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.

Had a Shrimp Caesar Salad with a Prosecco. Had a Salmon…read moredinner with Brocoli and sweet potatoes.

Had a great time bowling for an hour and then one of the best meals I ever had at the restaurant…read more Great service and amazing food. Love this place

I continue to visit the Tavern. Good drink selection, plenty of pool tables to play, plenty of…read moreplaces to sit and chat, and the service is good when it's not too busy. Sometimes the bar might get backed up when there's only one bartender and there's a rush. I, personally, love it here. Never a bad experience!

Great place to go for a drink, bite to eat, or to play pool!…read more Staff is super friendly and attentive. We came on $5 burger night, and trivia night and both were great. The $5 burger was small, but it was $5! They also do $2 tacos on Wednesdays that I did not get a chance to try. Super fun place to hang out, and the AC is always blasting so it's a great summer spot!

Listen... Joseph's by the Sea was AMAZING! From the Lobster…read moreTacos with crispy wontons, to the Maison pasta loaded with shrimp, scallops, salmon, mussels, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and that garlic herb cream... WHEW! I ordered extra cream sauce. There was a decent amount of seafood too. Chef Dakota makes me want to hop in the car and take that two hour drive JUST for that pasta. It was THAT good! And listen, even the Caesar Salad was top tier. They did not come to play. My Hubby had the Fish & Chips and absolutely loved his meal too. The food was excellent, but the experience was just as good. Service was amazing, the bathrooms were clean, and the inside was CHIC, intimate and romantic. It was the perfect atmosphere for our restaurant date night. Joseph's has that elevated coastal feel without feeling stuffy, and you can tell they take the whole dining experience seriously. They've been serving Old Orchard Beach for decades and have a strong focus on fresh, locally sourced seafood. DO NOT have the disappointment of showing up without a table. MAKE A RESERVATION! Would I drive two hours again for that pasta? ABSOLUTELY.

One of the nicest views I've ever experienced at a restaurant! The service was subpar and the food…read morewas terrible! Steak tips burned to a blackened crisp. Filet requested medium wasn't cooked at all. Burger gross. Caesar bland. Too bad, given that incredible view!

Absolutely the WORST. We attempted to ascertain whether they had a restaurant/kitchen. The…read morebartender stated, "this isn't a place for children, get out!" I said, we are just trying to see if you have a kitchen or restaurant, she said, "no we don't, leave." Worst experience.

Great summer fun with all of OOBs guests. Warm and…read morecomfortable in the off season with all the locals. GREAT BARTENDERS Open until 1::00 AM every day.

Super cute little spot to enjoy some drinks and hang out after a long day walking around. We only…read morestopped in for a drink before leaving I had a Corona and a couple of friends had the banana mudslide and enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend.

Great location on Old Orchard Beach. Prices are a bit high but what can you do! Staff was…read moreattentive and friendly. We shared a smash burger and it was delicious! I had a mango margarita (bartender made it - NOT a mix) and it was good... just very expensive ($13 I think). Good place to sit and relax.

Tried this the other day, and overall it was just average. Some good things are the portion sizes,…read moredrinks are good and they have live music on Fridays which I love. Couple downfalls though, the service was really really slow, it took forever to get a drink or our orders in. Where we were sat was kind of in a weird spot where you cannot see the music and you are right in the front when you walk in. Also I got the fish tacos and they were sooo salty. The people I was with got the steak tips and they said they were good!

My daughter had a softball game in the area so we stopped into 38 West on a whim. Parking was…read moreplentiful and upon walking in, our first thought was that it was nicer inside than we were expecting, like it had just been remodeled. There was a fresh scent and it seemed well kept. Our waitress let us know the specials. Both were mushroom appetizers, which I thought was a little strange. She also said they were out of mashed potato, which bummed me out a little cause I was going to get the baked haddock with mash. We decided to order a kids butter pasta, chicken finger dinner and chicken Alfredo pizza. Once everything came out, my son was putting Parmesan on his noodles when I noticed mold in the jar. The waitress was apologetic and took the cheese and dish away. I asked if we could order a cheese pizza in its place. I strayed in on my Alfredo chicken pizza. I wasn't crazy about the crust and the few couple slices each had some chewy bites of chicken that I had to take out of my mouth. My daughter seemed happy with her tenders but the fries were so thick, they didn't have any crisp to them- just large slices of potato. We got boxes and asked for the cheese pizza "to go", as well as our check. To my surprise, the pasta was still on the bill. When I pointed that out to the waitress and suggested they be taken off (due to the moldy cheese), she said she'd need to ask the manager. After a bit of a discussion between the two of them, the noodles were removed, but I thought that should have been a no brainer. The waitress was very sweet, neither the cheese or the bill was any fault of hers, but we didn't have a great first impression.

Staff were great, Pizza was excellent, drinks were pricy but location is right in the beach, mixed…read moredrink bucket was weak

Used to love coming to this place waaay back in the day. Food was never great, but drinks were…read moredecent, the location was wonderful and we could park right there and pass the afternoon listening to live music and looking out at the sea. Now food is still just Ok, and view still just as lovely, but parking is prohibited, big muscly bartender was super rude, and our beers were warm. The only reason I'm giving even 2 stars is our server Jill was super sweet. Was hoping for a trip down memory lane but that lane is forever closed.