The Best Seafood in Maine

Maine is one of the great seafood destinations in America – cold, clean waters producing the world’s best lobster, oysters, and groundfish. After three decades running Maine’s resource guide, here is how to eat the best of it, from lobster pounds to Portland’s chef-driven tables.

The best seafood in Maine is lobster – eaten as a lobster roll or whole-steamed at a working lobster pound – along with fresh Damariscotta oysters, whole-belly fried clams, haddock and fish chowder, and Portland’s celebrated chef-driven seafood. Each is covered below.

How we picked: we started with the dishes Mainers actually eat, then added long-running places to try each one. Shacks and pounds are seasonal and change hands, so confirm hours before you drive. Quick picks:

• Lobster roll: Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, or see our lobster roll guide
• Whole lobster: a working pound such as Young’s in Belfast, Thurston’s on Mount Desert Island or Five Islands in Georgetown
• Oysters: the Damariscotta River area, or Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland
• Fried clams and chowder: any harbor-side shack or small-town diner

1. The Lobster Roll

The Lobster Roll is the signature Maine seafood experience. Maine’s most famous dish – fresh lobster meat in a buttered, toasted bun, served cold with mayo or warm with butter. Red’s Eats in Wiscasset is the most famous, but the whole coast competes. See our full lobster roll guide for the best spots. Read more.

2. Whole Steamed Lobster at a Lobster Pound

Whole Steamed Lobster at a Lobster Pound is the most authentic way to eat Maine seafood. Pick your lobster live and eat it at picnic tables overlooking the water at a working lobster pound. Young’s in Belfast, Thurston’s on Mount Desert Island, and Five Islands in Georgetown are classic examples.

3. Fresh Maine Oysters

Fresh Maine Oysters is the best cold-water shellfish. The Damariscotta River region produces some of the finest oysters on the East Coast. Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland is the famous spot, but the Pemaquid and Damariscotta area is the source.

Visit Maine also runs a Maine Oyster Trail across the coast, with oyster bars and farm tours in each region, and the Damariscotta River area is a good place to start.

4. Fried Clams

Fried Clams is the classic Maine seafood shack meal. Whole-belly fried clams from a roadside shack with a screen door are a Maine summer institution – best eaten at a working waterfront with a view.

5. Fish Chowder & Haddock

Fish Chowder & Haddock is the traditional Maine catch. Beyond lobster, Maine’s cold waters produce excellent haddock, and a proper Maine fish chowder – milk-based, chunky, unfussy – is a coastal staple in every harbor town.

6. Portland’s Chef-Driven Seafood

Portland’s Chef-Driven Seafood is the best modern Maine seafood scene. Portland has become one of America’s great seafood cities, with James Beard-recognized restaurants turning Maine’s catch into something world-class. The best place for creative, contemporary Maine seafood. Read more.

Lobster Shacks and Pounds by Region

These are well-established places, but seasons, hours and owners change, so confirm before you go. Most are open spring through fall only.

Southern Maine

• Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier, Kittery Point: a tidal-creek pier serving since 1948. Go at high tide, and expect crowds and tight parking.
• Cape Pier Chowder House, Cape Porpoise: built out over a pier in a working lobster village, with indoor seating and a menu well beyond lobster.
• The Lobster Shack at Two Lights, Cape Elizabeth: ocean views beside a lighthouse, in business since the 1920s.

Midcoast

• Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster, South Freeport: picnic tables on a working harbor, with a longer menu than most.
• Five Islands Lobster Co., Georgetown: wharf-top picnic tables facing the islands, plus fish and chips.
• Round Pond Lobstermen’s Co-op, Round Pond: a short menu of lobster, steamers, corn and chips.
• McLoon’s, Spruce Head: a red wharf-side shack known for its lobster stew.
• Young’s Lobster Pound, Belfast: a fourth-generation family business with deck tables over the harbor.

Downeast and Mount Desert Island

• Perry’s Lobster Shack, Surry: pier-side tables with table service. Bring your own drinks.
• Thurston’s Lobster Pound, Bernard: a two-story screened dining room over Bass Harbor, a bit pricier than most.
• Chipman’s Wharf, Milbridge: a fourth-generation family wharf with an attached seafood market. It served lunch daily when we checked.
• Look Lobster Quoddy Bay, Eastport: waterfront picnic tables on Passamaquoddy Bay.

Want a bigger event? Rockland’s Maine Lobster Festival is held in August, and Visit Maine also lists island clambakes such as the one on Cabbage Island. Planning a coast trip? See our best coastal towns in Maine.

Best Seafood in Maine: FAQ

What seafood is Maine known for?

Maine is best known for lobster – eaten as a lobster roll or whole-steamed at a lobster pound. It is also known for fresh oysters from the Damariscotta River, whole-belly fried clams, haddock, and fish chowder from its cold Atlantic waters.

Where is the best place to eat seafood in Maine?

For traditional seafood, eat lobster at a working lobster pound on the Midcoast or Downeast coast. For creative, chef-driven seafood, Portland is one of the best food cities in America. The Damariscotta area is the place for oysters.

When is the best time for Maine seafood?

Summer into early fall is peak season, when soft-shell lobsters arrive (sweeter and easier to pick) and the lobster pounds and seafood shacks are all open. Oysters are at their best in the colder months.

Are Maine lobster shacks open year-round?

Almost never. Most are seasonal and close in late fall. For example, Maine Travel Maven lists The Lobster Shack at Two Lights as open from early April to late October and Cape Pier Chowder House as open from April to November. Check each place before you drive.

Do Maine lobster shacks take cards?

Many do, but some small shacks are cash only, so bring cash to be safe and ask when you call.

See our full Maine lobster roll guide and best things to do in Maine. MaineGuide.com has been Maine’s resource guide since 1995.

More Maine guides: Most Beautiful Towns · Best Things to Do · Best Time to Visit · Prettiest Foliage Towns · Best Beaches · Best Coastal Towns · Best Lighthouses · Best Small Towns · Best Hikes · Most Charming Towns · Best Scenic Drives · Best State Parks · Best Islands · Best Waterfalls · Best Fall Activities · Best Wildlife Watching

Curious about Maine’s official symbols, from the state bird to the state cat? See our Maine state symbols guide.

Our details come from Maine Travel Maven, Visit Maine and the restaurants’ own websites, checked in October 2026.