This place was so good we went back twice during our visit. The locals come here during happy hour so that told us this was the place to go. As the oyster "Napa valley" for New England we ordered oysters every way they had--raw and briny, sautéed in a heavenly creamy broth and fried. My husband had the best steak and he's from Texas so he knows beef. My sister had their horned devil jalapeño blood orange margarita and it was the BEST! For the pat 15 years we've been coming to Maine as often as we can and we always come to DRG! Their happy hour is our favorite way to sample the fare and talk to locals. Kudos to the chef and owners for maintaining delicious excellence over the years!! read more

We used to come here quite frequently and enjoyed their varied menu and specials. Unfortunately, Covid and lack of staff have really degraded the grill. The menu is very slimmed down, and with items that are pretty run of the mill. The prices have gone up considerably - a steak salad is $32 - $10 higher than any other place in the area. Food was just ok. I can't say I would recommend this place over King Eider or Publick House - higher prices, and nothing special on the small menu, or better food (2 years ago I would have recommended the Grill hands down over the other two in Damariscotta. read more

We chose DRG because we wanted to try Damariscotta oysters. This restaurant offered different options. We ate upstairs where there is a bar and a great view of the town. We ordered pan seared oysters, latkes with smoked salmon, seafood platter and scallops. The oysters and scallops were fresh and cooked perfectly. The latke with smoked salmon was recommended by our waitress. It was different but delicious. If you like fried food, the seafood sampler platter is perfect. The salmon tasted like gas or whatever they cooked it with. The service was excellent. Good drink options. I recommend having dinner here then drinks across the street at the pub. read more

We stopped in on a chilly spring day and had a wonderful experience. The food was fresh- oysters were perfect. I had fried and raw oysters and the fried were light and crispy. Wonderful wine selection. Try the potato pancakes with local smoked salmon. Superb!! read more

Very disappointed in the food after reading many excellent reviews. Service was great. The lobster cakes where more bread crumbs and veggies than lobster. The peppercorn encrusted tenderloins where overcooked with basically ground Dijon mustard brushed on them, did not find a single Peppercorn or taste of pepper. The duck dish was the only item we ordered that was worth getting. read more

This was a perfect way to start a Maine vacation! Come for dinner with a friend who also loves food like me. Our service was perfect. Not to fast, not to slow. Only complant was a lack of pepper mills in the restaurant and the waitstaff had to hunt one down. No big deal, they found one quick enough! The eats - Started with the calamari with the spicy Thai sauce. Perfection! Lightly breaded and not chewy. Sooo good! You also get fresh local bread and oil. Then dinner came. I got the broiled seafood dinner and she got steak. Ok - the steak was good. It is a skirt streak and they throw the mashed poatatos on the flat top to give them a little crisp - delicious! My seafood platter was more than I could have hoped for! I got salmon, cod, shrimp, 3 scallops, and a lobster cake! There were rice and fresh veggies too! There is a little bit of breading sprinkled over the top. It was amazing. The total bill with 2 glasses of wine was only $80 + tip. I would totally go here again!! Highly recommend read more

Damariscotta River Grill - The seafood platter! - Seafood Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

I just wanted to say thank you so much to the owners of Darmariscotta River Grill. I've not met you personally but I couldn't believe what you did for us. We love the River Grill and out of all the restaurants in the area you guys are always our first place to go. Service is outstanding and food awesome. There were three of us and we stopped in last Saturday around 4 sat at table 20, and order a filet, seafood fettuccini, and haddock. Everything was perfect. Except I found 3 bones in the haddock and couldn't eat anymore. This has never happened before. But I'm very nervous when it comes to fish bones. Had a bad experience with one. Anyhow the whole point of the story is. I mentioned it to our server just as a precaution, nothing else. I just thought it might be helpful for the chef. Well to our surprise our server informed us that you deducted the haddock meal off our tab. We couldn't believe it. We had to ask her twice that you guys really did that for us? Holy cow, that was unbelievable. I just wanted to thank you from the three of us for your generosity and caring. Just wanted you to know.... See you again soon.!!! read more

A very quaint, older neighborhood bar. Great drinks at great prices during Happy Hour. The food was good, just a bit pricey.

Our third time here and the meal was off the hook. Just fantastic and our waiter, Ava, was working her last night before going off to college. She was bright and attentive. She actually cared about her job. Started with a Negroni and we ordered three appetizers: lobster cakes, tuna, and fried oysters. All really amazing. The corn chowder or creamed corn for the lobster cakes was like crack. I just wanted more. BTW, their bread and Parmesan bread sticks they make at the restaurant. I need those bread sticks! Dinner was seafood paella and seafood fettuccini with a bottle of Justin Cabernet. Both excellent. The mussels didn't come off in the paella. They never opened, so they were forced open at the table and were inedible. Not a huge problem. Blueberry sorbet for dessert. Sweet and cleansing. A beautiful time. Funny enough all the new places that we've tried this year had issues, but our old regulars are still just as good. The grill has great staff and great food. read more

I went to the grill with family for lunch. Our server was great, and the food was spectacular. The only problem we encountered was the wait time for a table. It was t because they were so busy, but like a lot of places, they were short staffed. read more

This is one of our favorite places in town - the food is consistently delicious and the atmosphere is great. They also have a great happy hour seven days a week from 3 to 6 with half price appetizers and drink specials. Their mussels are a can't-miss starter and are really flavorful and tender. The sauce is also great with bread - yum! They probably have one of my all time favorite clam chowders, although it is probably more of a clam chowder/ potato soup hybrid. However you would classify it, it's amazing! They also have great quality salads - all really fresh. My favorite entrée is probably the butternut squash risotto with duck. The flavors are excellent together and the risotto is really creamy. The only thing on the menu I wouldn't recommend is the pizza with broccoli, which is a little soggy for my taste. Reservations are recommended in the summer. It's a casual, quaint little place with pleasant service and great food. Looking forward to my next visit. read more

Damariscotta is a pretty town off the hectic Route 1. We had a wonderful lunch with fish tacos stuffed with fresh haddock and the beet salad. Friendly staff, nice ambiance, and a sense of real quality local food. Great experience! read more

Damariscotta River Grill - Beet salad - Seafood Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

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Went here for lunch. I had scallops with a blueberry reduction. The scallops were really good. The reduction was good but I'm not sure if I personally like it in scallops. It was a big serving of scallops for the price which was nice. I got my son the tomato, bacon, cheddar soup which he loved! And I may add it was really good. read more

Damariscotta River Grill - Blueberry glazed scallops...yummy - Seafood Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

My dearest cousin was in town so I suggested the River Grill. There were 5 of us and we ordered both appetizers and entrees. Everyone was happy with their choices, (I had the rare grilled tuna salad). We shared a bottle of wine and one delicious dessert. The service was excellent and my cousin was very pleased with our experience. Thank you River Grill! read more

Family of 4 had excellent dinners at the DRG!! I would put this at the top of your list for dinner in the area. The chef uses all local suppliers and you can taste the freshness in the soups, salads, entree' and desserts. The service was top shelf. We had Kendall as our server! She was excellent. Ask for her if you go. She is one of the best. I've owned two restr and would hire her to train my staff. We will be back. PS Kendall is off Tuesday's and Wednesday's. read more

Damariscotta River Grill - Excellent split pea soup. - Seafood Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

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Took the drive from Old Orchard Beach to Damariscotta at the recommendation of a dear friend. I researched restaurants and decided on Damariscotta River Grill, I am so happy we did. We arrived between lunch and dinner menus so we decided to have an appetizer of the calamari and a drink and wait for the dinner menu at 5. It was happy hour so appetizers were $3 off and drinks were discounted, but they sure don't discount the size of the drinks or appetizers!! We had the Calamari and it was perfectly cooked and so tender. When dinner time rolled around my husband ordered the tenderloin dinner, it was served with a mashed potato that was kind of baked , delicious! Tenderloin was perfectly cooked for him. I ordered the tenderloin with lobster cakes. My tenderloin was served perfectly medium rare as ordered, lobster cakes were the best ever and I had the potato and vegetables. I also had the french onion soup it was amazing also. After this amazing meal I had to try the blueberry cobbler with ice cream, great! Service could not have been better! It's a beautiful drive from Old Orchard Beach, I highly recommend this quaint little restaurant!! read more

Damariscotta River Grill - Seafood Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

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We came in a group of eleven, with a reservation and were seated in their back room behind the kitchen. Our server was smooth and welcoming, and we sampled a wide range of their menu. The food was excellent with dishes varying from salads to duck confit. We all were very happy with our dinners, to a one we would highly recommend this restaurant to you. read more

Wow. Truly speechless. Who knew such a small town could have such excellent food. Some of the best gnocchi I've ever had. And and great selection of wines. 10/10! read more

We've been meaning to try this place for a while and finally made it in a few weeks ago. The staff was wonderful. Cocktail menu is great with at least 10 delicious sounding drinks - Mai Tai was delicious as was the pineapple one. Would 100% go back for drinks. Wine menu seemed extensive. Beer menu is ok with some decent local hitters but lacked variety (almost all were high alcohol content DIPAs). The food was pretty mediocre. I got the risotto which I didn't love. Overall, we expected more of farm to table/ fresh feel with local Maine ingredients and this wasn't that... the menu felt kinda heavy and dated. All that said, we will be back to try again at some point. read more

Damariscotta River Grill was an excellent find last minute during our trip to Maine. We were searching for a place to eat on our way to Bar Harbor and jus happened to find this restaurant as we were driving by via Yelp. Reviews looked good and our experience made the stop one of our favorites. All food was excellent and service to match. I had the crab melt (best I've had) and bread served as appetizers with oil was delicious. Others in my group had the haddock sandwich, lobster salad and a pizza. All were enjoyed. Mixed drinks were spot on also. If in the area, this restaurant is highly recommended. We would love to go back if we get in the area again. read more

This meal was awful. And we paid a lot of money and waited a long time. My fish was inedible. It was as dry as canned tuna. No one really touches their food. Save money and check out other locals spots. read more

Had a delicious lunch during our wedding week (maybe the only sitdown meal we had at all leading up to it!). The restaurant was cute - for a narrow building you didn't feel piled on top of other people. Our meals were delicious and fresh and the service was pretty good. I would def go back to try their dinner menu and some cocktails! read more

Delicious food and great service! We came here while in town for the long weekend and stopped in for Sunday brunch. The food was all fresh, made to order with seasonal ingredients, even the bread basket was unique and yummy! The Irish Benedict and eggs Benedict with crab were both 5 stars and came with home style potatoes made with regular and sweet potatoes. read more

Damariscotta River Grill - Delicious eggs Benedict with crab on freshly made focaccia bread. Homestyle potatoes made with sweet and regular potatoes. - Seafood Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

When I say we love oysters I mean we love them and this place has the best oysters ever EVER EVER!!!! Meaty, briney, absolutely delicious!!!

Delicious shrimp and artichoke bruschetta (more like amazing scampi) and calamari appetizers. We will go back again when we have more time.

Updated review: I agree with Junah C. Great happy hour, mussels are hard to beat. Their dinners leave a bit to be desired. We live in Newcastle and have been several times. The atmosphere is nice for a quiet dinner, the wait staff, for the most part, is solid. Their happy hour with half priced appetizers is why all the locals go there, and they do a great job with it. That gets 4 stars. That said, the dinners are OK. We had a very bad experience one night, but that has not been repeated. The food is not particularly good or creative. There seems to be a lot of effort, but the delivery is not great. I would give my dinner experiences 2 stars. So, to sum up, my suggestion would be to go for happy hour, skip it for dinner. read more

My seafood fettuccine was perfect. My husband enjoyed his vegan Thai dish and farro salad. No outdoor seating available, unfortunately.

Great find in Damariscotta area. Three of us got in without reservations on a busy Friday evening and the service was outstanding. The baked haddock bun was perfectly done and a nice change from the usual fried version. Good wine and local beer selections. Shrimp appetizer is perfect for sharing. Downstairs dining area could use a bit more atmosphere (didn't see the upstairs room). Prices are comparable to others in the area. Definitely worth a visit. read more

Came here on a whim for a quick bite to eat and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was Happy Hour! The bar was packed save for one seat at the very end... score! I ordered mussels (OMG delicious), a glass of chardonnay (very good quality house wine), and because I didn't think the mussels would quite fill me up (and because apps were definitely affordable at Happy Hour prices), I also ordered the BBQ shrimp. Those were the only thing I sorta regretted... they were just basically drenched in barbecue sauce. Not very interesting and super messy, plus the tails were still on and with the crazy amount of sauce it made removing the tails a challenging and slippery task. The shrimp were fresh, though, so I still ate heartily. The atmosphere here seemed upscale and chic yet accessible, the kind of place you can feel fancy going to, but not awkward if you don't feel like dressing up. I enjoyed my brief encounter here and would definitely go back! read more

I have never given 5 stars... until now. The meal I had here blew me away. You MUST start with an order of the lobster cakes that come on a bed of a sweet corn sauce. Mostly lobster, barely any filler in the lobster cake and the sweet corn sauce is extremely flavorful yet doesn't mask the taste of the lobster. Great taste. Also tried to order the potato pancakes as an appetizer but they were "all out". I'm assuming this meant they were out of potatoes?? Kind of bizarre considering my boyfriend's meal came with mashed potatoes... Luckily the lobster cakes were so good, I didn't really mind. For my entree, I ordered the Thai Fish Stew. WOW. It came with fish, scallops, shrimp, and mussels in a coconut red curry broth and pad thai noodles. The flavors worked really well together, spicy but sweet broth that played off of the seafood in the dish well. Highly recommended for a meal other than the overplayed Maine lobster. Pricing was good. I am willing to pay a little extra for better quality ingredients, which this place clearly has. It is a small place, so make a reservation or else you might be waiting a while. read more

Try the Thai Seafood Stew if you love local fish and shellfish in a nicely spiced broth accompanied by delicious local bread.

I had a delicious chicken salad wrap and a featured glass of wine. The service was attentive and the overall experience was good. This was my first visit and will return whenever I am in the area. read more

We went to River Grill for dinner on July 4th. We're hoping that the holiday occasion can explain why the our wait was far past our reservation time slot. That being said, the waitstaff was extremely accommodating when we asked to change tables for a better view of the nearby fireworks. We ordered the balsamic glazed scallops, Alaskan salmon, potato cakes, and quinoa salad. The portions were more than sizable, which made it difficult to have room for dessert! The side of steamed veggies served with the salmon was a nice touch. Altogether an enjoyable dining experience that will long be a delicious memory! We'll come back again, preferably on a less busy night. read more

We eat in downtown Damariscotta an average 3-4 times a year over a decade now. THIS PLACE ROCKS!!! The menu offers nearly anything one might like including but not only local specialties, the service truly smiles, and the portions are generous. The place is great for a date, for a casual get together, and even with young children. read more

I've been coming here every year for the Fourth of July for at least 10 years...and before that the Anchor Inn which no longer exists but was run by the same family. Damariscotta River Grill is always on point. Never a five star experience, never a 2 star experience...always somewhere in the three to four stars. It is consistent. Consistently above average. There is often a wait for a reservation, it seems people "from away" don't always like to leave their tables in a timely manner when they have an early time...or maybe it is just that we're always a big party. Either way it's not too bad. The flatbreads are always great for the table...I love the tomato and mozzarella one...get it every time, and we always get whatever the special is as well. It never disappoints. The bread...well actually the cheese sticks are among my favorites and I usually overeat on those, but that's only until my appetizer comes. I alternate usually between the Latkes which are average, the quite good caesar salad (seems to be a theme in Maine...places know how to make a good caesar), and sometimes another option. The main course is where DRG's follies most often occur. Either something is unbearably spicy or overcooked but I find these to be 50/50. I never send it back though since it is always edible...never gotten anything that is completely inedible which isn't necessarily true about other restaurants in the area (I'm looking at you "The Anchor"). This year my steak was overcooked, but last year I had an absolutely stellar swordfish. I think the best bet is to go with a seafood dish. There are two very important things you should know before making a trip to DRG. 1) They're well known for their oddball prices. 2) Their portion sizes are big. Following up on #2, nobody at our table could finish their main course. The paella, steak, duck confit risotto, everyone was too full to finish. You can definitely split a portion with someone else and both leave feeling satiated. The value proposition of DRG is quite good. You get a meal in a great town, in a nice atmosphere with food that hits most of the time, and you get all of this for a pretty reasonable price compared to the prices you'd find in a larger city at a comparable establishment. Sure it may be a tad bit expensive for the neighborhood, but where else can you find a multi-story restaurant over looking the water in Damariscotta? (Hint: nowhere) I'll continue to come to DRG every Fourth of July until either I stop going to Maine or DRG changes significantly from what they've been doing for decades. If you've only got one day in Damariscotta my recommendation is lunch at Fernald's Country Store, walk around, experience the town and then dinner at Damariscotta River Grill. read more

Damariscotta River Grill - Seafood Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

This place was middle of the road. The oysters were unreal, but the place is right on the water, so how could they not be. The restaurant didn't cook the oysters! The food they did cook was solidly middle of the road. You're not going to have a memorable meal here, but you're also not going to leave hungry. You just won't be really yummy excited. The atmosphere is very nice and casual classy. I'm sure the nicest in town, since there isn't much else. The food, however, is much better at the King Eider's bar across the street. See my review on that. So go if you need to just fill your belly with something decent; but skip it if you want deliciousness. read more

Great service, atmosphere and food. Enjoyed a relaxing evening with Muscles, grilled halibut and blueberry cobbler.

Was here for a groom's dinner so I can't speak to the menu. However, the quality of food was outstanding. Scallops, duck risotto, London broil with blue cheese...oh, and the chocolate torte! As for service, anywhere that can serve a group of 60+, while working other tables is great. read more

The food was delicious and the service was quick and friendly. I had the special which was maple walnut French toast -- very good but a LOT of sugar. Also had their hot chocolate which was super delicious. Lots of room in this place and easy to find on the Main Street. Would recommend and would definitely go back. read more

Damariscotta River Grill - Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate - Seafood Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

This restaurant has been around for many years, and the chef is an award winner. So if you're new to the area or vacationing here for first or second time it's probably the best restaurant within an hour's drive. The décor is attractive with brick walls hung with local art. The menu hasn't changed much in years, owing to the success of the chef's ability to understand his clientele and deliver consistently good food that is well-prepared and delicious. But having been through nearly everything on the menu, I look for something a little different each time and generally try one of the specials. Another option is to try that half price appetizers and drinks happy hour. Try working your way through the appetizer menu and see how far you get! read more