Maine Eats guide · checked October 2026
Maine clam shacks
11 clam shacks and seafood stands for fried clams, clam cakes and chowder from Kennebunk to Penobscot, each checked in business in October 2026 going by its own site or menu, Maine news, or a town or chamber listing. 6 of them are seasonal, so check the season listed with each before you drive.
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Whole bellies, strips and cakes
Fried clams in Maine are usually whole-belly soft-shell clams, dipped in batter or crumbs and fried; clam strips are cut from bigger sea clams and have no belly. A Maine clam cake is usually a flat, fried patty of chopped clams, and the chowder is the creamy New England kind.
The 11 on this list
6 close for part of the year, and the 4 that publish their dates have them printed with their entry. The longest at the same address: Bagaduce Lunch in Penobscot, there since 1946; The Clam Shack in Kennebunk, there since 1968. Maine's oldest restaurants has the 22 places with 40 or more years at the same address.
How we made the list: we looked up each place in October 2026 and kept it only when a 2025 or 2026 source showed it in business at that address: its own site or menu, a dated post, Maine news reporting, or a town or chamber of commerce listing. A shack or stand that posts its opening and closing dates has them printed beside it; one we couldn't source this year was dropped. No review site fed into it, the order is by region and town, and no rating decides anything. Call ahead, since hours and menus shift. Our sources are on the about page.
In the Maine Eats app the same places come nearest-first from wherever your phone is, and each opens Apple's own map card for opening times, pictures and the route.
Jump to a region
The list is grouped by the Maine Office of Tourism's 8 regions, which we draw on county lines.
Town pages: Portland, Bangor, South Portland, Bar Harbor, Lewiston, Biddeford, Brunswick, Augusta, Auburn, Scarborough, York, Old Orchard Beach, Ogunquit, Waterville, Kennebunk, Kittery, Wells, Westbrook, Ellsworth, Saco, Kennebunkport, Wiscasset, Damariscotta, Cape Elizabeth, Mount Desert, Rockland, Camden, Freeport, Boothbay Harbor. Region pages: Maine Beaches, Greater Portland & Casco Bay, Midcoast & Islands, Downeast & Acadia, Lakes & Mountains, Kennebec Valley, Maine Highlands, Aroostook County.
Clam shacks: questions
Whole-belly clams or clam strips?
Whole-belly clams are soft-shell clams (steamers) fried whole, belly and all, and they're what a Maine clam shack is known for. Clam strips are cut from larger sea clams, without the belly, and taste milder. Many shacks fry both; where a place told us what it's known for, it's listed with it.
Are Maine clam shacks open all year?
Not all of them. 6 of the 11 here are seasonal and 5 aren't marked seasonal. 4 of the seasonal ones post their dates, and we list them with each place. A place that's closed for the winter hasn't closed for good, so check its season before you drive.
Which clam shack here has been at its address the longest?
Of the 3 places on this list with a checked year at the same address, the longest-running is Bagaduce Lunch in Penobscot, there since 1946. Places without a checked year may be older, so this answers for our list, not for the whole state. Maine's oldest restaurants has the 22 places with 40 or more years at the same address.
Maine Beaches
2 clam shacks, by town. The region around Biddeford, York and Old Orchard Beach; the Maine Beaches page has its other guides too.
The Clam Shack
2 Western Ave, Kennebunk
Lobster rollClam shackSeasonal Known for: lobster roll; fried seafood; fresh-squeezed lemonade · Season: seasonal; check before you go · At this address since 1968
Takeout seafood shack on the Kennebunk River bridge by Dock Square; its lobster rolls use chilled meat with mayo on the grilled bun, warm butter, or both.
Huot's Seafood Restaurant
29 Eastern Ave, Camp Ellis (Saco)
Clam shack Known for: clam cakes; onion rings; fried seafood
Camp Ellis seafood restaurant still using Doris Huot's recipes for clam cakes, onion rings and seafood batter; after three generations of the Huot family, a new team now runs it and says it is keeping the recipes.
Greater Portland & Casco Bay
4 clam shacks, by town. The region around Portland, South Portland and Brunswick; the Greater Portland & Casco Bay page has its other guides too.
The Lobster Shack at Two Lights
225 Two Lights Rd, Cape Elizabeth
Lobster shackLobster rollClam shackSeasonal Known for: lobster dinner; lobster roll; fried clams; clam cakes; clam chowder; lobster stew · Season: April 4 to October 25 (2026 season)
Seasonal lobster shack at the end of Two Lights Road with picnic tables on the rocks below the lighthouse; lobster dinners, rolls, fried clams and clam cakes.
Clam Bar
199 West Commercial St, Portland
Clam shackSeasonal Known for: clams · Season: seasonal; check before you go · At this address since 2023
Seasonal clam shack at the west end of Commercial Street, open Thursday to Monday.
Gilbert's Chowder House
92 Commercial St, Portland
Clam shack Known for: clam chowder; clam cakes; fried haddock sandwich
Casual waterfront chowder house on Commercial Street that specializes in clam chowder, with clam cakes and fried seafood.
Ken's Place
207 Pine Point Rd, Scarborough
Clam shackSeasonal Known for: fried clams; clam strips; clam roll; clam chowder; lobster roll; fried oysters · Season: about late March to late October (2026: opened around March 20, last day October 25)
Seasonal seafood stand on the road to Pine Point Beach, serving fried clams (batter or crumbs), clam rolls and chowder since its roadside-stand start in 1927.
Midcoast & Islands
4 clam shacks, by town. The region around Rockland, Camden and Boothbay Harbor; the Midcoast & Islands page has its other guides too.
Five Islands Lobster Co.
1447 Five Islands Rd, Five Islands (Georgetown)
Lobster shackLobster rollClam shackSeasonal Known for: lobster roll; boiled lobster; fried clams; steamers; haddock chowder · Season: summer into fall (2026: daily in August, then weekends only Sept. 11 to Oct. 11)
Counter-service lobster shack on the working wharf in the fishing village of Five Islands, with picnic tables facing Sheepscot Bay; no alcohol sold, coolers welcome.
Delano's Seafood Shack
2090 Atlantic Highway, Waldoboro
Clam shack Known for: fried haddock
Year-round seafood shack next to the Delano family's seafood market, run by former lobsterman Kendall Delano Jr.; moved from a trailer into a new building with indoor seating in late 2025.
Sea Basket
303 Bath Rd, Wiscasset
Clam shack Known for: lobster stew
Wiscasset seafood restaurant known for generous portions and lobster stew made with fresh local lobster meat.
Taste of Maine
161 Main St, Woolwich
Clam shack Known for: lobster; seafood
Landmark Route 1 seafood restaurant with a giant lobster on its roof and a dining room full of Maine antiques; sold in 2026, with new owners taking over in late August or September (owners said 'same crew, same menu').
Downeast & Acadia
1 clam shack, by town. The region around Bar Harbor, Ellsworth and Southwest Harbor; the Downeast & Acadia page has its other guides too.
Bagaduce Lunch
145 Frank's Flat, Penobscot
America's ClassicClam shackSeasonal Known for: fried haddock sandwich; fried seafood; ice cream · Season: summer only; opened May 14 for 2026, generally through Labor Day · At this address since 1946
Counter-service seafood shack with picnic tables over the Bagaduce River reversing falls, run by the same family for three generations; James Beard America's Classics honoree in 2008.
James Beard: America's Classics 2008 (winner)