I grew up in Camden and come back a few times a year. Usually go to the same restaurants each time. This year decided to try 40 Paper. And so glad we did. Amazing dinner great greeting by owner or manager Food was fantastic. Had chilled corn soup it was amazing all the flat breads were great as well. Try cocktails and drinks absolutely delicious. Only sad I didn't try it earlier in my week because I would have gone back again. Great job. read more

This is a lovely spot in a lovely town. The food was excellent and well presented. Too bad the attention to detail does not include staff training. For all the staff running around there was very poor service. read more

Let's talk happy hour. I brought a friend from out of town. I've heard much about the happy hour and have never come in alone before. And I go everywhere alone, but it's so geared for "your own crowd" that I've never walked in. I've been to their other restaurants and have had mixed feelings. A bit pretentious. Which is fine but I find it brings a similar crowd. So I was indeed pleasantly surprised at the great pricing, creative drinks, and extensive happy hour menu. The flatbread pizzas were real fillers and tasty (don't order the anchovy one unless you like sardines cause they are STRONG fish smell and taste-too much for me and I like everything). Further, I had the risotto which was an osso Bucco risotto which felt like you wanted an entire slow cooker pot full of it, to go sit on a couch in front of the fireplace watching television with it snowing outside in your sleeper pants and a fleece pullover. The drink I had was rums, grapefruit & other juice, absinthe and ???, but I intended to only have one and switch to wine-yeah that didn't happen...they were unique, cozy, and tasty. The Undead Men I think it was called. So I recommend you show up early and you'll be happy houred that you did! However, if you show up late they do have a late night happy hour sans food-so I guess you can pretty much show up anytime... read more

If you need a fix of pretentious, precious, and incompetent restaurant, if you haven't had any good snide hipster bartender attitude for a while, this is the place for you! Haven't been to a place where you were made - At. Every. Interaction. - to feel that you were a necessary evil to be put up with grudgingly, this is THE place for you! Four of us, when we asked to be seated in the half empty restaurant for dinner were told that they were not seating, but that we could come back in an hour and be seated. There was no waiting line. There were empty seats. When one member of the group asked about the empty dining room off to the side, we were told that that was a private dining room that we could rent that for $100, but that because they don't have the staff they were not seating in there tonight. The place was half empty by then. Woman on the door acted as though we were the first four people to cross the threshold with the outlandish idea of dining there. We next asked if we could sit at the half empty bar and get food as well as drinks. This seemed to be a unique and profoundly confusing issue for the staff, three of whom needed to consult to reach a consensus that we could, indeed, sit at the bar and order food. It went downhill from there. Two aging hipster bartenders - straight out of central casting or Boston's Back Bay - were working the bar. One was OK, the other, who sadly "waited" on us, was the most unprofessional and overtly hostile bartender any of us had ever seen. Couldn't be bothered to address any of us, literally threw coasters in front of us, stood silently in front of us and then went away. Came back and in the middle of a question from one of us, turned his back and went about some other business. He was rude enough so that at one point one of our group looked at him and asked if we had done something to offend him. He barely answered, mumbled something incoherently and didn't apologize that he had patently offended the then majority of his bar patrons and walked away. When we went to order food we were told that we would be the last orders to go into the kitchen for a while because the kitchen was badly backed up. The restaurant was perhaps 2/3 filled at the time. We were told that they had a lot of reservations coming up in the next hour and the kitchen needed time to prep. I've cooked in restaurants, prep is done early in the day before service hours so that service can continue through busy periods without interruption. Nobody preps during service unless you seriously do not know how to run a professional kitchen. You don't stop serving present business to be able to serve future business. From the minute we walked in we felt that were in one of those places that thinks very highly of itself. In the end, we felt that the staff was in well over their heads on a semi-busy Saturday night and lacked the professionalism and just plain common decency to act hospitably toward patrons. They were rude, unprofessional and smug beyond belief. Needless to say, we left without dinning. I will never find out if the food is any good as some reviews seem to indicate because I will not go back to a place that clearly thinks more highly of itself and its staff than it does paying customers. (It's the type of smug place where the staff get a real kick out of reviews like this; it confirms for them that customers are all, in the end, anal sphincters.) The bar experience in particular was the worst I have had in memory. That bartender has absolutely no business in the hospitality trade. Stay away. Owner of this place should spend a bit more time on the floor observing his arrogant staff. Or running his kitchen competently. read more

Very average. Small portions. Menu never changes. Nice happy hour but tiny expensive appetizers.

We went here on the recommendation of a shop in Camden. 40 Paper did not disappoint. Excellent and fun half price Happy Hour Craft cocktails. Food was outstanding as well. We would definitely go back. read more

Brother, his wife, my wife and I went in first time for happy hour / dinner. We ordered drinks, I later ordered another drink before the end of happy hour and the waiter says "we prefer you finish your first drink before ordering another". I said "tell you what, by the time you bring the next one back I'll have finished this one". He gave a snide lot and complied. My wife went over to the waitress station and asked for a menu, she came back and I asked her to get another one since we were two couples. She went back to the station and no one was there she took another one. The waitress came over and seemed irritated that my wife violated her zone and chastised her verbally. We decided to enter the dining room and have dinner, only a few couple were seated for dinner. The waitress told me we don't allow you to take your happy hour drinks into the dining room. We sat in the bar area and finished them. Talk about over the top with the rules and regulations. Thought we were doing them a favor and patronizing the place? Food was good but won't go back again, don't need to be bossed around when I'm the one paying. There are other places with a more friendly atmosphere. read more

It's hard to over state how rude the service is at this restaurant. This place seems to exist solely on the basis of its "happy hour" where the draw seems to be cheap bad booze sold to young kids. Do not go to 40 Paper expecting a good dining experience. The food is average but the service is horrific. Our waitress began by throwing the menus on the table and made it clear from the start that she felt hugely inconvenienced by our presence. It went down hill from there. As a business owner myself I can see that this place is badly in need of better management. read more

We are "summer locals," as well as foodies, and certainly know the lay of the land here. Came in, had a reservation; we were told to "hang on" by the host/waiter/do-boy for a while before any real acknowledgement. Waitress took our drink order, but didn't introduce herself. Ok, now for the Drink menu: while creative and interesting, it somewhat misses the local boat. Too many lemon and lime drinks - fruits that are NOT local. Why not apples? Or local herb infused vodka? The drinks we had were tasty and well made, but the selection was a bit strange. It didn't seem to match the area or the food (Italian). Again, think local, people. I will say that the wine and beer list was above average - a nice selection. Both glasses we had were soft and lush and matched the dishes ordered. Food menu was solid and varied. Started with the grilled octopus. App took more than 30 minutes to arrive, and the place was certainly not full. Once it came, it had a tasty, grilled flavor, although I've had more tender octopus. The sauce along side, with fennel, was excellent; it took the dish from decent to above average. For entrees, we chose a lamb ragu sauce over hand made pasta - delicate flavor and very tasty, although it came out less than hot; and the mushroom agnelloti in broth - another delicate flavor, with delicious rainbow chard and local mushrooms on top. I would have liked more filling inside; seemed a bit thin. This dish also should have come out hotter. Still, it was well made and tasty, and I finished every morsel. Decor was fresh and hip, with a modern vibe. Loud but fun bar scene, definitely the cooler people of mid-coast Maine. Service is a tad inattentive - we felt ignored a couple of times, and they lost a couple of opportunities to sell us more drinks. Still, the waitress was polite and cute, so I can't get too upset. Overall, this is a solid three star restaurant, especially for mid-coast Maine. I won't run back, but it's a fun, cool place for some interesting dining. read more

Average - OK at best, don't dare to ask them to deviate from their menu (it won't happen). NOT kid friendly and/or accommodating, sad in a tourist town. Service was equal to what you would get at chain like Applebee's - NOT the service you would expect from such an establishment. The host was very nice. Find another place is my recommendation! read more

This is our favorite place to eat in Camden! Amazing food, service and a ton of GF options too!

Run away. We did. After being ignored for 15-20 minutes, we cut and ran. This was after being ignored to be seated for 10 minutes in a mostly empty restaurant. Cocktails and happy hour looked interesting, but bitchy bartender set the mood when she finally wandered over as we decided to put our coats on. Service matters, and this place was severely lacking in that respect. Perhaps we weren't their "type" of customer, and so we were not. Off the beaten track, so perhaps they should try a bit harder. Reading through some of the reviews this seems to be a theme. Guessing they don't care to fix this either. We headed to to another restaurant, and had a great time, good food, and were treated well. My advice is to skip this one! read more

Went for dinner with a large party (7 of us). Walking in, we were impressed by the cool, sophisticated vibe (we are all from the Boston area and used to dining at all of the city hot spots... this reminded us of a place we might go to in Cambridge, for example). Our table was thoughtfully set and waiting for us. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. The drink menu is just amazing (and vast)-- better than some of the best bars I have been to in Boston! Inventive, fun... we wished the bar tender could put a sampler together for us! I loved my choice-- it was a special G+T with lemon and mint... yum! My salad with speck ham was awesome but the ham was very fatty and hard to cut and eat. I had to spend a bit of time pulling the fat off of it before I could enjoy my salad. Yummy, but work. I had the toasted linguine with lobster and pea tendrils. Here is where I get annoyed. Attention Chef: I know what pea tendrils are, and these are not pea tendrils. If you had to substitute baby arugula, then just tell me up front before I order and I will go with the flow. But don't treat me like an idiot. And the lobster was not fresh. I am a child of a lobsterman. I can tell when it is not freshly cooked/picked/served. Also, all I got was claw meat. No knuckles or tail. For the price I was charged I expect the meat from a 1-1/4 lb lobster. It ruined it for me after that. I will say the amazing dessert helped my mood a little... I had the Amaretto something (can't recall exact name)... it was gelato and a cup of espresso to pour over it... very yummy! BUT the waitress forgot to bring the little biscotti you are supposed to crumble onto the gelato... by the time she remembered, we had already eaten the gelato/espresso. So we munched on the cookies after the fact. This is currently NOT the best place to eat in Camden (see Francine's, for example) but it IS an up-and-coming fun little gem with a lot of ambition, so PLEASE give them a try! I hate to write these negatives but at the same time I hope someone from the establishment can use these criticisms to help improve the overall dining experience and help 40 Paper blossom into the great restaurant it can definitely become with just a little more polishing of the rough edges. read more

Divine!! From their homemade bread and butter to the Bolognese...you wont't be disappointed. One of the best in Camden...if not the best. We saw other dishes coming out and wished we had ordered those too! The place was packed before we left. Don't miss this local gem! read more

Just had a couple gluten free pasta dishes (spinach ravioli with crispy salami and browned butter sauce + spaghetti with lamb meat balls) to say that this was a divine experience would be an under statement. If I had a second tummy if have ordered every pasta dish on the menu!! As If the food wasn't enough... They have kick ass cocktails!! I had a couple of the gin variety. They are nicely mixed and worthy of the highest marks! I can't wait to come back here again! read more

This place is doing COVID dining right. Their to-go menu was delicious -- all the food we got was so good (a couple apps and flatbreads). But, I think the to-go drinks were even better. Excellent presentation and you can tell they really thought through the details (the drinks come in little apothecary-style glass bottles, which allowed me to look like a classy hipster while covertly drinking a cocktail in the park). The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful in figuring out what to order, even for a to-go dining experience. Would highly recommend! read more

Fantastic- great food, interesting choices, diverse menu. Attentive waiter. Love this place!! If you're in Camden you have to try this place out! read more

Right before we headed over to 40 Paper, the Saturday before Memorial Day, I read a few negative reviews here on Yelp. I don't get it. We had a fabulous experience. 1. The food was fabulous. We had a flat bread that was to die for (look for the one with lemon slices on it. Seriously.) and I ate fiddleheads for the first time. 2. Service was excellent. Our waitress was friendly, and knowledgable. I'm not much of a beer drinker, and have a narrow selection that I enjoy. She steered me to an Allagash Black that was superb. I know my food much better than I know my beer. So take #1 seriously. It's excellent. I don't understand what's wrong with this place. Next time we're in Camden, it's the first place we're going to. read more

My husband and I were visiting Maine and decided to have dinner here after a couple locals recommended it to us. They raved about it and after our experience I am not exactly sure why. We arrived an hour before they were seating anyone for dinner so we sat at the bar and ordered mussels and a couple cocktails. The drinks were excellent! They had a great happy hour selection also, very affordable! The atmosphere of the restaurant was very nice, very low key and relaxed while decorated very trendy. All in all we were impressed until we were seated for dinner. Our waitress was the furthest thing from friendly and very unhelpful. I ordered the tortellini and my husband ordered the hanger steak. The presentation of both were very nice! They tasted ok.. Nothing to write home about. But the portion sizes were pitiful. Both of us were still hungry when we left. We ended up having a second dinner in Portand a couple hours later. So basically this place did not live up to the hype. I would go back for drinks and maybe walk somewhere else for dinner. read more

Interior was very nice (although painfully similar to a few other restaurants in Camden and Rockland)... Modern/rustic mashup. My boyfriend and I went around 530 for happy hour (happy hour is 4-6). We walked in to see that the bar was PACKED like a sardine can, forcing 15-20 people to stand. We learned this was because you cannot get the happy hour deals (1/2 drinks and some apps in the dining area). I found this very annoying and unnecessary... It makes sense for a very large restaurant and bar... But not a tiny one. Everyone had to stand because they didn't want to pay full price for the drinks because they were sitting 10 feet from the bar. Did I mention the dining room was EMPTY? The servers didn't seem to have a CLUE as to how to properly serve guests... It seemed like it was the entire staff's first day! We waited over five minutes to be acknowledged (we managed to grab a seat and the stools behind the bar) and 12 MINUTES for our drinks... I guess that's a way to make sure we can't order two rounds before happy hour is over! We ordered baby artichokes with goat cheese for an app. Very good... But SOO OVERPRICED! $6 for one artichoke cut in half .... ONE.... Oh, and that's the discounted price... Normally it's $9! I'm not from the area... If I were, I would never go back! Also, small selection of beers. read more

I have to say I agree with the comments from Ruthie on 7-19-21. I was welcomed as if I had the COVID, very unwelcomed. Except for our waiter, the other staff and crew were basically rude. Service was slow, food adequate but cold, desert pretty bad. Will not return and certainly would not recommend this restaurant. Blaze the night before was complete opposite, go there! read more

We came in expecting an average meal and I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually really great! The wedding soup appetizer was delicious - earthy and full of sausage. The carbonara pasta dish was the highlight of my night - perfectly cooked pasta, expertly seasoned, filling and flavorful. The service was average and prices were fair. Ambiance was ok - the whole place was a little dark though. read more

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Was on a little road trip with the girlfriend and had the luck of stumbling upon this restaurant. Sat outside on the Patio and enjoyed the great food service and drink. I def recommend and with surely stop by when in the area again. read more

Kind staff and great food. Ambiance is perfect! Slightly pricey for the area but really nice for a special occasion. The owner welcomed us with glasses of champagne for our anniversary - really sweet. read more

We made last minute reservations at 40 Paper when we decided to change our dinner plans. They couldn't fit us in until 8pm, but that was fine. The space was a bit loud, but modern. It is refreshing from the nautical/outdoorsy theme that is found in most Camden restaurants. The food was very good and served in reasonably sized portions. My husband and I both started with summer salads (greens, feta, radishes, flat bread), which were good and quite large. For dinner, I had the spinach and ricotta ravioli which was out of this world, and my husband had the linguini puttanesca, which also looked good. It was a nice change of pace to have something over than fish, lobster or seafood and 40 Paper's "modern Italian" (their words) fit the bill perfectly. If I lived in Camden, I have a feeling I'd eat there a lot! read more

The cocktails here are just phenomenal. I've heard the food is overhyped, which is what I've heard about every establishment this particular restaurant owner had opened. But I can't say that it's truly overpriced and underwhelming, or if that's just old school small town Maine sensibility talking. Like I said, fantastic cocktails. One of the few places in the area to find a beverage that impresses the palate. Take your first date here (maybe after noshing somewhere else) if you want to look suave as heck. read more

Traveled an hour one way with a couple of girlfriends specifically to eat at this restaurant after seeing menus/reviews online. We are foodies who have either worked in the food service industry and/or lived in major foodie cities (Chicago, Raleigh, Philly, Boston, Miami, etc) We knew they opened at 4 for dinner, so we went to Blaze for a drink and an appetizer before our early dinner at 40 Paper. Had a great experience at Blaze and had we known better, we should have stayed there. We showed up at 4:01pm and the first thing we were asked if the 3 of us could be done with dinner in an hour and a half. (I presume they needed to reseat the table). Keep in mind, there were only 2 tables eating outside, probably about 15 available, but I've never personally been asked at the start if we can keep our dinner to their allotted time. But fine, whatever. Not how I would greet new customers walking in 1 minute after service started. The next oddity we encountered was a very unfriendly waitress who seemed annoyed that we brought a baby with us to dinner. Today was his first experience out today at restaurants because the poor guy was unlucky to be born right before a worldwide pandemic. She acted like my B.O.B. stroller & super chill infant who didn't make a peep was somehow detracting from the aging hipster vibe she was putting out. Made a snarky comment about it being difficult to get to the table "with a stroller"...Umm ok. She did seat us at the farthest possible table away on the sidewalk but it's a stroller, not a crib. The second waitress who greeted us was nice enough but I was a bit bothered by her reaction that I wouldn't be drinking. "I'll just take ice water with lemon because someone has to be the designated driver" (looking at the infant next to me). "Are you sure? You can't have just one?" I had already "had one" at Blaze so did not want to drink another. One dinner companion ordered the "Spice Road" drink which she liked and the other just wanted something alcoholic that was a bit sweet. We were told there were no sweet drinks on the menu. As a former server, that's when I would ask, what type of liquor do you like and here's the mixer options we have...Server asked, do you like a margarita? Nope. Patron then asked if they could make something like a "Sex on The Beach" to which she promptly responded that they didn't stock OJ. So she settled for the Doppio because she figured she did like coffee. Both of us felt like it tasted like drinking the coffee grinds at the bottom of the french press. When the server asked my friend how she liked the drink, she was struggling to say something nice so she said, "it's okay" to which the server responded, "Don't say that too loudly". Maybe she was joking but not how I would have responded to a patron obviously unsatisfied. She left the drink 3/4 of the way full and drank water instead. The bread came promptly and was delicious-a focacia type bread with a fantastic cold butter-not great for spreading but tasty. We then ordered oysters (3 for $9), the potatoes alote, and the grilled octopus. The oysters were good in that they were clean but accompanied by some watered down sriracha-esque concoction. The octopus was burnt to a crisp and charred-I'm just bummed I didn't get a photo because I have never seen grilled octopus have 1/3 inch of black char crust on them. The expiditor should have never let that leave the window. The potatoes weren't bad but some were so burnt and crispy that they were inedible. We alerted the same manager who had advised us to be done in 1.5 hours (maybe this was part of their plan to get us out of there quick?) and he kindly took the octopus and potatoes off our bill (but not before letting us know that they were "purple potatoes"). We did not order entrees. We had all been looking forward to a great meal and were sadly disappointed. We left hungry and ended up at The Oak Room in Augusta, a farm to table experience. Look for my review of Blaze as well as the experience there from 2:45-3:45 was drastically different. read more

A few blocks off the main strip in Camden is 40 Papers. We only stopped in here for a drink as they were working on a 40 minute wait (on a Thursday night during the off season), so I'm guessing the food must also be good. Overall I liked the vibe of the room. Low lighting by the tables. A very cool bar and young wait staff. The beer and wine list was very impressive and like I said the place was hopping for a Thursday night. I would definitely try to come back here for a full meal at some point. read more

We have visited 40 Paper about 6 times over the last 9 months living here in Maine. As I am limited to be gluten free, finding tasty meals with pasta, french fries and breaded items is a challenge. EVERYTHING I have had at 40 Paper is delicious. The deserts are excellent. If you aren't sure what you want, start with desert and work backwards, you will not be disappointed. Atmosphere is cozy, welcoming and in the summer, they have patio space. We can count on this being a great meal and worth the dollars. read more

We enjoyed a dinner here in October. We found the service excellent, though it was early and not very busy. We started with the stuffed baby artichokes with fresh goat cheese & prosciutto. I had the Carbonara with guanciale, roasted tomato, peas & arugula which was excellent. So salty and creamy. My husband had the grilled flatbread pizza, the sausage with crispy kale, wined cherries, soffritto & creamy goat cheese. The wined cherries MADE this pizza. SO unexpected and SO good. All in all a really nice meal. read more

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As usual, I sat at the bar. Stopped by for a happy hour dinner after work which is such a wonderful, foreign concept after living in Mass for a few years. Pretty unique aesthetic. A bit dark, sort of nautical. Nice bar area with plenty of comfy seats. They even had one of those peg board games that I remember fondly from visiting Friendly's in my youth. Ah, nostalgia. For food, I ordered two flatbreads, which were essentially quarters of much larger pies, cute into 4 even smaller square pieces. The crust was unremarkable, but it was nice and crispy without being burnt. There are places that have built their reputation for good pizza that still have not figured out how not to burn bottoms/crusts, so plus points here. The cheese was cheese, and the basil and salami were both pretty delicious. Two slices did the trick for me, but you may want more if you've got a big appetite. For drinks, I started with a Moscow Mule. It came in a pretty large copper mug (nice), and was made pretty quickly. However, the ratio of ginger beer to vodka was tipped heavily in favor of the ginger beer, and whichever brand they used was so gingery that it made my throat scratchy. Not sure what that was about, but otherwise it tasted pretty good. Next drink was supposed to be a cuke G+T, but the server forgot the T. She realized it just as I took the first sip and very graciously offered to top it up as soon as she had realized her mistake. The two bartenders were both very friendly and helpful, and the place was crowded but not uncomfortably so by the time I left. 4.1 out of 5. Scratchy ginger beer and a 2 part drink that was initially missing the second ingredient, but was quickly corrected. Very tasty flatbreads. Good ambiance and plenty of outdoor seating. read more

Felt safe dining in here even during covid. Had windows opened to fit fans that kept the air circulating. Tables evenly and appropriately distanced. And the food was great! We had the scallops, potatoes elote, and a gluten free bolognese and would recommend all of them. Will definitely be back soon. read more

I'm a regular here for happy hour, and I couldn't be happier with the food and service! The drink menu and specials are creative and delicious, the happy hour menu is bigger than you'd expect and always tasty. I love the white beans and kale and the arugula salad. It's a really great atmosphere even for a casual drink, and the bar is great for chatting with new people. read more

First of all, if you're gluten free, this place will make you happy! Most of the dinner menu is gf and the whole dessert menu is. We started with a grilled octupus salad that was fantastic and then I had duck confit, which is most often not to my liking but this one was absolutely perfect! Great sides too. Our chocolate torte dessert was just the ticket to end a great meal. My husband had pasta that he said was very good too. Nice wine selection. I really appreciate when I can get a glass of red wine that I really like for under $10. Highly recommend! This is our third time eating her btw and it's been great every time. read more

This place was so wonderful! I loved it. I just happened to be in town (work related) and was looking for a place to grab a drink with a coworker. The restaurant far exceeded our expectations! Great host, bartender and server. Food and drinks were exceptional. I highly recommend it. Looks like a great date place as well. My coworker and I had a great time. Will go out of my way to visit again. read more

Delicious, lovely outside patio, attentive and did I mention delicious. Best meal we've had in Maine this week!

This is hard. On the one hand I love most of the menu. The bar is FANTASTIC and the bartenders are superb. BUT they have a weird and stupid policy of not allowing walk in customers to even place an order... until all reservations have been seated and ordered. It doesn't matter if the place is nearly 1/2 empty and you are seated 1/2 hour before the reservations are even due! You can't order! Being a regular, local customer... doesn't matter. RIDICULOUS!! read more

My husband and I were looking for a place to eat past 10 pm and this was the only place open. We had a tasty meal and really great drinks. The service was friendly, but not exceptional. We would definitely go back next time we visit Camden ME for some drinks and appetizers next time we're in town. read more

At the end of the first hour we still had only gotten our drinks. Waiter seemed pretty disinterested. The food was reasonable not great. Really wondering what has happened here really nowhere as good as it used to be. We at E local and used to really enjoy it read more

The best happy hour in town! Nice, chill place for excellent food, great service, friendly faces, and adventurous cocktails / craft beers. Highly recommend read more