I am now one of those people I can't stand. Those who post something negative after having many great experiences. I have been going to the Black Birch for years, and every meal has been pleasurable from deviled eggs to donut desserts. That said, this past Thursday, things seemed off. (Mind you, because the company was so much fun, we didn't really recognize how mediocre the food was that night.) I cannot fault the service at all! As usual, it was on point. We always get the deviled eggs as they're unusual and full of fun flavors, but that night, two of the three flavors, including Banh Mi, were simply eh. They tasted like plain eggs, which is very unusual for the BB. In addition, our Duck poutine, which was very tasty, was more like cheesy fries. There were no cheese curds anywhere in the proximity of the fries, which was a bummer. Finally, two of us ordered the fried Jamaican short ribs, and this was a huge disappointment. In addition to scant Jamaican flavors (were there any?) the size of each our one short rib was about the size of a king-sized Snickers bar. Four of us looked down at the plates with puzzled looks about how this small piece of meat could possibly cost the $18 we were paying for it. (I honestly can't remember the cost, but that number springs to mind.) The desserts were NOT a disappointment: S'mores trifle and the panna cotta. I'm not sure if the typical chefs were off somewhere or if there was new ownership or what was up, but I felt badly recommending the place and then having it not live up to the hype I've been giving it for years. Of course, all of that said, I'll most likely give it another shot or two as I know that past courses surpassed expectations. I'm just hoping it was an off night. read more

The Black Birch is small, and hip, and in a location just odd enough to keep it a local favorite instead of a tourist mecca. That said, if you happen to be a tourist, make a reservation and go there. The food coming out of the small kitchen is impressive, both in terms of the flavor and the inventiveness. It feels decidedly Maine - good ingredients, served confidently and without much pretension. The highlight for me was how the meal ended. Freshly fried donuts with a fruit compote. I liked them so much I ordered more for the road. They did not make it home. The Black Birch. You're a little gem. read more

i love the black birch! the service is AMAZING! great food too! their deviled eggs are fantastic! the bartender ED is the goat and makes the best shirley temples with fancy cherries! All the employees are very special and wear cute outfits! Rooney at the front door is the slay queen! all be back soon! you should visit soon! from Scarlett Downs read more

Amaze-balls. Devilled eggs, the duck in a pot, and the Yorkshire pudding with scallops, mushrooms, and bacon. Look. Just go. And be ready to wait, although I sat immediately. I live in NYC/LA and eat out 10 meals a week. These were the best bites in months. I need more stomachs. read more

The Black Birch - New American Near Me - Kittery, Maine

Just perfect. Yelp won't let me leave that, so I'll elaborate. Walked in on a late Friday evening and had a short wait. The man at the door took our drink order while we waited which was a nice touch! Our waitress was super nice and paced our meal well. We had the deviled eggs,pickled veggies (asparagus), and marinated olives. For mains, we had the salmon and grilled cheese. The salmon was just outstanding. Listen: salmon is usually fairly boring. This was knock your socks off good. Cooked perfect with an insanely crispy skin. I'll be hard pressed to find a better salmon :) Honestly, this place is perfect. From service to food to beverage to price, it's great. Kudos to their team---don't change! read more

I'm done with this place. I've now been four times with consistently unpleasant experiences. I keep giving it a chance because of the recommendation of others. Done. Last night, we were faced with a wait (on a Thursday), which we expected. We were greeted promptly and brought to a bench where a drink order was taken. It was slow in coming, but was delivered and service was positive. So far, so good. We'd arrived at 7:00. Drink order was taken shortly thereafter, but drinks didn't arrive until around 7:20. It was NOT that busy. We were seated at 7:30 and told waters would be coming and our drink order would be taken. That seemed to take a lot longer than it should have (better than ten minutes). Service, again, was friendly, but definitely on the slow side. Drink order was faster this time, but again, a large chunk of time passed before food order was taken. We're here for dinner. It's now getting close to 8PM, and we haven't ordered food, yet. When the food order is finally placed, our table ordered two specials, a meal, and two small plates off the menu. No apps. The server seemed to struggle with answers when asked about some of the menu items. She returned with roll-ups and appetizer plates. We assumed they must be for bread. Closer to 8:30, another round of drinks came and our glasses were filled, again. When server came to check on the drinks, one in the party asked about the delay in the food. We were told because they had ordered the special "medium well," it was a slow process. We would have considered and app order, but the server promptly disappeared. Next check led to more beverages being ordered, and my wife asking, "Uhm, are these plates decorative, or is there bread or something coming?" Snarky? Yes. But at this point, we're hungry, tired, and incidentally, have to get up at 5AM. It's now 8:45. Server returns with pickled vegetables and olives. Worth mentioning that around this time, another employee comes to speak to the table next to us (tables on either side arrived after us and received food before us). Seems like not a big deal, but in the tight quarters, I frankly did not enjoy having to sit with his ass in my face for five minutes. #situationalAwareness By 8:55, I was getting ready to drain my beverage and demand a check. I was pissed. Communication was not good. Service, while friendly, was lacking. Kitchen should be slapped. Food came shortly after 9PM... and shortly after the tables on either side of us were cashed out and left. The food was, as expected, good. Portions were small, but not under-priced. By this point, we were neither speaking nor particularly enjoying the experience because we were all hungry to the point of being irritated. Ironically, I was the last hold-out with good humor. Later in the meal, we were approached about dessert, "On us, because that took awhile." I was not interested, but the table split two desserts, which were good, and comped. Sorry, but too little, too late. Two of the other three times I have eaten here, the service was unpleasant. Service last night was pleasant, if slightly incompetent. I will never set foot in this establishment again, and would advise others not to. You can get similar quality food with better service at too many other locations nearby. One in our party posed the thought, "I wonder if people come BECAUSE it's slow and the service is so bad -- like it's some sort of hipster status." That seems likely, based on my repeated experiences here. Oddly, their sister restaurant in a nearby town is quite good without all of these issues, seats more, has better parking, and less of the phony hipster vibe. Good luck, Black Birch, you have disappointed this customer for the last time. read more

I have had almost every item on their menu and there has not been a single dish I did not throughly enjoy. The service is excellent and the drinks are delicious (ask for the 2 Government!). This is truly one of my favorite restaurants. read more

If you're visiting go eat here! I was told during my wait to get the deviled eggs. Yummy! I had the fish and fries. Both came out piping hot! They had sweet potato donuts for special on dessert. Yummy!!! Highly recommend this restaurant! read more

The Black Birch - Fish and chips! - New American Near Me - Kittery, Maine

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This place was awesome, good craft beer selection. Limited but delicious menu. Cute atmosphere. The deviled eggs were delicious as was my turkey sandwich. Great place to get away from the business of the kittery outlets and away from the crowds. read more

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Yeah its a cute place and the food is really good. Just hate that everything takes forever. We got there for dinner at 5:30 - maybe 10 people already in front of us and had to wait half an hour. Which I guess isn't too bad but then dinner took another hour because they like to bring out dishes separately. Not that we were in a rush but an hour for two dishes was a bit much. On the bright side, both (poutine and fried beef ribs) were both tasty. Fine place if you are in the area but don't know if we'd go again. read more

The Black Birch - Poutine - New American Near Me - Kittery, Maine

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Ridiculously well executed food & drinks. Gavin has made us feel at home since the 1st time we went there. Must haves: Duck Rillette, Poutine, Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup, Snack (House Pickleback), Pot De Créme read more

Holy cow! I NEVER give 5 star reviews. I was blown away. Everything was amazing. Great service and even better food. Lobster stew, deep sea scallops, lobster roll, pickles, donuts - all amazing. I'm coming back! I wrote that like 4 years ago and forgot to post. Came back again this weekend. Was just as great as I remembered. Friendly attentive staff. Cocktails are fantastic and a great value. Glad I wasn't driving as I made an attempt at trying them all. Had the Gnocchi, Moroccan meatballs, spinach salad and catfish. All were great. read more

Rude, we have been a couple of times and we're treated very rudely by staff. Never again as the attitude did not improve.

Touted for its real food, it delivers. We lucked out and the original 45 minute wait got truncated when a cancellation happened. A small and crowded place, there was a real live turntable turning away at the bar which leant a hipster vibe, though that was somewhat lessened because the vinyl was too loud. I had a terrific cocktail and we shared some hush puppies in the mistaken hope they would commune with the overly loud turntable. They were hot and fresh and came with a terrific tomato jam and pimento cheese spread. There was also a square piece of salmon with bernaise and purple potatoes that freaked out the teenager they were served to. They had to compete with her iPhone and lost. The flatiron steak was perfectly cooked and had a wonderful texture, though perhaps at the expense of flavor? The fish and chips had a crispy fish (a requirement) and were countered with limp fries that everyone continually picked at, so I was missing something. Dessert was some apple cider donuts that were served warm and again more texture than taste. The menu was interesting and the server was helpful, terrific, and fun. Certainly worth checking out and cooked up by folks who like what they do. read more

I never write yelp reviews but I was compelled to write one tonight because my meal was SO GOOD. This was my first time to The Black Birch and it was totally worth the hour and a half wait. I had the brisket special and it was insane. I can't wait to go back! read more

The Black Birch - New American Near Me - Kittery, Maine

Still loving it! Nice music. I asked for a virgin drink and they made one for me; it was very tasty. read more

The Black Birch - Deviled eggs three ways. - New American Near Me - Kittery, Maine

This restaurant is by far one of my favorites in the world. Wonderful food and outstanding cocktails for a good price in the heart of downtown Kittery. Be prepared to wait for seating on weekend eves, but it's worth it!! read more

From the outside Black Birch looks like a hole in the wall, for a split second it even looked out of business. Inside was totally different. It is a little tight but there was a host who seemed to be doing a very good job letting people know when seats were available, making sure tables were cleaned quickly and making sure waitresses knew they had new customers. The menu was quite diverse and on the upscale side (which for me was nice for a change, getting tired of pub food). Lots of interesting appitizers and small plates. They also offered a few full dinners. Based on observation it appeared that most folks were going for the small plates and appitizers. The deviled eggs seemed to be a popular appitizer. Now I will start out by saying my basic deviled eggs are better (sorry but true) but they pair their deviled eggs with some interesting combinations that oddly seem to work well. Flavors such as smoked strawberry and watermelon you don't think of when you think of deviled eggs but it was interesting. I loved the presentation and portions of all the food. In general I usually love small plates options. With the smaller portions we actually opted for dessert, homemade donuts covered in chocolate and dark cherries. It was good but I wish we had picked something else. The donut did not sop up the chocolate sauce very well. Two other things to note...... it is worth going there just to try their homemade ketchup, couldn't quite identify the spice in it but it was good (waitress said no to giving me the recipe :) ) and we both loved the fact that they play old vinyl for their music. I was trying to remember the last time I actually listened to one whole side of a record so that was a lot of fun. (my husband is a big vinyl collector) I kinda assumed you might even be able to request an artist. The volume was at a level where you could talk to the person across the table. Fun experience, I know we will be back with friends read more

This place is drop dead awesome. Food and drinks are top notch. There is serious bartendering going on here. Inventive small plates using high quality ingredients, cool touches like weekly rotating pickles (we had pickled grapes that were so good!) Interesting riffs on classics, friendly staff. Place is terrific. read more

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Keep up the good work guys! I recommend changing up the menu however. It would help increase repeat business.

The food was great but a little too hipster of a place for me. We also walked right by it as there is no sign out front- kinda weird? Service was decent read more

We finally got around to hitting the black birch on a Tuesday night. I have a hard time waiting in line so Thursday through Saturday is just hard. The apps to try are the deviled eggs, duck rillette and the chicken liver mousse. All are great starters. The entrees are constantly changing and very impressive. read more

I'm sooooo happy I finally tried Black Birch! Overall a great experience from the minute I stepped through the door. I got a little lost trying to find BB and by the time I walked through the door, I was about 50% frozen. It was a bitterly cold night and I don't think anything could have warmed me up better than a seat at the bar at BB. I was by myself, on my way back from a day in Boston. I was planning on heading home for dinner, but I was starving and looking for an adventure so I decided to stop in on a whim. I sat down next to a nice couple who were BB regulars and after a bit of chit chat they recommended - actually, they insisted - I start with the deviled eggs. What a great recommendation - they were delicious!! I can't even remember what was in them but I remember one was topped with little bits of apple. Yum. I also tried the pickled things of the night which were bright, lovely mushrooms. The menu was outstanding and I could have ordered anything but given the weather and another recommendation from the nice guy sitting next to me, I went with the grilled cheese and tomato soup. Nothing could have hit the spot on a cold winter night more than this wonderful meal. The tomato soup was traditional - a little bit of cream and perfectly balanced flavors. The grilled cheese was off the charts. Thick chunks of bread (I think it might have been ciabatta or focaccia?) and a light but gooey layer of cheese (no idea what kind and it didn't matter) made this the perfect combination of comforting and delectable. I couldn't finish the whole thing so I took about 1/2 home with me and not surprisingly, it was just as good on day two. To drink, I treated myself to the Oxbow Farmhouse Ale (x2). Again, perfect on a cold night. My bartender/server was terrific and as I said, the regulars who were at the bar next to me helped to make my experience at Black Birch even more memorable and enjoyable. read more

We always love black birch. It's super popular and doesn't take reservations so you have to get there early! The food is always amazing

Great vibe. Great service. Wonderful flavor combinations. Vinyl records being played for background music added a lot. We sat at the bar and celebrated our wedding anniversary with new friends. Will be back for sure to try out new tastes. read more

My favorite dining establishment in southern Maine / New Hampshire - and here's why. The bar. Let's start with the bar. It's wooden, with a flat top to set beverages on. I have yet to find a bartender that was not friendly and engaging, on the spot with new drinks or food, and capable of mixing some exceptional offerings. Me? I'm a beer geek, and they consistently have about twenty on tap, with a strong selection of both local, domestic and foreign offerings that span the gamut of styles from IPAs to porters and stouts. Expertly mixed cocktails. If stronger spirits are your game, I should note that absinthe is on the menu, and they serve it properly. They also have a good, upscale selection of more standard liquors, nicely poured - neither too weak nor too strong - which is what you want, right? All of this combines to make it a fantastic place for a small, intimate gathering, or maybe drinks with that special someone. Presuming for a moment that you're not a drunken reprobate like myself, this is a restaurant, after all, and the food... the food is good. The majority of the small, cozy establishment is dedicated to the dining area, which has a combination of tables and communal style dining. Pick one or the other depending on how extraverted you might feel, but in general people don't seem shy about leaning over and asking what you're having and/or striking up a conversation. Maybe this irks some, but for me it has always created a greater social experience as a result of the close quarters, as if you've managed to find something very special - and you have. The menu has some cold plates and an extensive selection of appetizers. A few that come to mind are the braised short ribs, the polenta fries, and my favorite... poutine. For those of you unfamiliar with this French-Canadian haute cuisine, it consists of fries smothered in gravy and melted cheese curds. The twist they have added is to top it with a delicious duck confit, and the whole thing comes together as a wonderous artery-strangling assault on whatever section of your brain happens to define the religious experience. For true dinners, I highly recommend the perfectly cooked duck breast. If you are looking for something a little lighter (or vegetarian) the tomato soup is amazing as well. Make sure to check out the specials board for both seasonal dinner offerings and desserts. For the latter, they seem to have a regular offering of brulee variants and frequently an amazing, freshly-made, after-dinner donut. The staff is friendly and attentive, the food arrives on time, well-portioned and equally well plated and paired. I have seen a few reviews that note their lack of vegetarian offerings, which are present if not plentiful. Not being a vegetarian, it's never been a concern. The Black Birch fills up fast every day of the week, so get there early and enjoy. read more

I want to give Black Birch a solid four stars but I have some reservations, so I'll say they get a solid 3.5 and I'll be willing to give it a 4 for when we go back if a few things seem like they've been corrected. First, the food is fantastic! Truly delicious comfort food executed perfectly. We started with the roasted cauliflower and duck confit poutine. We managed to devour both. For our entrees we shared the fish and chips and brick chicken. Both were totally awesome. Cocktails were equally great. The larger with a float of Fernet on top was cool (maybe chill the Fernet?). Either way, the food is a four, maybe even a 4.5 for flavor and execution. I'm dinging them for service. I get that this place is popular (rightfully so because the food is awesome) and that the kitchen is small. But there were two parties sitting next to us, one with three people, and another with four people, that came in after us, as well as ordered long after us, and they managed to get all of their first plates 20 minutes before we received anything. When my wife inquired about when we might expect something, our waiter replied in a very snooty manner, "You are at The Black Birch. You need to relax." WTF? Not cool and not a smart way to talk to a customer. The waiter did end up comping our dessert, but the way he talked to my wife wasn't respectful. We'll go back because I can't say enough good things about the food, but hopefully the waitstaff will be a little cooler and more customer focused. I'll update my review once we've had a chance to return. read more

Now, this place does not need yet another five-star review, but here it is. I just have to chime in! This joint is so freaking awesome that I don't even know where to begin: Maybe with their killer poutine, that shoots Duckfat's "famous" version out of the sky? Actually, there are countless similarities to this unfortunately-turned-tourist-trap in Portsmouth's big sister up in ME, and Black Birch has them beat on every single count, except for the shakes, which Birch does not serve. With their ever-changing range of awesome soups? I have had French onion soup at countless bistros across the great hexagon across the pond, and Black Birch matches up! The short ribs, to die for? The duck rillette, even better than the 2 Euro tubs you find in every French supermarket? The Scotch and devilled eggs I will try next time I go? What isn't to die for? Certainly not their house pickle, last night some of the tangiest juiciest beets I have ever stained my fresh white shirt with. The yummy-looking cocktails that I still have never tried because their beer selection changes too often for me to keep up? Their excellent taste in vinyl-spinning at the bar and stimulating the taste buds in my ears? But I really hate waiting to get into any restaurant, unless the waiting space is super chill. That is NOT the case at Black Birch, so be advised to get there before 5 on a weekend!! read more

I want to eat here all the time. I want to eat here now. This restaurant does almost everything right and accomplishes an amazing menu without trying to break its customers backs with the bill. I normally write much longer reviews, but it's not necessary: eat at Black Birch. read more

I've been itching to review this place for ages now. My family made the discovery on a New England vacation we took last summer. We are frequent yelpers, and encouraged by the reviews we decided to check it out. After a moderate amount of waiting (it's worth it!) we were finally seated. Quite simply put, this is one of the best restaurants I've been to. Period. First of all, the vibe and ambiance are the perfect synthesis of a NorCal hipster joint with the familial closeness that makes New England special. As for the food, the sheer amount of flavors the palette gets hit with is incredible. Kimchi mussels, deviled eggs WAY better than your normal variety (we're talking big boy flavors like curry here), and some great fried short ribs that fall off the bone. The kimchi, like everything else, was house made and an excellent fusion of Culinary styles. The Black Birch cannot be beat; it's a must try where the food is made with passion that you can taste in every bite. read more

Great food, friendly staff, a great vibe! Had the stuufed eggs as an appetizer, very good! Outstanding fish sandwich! Will definitely be back! read more

As my hubby said Black Birch is "the whole package". Great vibe? Check Great staff? Check Great food? Check Fair prices? Check Great drinks? Check We arrived - told it would be a 20 minute wait (summer Friday 7:30pm) would we like to order a drink- ordered two craft beers (nicely chosen draft selection) and enjoyed the sounds of Ben on the turntable(yes I said turntable) they were alternating between artists from Brazil & Germany in honor of World Cup! We were seated at the bar and tended to very well by the adorably hipsterish bartender with the wounded pinky. We opted to share a few a smaller plates to try as much As we could: Deviled eggs 3 ways: fish & chip, jalapeño feta & watermelon, dried fruits & sundried tomato- all were spectacular. Short rib with celeriac purée - very tasty and had a vague horseradish essence. Shrimp & grits - a touch soupier than I expected but super tasty - a piece of bread to sop up the juices would have been good - my husband had to fight the urge to lick the plate. Duck confit with poutine - DANG - this was superb - no kidding a must order. Perfect dish. Dessert peaches & cream donut- A fried go order old fashioned donut with a dab of Bavarian cream an peach preserves good but not epic to me - my husband was on heaven as he loves donuts All in it was $70 before tip for those dishes & 3 beers. The quality of the food here makes that a steal! In connecticut we would have paid double. Definitely put on your list - note some seating is communal & personally I would not bring kids under age 10/11 here unless they are decently behaved foodies. Wish we had this place in our town - it's obvious they love & enjoy what they do! read more

Hidden gem. Catching up on my Yelp reviews, was here on a snowy Thursday evening back in January but it is worthy of a quick review. 8pm, we sat at the bar and the place was packed. Small to begin with, and the bulky coats slung to the back of the chairs made it seem even tighter. The menu, like the place itself, is compact but terrific. It is broken down by First Bites, Small Plates, and Large Plates. I started with a Woodford Reserve Manhattan - well made by the bartender who looks like James Franco. Cool cat. Noshed on the fried olives, crispy pork spring rolls (not on the menu now?) and the deviled eggs 3 ways. I mean who makes deviled eggs these days other than Betty Draper? Great stuff, innovative and delish. The poutine and duck confit over hand cut fries with curd and gravy would satisfy and appease even the most bitter Quebec Nordiques fan, a tasty interpretation of the Québécois classic and worth the trip alone. Washed it down with a few Peeper Ales from Maine Brewing Co and finished the night off with an Oban 12 yr single malt scotch. OK maybe two Obans. Bottom line: Great spot for a drink and a bite. read more

I can't wait for this place to reopen. We really miss going here. Great food, interesting cocktails and we love the records played on the turntable! Friendly service. read more

First Visit....... and maybe Last. Arrived around 6:30 on a Saturday with a party of 2 so we expected a wait. Put our name in but was not provided an estimated wait time. 40 minutes later and tables started to break. Unfortunately, the host called the party of 2 that came in after us before he called us. They declined as they wanted to sit at the bar so the host gave us their table. This all happened in front of us and we ended up feeling very slighted, which impacted the rest of the experience. Being a Saturday, the wait for our food was long (about 30 minutes) for the pulled pork sandwich and grilled cheese/tomato soup. In the end, the food and beer were tasty. But the slight by the host in front of us left a negative experience. There's plenty of other good options in the Portsmouth area. read more

I know a friend of mine who has been waiting for me to write this review since I got back, so this one's for you Adam! :-) Seriously, this is in the top 5 best dining experiences of my life, and that's really saying something! There is absolutely not one, *not one!* thing I could complain about. The food...oh God, the food! The Chef turned out amazing dish after amazing dish. Our table was even interested in seeing what other tables ordered because it all looked so good. We got a variety of small plates which were all delicious. My favorites were the duck rillette and duck poutine (seeing a pattern here?). Who doesn't love duck fat? Or melted cheese curds, gravy, and duck confit? I'm glad I was only visiting, if I lived any closer I'd be a million pounds! The other small plates were the polenta fries (there was something about the sauce that made them magical!), broccoli spears, and 3 kinds of deviled eggs. Believe it or not, I made room for an entree, the fried short ribs. I was so curious about what the texture would be. The outside was crispy (not battered) and the inside was super tender and juicy-no need for a knife! Surely since the proprietors took this much time and effort into the food, the beverages were bound to be just as meticulously thought out. The beer and cocktail list were both impressive. I didn't order any of the cocktails, but sampled several of the beers, some local and some not. Although I don't consider myself to be super beer knowledgeable, I was with a crowd that is and they all sang the praises of the selections offered. The ambiance is what I like to call comfort chic. The inside is warmly lit with the comforting scratch of old vinyl playing from the bar. This place pulls off being on trend and hipster cool effortlessly. read more

1 hour wait on a Saturday night at 8:30 (they don't take reservations), sold out of the scallop special while we were in line, :( but still worth the wait! I will never forget the apple fritter donuts!!!!! It is an amazing combination of diced apples with cinnamon, light fluffy batter, fried to ultimate PERFECTION and dusted with sugar. The donut is melt-in-your mouth delicious. Just salivating reliving its flavors again. I also loved the fresh juicy mussels. Pay the extra $2 for some warm crusty bread to dunk in the tasty broth. We pretty much licked the bowl clean. My short rib was flavorful and the meat was well cooked. The outside coating was crunchy while the inside was more flaky. Worth an order! The panko crusted pork chop was tasty too, but not very memorable. Probably wouldn't order it again. The meat was on the thinner side and the panko coating was crusty and flavorful. Served over a bed of mashed potatoes. Last up, the gnocchi. The gnocchi itself was a little soft and too squishy for my taste, but the rich creamy sauce it was bathed in was flavorful and hearty. Loved the combination of mushroom and squash as well. Probably wouldn't hit this dish up again, but good to try once. read more

I wish I could give this place more stars but I really hated the ambiance. The place is super small and they seat a lot of people so it's super crammed. Last time we were there, I was freezing - I think they had the a/c or fan on and it was blowing directly at me. The food took forever to come out, I believe our entire dining experience took 2-2.5 hours. It was just way too much. The food was good though, but combined with the slow service and the really noisy and crammed environment, I wouldn't want to come back. read more

We're regulars at this gem tucked away in Kittery - despite living 65 miles away - having eaten here 5-6 times over the past two years. Lucky to have visited with groups of 6 and parties of two. Eaten indoors at our own table, at the community table and out back on the patio. Needless to say, one of our favorite places anywhere... cool, comfortable, casual with a great vibe and energy, and passionate attention to detail across food, drink, service, decor, music. We always feel like invited guests and leave looking forward to our next return. On a recent Friday night visit, just two of us stopped in around 9:30. Of note: - enjoyed a craft cocktail each (2Gov't, one with tequila) while waiting for seats - seated at the communal table after a 40 minute wait - great start with house pickles, duck rillette - the scotch egg could have been runnier (though we're not experts on this) - nice intermission with the greek salad - finished with pork schnitzel and shrimp and grits - sadly - no room this time for desert... Enjoy well-prepared food in a cool environment with an attentive and friendly staff. Order a cocktail and enjoy the wait. A special place. read more

What a wonderful experience! This little restaurant is tucked away in Kittery and is a great find! We enjoyed excellent service. The waitress was attentive without being overattentive. She was more than willing to ask the kitchen to modify any dish. My husband ordered the fish and chips. It looked appealing in the presentation. He said that the fish was fantastic. The chips were good. Since he likes his Heinz ketchup, the homemade ketchup is not what he was looking for but had it a unique flavor. I ordered the macaroni and cheese. It was so aromatic and delicious. A spice is added that makes it spicy and different in a very appealing way. I liked it so much, I ordered another serving "to go" for lunch for the next day. As we dined, I noticed one bartender taking special care to dry the wine glasses and going so far as to hold each glass to the light to be certain it was sparkling clean. This is something you don't often see. As we were leaving, we met one of the managers named Ben and told him that we had a great experience and would return. He was very gracious and friendly. read more