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    Bell Buoy Restaurant

    3.5 (117 reviews)
    Closed 4:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Bell Buoy Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    BELL BUOY RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Touristy
    Good for kids

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    Lazy stuffed lobster
    Sue S.

    Great service and food, reasonable prices. The lazy stuffed lobster was very good; the homemade seafood stuffing was delicious and not just the typical Ritz cracker crumbs. The asparagus tart was outstanding and unexpected. Great onion rings and horseradish dipping sauce. Excellent burgers. Salmon was so-so. Big chucks of lobster in the lobster stew. Friendly staff.

    Steamers!
    Leanne M.

    Every time I come up to Old Orchard Beach, my family and I stop here! It's no frills, but a solid, straightforward meal. Everything is reasonably priced with portions that will leave you full. Once you walk in, you feel like you've been transported back in time. Old school decor, your classic American restaurant. On the menu, they have an option for a 3-course meal. They have various options to choose from for a fixed price! It's great . My only complaint about it is that they used to have steamers as an option for an appetizer in the fixed 3 course meal, and it is no longer included. I decided on clam chowder, Caesar salad, and stuffed shrimp. I enjoyed the salad, and the stuffing for the shrimp was buttery and rich, but the clam chowder was terrible. No flavor at all and extremely watery broth. Would never get that again. Overall, enjoyable sit down, family restaurant, and will be back next year!

    a hot dog and french fries
    Nick M.

    Nice spot that was very accommodating. We intended on going to a popular lobster shack nearby but they closed about 2 hours early for no reported reason. We found this place in seconds and were seated immediately. Friendly staff, good choice of beer, inexpensive lobster relative to portion size. Probably the largest lobster roll I have seen in my life for only $20. Would definitely come back for a quick lunch in OOB.

    Cindy G.

    So glad this restaurant was open since we came in mid-October and most other places were closed. Good prices for seafood. Server was very friendly and helped me with eating a whole lobster. Warm bread was served. Husband had a big portion of Parmesan chicken. Casual ambiance and bar close to the dining area.

    menu
    Emily K.

    Pros: well priced, good drink specials, friendly staff. Cons: Slow, soggy and greesy food, nkt vegetarian friendly, dirty bathroom. No vegetarian makin dish which is to be expected; sadly my fried and onion rings were soggy and greesy. My family enjoyed the lobster bisque, brochetta, and stuffed mushrooms but that may have been due in part to the great drink specials and drunkenness. Lobster was the main event and served great. The wait staff was very accommodating to the baby and a overall kind. However after waiting to be seated, it was backed out the door with no waiting area, we had to wait another 20 mins to have our order taken. Arrived there at 6:50 left at 9:15 p; not really how we wanted to spend our night at the beach. Had to run out to feed the meter!

    Salad

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    The lobster was really really good. Our waitress was fantastic . The bread and French fries were also good

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    6 years ago

    Best food inn Oob thank you Linda, and a big hug to the bartender Sandy thanks for a great summer in these crazy times!

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

    I did not enjoy my meal here. The lobster was over cooked. The ambiance was depressing.

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    The Brunswick - Nachos. Big serving, I'd say good for 4-6 people.

    The Brunswick

    3.3(127 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    There's something telling about a place the moment you walk in, and here, it isn't subtle. You're…read moremet with the lingering scent of beer soaked into the floor from nights that were clearly busier than anyone could properly manage. Now, most people would interpret that as neglect. But that's not quite right. It's evidence. Evidence that this is a place that has been tested, repeatedly, and continues to operate under pressure. And strangely enough, that inspires a certain confidence. You know, almost immediately, the drinks are going to be done properly. I ordered something simple. chicken fingers with buffalo sauce and bleu cheese. Nothing remarkable, and that's precisely the point. They weren't trying to reinvent anything. They were just... competent. And competence, especially in an environment that borders on chaos, is not trivial. It's reliability. It's order, holding its ground. The service reflected that same tension. Reese, the bartender, was clearly under strain. busy to the point where most people would start to fracture, but she didn't. She held the line. And if you've spent enough time in this industry, you know that's not easy to do. There's something almost admirable about watching someone maintain composure when everything around them is loud, demanding, and slightly out of control. And that's really the essence of the place. It's loud... almost aggressively so. Packed. Borderline unruly. At one point, there was a couple engaged in what was clearly a volatile argument... infidelity, perhaps? but the noise swallowed the details. It didn't matter. The specifics were irrelevant. What you were witnessing was raw human behavior, unfiltered, playing out in real time. And oddly enough, it fit perfectly. This is not a place for quiet reflection or carefully structured conversation. It's a place where order and chaos collide and neither one fully wins. But if you're the kind of person who can tolerate that, or even enjoy it... there's something undeniably compelling about it. If you want quiet, look elsewhere. But if you're willing to step into something louder, messier, and far more alive, then this place offers exactly that. It's not refined. It's not restrained. It's something closer to a modern day bacchanal. And for better or worse, that's the point.

    We stopped into the legendary Brunswick for something quick to eat before we headed onto the beach…read more The service was slow and left something to be desired, it got better. The Caprese appetizer was insanely good. The haddock fingers were excellent. The ambiance is what pushes it over the top. Although the band was not that great, the beachfront atmosphere and set up was perfect and everyone got up there and danced.

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    The Brunswick - Listening to Country Roads band

    Listening to Country Roads band

    The Brunswick - $31

    $31

    The Brunswick

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    Sunset Bar & Grill

    Sunset Bar & Grill

    3.8(25 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    We had a great family dinner at Sunset Bar & Grill. We arrived around 5:15 and had no problem…read morefinding a shaded table on the patio, which was a nice surprise. Since it's seat yourself, we settled in quickly. It took a little while for someone to acknowledge us, but once we were greeted, the service was friendly and efficient for the rest of the meal. The cocktails were good--nothing extraordinary, but exactly what we expected for a casual waterfront restaurant. The food was the highlight. My blackened haddock sandwich was excellent, and my wife said her lobster roll was one of the best she's had during our Maine trip. Our son loved the kids' haddock fingers, and our daughter ordered the cheeseburger from the regular menu since there wasn't one on the kids' menu. Both cleaned their plates, which says a lot! Overall, we really enjoyed our meal and would happily return the next time we're in Old Orchard Beach.

    Barely present staff. 90 minutes for food with no update. Parts of the order missing. Mediocre food…read morewhen we got it. This is a seat yourself place so good luck getting anyone's attention. When we finally did, it was almost 90 minutes before our food came. We got an appetizer but were never offered extra plates or a "how's it going" or refills until the food arrived. The waitress left as fast as she could. The drink order was messed up, and we were MINUTES AWAY from putting $20 on the table and leaving. When the food did arrive, part of the order was missing because "it went to someone else." WTF? Also, as an insult to injury, the menu has items listed as gluten free. We have a symptomatic celiac with us and when we mention one person needed to be gluten free the waitress kinda said "uh ok" which wasn't confidence inspiring. And clearly there is cross contact because our family member doesn't feel good after ordering simple nachos (marked GF). Look, restaurants are hard, I know. But maybe this place used to be good? Why was it so packed? The food that we did end up getting was mediocre, like it all came from US Foods or Sysco. Other than the lobster presumably. But everything was your basic "throw it in a fryer" type stuff you get anywhere else. I haven't left a zero percent tip in 20 years, but tonight, they earned it.

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    Sunset Bar & Grill
    Sunset Bar & Grill - Lobster dinner

    Lobster dinner

    Sunset Bar & Grill

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    Bell Buoy Restaurant - wine_bars - Updated August 2026

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