Maine Eats · region guide · checked October 2026
Midcoast & Islands: lobster shacks & oyster bars
8 lobster shacks and roll stops, 6 oyster bars and 4 clam shacks in Maine's Midcoast & Islands region, each checked in business in October 2026 against a 2025 or 2026 source, plus the 523 restaurants in the app's directory here.
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About this region
The Midcoast & Islands region is Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc and Waldo counties. Of the 523 places to eat and drink the app knows here, the most are in Rockland, Camden and Boothbay Harbor. Our hand-checked lists have 27 places here; the towns with the most are Wiscasset (4), Damariscotta (3) and Belfast (2). The most common kinds of place are Bar & Pub (98), Seafood (85) and Bakery & Sweets (62). The longest at the same address is Moody's Diner in Waldoboro, there since 1934.
How we draw it: the Maine Office of Tourism's Midcoast & Islands region, on county lines. Counties: Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo. A place is in it when its town is in one of those counties. Town pages here: Wiscasset, Damariscotta, Rockland, Camden, Boothbay Harbor.
Where to eat in the Midcoast & Islands region
The 12 towns here with the most places to eat and drink by the app's count; each link opens the web search for that town alone.
Lobster shacks & rolls in the Midcoast & Islands region
8 places, by town. The statewide guide has 37.
Young's Lobster Pound
2 Fairview St, Belfast
Lobster shackSeasonal Known for: hard- and soft-shell lobster; clams; mussels; lobster roll · Season: seasonal; check before you go
Lobster pound with picnic tables on the Passagassawakeag River in Belfast.
Muscongus Bay Lobster
28 Landing Rd, Round Pond (Bristol)
Lobster shackLobster rollSeasonal Known for: lobster roll; lobster chowder; Damariscotta River oysters · Season: late May into fall (2025 season opened May 23)
Family-owned wholesale and retail lobster business on Round Pond Harbor with outdoor waterfront tables and a small beer-and-wine bar, the Bait Shed Bar.
Larson's Lunch Box
430 Main St, Damariscotta
Lobster rollSeasonal Known for: lobster roll; crab roll; char-broiled burgers; fried clams · Season: mid-spring through October
Outdoor takeout shack in a parking lot just north of downtown Damariscotta, serving lobster and crab rolls in season; its page says it will be back in spring 2026.
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.
McLoons Lobster Shack
315 Island Rd, South Thomaston
Lobster shackLobster rollSeasonal Known for: lobster roll; Lobster Rolls Royce (half-pound roll); lobster stew; crab roll; blueberry bread pudding · Season: seasonal; check before you go
Lobster shack on Spruce Head Island across from a working lobster wharf, with island views; the menu changes daily with what is available.
Robinson's Wharf
20 Hendricks Hill Rd, Southport
Lobster roll Known for: lobster roll; lobster; scallops
Waterfront seafood restaurant with a seafood market and gift shop just across the swing bridge from Boothbay Harbor; the market is open year-round.
Red's Eats
41 Water St, Wiscasset
Lobster shackLobster rollSeasonal Known for: lobster roll; lobster plate; fried seafood baskets · Season: late April/May to mid-October (2026: opened May 6, target closing Oct. 13)
Family-run takeout stand at the foot of Wiscasset's Main Street on Route 1, known for lobster rolls and long summer lines.
Sprague's Lobster
22 Main St, Wiscasset
Lobster shackLobster rollSeasonal Known for: lobster roll; lobster dinner; live lobsters to go · Season: seasonal; check before you go
Family-run lobster stand on the Creamery Pier in Wiscasset known for lobster rolls and lobster dinners.
Clam shacks in the Midcoast & Islands region
4 places, by town. The statewide guide has 11.
Five Islands Lobster Co.
1447 Five Islands Rd, Five Islands (Georgetown); listed above
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').
Red snappers & Italians in the Midcoast & Islands region
2 places, by town. The statewide guide has 11.
Dunton's Doghouse
40 Sea St, Boothbay Harbor
Red snappers Known for: red hot dogs (W.A. Bean); Riley Dog with cheese and bacon; hot dog with coleslaw
Small hot dog stand at the edge of downtown Boothbay Harbor serving natural-casing dogs and W.A. Bean red hot dogs on griddled, buttered New England-style buns.
Harbor Dogs
1 Public Landing, Camden
Red snappersSeasonal Known for: Jordan's red snappers; Harbor Dog with apple chutney; Chilean Completo · Season: seasonal; check before you go
Seasonal hot dog stand in a parking lot at the edge of Camden Harbor, using Jordan's red snappers on toasted New England-style buns.
Whoopie pies & donuts in the Midcoast & Islands region
2 places, by town. The statewide guide has 16.
The Only Doughnut
225 Northport Ave, Belfast
Potato donuts Known for: Maine potato cake doughnuts; maple, sea smoke and Earl Grey glazes; brioche and gluten-free doughnuts
Belfast doughnut shop built on traditional Maine potato cake doughnuts (plain or chocolate) with rotating glazes and toppings; open Thursday to Sunday mornings.
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.
Diners in the Midcoast & Islands region
2 places, by town. The statewide guide has 13.
Deb's Bristol Diner
1267 Bristol Rd, Bristol
Diner
Small diner in the center of Bristol on Route 130, run by Debbie Thibault.
Moody's Diner
1885 Atlantic Highway, Waldoboro; listed above
Oyster bars in the Midcoast & Islands region
6 places, by town. The statewide guide has 10.
Mine Oyster
16 Wharf St (Pier 1), Boothbay Harbor
Oyster bar Known for: raw oysters
Waterfront raw bar and night club on Pier 1 run by chef Ralph Smith; it hosts the annual Pemaquid Oyster Festival with oysters from about 10 Damariscotta River farms (2025 and 2026).
Damariscotta River Grill
155 Main St, Damariscotta
Oyster bar Known for: Pemaquid oysters (half shell, pan-roasted or fried); lobster cakes; scallops
Two-level restaurant and bar on Damariscotta's Main Street serving Pemaquid oysters from the river outside its windows; same owners as Larson's Lunch Box.
King Eider's Pub
2 Elm St, Damariscotta
Oyster bar Known for: Damariscotta River oysters on the half shell; skillet-roasted oysters; crab cakes · At this address since 1996
English-style pub in downtown Damariscotta with a raw bar of Damariscotta River oysters and a whiskey list of 180-plus bottles.
Glidden Point Oyster Farms
637 River Rd, Edgecomb
Oyster bar Known for: Glidden Point oysters
Damariscotta River oyster farm whose farm store serves its oysters seven days a week with local beer and wine, with a food truck on site in summer; farm tours too.
The Shuck Station
68 Main St, Newcastle
Oyster bar Known for: oysters on the half shell; baked oysters; kimchi oysters
Raw bar run by oyster farmer and competition shucker Brendan Parsons, serving Damariscotta River oysters including his own Blackstone Point oysters.
Jolie Rogers Raw Bar
8 Railroad Ave, Wiscasset
Oyster bar Known for: oysters on the half shell
Oyster bar by the Sheepscot River run by Andy Rogers and Ryan Jolie; Rogers won the Pemaquid Oyster Festival shucking contest three years running through 2026.
Dairy bars in the Midcoast & Islands region
4 places, by town. The statewide guide has 54.
Bray Brook Farm
382 Union Rd, Appleton
Dairy bar Known for: hard-serve ice cream
Farm (with donkeys) and ice cream shop in Appleton with several unique hard-serve flavors.
Jefferson Scoop
271 Waldoboro Rd, Jefferson
Dairy bar Known for: Gifford's ice cream; soft serve
Ice cream stand in the center of Jefferson scooping Gifford's ice cream and soft serve, plus smoothies and slushies.
John's Ice Cream Factory
510 Belfast Augusta Rd, Liberty
Dairy bar Known for: ice cream; take-home pints and quarts
Family-owned ice cream shop in Liberty selling cones and take-home pints and quarts.
Dorman's Dairy Dream
189 New County Rd, Thomaston
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: hard-serve ice cream · Season: spring to fall (2026: opened April 9, Thursday–Sunday 12–7)
Long-running roadside ice cream stand in Thomaston.
Icons and old favorites
Hand-checked places here that aren't in the guides above: James Beard honorees, long-running places, inns and bakeries.
Primo
2 Main St, Rockland
James Beard winnerSeasonal Season: Into the first week of January; its site lists hours for July through the first week of January (spring opening date not stated) · At this address since 1999
Farm-to-table restaurant on its own small farm in Rockland; chef-owner Melissa Kelly, Italian and Mediterranean cooking, menu changes daily.
James Beard: Best Chef: Northeast 2013 (winner): Melissa Kelly, Primo