3 days in southern maine
lots of sun and all of the seafood
one of the things i love most about living in new england is being less than an hour or two from just about any setting i desire: ocean, mountain, city, forest, etc. etc. and one of my favorite places in the region is southern maine. portland is my forever love, but the ogunquit/wells/kennebunkport/york region is another longtime go-to that i had the pleasure of returning to for the first time in about 8 years last week with my family. it was just the few-day getaway i needed to recharge my batteries and really get into the summer groove. here are some of the spots we made it to this go-round.
true to its name, this restaurant is just a stone’s throw from the beach, and is a fairly new addition to the area, opening its doors in 2022. the tall windows provide a beautiful view of the water, and the sleek white decor is simple, but feels elevated. i was craving fried clams (what’s new?) and along with some perfectly batter-y, crispy french fries, they really hit the spot.
a couple days later, i also gave their walk-up window a go — to order a creamsicle float to go — after we set our stuff up on the beach, because creamsicles rule everything around me (my summer spotify playlist prophecy has been FULFILLED). i walked it back to my lil’ beach chair and savored it while listening to ashlee simpson’s classic autobiography album. it was a beautiful moment.
not to be confused with the very similarly-named restaurant above…if you’re looking for a no-frills, old-school, wood-paneled institution with upscale summer camp vibes that lets you pick your own lobster and all that jazz, ogunquit lobster pound is your spot. it was quite noisy and certainly wasn’t the most amazing meal i had on this trip, but my lobster pie with rice and green beens was quite delicious.
i have no clue how i’d never been to this retro dream of an ice cream shop in wells, but i was paralyzed with indecision when looking at their overwhelmingly large selection of flavors.
because i am having a decidedly pistachio summer — thanks to this amaaaazing pistachio body butter i’ve been obsessed with but unfortunately cannot eat — i got a double kiddie order with one scoop of that and one of cherry amaretto. perhaps a bit too ambitious of an order, but i made it through!
this bustling breakfast spot right across the street from our hotel provided the ideal way to start our second day. i went all out, with yet another a creamsicle beverage that involved orange juice and whipped cream, and then a house specialty called crab saratoga that had scrambled eggs, lump crab (obv), cream cheese, over easy egg, and hollandaise. it was like a deconstructed crab rangoon meets a benedict, kinda! so good.
another very traditional spot that’s ideal after a long day of shopping and sunning — and really puts you in that “nice dinner on vacation” mood (y’all know what i mean, right?) — the steakhouse offers its namesake, obviously, along with a selection of seafood and chicken dishes. i got a whiskey smash, called “the smash daddy,” and a lovely surf and turf meal with filet mignon pieces, shrimp, some gratin-y potatoes, and a caesar salad. i almost made it through the whole thing! pro tip: the steakhouse doesn’t take reservations, and people start lining up at like 3:30 for their opening at 4pm.
right down shore road, this italian bistro has both sit-down service and a walk-up gelato window, the latter of which we took advantage of after dinner at the steakhouse. i ordered mint stracciatella, which was super refreshing. i’d really love to return for an actual meal, because i was also very taken by the aesthetics of the place; it reminded me a lot of silver lake in LA in both architecture and the way the building seemed almost built into the hillside.
to fuel up for our marginal way walk, i snagged a strawberry cheese danish and iced coffee with oat milk from this cozy cafe on main street. there are a few tables indoors and more in the little alley outside to enjoy your breakfast.
marginal way
the one non-food or drink recommendation here, this waterfront walk is beautiful for both gazing at the ocean AND at gorgeous, multi-million dollar houses.
boasting perhaps the best restaurant view in all of ogunquit, jackie’s too is a perkins cove staple that my family and i have been going to for decades. it’s not super upscale or gourmet, but the food is really good — and it’s more than worth it to enjoy a meal mere feet from the ocean. my fish and chips hit the spot!
another OGT staple i had yet to experience, the front porch is a piano bar and restaurant that my mom had been talking up for years after she and my aunt had an apparently legendary evening around the piano singing ‘50s tunes there like a decade ago. we popped in for a cocktail before dinner on our last night (i got a take on the pina colada), and it was such a vibe. the piano was already packed, and the player was doing a mix of showtunes and burt bacharach songs. loved it.
as i said in my instagram story the other day, pizza and a glass of white wine on a patio is one of the best experiences not only in the summertime, but in life in general. and after my pina colada at the front porch, we moved to the magical patio of this longtime pizza parlor and ordered a large pie with hamburger (my favorite, underrated topping!) and i sipped my glass of pinot grigio while people watching and gazing at the grapes growing off of the deck’s overhang. IDEAL.
of course, i needed a sweet treat for dessert, so thankfully there was a charming gourmet candy shop across the street. i ordered three different truffles: hazelnut (the best), pistachio (obv) (good), and grand marnier (okay).
before hitting the road home, we popped into this no-frills, cash-only greasy spoon, and the amaretto french toast was calling my name. y’all, it was so, so good. made with amaretto in the batter and covered in slivered almonds? yes. yes. yes.
“creamsicles rule everything around me” haha amazing. Also everything about this was delightful.