Portsmouth NH/Southern Maine Ideas

[WeLuvTink!]

Love this thread. Headed this way for a summer trip. Keep the suggestions coming!

 

[Snoozan]

Another vote for Newick's in Dover Point - just go up the Spaulding Turnpike and it's right over the bridge. Great seafood - so much so that my DH, who never used to eat anything fishy except for tuna, ate his first seafood meal there and has been eating different seafood since.

There is also a Wild Willy's burger place on Rt 1 between York and Ogunquit that's very yummy. Very casual, but a great burger.

My vote for best ice cream in the area is Brown's ice cream, in York - right near Nubble lighthouse, which is a great place to eat the giant ice cream cones they dish up of their homemade ice cream.

 

[mrsksmithvt]

Duffy's - on Main Street in Kennebunk
Federal Jack's in the Port
Big Daddy's for Ice Cream in Kennebunk
All Day Breakfast near Kennebunk Port

 

[dizluvah]

i live in Rochester, nH and have two suggestions:

if you like ice cream - try Annabelle's ice cream in Portsmouth on Ceres St.

and for restaurant try the Beach Plum for lobster roll (new england favorite)

Have a wonderful vacation!

 

[Muddy Rivers]

Thanks to everyone for their great suggestions. I'm getting hungry already!

 

[3mickeymom]

Anabelle's ice cream is by far the BEST ice cream I have ever had. My son went to UNH and we would get ice cream there every time we visited from NJ. We were just saying this weekend how we missed their ice cream now that he has graduated and we don't get to visit any more. I suggest the white pistachio ice cream -YUM!

 

[Favorite Auntie]

We spend two weeks in Wells every summer.... And we love to eat!!!

Fisherman's Catch in Wells. This place is great! Very casual. They have lobsters holding paper towels over your table instead of napkins. The scallops are YUMMY. We always go here at least once, usually more...

Mike's Clam Shack in Wells. Good Food, and they have a take out area where you can also eat outside. The food is good.

Warrens's in Kittery. They have THE BEST salad bar. And I don't even care for salad! This place has been around for ever and once you go there you know why!

Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier in Kittery. You order your lobster by the size and pay by the pound. You can bring your own beer and wine and appetizers. People show up with table cloths (it is outside, some tables under tents) and people bring flowers, table clothes, crackers and cheese....you get the idea. Love this place! I was just talking to my friend saying we need to plan a trip there. It is right on an inlet and you can watch the kayakers, jet skiiers etc. On a side note, my friend has a 9 yr old boy with autism and he loved watching the lobsters in the tanks. The workers there were WONDERFUL with him, letting him "help" with the lobsters etc. Kept him busy while we enjoyed our meal!

Cogndons Donuts in Wells. This made one of the top 10 donuts in the country in country lately. Their donuts are delicious. Their fritters are yummy too. On the weekends there is always a huge line though, so beware!

 

[Scrappygrrl]

More votes for Maine Diner and Fisherman's Catch in Wells!

A bit off the beaten path, but Garside's ice cream in Saco (just north of Kennebunkport) is amazing!

 

[cdrn1]

The Maine Diner in Wells, and the Lobster Pound in Ogunquit. The Lobster Roll at the Maine Diner is to die for, and at the Lobster Pound...lobster.

 

[DenMig]

Bob's clam hut in Kittery!!!!!!

If you're going a bit inland, go to Wild Willy's Burgers in Rochester NH. Wicked good burgers.

When did Wild Willy's Burgers originate ? I lived in Rochester from 1998-2000. I would have liked that back then, lol.

 

[leebee]

This is like a walk down memory lane; my family always went to York Beach for the summers, and now my brother and sister both live in York (with their families, of course!). My mom worked at the Ogunquit Lobster Pound and Goldenrod, my sis and I worked at the G-rod, my niece will be at Brown's this summer, my BIL worked for years at The Oarweed in Ogunquit, and my brother bakes at several of the bakeries in the area in the summers!

Let's see... Warren's has an amazing salad bar but their fried seafood is lackluster. Weathervane and Bob's Clam Hut in Kittery both have great fried seafood (Weathervane has my favorite fried clams, Bob's has- get this- great tartar sauce!), but we tend to go to Newick's out on Dover Point as they have the biggest servings and best non-fried seafood- and darned good fried seafood. I adore clam chowder and the BEST I have ever had is at the Maine Diner in Saco. Just perfection! ANd, yes, The Library is just as toney, expensive, and GOOD as ever!

Ruby's in York is a little place (near Hannaford) that serves decent beers and everyday food- pasta, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, etc. I think they have main courses, too. Go early (4-6, I think?) and appetizers are half-price. We often take the kids and make dinner out of nachos or something like that, and it's so affordable. Food's also good. Green Leaves has GREAT Chinese food. I always hesitate to try Chinese at places I'm not familiar with, but this place has a good selection, well-prepared food, and a decent dining room. Ceres Bakery in Portsmouth is a good choice for breakfast foods (not hot cooked, more bakery/granola/coffee breakfast). Brown's for ice cream (out at the Nubble) is the best, although Annie's in North Berwick (i think it's north, might be south) has terrific ice cream but a tad out of the way. Portsmouth Brewery has great beer and food, and you can buy growlers of beer to go! Omelette Factory in Ogunquit is a GREAT place for breakfast! There's a Wild Willy's in York on Rt. 1 and also one in Portland, just off 295 exit 3, if you are in the mood for burgers and an atmosphere that redefines "casual!" Also try Chauncey Creek for lobster; this place is as close to the old-time clam (lobster) bake as I can find! On Rt. 1 between York and Kittery, When Pigs Fly has opened a new retail store and they have a pizzaria with the BEST wood-fired pizza ever! York Harbor Inn had a decent dining room for a nice dinner out, as does The Dockside Inn. Sometimes in these small, seasonal restaurants, you'll find the chef changes from year to year, but these two are pretty consistent as far as quality goes.

To do... Go walk on Long Sands beach, or hit downtown York Beach for an "old fashioned" New England seacoast town. Yes, it's touristy, but that's part of the fun. Browse affordable shops, buy kisses at the Goldenrod, walk on Short Sands Beach. In "Olde Yorke" there are historic houses, school house, and jail (Gaol) that you can tour, and in the summer they have a haunted walking tour. Portsmouth used to have horse drawn carriages available for rent- not sure they still do, it's been a few years. DH and I took one once; it was fun, and I saw and learned new things about Portsmouth. Can't vouch for Strawberry Banke site/tour as I haven't been since the '70's but I've heard that it's good. Check out Prescott Park; they have live outdoor theater all summer long. (last year my niece was in about a zillion shows of Wizard of Oz!). If traditional theater is more your cup of tea, check out the Ogunquit Playhouse online to see what's being offered this summer.

 

[Muddy Rivers]

Great ideas!! Thanks to all. Just love hearing about those "not to miss" places.

 

[Evi]

Great Lost Bear in Portland.

 

[monarchsfan16]

Poco's on Bow Street in Portsmouth. Mexican food (sometimes with a twist, like their lobster quesadilla and jamaican jerk chicken quesadilla). If it's a nice day, see if you can eat out on their deck. It overlooks the Piscataqua River.

 

[Muddy Rivers]

Thanks!!

 

[Muddy Rivers]

I just heard about Street restaurant in Portsmouth. It's on Islington Street. Has anyone eaten there?

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

We just ate this weekend at Beach Plum in Portsmouth. DH and I split the foot long lobster roll and a bowl of lobster bisque. I have never seen so much lobster in my life! They also have a location in North Hampton. Beach Plum has won a ton of awards for best lobster roll in NH and the Portsmouth location is just south of Water Country.

Oh, and the Ice cream is very good... Just get the kiddie size, it is huge!

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

We love The Lobster Shack in Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, ME

 

[Muddy Rivers]

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

Let us know what places you try and what you think.