Pilot House Restaurant
4 Western Ave, Kennebunk, ME, 04043
Pilot House Restaurant Menu
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Address :
4 Western Ave
Kennebunk, ME, 04043 - Phone (207) 967-9961
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Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Divey
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Adrienne M.
Ok, this one is a long one..I will put a **** next to the actual food review. We walked all around kennebunk port and the valet actually gave us the recommendation to go to Pilot House...we bypassed it at first because its was pretty loud. We then tried to have dinner at Federal Jack's but they sat us in the corner on a beautiful night so we left. Ok, so now for the actual review. We sat outside, the view was not amazing the it was a nice night. ****The food is what you come here for. I ordered the 1 1/4lb lobster dinner and clams. Neither disappointed! Best dinner in Kennebunk for out entire trip! So what if it's loud and more of a drinking spot..the food is WHERE IT'S AT! Thank you Pilot house! You have a gold mine there!
(4)WINONA K.
When we checked in to our rental house, the owner gave us a good lowdown of great walks, shopping, and where to eat. "Pilot house is a favorite. They don't advertise in the tourist books and the food is great. They do a $10 prime rib special every Wednesday and the hubby, kids and I never miss it." We are planning to hit Prime rib Wednesday next week - but we had the classic seafood meal on Tuesday. Delicious! I had chowder and my husband had the crab cakes - followed by "the best scallops I've ever tasted" (I must agree with my hub). The food is simple and good. The band was showing up as we left and, I can't comment on the tunes as we had left by then, the guy setting up the music was really nice and we enjoyed talking to him. A real friendly place with solid food and good staff.
(4)Rodney W.
What a great atmosphere and food! We had the crab cakes and the clam chowder - wow! Very, very good! They said the crab cakes are made daily! We happened by chance when looking for parking and they have ample parking. Everyone are so friendly! I will definitely eat here when in the area again.
(5)Lindsey S.
I have mixed feelings about the Pilot House. This place gets 4 stars primarily because of the LOBSTER STEW. I think it might be the best soup I have ever had!!! I love lobster bisque and they got the recipe just right, perfectly creamy without being too thick, just a hint of sherry and lots of lobster. The lobster dinner is also a great deal! $9.99 for a lobster and $14.99 for a lobster dinner (w/fries and cole slaw). The clam chowder was good, but not close to the best I have had. I did not care for their lobster roll, but it could be my particular taste. The quality of the meat was great and there was lots of it, but I like my lobster rolls to have a lot more flavor. The reason I cannot give it five stars is the service. We ate here twice over our vacation. The first time we arrive pretty late, so got a table immediately. Our food came quickly, but the waitress was inattentive. I ordered a beer that never came and my water was never refilled. The second time we came was for lunch and the place wasn't even half full. We sat for about 15 minutes before anyone came to take our order. The noise level is high, but I knew I wasn't headed to a fine dining establishment with candlelight and piano music. They have live music outside on some evenings and afternoons. I think it can be a pretty fun place. You just have to be open-minded and patient.
(4)Erin B.
I loved this place. It is behind Bartley's Dockside, but deserves more credit. They say this is where the locals go. I say it's perfect for anyone who wants a timeless low key meal. It's outfitted with old lobster/fishing equipment. But unlike Bartley's this place just looks cool and casual, not outdated and trying to be something it's not. This place is the real deal. My husband and friend had steamers and a fish sandwich. His exact words were "this is the freshest fish I've had on this vacation". I had a juicey delicious burger. We topped it all off with their home made blueberry pie (way better than Bartley's!) We also had a sweet waitress - Mariel. Just the right amount of service from her. My only suggestion for this place is a few more beers on tap. (at the time they only had Miller lite) For me that was fine, being 6 mos pregnant. But when I return (and I will!!) it'd be nice to have a few more seasonal beers! Definitely stop here if you want a good low key meal!
(5)Cris T.
Went for dinner tonight & were sat pretty quick but then just sat there watching not 1 but 3 waitress walk by us and not even even acknowledging us, I even got up and tapped a waitress on the shoulder to ask her if she could clean our table & she actually tried to ignore me and when she did turn around she didn't even look or talk to me. After asking 2 waitress if they would serve us we just left. I don't care how good the food is because if the wait staff is rude it's not worth waiting for.
(1)Linda D.
Absolutely the best place in Kennebunk/Kennebunkport for a relaxing drink at the bar with Sue who absolutely remembers my birthday every year for the past five years even though we visit only once or twice a year. And the lobster dinners -- no place better for the best lobsters at the best price. Can't wait --- we'll be there soon!!!
(5)David H.
Sat inside today for lunch. Was a neat place to eat on the water. Unfortunately today a ship was in Portland so a big crowd in town. Good beer prices with a small selection. The appetizer was $15 for fried clams and had a very small portion. Not possible for two people to share. Ordered the blackened haddock sandwich which was not blackened....but was baked with some old bay seasoning. The sandwich was fresh and good just not what was ordered. The one waitress in the bar was great. She worked hard and was friendly. Ideally there would be two more. Would have ordered more but was hard to get to waitress.
(2)Debrin S.
This 1 is going to be short & to the point. Locals. Live music on the deck. Loud , hot (more like sweltering - how about a fan or two?), too bright. Hope you don't mind waiting (and waiting, and waiting, and waiting....) to either actually get your food or a cocktail. Heading to the bar isn't any easier. However. Once you get your food- its really good- rough side- nothing fancy here. Excellent fried haddock, steamed lobster- unique & worth eating coleslaw, golden crunchy fries. Didn't care for the pasty too thick chowdah. Parking is tough. Restrooms get a lot of use.
(3)Alex G.
Wandered in here, looking for simple and local food. Foggy, crisp summer day around noon. Very authentic, very neat place - like finding a pirate's hangout with decent food! We sat at the bar, and the cutest female bartender took great care of us - always a plus! For simple stuff, the food was well above average. Loved the clam chowder, tasty and full of clams. Skip the chili - lacking flavor and dry meat. Buffalo shrimp we're spectacular - we polished them off rather quickly. Yum. Hot dog with fries was super tasty; the fries crisp and not oily in the least. Lobsters looked good and the prices were fair. For a down home, Maine meal, this is a cool local hangout.
(4)Yvonne K.
Very low key place...the chowders were good The lobster good but I ordered the hadock reuben and there was so much confusion I just ate the damn fried hadock sandwich!!!The menu said it had the nomal things you expect on a reuben but...it was fried fish with lettuce and tomato...Oh well!
(3)Anthony F.
Diamond in the rough. Great fried clams, lobster stew and haddock Reuben.
(4)Dave S.
The food was decent, but the service was amazingly slow. I don't blame our individual server so much as the management for that - it was very busy and there obviously weren't enough servers working. Scenery was temporarily bad as there was some construction going on in the next lot. Had a corner table in the outside seating area, and took a picture with a dumpster in the background. We both couldn't pass up the lobster dinner, as with the current trend in lobster prices, $12.99 was a steal. The lobster was quality soft-shell lobster, cooked properly, and served with butter. Can't go wrong with that. The sides left much to be desired. They normally serve this with fries and cole slaw, but they're willing to sub in a potato and vegetable for dinnertime (I believe after 5pm). My girlfriend got the fries and slaw, I got the mashed potatoes and vegetable (green beans). The green beans were fairly flavorless and ... almost crunchy. The mashed potatoes were largely bland, and not at all creamy. The crowd is very local, and boisterous. A lot of people who seemed to know each other, hanging out and enjoying brews.
(3)Courtney N.
My friend and I were vacationing in the area and decided to walk downtown to try something different for lunch. We actually have a restaurant called the Pilot House in our city so when we saw this one we just had to try it out. The interior was nice. It seemed to be full of locals sitting at the bar and they were very into the Nascar race (a lot of yelling). We were the only customers sitting in the table area of the restaurant. The waitress was nice and rattled off the various beers they had. My friend got one and I went with water. My water had a funny taste so I didn't drink much of it. They were also out of a lot of fresh seafood and she let us know right away. My friend got the seafood medley with shrimp and haddock plus a mound of fries and coleslaw. I went with the open face pot roast sandwich (special of the day). He enjoyed his food but my food was gross. It tasted like three day old left-overs. The gravy they soaked it all in was not very good. I usually love boiled dinner foods but not when they're clearly past their prime. I ended up trading with my friend (well, just eating his fries and coleslaw as he'd already devoured his fish and I'm allergic to shrimp). The bill was quite hefty as his item was almost twenty dollars. Yikes. I definitely wouldn't eat there again. The waitress was super friendly and chatted about the area, recommended places to visit but that wasn't enough to save the experience for me. I wouldn't go back and wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.
(2)Than P.
Came in to end the night with a few drinks, and saw that the bar was packed, so we sat down at a table- the waitress came over, we said we needed a minute, and she never came back. (15 minutes) The ladies in our group decided to sit outside, which left us lads to awkwardly go up to the bar and order. When we did the bartender (older, I believe the owner) apologized and said she didn't realize we were waiting. She gave us some free Jell-O shots ($1 each) which was nice. Would have preferred my $6 jack and coke comp'ed however. Other than that, we had a nice time. Outdoor seating is large and great for the summer obviously. Not sure how this place functions during the day but at night it's solidly divey. The $1 Jell-O shots are nice if you're down for some nail polish vodka. You know what you're paying for. 4 stars, -1 for wait.
(3)Trish I.
The food was delicious and the people were wonderful. We had the haddock. Would definitely go again.
(5)Dan T.
Great food! But be prepared for HIGH noise level
(3)Dan D.
Had a very nice experience. After wandering around downtown Kennebunkport sightseeing and looking for a restaurant, we chose the Pilot House. It has the simple feel that a New England seafood place should have. Nothing fancy to look at, but very comfortable and inviting. My lobster dinner was excellent and my wife's fried clams were equally good. The staff was friendly and easily accommodated us as we changed tables (got a bit too cool outside). We were there late afternoon so there was no crowd problem. Will happily return on our next visit.
(4)Randy T.
Until they fire the owners sons girlfriend, we will never go back. Has to be the rudest, worst attitude human being around. Hates her job and is down right mean to people. The owner is doing himself a big disservice by having her work there. It is beyond me how she gets away with her behavior to customers. She has a big wake up call in life. Get rid of her!
(1)John M.
Expensive and inattentive waitstaff. Arrived for lunch at Pilot house after seeing such high reviews from others. We sat and were prompty taken care of. We ordered drinks and food at same time (we knew what we wanted and the menu is small). Our food came out about 5 minutes later. Very quick. 15 dollars for a mini lobster roll is NOT worth it at all. It's tiny. Drinks did not come out for after 15 minutes. We were completely finished with our drinks. We only ordered coke and diet coke. Shouldn't take that long.... People next to us also left because no one took their order after 15 minutes. There are better places in Kennebunkport to get lunch. Go elsewhere.
(2)Chris C.
The food was terrific, crab cakes and clam cakes to start, then baked haddock and lobster scampi for dinner. Everything was superb, and the service was equally good. It was Thanksgiving, so it was one of the few places that were open, so we really lucked out that it was a winner. I guess they were understaffed, so the bartender, Trish, was doubling as the waitress, but she really hustled and made it work, so we didnt wait for anything... Prices were reasonable, food and service were terrific... will definitely be back...
(5)Mimi Z.
This review is basically for Susita (sorry if I spelled your name wrong!)!! She is the best waitress ever and only works there on Fridays so we were upset when we came back on Saturday and she wasn't there! We were told to come Pilot house by a few locals so one hungry night we decided to check it out ourselves. The waitress there was just the sweetest, most helpful and cheery I've ever met. Most of us (a group of 6) got lobsters and she will breakdown the lobster so you get every bit of meat left you ask her to! The lobsters we ordered were delicious, sweet and meaty. My friends ordered swordfish and the portion size was huge! The steamers were juicy and big. For dessert, I recommend their blueberry pie with ice cream and make sure the pie is nice and warm/hot! It is the best dessert I had in Kennebunkport! Thank you Susita for making our dinner amazing!
(5)Steve G.
Let me start off with the positive. two cruise ships came into nearby Portland and a lot of people came to Kennebunk on excursions. Our waitress Dakota (at least that is the name I thought I heard) did a great job with the sudden on-rush of people. She got people seated right away and we were served quickly. She made a local beer recommendation that was very good. Now for the negative: one member of our group ordered Clam Chowder and Lobster Roll and was terribly disappointed. The Chowder was more like Potato Soup (virtually no clams in it) and the Lobster Roll was basically broiled (maybe steamed?) lobster on a hot dog bun with no butter or mayo. I am not a seafood person so I went with a burger and fries and thought it was good. The other person in our group just ordered the blueberry pie ala mode and liked it. For all the raves we heard from the bus driver and tour guide we really thought this would be much better. Maybe the sudden onslaught of people put too much of a strain on the kitchen.
(2)Steve D.
Best value in the area for sure! Great food quick service. The draft beer wasn't real cold or 5 stars, the bottles were nice and cold though. Fried clams were excellent, tender and crispy, not soggy with grease like the big tourist brewery behind it. Had the crab cakes app, was very tasty, not oily or soggy, I'd say perfect. Sat outside, wasn't cramped, very comfortable with some live music to sweeten the evening. Probably hit it again tomorrow night as there were multiple things on the menu that looked like I must try.
(4)S G.
Price is reasonable. Ordered their lobster special for $12.99. Came with fries and cole slaw. Our waitress was a little slow. We asked her twice for glasses for our beers and never got them. My brother had to go and get them from the bar. Giving 3 stars because when we first arrived at the restaurant one waiter said they were out of full lobsters. In Maine! But, she quickly said they were getting more in a short while. Also, the waitress was not too committed to her job. At one point she told another couple seating next to us that she was not sure of the specials for they day, as she had just come in for her shift. If you are not in a hurry, and only care for the lobster and affordable price, this is the place.
(3)Kristin B.
This place is right off the strip, but the prices are soooo reasonable. We arrived around 9pm on a Saturday night. There was live music outside and plenty of places to sit. They had ginger ale on tap (bonus) and $2 cans of PBR. We each had the single lobster dinner for $14.95, and they were solid. To the kid who was completely shmammered at the bar...thank you for the free entertainment. :) Good food and fun folks!
(4)Alex F.
The Pilot House is an interesting place. It's location screams tourist trap, since it's right off the main bridge into town and easily visible from the street, yet when you go in, you instantly recognize it as a locals only place. One clue may have been a good 80% of the people at the bar and the restaurant asking questions about family and friends. The other clue may have been the fact that aside from ONE other guy, we were the only ones ordering lobster and wearing those ridiculous plastic bibs. Actually, G wore the ridiculous bib. I refuse to wear this emasculating article of fail since 1) I'm a transplanted local, 2) I would get my ass kicked by my fellow mouth breathers if any of them saw me with a bib, and 3) I suffer from sandy mangina. The Pilot House is dominated by a bar and has a restaurant side with a few tables. Large parties beware. Even with rain falling heavily, there were people waiting to come in. Again, a very good sign. This place seems to be all about the local flavor and food and not the decor which seems to be a combination nautical and 20th century Ikea. So we go in for the food..twin bare bugs were $18.99, which was the cheapest we saw in MA, RI, or ME. Usually, places are asking in the twenties and thirties for twin lobsters. We made the mistake of ordering a twin "dinner" for $25, which came with a generous heaping tablespoon of coleslaw and a small fry. $6 right there! My goodness... The chowder was good, the bugs were better, the fries rate a solid meh minus, and the coleslaw was ok. You can't really screw up boiling a bug, except if it's a dead bug, and these definitely were not. They were about as fresh as we had the whole trip. They advertised twin 1.25lb bugs, but mine was actually about 1.5 and 1lb each. No biggie. Service was great. We got what we asked for. It wasn't rushed. We had a great time here. Blending in with the locals was difficult, especially with the awkward picture taking and the ridiculous plastic bibs, but we walked out into the rain in one piece and very satisfied.
(4)Adrienne M.
Ok, this one is a long one..I will put a **** next to the actual food review. We walked all around kennebunk port and the valet actually gave us the recommendation to go to Pilot House...we bypassed it at first because its was pretty loud. We then tried to have dinner at Federal Jack's but they sat us in the corner on a beautiful night so we left. Ok, so now for the actual review. We sat outside, the view was not amazing the it was a nice night. ****The food is what you come here for. I ordered the 1 1/4lb lobster dinner and clams. Neither disappointed! Best dinner in Kennebunk for out entire trip! So what if it's loud and more of a drinking spot..the food is WHERE IT'S AT! Thank you Pilot house! You have a gold mine there!
(4)Than P.
Came in to end the night with a few drinks, and saw that the bar was packed, so we sat down at a table- the waitress came over, we said we needed a minute, and she never came back. (15 minutes) The ladies in our group decided to sit outside, which left us lads to awkwardly go up to the bar and order. When we did the bartender (older, I believe the owner) apologized and said she didn't realize we were waiting. She gave us some free Jell-O shots ($1 each) which was nice. Would have preferred my $6 jack and coke comp'ed however. Other than that, we had a nice time. Outdoor seating is large and great for the summer obviously. Not sure how this place functions during the day but at night it's solidly divey. The $1 Jell-O shots are nice if you're down for some nail polish vodka. You know what you're paying for. 4 stars, -1 for wait.
(3)Trish I.
The food was delicious and the people were wonderful. We had the haddock. Would definitely go again.
(5)Dan D.
Had a very nice experience. After wandering around downtown Kennebunkport sightseeing and looking for a restaurant, we chose the Pilot House. It has the simple feel that a New England seafood place should have. Nothing fancy to look at, but very comfortable and inviting. My lobster dinner was excellent and my wife's fried clams were equally good. The staff was friendly and easily accommodated us as we changed tables (got a bit too cool outside). We were there late afternoon so there was no crowd problem. Will happily return on our next visit.
(4)Randy T.
Until they fire the owners sons girlfriend, we will never go back. Has to be the rudest, worst attitude human being around. Hates her job and is down right mean to people. The owner is doing himself a big disservice by having her work there. It is beyond me how she gets away with her behavior to customers. She has a big wake up call in life. Get rid of her!
(1)John M.
Expensive and inattentive waitstaff. Arrived for lunch at Pilot house after seeing such high reviews from others. We sat and were prompty taken care of. We ordered drinks and food at same time (we knew what we wanted and the menu is small). Our food came out about 5 minutes later. Very quick. 15 dollars for a mini lobster roll is NOT worth it at all. It's tiny. Drinks did not come out for after 15 minutes. We were completely finished with our drinks. We only ordered coke and diet coke. Shouldn't take that long.... People next to us also left because no one took their order after 15 minutes. There are better places in Kennebunkport to get lunch. Go elsewhere.
(2)Chris C.
The food was terrific, crab cakes and clam cakes to start, then baked haddock and lobster scampi for dinner. Everything was superb, and the service was equally good. It was Thanksgiving, so it was one of the few places that were open, so we really lucked out that it was a winner. I guess they were understaffed, so the bartender, Trish, was doubling as the waitress, but she really hustled and made it work, so we didnt wait for anything... Prices were reasonable, food and service were terrific... will definitely be back...
(5)David H.
Sat inside today for lunch. Was a neat place to eat on the water. Unfortunately today a ship was in Portland so a big crowd in town. Good beer prices with a small selection. The appetizer was $15 for fried clams and had a very small portion. Not possible for two people to share. Ordered the blackened haddock sandwich which was not blackened....but was baked with some old bay seasoning. The sandwich was fresh and good just not what was ordered. The one waitress in the bar was great. She worked hard and was friendly. Ideally there would be two more. Would have ordered more but was hard to get to waitress.
(2)Cris T.
Went for dinner tonight & were sat pretty quick but then just sat there watching not 1 but 3 waitress walk by us and not even even acknowledging us, I even got up and tapped a waitress on the shoulder to ask her if she could clean our table & she actually tried to ignore me and when she did turn around she didn't even look or talk to me. After asking 2 waitress if they would serve us we just left. I don't care how good the food is because if the wait staff is rude it's not worth waiting for.
(1)Debrin S.
This 1 is going to be short & to the point. Locals. Live music on the deck. Loud , hot (more like sweltering - how about a fan or two?), too bright. Hope you don't mind waiting (and waiting, and waiting, and waiting....) to either actually get your food or a cocktail. Heading to the bar isn't any easier. However. Once you get your food- its really good- rough side- nothing fancy here. Excellent fried haddock, steamed lobster- unique & worth eating coleslaw, golden crunchy fries. Didn't care for the pasty too thick chowdah. Parking is tough. Restrooms get a lot of use.
(3)Linda D.
Absolutely the best place in Kennebunk/Kennebunkport for a relaxing drink at the bar with Sue who absolutely remembers my birthday every year for the past five years even though we visit only once or twice a year. And the lobster dinners -- no place better for the best lobsters at the best price. Can't wait --- we'll be there soon!!!
(5)Mimi Z.
This review is basically for Susita (sorry if I spelled your name wrong!)!! She is the best waitress ever and only works there on Fridays so we were upset when we came back on Saturday and she wasn't there! We were told to come Pilot house by a few locals so one hungry night we decided to check it out ourselves. The waitress there was just the sweetest, most helpful and cheery I've ever met. Most of us (a group of 6) got lobsters and she will breakdown the lobster so you get every bit of meat left you ask her to! The lobsters we ordered were delicious, sweet and meaty. My friends ordered swordfish and the portion size was huge! The steamers were juicy and big. For dessert, I recommend their blueberry pie with ice cream and make sure the pie is nice and warm/hot! It is the best dessert I had in Kennebunkport! Thank you Susita for making our dinner amazing!
(5)Steve G.
Let me start off with the positive. two cruise ships came into nearby Portland and a lot of people came to Kennebunk on excursions. Our waitress Dakota (at least that is the name I thought I heard) did a great job with the sudden on-rush of people. She got people seated right away and we were served quickly. She made a local beer recommendation that was very good. Now for the negative: one member of our group ordered Clam Chowder and Lobster Roll and was terribly disappointed. The Chowder was more like Potato Soup (virtually no clams in it) and the Lobster Roll was basically broiled (maybe steamed?) lobster on a hot dog bun with no butter or mayo. I am not a seafood person so I went with a burger and fries and thought it was good. The other person in our group just ordered the blueberry pie ala mode and liked it. For all the raves we heard from the bus driver and tour guide we really thought this would be much better. Maybe the sudden onslaught of people put too much of a strain on the kitchen.
(2)Steve D.
Best value in the area for sure! Great food quick service. The draft beer wasn't real cold or 5 stars, the bottles were nice and cold though. Fried clams were excellent, tender and crispy, not soggy with grease like the big tourist brewery behind it. Had the crab cakes app, was very tasty, not oily or soggy, I'd say perfect. Sat outside, wasn't cramped, very comfortable with some live music to sweeten the evening. Probably hit it again tomorrow night as there were multiple things on the menu that looked like I must try.
(4)S G.
Price is reasonable. Ordered their lobster special for $12.99. Came with fries and cole slaw. Our waitress was a little slow. We asked her twice for glasses for our beers and never got them. My brother had to go and get them from the bar. Giving 3 stars because when we first arrived at the restaurant one waiter said they were out of full lobsters. In Maine! But, she quickly said they were getting more in a short while. Also, the waitress was not too committed to her job. At one point she told another couple seating next to us that she was not sure of the specials for they day, as she had just come in for her shift. If you are not in a hurry, and only care for the lobster and affordable price, this is the place.
(3)Kristin B.
This place is right off the strip, but the prices are soooo reasonable. We arrived around 9pm on a Saturday night. There was live music outside and plenty of places to sit. They had ginger ale on tap (bonus) and $2 cans of PBR. We each had the single lobster dinner for $14.95, and they were solid. To the kid who was completely shmammered at the bar...thank you for the free entertainment. :) Good food and fun folks!
(4)Alex F.
The Pilot House is an interesting place. It's location screams tourist trap, since it's right off the main bridge into town and easily visible from the street, yet when you go in, you instantly recognize it as a locals only place. One clue may have been a good 80% of the people at the bar and the restaurant asking questions about family and friends. The other clue may have been the fact that aside from ONE other guy, we were the only ones ordering lobster and wearing those ridiculous plastic bibs. Actually, G wore the ridiculous bib. I refuse to wear this emasculating article of fail since 1) I'm a transplanted local, 2) I would get my ass kicked by my fellow mouth breathers if any of them saw me with a bib, and 3) I suffer from sandy mangina. The Pilot House is dominated by a bar and has a restaurant side with a few tables. Large parties beware. Even with rain falling heavily, there were people waiting to come in. Again, a very good sign. This place seems to be all about the local flavor and food and not the decor which seems to be a combination nautical and 20th century Ikea. So we go in for the food..twin bare bugs were $18.99, which was the cheapest we saw in MA, RI, or ME. Usually, places are asking in the twenties and thirties for twin lobsters. We made the mistake of ordering a twin "dinner" for $25, which came with a generous heaping tablespoon of coleslaw and a small fry. $6 right there! My goodness... The chowder was good, the bugs were better, the fries rate a solid meh minus, and the coleslaw was ok. You can't really screw up boiling a bug, except if it's a dead bug, and these definitely were not. They were about as fresh as we had the whole trip. They advertised twin 1.25lb bugs, but mine was actually about 1.5 and 1lb each. No biggie. Service was great. We got what we asked for. It wasn't rushed. We had a great time here. Blending in with the locals was difficult, especially with the awkward picture taking and the ridiculous plastic bibs, but we walked out into the rain in one piece and very satisfied.
(4)Alex G.
Wandered in here, looking for simple and local food. Foggy, crisp summer day around noon. Very authentic, very neat place - like finding a pirate's hangout with decent food! We sat at the bar, and the cutest female bartender took great care of us - always a plus! For simple stuff, the food was well above average. Loved the clam chowder, tasty and full of clams. Skip the chili - lacking flavor and dry meat. Buffalo shrimp we're spectacular - we polished them off rather quickly. Yum. Hot dog with fries was super tasty; the fries crisp and not oily in the least. Lobsters looked good and the prices were fair. For a down home, Maine meal, this is a cool local hangout.
(4)Yvonne K.
Very low key place...the chowders were good The lobster good but I ordered the hadock reuben and there was so much confusion I just ate the damn fried hadock sandwich!!!The menu said it had the nomal things you expect on a reuben but...it was fried fish with lettuce and tomato...Oh well!
(3)Anthony F.
Diamond in the rough. Great fried clams, lobster stew and haddock Reuben.
(4)Dave S.
The food was decent, but the service was amazingly slow. I don't blame our individual server so much as the management for that - it was very busy and there obviously weren't enough servers working. Scenery was temporarily bad as there was some construction going on in the next lot. Had a corner table in the outside seating area, and took a picture with a dumpster in the background. We both couldn't pass up the lobster dinner, as with the current trend in lobster prices, $12.99 was a steal. The lobster was quality soft-shell lobster, cooked properly, and served with butter. Can't go wrong with that. The sides left much to be desired. They normally serve this with fries and cole slaw, but they're willing to sub in a potato and vegetable for dinnertime (I believe after 5pm). My girlfriend got the fries and slaw, I got the mashed potatoes and vegetable (green beans). The green beans were fairly flavorless and ... almost crunchy. The mashed potatoes were largely bland, and not at all creamy. The crowd is very local, and boisterous. A lot of people who seemed to know each other, hanging out and enjoying brews.
(3)Courtney N.
My friend and I were vacationing in the area and decided to walk downtown to try something different for lunch. We actually have a restaurant called the Pilot House in our city so when we saw this one we just had to try it out. The interior was nice. It seemed to be full of locals sitting at the bar and they were very into the Nascar race (a lot of yelling). We were the only customers sitting in the table area of the restaurant. The waitress was nice and rattled off the various beers they had. My friend got one and I went with water. My water had a funny taste so I didn't drink much of it. They were also out of a lot of fresh seafood and she let us know right away. My friend got the seafood medley with shrimp and haddock plus a mound of fries and coleslaw. I went with the open face pot roast sandwich (special of the day). He enjoyed his food but my food was gross. It tasted like three day old left-overs. The gravy they soaked it all in was not very good. I usually love boiled dinner foods but not when they're clearly past their prime. I ended up trading with my friend (well, just eating his fries and coleslaw as he'd already devoured his fish and I'm allergic to shrimp). The bill was quite hefty as his item was almost twenty dollars. Yikes. I definitely wouldn't eat there again. The waitress was super friendly and chatted about the area, recommended places to visit but that wasn't enough to save the experience for me. I wouldn't go back and wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.
(2)WINONA K.
When we checked in to our rental house, the owner gave us a good lowdown of great walks, shopping, and where to eat. "Pilot house is a favorite. They don't advertise in the tourist books and the food is great. They do a $10 prime rib special every Wednesday and the hubby, kids and I never miss it." We are planning to hit Prime rib Wednesday next week - but we had the classic seafood meal on Tuesday. Delicious! I had chowder and my husband had the crab cakes - followed by "the best scallops I've ever tasted" (I must agree with my hub). The food is simple and good. The band was showing up as we left and, I can't comment on the tunes as we had left by then, the guy setting up the music was really nice and we enjoyed talking to him. A real friendly place with solid food and good staff.
(4)Rodney W.
What a great atmosphere and food! We had the crab cakes and the clam chowder - wow! Very, very good! They said the crab cakes are made daily! We happened by chance when looking for parking and they have ample parking. Everyone are so friendly! I will definitely eat here when in the area again.
(5)Lindsey S.
I have mixed feelings about the Pilot House. This place gets 4 stars primarily because of the LOBSTER STEW. I think it might be the best soup I have ever had!!! I love lobster bisque and they got the recipe just right, perfectly creamy without being too thick, just a hint of sherry and lots of lobster. The lobster dinner is also a great deal! $9.99 for a lobster and $14.99 for a lobster dinner (w/fries and cole slaw). The clam chowder was good, but not close to the best I have had. I did not care for their lobster roll, but it could be my particular taste. The quality of the meat was great and there was lots of it, but I like my lobster rolls to have a lot more flavor. The reason I cannot give it five stars is the service. We ate here twice over our vacation. The first time we arrive pretty late, so got a table immediately. Our food came quickly, but the waitress was inattentive. I ordered a beer that never came and my water was never refilled. The second time we came was for lunch and the place wasn't even half full. We sat for about 15 minutes before anyone came to take our order. The noise level is high, but I knew I wasn't headed to a fine dining establishment with candlelight and piano music. They have live music outside on some evenings and afternoons. I think it can be a pretty fun place. You just have to be open-minded and patient.
(4)Erin B.
I loved this place. It is behind Bartley's Dockside, but deserves more credit. They say this is where the locals go. I say it's perfect for anyone who wants a timeless low key meal. It's outfitted with old lobster/fishing equipment. But unlike Bartley's this place just looks cool and casual, not outdated and trying to be something it's not. This place is the real deal. My husband and friend had steamers and a fish sandwich. His exact words were "this is the freshest fish I've had on this vacation". I had a juicey delicious burger. We topped it all off with their home made blueberry pie (way better than Bartley's!) We also had a sweet waitress - Mariel. Just the right amount of service from her. My only suggestion for this place is a few more beers on tap. (at the time they only had Miller lite) For me that was fine, being 6 mos pregnant. But when I return (and I will!!) it'd be nice to have a few more seasonal beers! Definitely stop here if you want a good low key meal!
(5)Dan T.
Great food! But be prepared for HIGH noise level
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