Baked haddock was to die for!! Best I have ever had! Sides are "a la carte", which is disappointing and expensive. Haddock was superb, though. read more

The place is very nice and the service was great. Unfortunately the food was very disappointing. The butter that came with the cornbread was incredibly salty, as were the crackers with the soup. The stuffed lobster was stuffed with salty goop and not much else, sitting on a bed of overly salted fries. My wife had the seared scallops which werent bad but not great either. She said it was overly smoky. We expected more based on the reviews and the aesthetic. Maybe some of the other food is better but very disappointing. Definitely heavy handed with the salt. Would not recommend. read more

Wow, felt so lucky to get in here on a Friday night without a reservation. Arriving at 5:30 PM might have helped... Here's what my party ordered that we LOVED: 1. pan seared halibut with new potatoes 2. pan seared salmon 3. Seared scallops with corn, pork belly, a little cream in the sauce, spinach... This was absolutely to die for. The sweet crunchiness of the corn balanced by a touch of cream and smoky salty pork belly was something I can only dream of concocting myself. The fourth person in our party had the seafood stew, which was more concentrated and salty than she would have preferred. But the quality was very good in her as well. And the service was wonderful and welcoming. Nice view right from inside the restaurant overlooking the water and neighboring pier. read more

My wife and I ate at Scales 6 years ago while visiting Portland and was one our all time favorite meals. We were back in town with our son and daughter and couldn't wait to eat there again. Unfortunately we were a little disappointed. The octopus was good but not nearly as good as we remembered. My son got the lobster bisque which was a little too salty. My wife and I both got the Halibut and both were overcooked. My son got the ribeye special which was good but he also felt it was a little too salty and overpriced. My daughter got the Halibut and hers was cooked just right but felt the hazelnuts overwhelmed the fish. Excellent service. read more

Incredible dining experience! The scallops are a dish I keep thinking about. Great service. All around fresh and inviting ambiance with interesting drinks and great wines. Fantastic dessert. read more

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I was impressed with this beautiful location! Restaurant is on the water! My husband made reservations for our 25th wedding anniversary. There was a card on our table that was a nice touch who hung us a happy 25 yrs. Our waitress was pleasant but wasn't much help with suggestions. I always ask wait staff what their favorite menu item is, her reply was so many. When I asked for her top 2or 3 she still didn't answer and I felt it was a bother. The food my husband and I did select was phenomenal! Cooked to perfection, well seasoned and rich with flavor! Will go back read more

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My favorite fish and chips!! Staff is always on top of it, and the dining room is beautiful

I booked a reservation to this restaurant for the only available slot I could get, Monday and 4:45pm. It opened at 4:30pm. Out waitress Paige was very friendly nice and helpful. She was able to let us know which plates had dairy in the recipe. Everything was delicious and fresh tasting. The fishes were cooked just right. Not a speck of food was left in the end. The oysters here were good size. The decor was simple but they had an interesting fan system. Thoroughly enjoyed the meal. read more

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There were so many things on this menu we wanted to try- it was very hard to decide. I ordered the swordfish, which was served over white beans chopped olives and a tomato puree it was so so good. My husband ordered the seafood stew which had delicious broth served in a cast iron skillet. read more

Updating my review for the better. Came in and sat at the bar close to closing time and was happily accommodated. Just drinks and apps. Had the oysters and wow, they were one the best raw ones I've ever had, sweet, briny and leaves a good aftertaste. We also shared steamers and mussels and garlic bread and they were divine. Good drinks and pour too. It was a good night! read more

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New England's freshest seafood with that French touch. Casually elegant and country vibe, dining by the water. The service is warm and on top of their game. This was the only restaurant that I made sure I book more than a month ahead before flying to Portland Maine and I'm so glad I did. They made us feel welcomed and special the moment we walked in. As this was also part of our 5th anniversary celebration, they took note of that and had a handwritten anniversary note waiting in our table. Highlights: The four clover rolls were incredibly good, probably one of the best in house baked rolls we've ever had. The Bangin Mussels truly delivered and was an amazing start. That sauce was amazing to soak up your bread into. The seared scallops is probably the best scallops I've had in any restaurant here in the US. The seafood stew was so delicious. To have all those fresh seafood (clams, mussels, white fish, squid) was dreamy. The wines were fantastic. Luis loved his 2 glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon and I enjoyed my 2 glasses of Champagne. We didn't skip dessert just because we don't know when we'll be back here next so we got the famous Butterscotch Sundae. That caramel popcorn + vanilla ice cream with maple whip was sinfully good. Ben attended to us and his service was warm, friendly, fantastic. He was also attending to the large group next to us and he was able to balance everything perfectly! Thank you, Ben! Overall, flawless, and was one of the highlights of our stay during the recent Memorial Day Weekend in Portland Maine. Will be more than happy to fly back again from NYC just to eat here. One of our favorite dining experiences within the US. Can't wait to be back! Watch my vlog of our dining experience: https://youtu.be/CmNdz-tWhPY read more

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We really liked this restaurant. The service was wonderful. The atmosphere was great and the food was delicious . My sister and I started with the corn and crab chowder. It was the best I have had . The corn tasted like it was right off the cob , it had the right about crab meat and it was seasoned perfectly. Someone recommended the Halibut. It was good but I thought a little saltier to my taste but a table-mate had the same and loved it. My sister and cousins had the lobster , it was fresh they said and very good We all got dessert. I had the chocolate cake it was good but I thought a tad dry . 3 of the table mates had the blueberry ice cream and they said it was yummy. Our server Anna was very efficient and fun. Definitely a place worth going back to eat again read more

On the warf and in a busy harbor is this perfect gem of a seafood restaurant. The building is all windows and light. The lobster bisque was creative and flavorful with the addition of a sweet potato purée and large lobster claw meat. The scallops were perfectly carmelized on top and tender everywhere else. But the star may have been the halibut, tender, juicy and sweet. My one true regret is that I live in the Midwest so it will be a while before I get back here. read more

waited too long for table even though we had a reservation. extremely loud. Had a difficult time talking to my partner across table from me. For a very expensive restaurant, the food quality was not good. The swordfish was dry. Overcooked or not fresh. The scallops are in season but were small and not very fresh. Salad was mediocre but salt cod appetizers were excellent. There are many great seafood restaurants in Portland but this is not one of them. read more

Family arriving from away for a family reunion. Family from Long Island NY and Denver, CO. Having heard about Scales via my experience, wanted to eat here above anything else to do in Portland during their visit. I know ew of this request 3 months before the date of their arrival and was told they only start taking reservations two months before, so I called back. Adam and Thea were very helpful and were patient with our party changing to the following day after some airline issue. THANK YOU! Large parties are offered a special menu which highlights their excellent, diverse menu. Everyone found something for their likes as well as dietary restrictions. Parking in the city is the perfect usual parking garage if you plan a post meal walk. Otherwise they have valet service available at the door! We gathered together before entering and were greeted warmly and with enthusiasm. The restaurant offers a well lit although decor gives impression of soft lighting. They have an open kitchen and an ice machine in the ceiling for the fresh fish on ice displayed. Menu is mid sized packed with exquisite dishes which made the selection hard. I went with steamed clams for an appetizer and Scallops for dinner. With a party of 10 we ordered one meal twice for our dairy allergy relatives. Our waitress, Emily was knowledgeable about the menu items and their ingredients which helped alot. She was polite and friendly which made our meal the more enjoyable. Everything was outstanding! The steamed Cod was indescribably delicious, the Flounder tender and flavorful done to the last bone! Desserts again melt in your mouth and satisfy the sweet ending with out over powering sweet. Excellent all around and highly recommend! Bravo! read more

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Crab fritters, oysters, scallops and seafood stew. Delicious. Seafood stew was the highlight and the plating in cast iron was an awesome touch. We went with a white wine which was nice and decent price point. Very open and bright with the windows and close to the water being on the pier --- I'm being a bit too harsh it's on the water but you can be seated pretty far back. Tables pretty close to one another on outside patio and server came across with a bit too much forced energy, but was nice. read more

Reserved a table for a birthday visiting the area. Came earlier than the others and had great service in the lounge. Once seated for our reservation at the table things changed. After hearing of the specials and ordering drinks I ordered a few appetizers. We were told she could not put the that in as the kitchen preferred 'full orders' and to decide on entrées before the ticket would go in. I did not know of this beforehand and needed to get something started as we had a young boy who was hungry. I hastily picked entrees to get the ball rolling feeling pressured even though I just wanted to have cornucopia of appetizers for my part (more items than the cost of a single entree, btw). My wife ordered quickly as well as not to hold up the 'ticket' which really soured us on the experience we were looking forward to. The appetizers and entrees were delicious from the octopus to salads to the fish entree and scallops and all perfectly cooked. The brown bread was hard to stop eating but the cornbread was a bit of a miss seeming less than ordinary and not on par with everything else. As we had desert and coffee all I could think was the server's pretentiousness and attitude was souring the experience for us. Our kid was well behaved and so were we. If this place needs to turn the tables over and get rid of the undesirables like us then it should move us along but if anything it lengthened our time at the table. I rarely write a review. I just think the management should know that this policy is problematic and should be enforced with more tact. You're welcome. read more

Scales - Seafood Near Me - Portland, Maine

Nice dinner here. Octopus fish was good. Server was good. Ambiance is very nice and view of the water is nice. Would recommend a reservation, even during the less busy months. read more

The hype is warranted. Family friends who don't even like seafood recommended this spot and man were we impressed. Really fun open concept, upscale but laid back vibes, and some killer seafood. The bluefin tuna was the highlight of the night, though the halibut and scallops also got raves. The cornbread is also a must as an appetizer. Finished everything off with a blueberry custard, tart, and excellent ports. We made resos to eat here again before we leave town. Service was fantastic too. Highly recommended but be sure to make reservations! read more

Had an amazing meal and great service there last weekend. The location is beautiful and the room was dimly lit to set an amazing mood. When we first walked in we were greeted by an extremely friendly and attentive hostess. They also have all of the fish, lobster, and shellfish that is fresh that day out on display. The calamari, oysters, and haddock were amazing. They have a pretty good wine list and some fun selections of bread. I would totally recommend Scales and can't wait to go back. read more

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Great date spot, right on the water. Came here twice and both times the food was exceptional. Definitely make a reservation beforehand!

We had a dinner reservation for 2 on a week night and we arrived 10 minutes early but still didn't get seated for another half an hour. I am a little confused by the other parties of 2 who seems to just arrive an be promptly seated. One of the hosts was kind enough to apologize for the delay. It took about 15 minutes after being seated for our server to arrive. We ordered the 2 signature dishes (halibut and grilled scallops). Both dishes were good as expected at this price point. The restaurant was packed and loud and I didn't realize it was literally on the port so it clearly is located in a highly visible location for tourists. This was my last evening in Portland and I was hoping to end on a high note but this wasn't it. I would probably come again for a business meal but it wasn't a good place for a date. read more

Scales - Halibut, seared scallops - Seafood Near Me - Portland, Maine

We had a really great dinner here! Great ambience with delicious food and great service. Highly recommend!

Good wine, great food. The interior is beautiful. We sat outside and it was lovely. Highly recommend! read more

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Scales is one of those seafood experiences that a person fantasizes about before they come to Maine. I really felt like a kid in a candy store going in there. Seafood is always my protein of choice. Raw, cured, seared, grilled, blackened, steamed, roasted, poached -- all of it (except not fried, sorry in advance to the haters out there). I do not tire of seafood and could dine at Scales daily if I lived in Portland. But alas, I do not, so I just had to revel in its glory for one night, which was a highlight of my trip to this tiny magical foodie city. We made a reservation here for 8:15 on a Friday night. The space itself is sprawling -- definitely one of the largest dining rooms I've ever been to. As we were led to our table, we passed the freshest of seafood laying over ice, on display and also ready to be consumed my lucky diners. And the space itself is on one of the piers in the Waterfront area, which makes it feel like a particularly immersive experience. Perhaps some yummy critters are swimming just below our feet! Probably not, but it's fun to this about. We started out with drinks. Neither of the cocktails we started with are on the online menu, but they were just okay. For our second round, my husband got an albariño that's served by the glass, and I got a dirty martini. Both were excellent and paired wonderfully with the variety of plates we ordered. Food-wise, it's quite hard to narrow things down here. The menu is expansive, and it looks delicious. We deliberated based on past reviews and what we were in the mood for, but we could easily return five different times and split totally different groupings of items. We were pleased with our selection -- clearly, given that this is a five-star review. Eats, below: Tuna Tartare w/ maitake confit, pumpkin seeds, black garlic: A+ Though we had an impressive amount of tartare/crudo/ceviche during this trip, this dish emerged as the best of everything we tried. The tuna was of course super fresh, the maitake confit was an interesting -- and successful/delicious -- touch I've never seen in this type of preparation before, and the pumpkin seeds added the perfect amount of crunch. Subtly creative, and just perfect. Endive & Stilton w/ crispy prosciutto, sourdough croutons, dijon vinaigrette: A Endive salads are one of our go-tos now, and when they're good, few things are better. This had a great balance of flavors here -- bitterness from the greens, saltiness from the prosciutto and some richness and spice coming from the vinaigrette. Asparagus Salad w/ boucheron goat cheese, Marcona almonds, Meyer lemon dressing: A Solid salad -- love the cold asparagus vibe, and it paired beautifully with the light, citrusy dressing and some crunch from the delightfully buttery macarona almonds. Pan Roasted Halibut w/ brown butter, hazelnuts, Maine fingerling potatoes, lemon: A+ Alright, this is where we started to be completely blown away. The halibut was silky yet hearty, caressed by the oh-so decadent brown butter. Hazelnuts added the perfect amount of crunch and earthiness. The flavors were on point, clearly. And the potatoes, if it matters to you, were crispy and delicious and of course also bathing in that brown butter sauce. Grilled Octopus w/ chorizo & hazelnut vinaigrette, crispy yuca: A+ Another seafood stunner. The octopus itself was executed flawlessly, and the vinaigrette elevated the whole plate to divine proportions. Nice to have yuca instead of potatoes to get more variety in starch here. Lastly, I'll just say that the service here is excellent. For a restaurant so large, I did not expect the food and drinks to come out so quickly. But they did, and we were not mad about it. Just an impressively well-run establishment all around. read more

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Let's start with Natalie, our amazing server. What a girl! Happy, positive and she knew her specials and offered great adivine! Food: the bread is to die for! It melts in your mouth with the rich butter. I ordered fish and chips and the plate was big and lots of food. Ask for the fried green beans. That was Natalie suggestion. Great place, nice people. Exquisite food and we got a table with a view! Just fantastic. Can't wait to come back! read more

Scales - Fried green beans and bread - Seafood Near Me - Portland, Maine

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The service was excellent! Absolutely loved the food! We sat outside and enjoyed a view of the water. Do not miss having a dessert! Highly recommend everything we ate but sure did love the crab fritters! That butterscotch sundae was amazing! Reservations are necessary! You will not regret eating here!! read more

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Phenomenal is the one word I have here. Made a reservation about a week in advance per recommendation from a colleague. It was very busy on a weeknight with moderate noise level, but the ambiance was open, romantic with an elevated nautical look. Wait staff were friendly and knowledgeable, and service was prompt. The food of course was the star of the show. We absolutely loved the mussels, the scallops, and the seafood stew. I enjoyed the Autumn Mule mocktail as well. Sorbet at the end of the meal was a great palate cleanser. Overall a wonderful seafood dining experience!! read more

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Scales is an atmospheric sea food restaurant... that's what they do best. When they step away from what they know, as in offering a seasonal spring time dish: White Asparagus from Belgian, they FAIL miserably!!!!! Two white asparagus, cut lengthwise down the middle, smothered in a sticky starchy sauce is not the way it is done! !!! I say take it off the menu...!!! Anyone who has ever experienced the joy of White Asparagus season in Belgium, Germany or the Netherlands would be shocked as I was last evening. What a meager pathetic presentation! Marie A Matson read more

My boyfriend and I absolutely LOVED our experience at Scales. I would highly highly recommend this resturant. I've been to many different seafood restaurants and this is certainly one of my favorites if not my favorite ever. The food was excellent, presentation of each dish was gorgeous, ambiance of the resturant was romantic and elegant and the service was out of this world! We started off with the Cloverleaf rolls, Maine steamer clams and the crab fritters. Both were amazing. The rolls legit melted in your mouth and came out hot loaded up with butter, chives and garlic! So so so yummy. The crab fritters were very tasty. I'm not a big fan of tartar sauce so I cannot speak to that aspect but I did put some lemon on top and enjoyed very much. We then had the Maine steamer clams which were extremely fresh. The lemon butter that came with the clams was so tasty and I absolutely loved dipping the toasted bread that came with it in the sauces. For our entrees I ordered the Pan Roasted Halibut and my boyfriend ordered the Seared Scallops. We both loved our main dishes but agreed that the halibut was the real star of the show. The halibut was buttery soft with a nice caramelized exterior in a mouth watering brown butter hazelnut and lemon sauce. The combination of sweet, salty, buttery and crunch from the hazelnut was to die for. By far my favorite halibut dish I've ever had. All of their seafood is fresh daily and you can certainly tell! Our waitress Katie was lovely and so sweet. She recommended a glass of white wine called GL J Gautier Vouray which paired perfectly with my halibut. It was light, airy and buttery; perfect to have with a delicious white fish. We were absolutely stuffed but pushed forward because I am an absolute sucker for chocolate mouse and we noticed they had a tri layer mouse cake with a fruit compote. We had to have it! And we were so pleased we did because it was the perfect end cap to an outstanding meal. 11/10 recommend that dessert when dining at scales especially if your a freak for chocolate mouse like me. Overall a fantastic dining experience and one that we will never forgot! If you didn't already guess what I'm trying to say here.... do not walk RUN to Scales! You will certainly NOT be disappointed. read more

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This location is right on the wharf across from where we stayed. You can't go wrong in old port. We walked less than 5 minutes and it was worth every step and then some. The building is updated and the interior was very formal and elegant. There was a bar area that was a little more laid back and that's where we were seated. We booked a reservation two days in advance and saw that it was sold out one day prior so something to consider when visiting. We started with the seared tuna which was served with a green chili crisp, miso mayo and radish....I didn't understand the radish until we started in. Wow, great combo, beautiful presentation and the flavors were amazing. Super fresh and high quality tuna. Off to a great start. We also had oysters served on the bar on a bank of ice. They were shucked right in front of us and the accoutrements were on point. Pretty cool way to serve these and they were super fresh. My wife had the Potato & Leek Soup buttered crab and the Endive & Stilton salad; crispy prosciutto, sourdough croutons, dijon vinaigrette as her entree. I had the tuna tartare with pumpkin seeds and black garlic. Her soup was a little more potato than crab bust still top notch. Everything else was a solid 5/5. The presentation, the freshness and the flavors were truly outstanding. We finished it off with a Butterscotch Sundae made with caramel popcorn, vanilla frozen custard, and maple whip, and an expresso martini. The sundae was ridiculously over the top (in a good way) and the drink was great. We drank margaritas and port wine which were standard pours. We also ran into someone that we sat next to the night before at Eventide. To our friends from Long Island, I hope you enjoyed your day trip on Saturday for brunch and made it home safely. If you are in Portland this is another "can't miss" place. Put it on the list with Eventide and Central Provisions. You won't be sorry. read more

Scales is one of my favorite seafood restaurants. I got the Halibut and my husband got the scallops. We ate every last drop. Our server was awesome, she was very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. The restaurant has nice lighting and a warm ambiance. I come to Scales every time I go to Portland! read more

Scales - Scallops and Halibut - Seafood Near Me - Portland, Maine

We came here out of town for our wedding anniversary, my husband called ahead and told them it was our anniversary so they could do something special. I ordered the scallops and after receiving them completely raw I told the waiter who did profusely apologize but then I had to sit there For 15 minutes and watch my husband eat his food until the new order came out. I always appreciate when a restaurant goes above and beyond, especially for a special occasion, and this restaurant didn't do anything not even a discount for my completely raw food making me eat by myself. They didn't even offer a dessert with a happy anniversary on it nor a free glass of champagne, which normal restaurants do. After their screwup, I was completely disappointed with the way they handled it. read more

No vegetarian options. Beautiful location and great ambiance. Just wish it was more inclusive.

Edit: Too salty was too light of a word. Extremely salty. I suggest the chef check their tastebuds, this is out of concern... Our server was incredibly friendly though! It's good, but it was better 3-4 years ago. Nearly everything I had from the bread to the soup and fish, was too salty. It's not something you want to expect for a place of this price range. Portions were also a bit smaller. read more

We were visiting Portland for three nights in mid May and I knew we wanted to eat at Scales. I made reservations at the bar as soon as our dates became available (2 months ahead). We were seated right away and our bartender, Guy, took excellent care of us. The place was buzzing with great energy. We had a lovely bottle of Sao Joao sparkling Rose to start, plus a half dozen oysters. It is really cool when you sit at the bar that they just put ice in the trough in front of you so when it's time to clean up, they just whoosh the ice and shells down a hole in the counter. Also, they have a guy who is a "master shucker" who opens up oysters in no time. We decided to order smaller plates and not a large meal, so we started off with the Ramp rolls. Oh my god they were good! Instead of getting dessert, we ordered another serving of the rolls. The Asparagus salad was dressed perfectly in a lovely lemon vinaigrette. The Tuna Tartare was so fresh, but preparation was just a little too much for us. It was hard to discern the tuna because the other ingredients were very flavor forward. Our seatmates offered a taste of their Brown Bread and it was fantastic. We've never had anything like that before. I highly recommend eating here and sitting at the bar. Fun times! read more

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This was our first dinner in Portland and we loved it! We were seated immediately, even on a busy Friday night, and were brought a high chair. The vibe is super cool and modern. You could go here for a large group hangout or a small family dinner. Seafood stew - had so much seafood in it and was a huge portion. Filled us up perfectly. Thyme lemonade - freshly made. Sweet potato side - extremely sweet and creamy. Just a few bites was enough for us. Indian pudding - outstanding dessert! This is a must if you're visiting Portland and enjoy seafood! read more

Seafood stew and hassle back potatoes were great! Meal seemed overpriced given the servings and adding bread was an added cost. Our party enjoyed the ambiance inside and outside on the patio, but both locations were very noisy. read more

Scales - Seafood stew - Seafood Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Wow! Glad to have not gotten into our 1st and 2nd choice destinations. Walked 2 blocks to Scales who had a table for 5. Started with 2 dozen oysters. Then another. Corn, Crab, Cheese Soup. Tuna Crudo. Garlic Octopus. Czech Pilsner Beer. Cod Fish & Chips. Seared scallops & Pork Belly. Every dish was excellent. Every protein prepared to perfection. Every spice just right. Would order everything again. We'll be back again to Scales every time we are in Maine! Unfortunately, no more Baked Alaska on dessert list. Will recommend to friends visiting East Coast to include Scales in Portland, Maine. 5 stars rating! read more

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We went here on our honeymoon and absolutely loved it. The food was incredible and well priced, and the service (shout out Sandra!) was amazing. They were able to get us in early for our reservation, and the view is lovely. Thanks so much to the chefs and service team that made everything flawless. read more

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