgrading to the six-ounce size is 100% worth it — you get additional sweet, tender lobster meat, which is mixed with just enough mayo to hold it together, sprinkled with chives, and tucked into a buttery, toasted bun. We’ve been to a couple of Bite Into Maine’s locations, but if the weather and season permits, visit the Cape Elizabeth food truck. It’s the only location where you can eat your lobster roll with a view of Portland Head Light, and what’s more Maine than that?
Multiple locations | @biteintomaine
Download All Our Southern Maine Recommendations!
Ready to plan your trip to the Southern Maine Coast? Our full list of favorites is available in our Field Guide to the Southern Coast of Maine — it’s free this month to paid newsletter subscribers. This 40-page dining guide includes a curated four-day itinerary with 20+ recommendations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks. It’s downloadable for offline reading, includes Google Maps and Instagram links, and is formatted for your phone — perfect for easy reference on your next trip.
Paid subscribers received a link to download a free copy of the guide, so upgrade your subscription today and get your complimentary copy. (You can also purchase this Field Guide on our website, but a paid subscription is a better deal, plus you’ll receive 50% off any other Field Guide you’d like!)
LOUISIANA
A New Orleans Classic: The headline on Amy’s recent story for Plate says it all: How Three Generations of Bartenders Shaped NOLA’s French 75 Bar. “The elegant French Quarter bar, where tuxedoed bartenders stir Arnaud’s Specials and crown Cognac-based French 75s with a splash of Champagne, opened in its current form in 2003,” she writes. “Since then, it’s become one of the country’s top cocktail spots, thanks to the lineage of head bartenders—from Bobby Oakes and Chris Hannah to Christoph Dornemann—who passed the torch with great care.”
CALIFORNIA
Best in The City: A new interview from The Relisher is up, and this time they talked with chef Corey Lee of San Francisco’s Benu. Lee’s early work as head chef at The French Laundry earned him a James Beard Award. Later, in 2010, he opened Benu, which in 2014 received three Michelin stars, a first for San Francisco. In this edition of The Relisher, Lee shares some of his favorite places to eat in San Francisco, including Z&Y, La Palma taqueria, and Breadbelly.
WISCONSIN
More Love for Door County: Writing for her newsletter, Wini’s Food Stories, Wini Moranville recently shared her newfound love of Door County, Wisconsin. “While tourism is the key industry, it’s a whimsical kind of “Americana” tourism that you rarely see anymore,” Moranville writes." “Once you go north of Sturgeon Bay, you’ll find no chain hotels or franchise restaurants. It’s one-of-a-kind, mom-and-pop spots wherever you turn.”
— Compiled by Kenney Marlatt
Want more? Chat with us on Substack, download our Field Guides, check out our archives, or follow us on Instagram @americanweekender. We’ll be back next week.
Maine is at the very top of my list of dream US food destinations. I want all those lobster rolls! 😍🦞