Maine Eats · 40 years or more at one address · checked October 2026
Maine's oldest restaurants
22 Maine places that have fed people at the same address for 40 years or more, oldest first: 3 from before 1900, 8 from 1900 to 1949, 8 from 1950 to 1979 and 3 from 1980 on. The first, Black Point Inn in Prouts Neck (Scarborough), has been there since 1878.
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What the year means
The year is when the place started serving at the spot where it stands today, taken from its own history page or from Maine news coverage. Moving resets the count, so a business founded long ago can show a later year; a place that changed its name but kept its spot can keep the earlier one. The year tells you how long, not how good. Only places we checked by hand carry a year, so many of the app's 4,194 other restaurants may be just as old without showing it here.
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 years at the same address, and no rating decides anything. Call ahead, since hours and menus shift. Our sources are on the about page.
This is the Oldest Places list in the app and in the web search. What each one is known for is in its entry below and in the lobster shacks & rolls, clam shacks, red snappers & Italians, whoopie pies & donuts, diners, oyster bars and dairy bars guides.
Jump to an era
- Before 1900 (3)
- 1900 to 1949 (8)
- 1950 to 1979 (8)
- 1980 and later (3)
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.
Before 1900
3 places, oldest first.
Black Point Inn
510 Black Point Rd, Prouts Neck (Scarborough)
Seasonal Season: dining May through October · At this address since 1878
Classic 1878 beachfront hotel on Prouts Neck; its Chart Room serves breakfast, lunch and dinner on the porch over Saco Bay in season.
Pentagöet Inn
26 Main St, Castine
Known for: pub and wine-bar small plates · At this address since 1894
Queen Anne Victorian summer hotel in Castine village with a cozy pub and wine bar serving small plates most evenings.
The Goldenrod
2 Railroad Ave, York Beach (York)
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: Goldenrod Kisses saltwater taffy; homemade ice cream; griddle cakes · Season: mid-May to Columbus Day · At this address since 1896
Short Sands candy shop, ice cream fountain and restaurant where Goldenrod Kisses taffy is pulled in the front windows; more than 135 ice cream flavors.
1900 to 1949
8 places, oldest first.
WaCo Diner
47 Water St, Eastport
Diner Known for: diner breakfast and lunch; Schooner Room dinners; Tex-Mex Tuesday dinners · At this address since 1924
Downtown Eastport diner with a full bar and a waterfront deck, plus the Schooner Room dining room for dinners.
Labadie's Bakery
161 Lincoln St, Lewiston
Whoopie pies Known for: whoopie pies · At this address since 1925
Century-old bakery in Lewiston's old Little Canada neighborhood, built on whoopie pies; retail counter open weekday mornings and ships nationwide.
Kawanhee Inn
12 Anne's Way, Weld
Seasonal Known for: dinner in the lodge dining room (menu changes) · Season: summer and early fall (opening day June 16 in 2026) · At this address since 1929
Rustic 1920s lodge on Webb Lake with a public restaurant in its fieldstone-fireplace dining room and enclosed porch.
Pat's Pizza
11 Mill St, Orono
Known for: pizza; spaghetti and meatballs · At this address since 1931
The original Pat's Pizza, a University of Maine institution on Mill Street that began as Farnsworth's Cafe in 1931 and turned to pizza in 1953.
Moody's Diner
1885 Atlantic Highway, Waldoboro
Whoopie piesBlueberry pieDiner Known for: blueberry pie; cream pies; whoopie pies · At this address since 1934
Family-run Route 1 diner known for its pies, baked from Bertha Moody's recipes, and its whoopie pies; open just about every day of the year.
Fox's Lobster House
8 Sohier Park Rd, York Beach (York)
Lobster shackBlueberry pieSeasonal Known for: boiled lobster; lobster roll; Maine blueberry pie · Season: April 29 to October 18 (2026, its 61st season) · At this address since 1936
Oceanfront lobster house next to Nubble Light with dining rooms and a take-out picnic patio; lobsters are boiled in its own pound and the owner bakes the blueberry pie.
Abel's Lobster
13 Abels Lane, Mount Desert
Lobster shackSeasonal Known for: lobster; clams; traditional Maine seafood · Season: May 17 to October 20 per its page (year not given); opened May 15 in 2025 · At this address since 1939
Seasonal lobster pound and clam house with a dining room and waterfront seating in Abel's boatyard near the head of Somes Sound.
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)
1950 to 1979
8 places, oldest first.
Nunan's Lobster Hut
9 Mills Rd, Cape Porpoise (Kennebunkport)
Lobster shackSeasonal Known for: boiled lobster dinner; lobster stew; lobster roll; homemade pie · Season: May 21 to October 17 (2026 season) · At this address since 1953
Family-run Cape Porpoise lobster hut serving lobster dinners in the rough from 5 pm; no reservations, no credit cards.
The Dairy Port
79 Main St, Bucksport
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: house-made soft serve; Gifford's hard ice cream; sundaes; shakes · Season: opened March 28 for 2026; open daily in season · At this address since 1954
Walk-up ice cream window in a narrow historic storefront on Bucksport's Main Street, across from the harbor and the Penobscot Narrows Bridge; known for its daily soft-serve flavors.
Cook's Lobster & Ale House
68 Garrison Cove Rd, Bailey Island (Harpswell)
Lobster shack Known for: lobster; lobster roll; clam chowder · At this address since 1955
Waterfront lobster house on Garrison Cove next to the Cribstone Bridge, grown from a 1955 take-out stand; stays open through the winter.
Barnacle Billy's
50-70 Perkins Cove Rd, Perkins Cove (Ogunquit)
Lobster shackSeasonal Known for: boiled lobster; lobster roll; clam chowder; rum punch · Season: April 10 to October 25, 2026 (also April 3-5) · At this address since 1961
Tower family lobster place on Perkins Cove known for boiled lobster with drawn butter and its rum punch; Barnacle Billy's, Etc. is the table-service sibling at the same address range.
Dysart's Restaurant & Truck Stop
530 Coldbrook Rd, Hermon
Blueberry pieDiner Known for: blueberry pie; baked beans; homemade bread; breakfast all day · At this address since 1967
I-95 Exit 180 truck-stop restaurant known for big plates, daily baked beans, homemade bread and pies; the restaurant ended 24-hour service in 2019 but the truck stop stays open around the clock.
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.
Beal's Lobster Pier
182 Clark Point Rd, Southwest Harbor
Lobster shackLobster rollSeasonal Known for: lobster dinner; lobster roll · Season: restaurant closed from October to May; opened May 15 in 2025 · At this address since 1969
Restaurant on a year-round working lobster pier on Southwest Harbor, where lobstermen unload their catch beside the tables; it also ships lobster nationwide.
Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster
36 Main St, South Freeport (Freeport)
Lobster shackLobster rollWhoopie piesSeasonal Known for: lobster roll; cooked lobsters; steamed clams; whoopie pie · Season: May to October (last day of the 2026 season: Columbus Day, Oct. 12) · At this address since 1970
Family-run lunch counter and lobster pound on the South Freeport working waterfront; lobster rolls, cooked lobsters and its own whoopie pies, BYOB.
1980 and later
3 places, oldest first.
Jordan's Snack Bar
200 Downeast Highway, Ellsworth
Lobster rollDairy bar Known for: lobster roll; Big Jim triple cheeseburger; shrimp and scallops; soft serve · Season: now open year-round · At this address since 1981
Ellsworth snack bar on the Downeast Highway with seafood, burgers and weekly soft-serve specials, a playground and game room, and Wednesday-night cruise-ins.
Scoop Deck
6 Eldridge Rd, Wells
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: homemade waffle cones; Blueberry Crumble ice cream · Season: seasonal; check before you go · At this address since 1983
Busy seasonal hard-serve stand in a barn with 60-plus flavors and homemade waffle cones.
Martel's Ice Cream
757 Portland Rd, Saco
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: homemade ice cream; Maine Mud ice cream; waffle cones · Season: seasonal; check before you go · At this address since 1986
Route 1 ice cream shop across from Funtown Splashtown with 40-plus homemade flavors and two mini golf courses.