12 Most Coveted Restaurant Reservations In Maine That Foodies Chase After
Maine restaurants have turned into treasure hunts for serious eaters. Landing a table at the state’s top spots now requires strategy, speed, and sometimes a postcard mailed at just the right moment.
These twelve dining rooms draw crowds willing to plan trips around a single reservation, and once you taste what they’re serving, the chase makes perfect sense.
Let’s see in which Maine restaurants getting a reservation feels like winning a lottery.
1. The Lost Kitchen – Freedom
A meal here starts months before you sit down: hopeful diners mail a postcard to enter the dinner-booking lottery, then wait for a call like it’s culinary Willy Wonka.
In season, the team also runs daytime service at the mill, but the once-in-a-lifetime dinner is the one that sets hearts racing.
If your card gets pulled, clear your calendar. Chef Erin French creates menus that shift with what the land offers, and every course feels handpicked just for that night.
The room glows with candlelight, conversation hums softly, and you leave feeling like you were part of something rare.
2. Primo – Rockland
Chef-owner Melissa Kelly’s farmhouse icon is the gold standard of Maine farm-to-table, the kind of place where dinner glows with garden greens and house-raised meats.
Tables open by phone and online, then go fast in peak months. Locals plan trips around a Primo night.
If you see a slot, take it, then linger over dessert like it’s a victory lap. I once snagged a last-minute table in September and tasted heirloom tomatoes so perfect they tasted like sunshine.
The patio overlooks the garden, so you can literally watch your dinner grow before it arrives on the plate.
3. Twelve – Portland
Modern New England tasting plates, sun setting over the working piers, and a room everyone wants into make Twelve Portland’s splashy, tough ticket.
Bookings release online and vanish quickly, especially on weekends. Pair a harbor stroll with a late seating and call it your Portland mic-drop.
The menu leans seasonal and bold, with dishes that surprise without trying too hard. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the waterfront perfectly, so every seat feels like the good one.
Arrive hungry and let the kitchen guide you through courses that taste like coastal Maine in its best outfit.
4. Fore Street – Portland
The original hearth-and-wood-oven star still runs on momentum and craft, and yes, you call to book. They open reservations two calendar months out, which means planners set reminders like it’s concert tickets. Miss the phone window and you’re hunting for cancellations.
Try early bar seats for a front-row view of the flames if dinner slots vanish. Watching chefs work the open fire feels like dinner theater, and the roasted mussels alone justify the effort.
I’ve called at 9:01 a.m. sharp more times than I care to admit, and each meal reminds me why the hustle matters.
5. Street & Co. – Portland
A snug, seafood-centric bistro where butter-bathed shrimp and whole fish rule the night, and so does the calendar: reservations open two months ahead. Regulars pounce on prime times while everyone else refreshes the page and crosses fingers.
Worst case, walk in at 4:30 and aim for raw bar seating before dinner service kicks off. The copper pans sizzle tableside, filling the room with garlic and ocean scent that makes your mouth water before the first bite.
Portions lean generous, so bring your appetite and maybe someone willing to share a second entree.
6. Leeward – Portland
Hand-made pastas, a bright room, and steady James Beard buzz make Leeward one of the hardest yeses in town.
Tables drop on Resy and evaporate, especially during foliage and summer. If you can’t snag dinner, try a shoulder-season weeknight and savor the silky tagliatelle like a secret.
The space feels airy and unfussy, letting the food take center stage without distraction. Chef Jake Stevens’ noodles have a chew that proves every strand gets rolled with care.
My advice: order at least two pasta dishes for the table and resist nothing the server suggests.
7. Miyake – Portland
This is where sushi obsessives angle for counter seats and omakase, released 30 days in advance and gone in a blink. Even table bookings can feel like a tiny triumph. Put a reminder on your calendar and be ready the moment the window opens.
Chef Masa Miyake sources fish with precision, and each piece lands on your plate at the exact right temperature. Sitting at the counter means you watch the knife work up close, which turns dinner into a master class.
The nigiri melts before you finish chewing, and suddenly you understand why people set alarms for this reservation.
8. Natalie’s at Camden Harbour Inn – Camden
White-tablecloth romance with harbor views, tasting menus, and a service dance as polished as the glassware make Natalie’s a mid-coast celebration spot. OpenTable-friendly, but prime weekends and leaf season disappear early.
Book, then stroll the waterfront and arrive hungry for the full arc. The courses unfold with theatrical timing, each plate more beautiful than the last. I celebrated an anniversary here once, and the staff somehow made us feel like the only table in the room.
Sunset through those windows turns every dinner into an occasion worth dressing up for.
9. White Barn Inn Restaurant – Kennebunk
A rare AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five-Star dining room inside a pair of historic barns, where prix-fixe courses feel like theater.
High season fills fast, and jackets aren’t required, but the evening feels dress-worthy. Reserve early and treat it like the occasion it is.
The service team moves with quiet precision, and every detail gets attention without feeling stuffy. Chandeliers hang from original beams, blending rustic bones with refined elegance.
Courses arrive paced perfectly, giving you time to savor each bite and sip before the next surprise lands in front of you.
10. The Well at Jordan’s Farm – Cape Elizabeth
A magical field supper in private gazebos or at the Chef’s Porch, built around what the farm and coast give that day. Seasonal reservations open early in the year, and locals set alarms to snag a gazebo before they vanish.
Bring a sweater, watch the sky blush, and let the courses unfold. Dinner here feels like a farm-to-table fairy tale, with ingredients picked hours before plating.
I ate here on a cool June evening, and the strawberry course tasted like summer distilled into a single spoonful. The setting sun over the fields made every bite taste even better.
11. Aragosta at Goose Cove – Deer Isle
On a tucked-away cove, chef Devin Finigan serves a seasonal tasting menu that’s as intimate as the tide line. Reservations required on set nights, and the schedule shifts spring through fall, so serious diners plan trips around it.
Book, breathe, and watch the last light fade over the water between courses. The menu changes with the catch and the garden, so no two visits taste the same.
Reaching the restaurant requires a winding drive through pine forests, which only adds to the sense that you’ve discovered something worth protecting.
12. Scales – Portland
Harbor-side classics done with polish make Scales a hot Old Port get. Raw bar, roasted fish, and views of ferries slipping past draw crowds eager to claim a table. They accept reservations two months ahead, and prime times are snapped up fast in summer.
When in doubt, shoot for a later dinner and let dessert be your nightcap. The oyster selection rotates daily, so ask your server what just arrived.
I love grabbing a seat near the windows and watching the working waterfront bustle while cracking into a seafood tower that could feed a small army.