My Mum and I came here for a special "date night" while in Camden for a long weekend. We opted to enjoy the delicious bread and skip an appetizer, but everything on the menu looked so great it was so hard to choose! My Mum had the spaghetti and lamb meatballs, and the red sauce was SO, so good. The meatballs were tasty too, and the pasta was definitely fresh. I had the spinach and ricotta ravioli with brown butter sage sauce and crispy salami, I ate every last bite. Both portions were just right for dinner, although I would have loved leftovers, it ended up being the perfect amount. We also shared a flight of 6 beers that they had on tap, all were great selections, some very good pumpkin varieties that aren't your typical pumpkin pick. I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting the area. The price point was very reasonable too, all pasta dishes were under $20, so although it was our special night out, we stayed within budget (and had more money for antiques!). I will be back! read more

40 Paper - Spinach & Ricotta ravioli with brown butter sage sauce and crispy salami - Italian Near Me - Camden, Maine

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I would categorize this place as "new Italian." Lots of gluten free options, including a fantastic gluten free bread (rare). The servers were great and on the ball, even suggested a few other places to check out in town. The restaurant had a modern feel, but was cozy at the same time. If you're looking for something different, it's worth checking out. read more

It ok place. The restaurants in Camden are much better than this one. The dishes are very small, and good. Would not come again.

So glad we tried this place for dinner! We got the stuffed artichoke as an appetizer and the beats and goat cheese pizza. Both were amazing! Best flatbread pizza I've ever eaten! The combination of flavors was just perfect. Also the atmosphere is very nice and sophisticated. Highly recommend! read more

Went for early Friday evening dinner on the recommendation of Yelp and our hotel. Intrigued by the name (ask about it. Interesting History). The stuffed baby artichoke appetizer cannot even begin to be described, it was so good, with unique flavor blendings. Hubby had potato gnocchi which met his Italian standard (like Mama's) I enjoyed grilled hanger steak w wild mushrooms and local squash. Steak tender and juicy, and they prepared the squash in some very different sautéed style. Wow! Portions adequate. Satisfied, not "stuffed", leaving room for a share of blueberry lemon ricotta cake. Slow to seat but waitress was lovely and knowledgeable. Would definitely return. read more

I have no idea why this place gets any mediocre/poor reviews. We've been coming here for years and always have wonderful food, great service. Professional, yet friendly. We think the value is also outstanding. We're only here once or twice a year while visiting Camden, never disappointed. read more

I have been coming to vacationland my whole life and have been coming to this area of Maine for the past 12 years, but I usually don't eat at places near the center of Camden due to numerous bad experiences in the past. My wife and I went here because the people from 40 paper were at a house on a kitchen tour we took a couple years ago and we were both impressed with the flavors on display there. We were not disappointed with the actual restaurant. Clean, well thought out decor. Although the entry to the restaurant in the front seems a little awkward with having to weave around other diners under the tent to get to the door, and not having a straight entrance from the sidewalk. I had the hangar steak with wild mushroom risotto and grilled asparagus. It was perfectly cooked and delicious! I thought the portions were just right and I didn't feel like it was just a tease as in other places I have been to. I also had a wonderful saison that was on tap. I didn't want it to end it was so good! My wife had the carbonara and a ginger Margarita, and she enjoyed both! The bread they served before the meal was also delicious. All in all it was a great experience with a patient and personable server. I think the only thing that really stopped me from giving it five stars is the drinking water served at the table. One sip told me it was bad town water with a chemical flavor. Other than that, I would have to recommend that everyone try this place at least once to experience the flavor here, even if it is just for the tasty drinks! read more

40 Paper - Unique lighting! - Italian Near Me - Camden, Maine

I almost moved here because of this place. GREAT drinks, food and service. Top notch. Not cheap but happy hour is well worth the trip. Love the bartenders. read more

Delicious! We got the cornish hen and the ravolini. Both were absolutely terrific and a great deal. They also brought out these awesome chocolate truffles with the bill. A great last taste. read more

We decided to try this place after hearing good things about the food, and the great deals they have on drinks and apps for happy hour. I like the atmosphere inside, but the bar area was full and we opted for a table outside. The food was pretty good and I loved the two cocktails I had. The only negative was that the service was really slow. But you really can't beat $5 apps and half priced drinks! I would give it another try. read more

Just great cocktails and the menu does not change much but boy is it good. The homemade pasta and artichoke appetizers are to die for. Service is nice but a little slow--you can wait awhile, but this does not detract as long as you like your dining partner. The bartender is really inventive and he seems to remember how to do the original cocktails that were on the menu years before. Love the rosemary martini and who knew you could do so many things with Smokey mezcal. Mmmmmm. read more

Excellent food and service. Nice dinner spot for locals and tourists alike. Right downtown.

The food is outstanding. I'm only giving it 3* b/c of the bartenders. We went in for dinner and sat at the bar, which we always do. The bartender served our drinks and appetizers in a timely manner. However, neither of them smiled or attempted to converse with any of the patrons at the bar. They were professional and did provide good service. However, if I didn't know better I would think that they had a root canal that day. Had our drink and app and moved on read more

The place looks nice enough, and we would have loved to try the food & drinks that many other Yelp reviewers have raved about. Unfortunately, we were turned away because our two kids (age 10 and 13) were with us. The server told us that they don't allow minors during happy hour "because it's hard to keep track". I can only guess that she means she's worried that our kids, who were going to have a couple of appetizers and soft drinks (while their parents are across the table enjoying a beer), might order a Moscow Mule?!? We're frequent travelers, and there are some restaurants with what I would consider to be odd policies. I get that...it's their choice. I only offer this as a warning to other families who are potential visitors. Save yourselves the disappointment, and head somewhere else for happy hour. read more

Just had an awesome dinner with family. Loved the appetizer and ravioli with lobster which was incredible. Others had the spinach and ricotta ravioli and they just kept raving about and how good everything was including the very tasty side dishes. Candied brussel sprouts with walnuts were so good we were trying to steal each other's food! Excellent service, Patrick is an awesome chef and the entire staff gave us an experience that was a joy. I have eaten in many fine restaurants in my over 40 years of traveling for business with clients and this one of the top ten for sure. Highly recommended! read more

The pasta carbonara was out of this world! We sat at the bar and enjoyed the beer trivia games they had. The beer flight was great and filled with a number of good local brews. Bartenders were friendly and helpful. The service was pretty slow, especially given that we were there late and there didn't seem to be many people in the main dining room, but we weren't in any rush, so it was fine. If we were at a table, I probably would have been a bit more annoyed. But, we weren't! The rest of the dinner was good. Quality was comparable to that of what you'd find in a Boston restaurant and prices were fairly reasonable. Overall, if you get a chance, go check this place out. You'll enjoy yourselves! read more

I had my rehearsal dinner here this summer, and all the guests agreed it was fantastic. The vibe of the decor is very "urban lounge", it is well lit and funky ( I must say it is unique in a small fishing village like Camden.) My husband and I live in NYC and we felt this matched our and our friends taste. The food is outstanding, especially the steak. The cocktails were a hit, one table tried every cocktail on the menu!! My only disappointment was that they ran out of two of the different desserts. Bummer, because I hear they were delicious! read more

Having eaten at many places in Manhattan, NY, I must say that he steak at this restaurant was one of the best I had ever had. No signs of fat at all, and cooked to perfection. The selection they have on their menu was superb and would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone either passing through Camden or staying for business. read more

I've lived in and near major food cities most of my life (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, NYC, Los Angeles), and this restaurant was the first where I've ever wanted to compliment the chef. The best mussels I've ever had. The beet & goat cheese flatbread was out of this world. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

I went here for happy hour a few times last summer and was always impressed with the atmosphere, creativity of the drinks, and the simple, yet delicious food on the happy hour menu. The bartenders were friendly and attentive as well! read more

This is one of the best meals I've had in a long time. The grilled calamari was fantastic! It had this smokey flavor. The fish soup was delicious! Big chunks of fish. My son had the sausage flatbread. So so good. And my husband had the carbonara but so so much more than a carbonara. Heather our waitress was totally on top of her game. She recommended the perfect dish for each of our palates. Then suggested a cider we should try that we all loved. And desserts were to die for. This restaurant could compete with any of the best restaurants in Boston or New York or Houston or Atlanta. Thank you 40 Paper for a perfect end to our Camden winter getaway. read more

This is a great place to go if you have a party of guests looking for some excellent food after an event like a wedding. My wife and I took our wedding party of about 30 people here, and had a great experience. The staff was friendly and attentive, and we had the restaurant's private dining room completely to ourselves. The food was delicious and made with care. After getting blown off by Peter Ott's because our party was apparently too small for their business, working with 40 Paper's owner Josh was a very great experience. He was helpful, friendly, and responsive throughout all of our preparations for the meal. I would highly recommend 40 Paper; we will be back. read more

We went to 40 Paper for our first time on Mother's Day. We were early for our reservations and sat in the bar area before dinner. The bartender was amazing. he was quite busy with a full bar and busy dining room. He still took time to make us feel at home and one of family recognizing that we were from away. (40 miles) He answered our curiosity questions on the drinks he was making and made some great suggestions for drinks. The food was superb. Between the four of us it is a rare occasion that we are all pleased with our dining experience. Not that we are fussy. We just want it done right and it was and more. The service was prompt and friendly. Two of us had a seafood pasta. I don't remember the exact name "arabiata" Very good a little spicy but just the way I like it. The desserts Wow Gelato and and a rhubarb creamy sauce over ?? Very pleased will go again read more

Best meal we had in Maine! Love how the food is inventive here. We got the hanger steak with salami braised carrots (soo good) and the wild mushroom ravioli. Bursting with flavor. Very decent happy hour from 4pm to 6pm with half-price booze. Would definitely recommend this as a date place! read more

40 Paper - Italian Near Me - Camden, Maine

The food was excellent in this very hip, lively, not-too-trendy eatery. I've recommended it to several people and they have all said that it was a great find during their Maine stay... read more

First of all this review is a year or so late. However, it was an amazing dining experience. Rarely will i give a 5 star but it was that good. The hanger steak and gnocchi were amazing. And the beer selection was top notch. Being from san diego and having a couple SD options on the menu was great. The service was really good to. Just the whole experience was something me and the wife talk about to this day. One of our 5 favorite dinners of all time. Enjoyed our whole trip to camden and when we go back dinner will be at 40 paper! read more

What a mess!!! We arrived at 7:45 for an 8:00 reservation and in a half empty restaurant and asked to wait for ten minutes. No problem. A nice guy took our drink order and we sat at the bar to wait. In the next twenty minutes, two parties were seated ahead of us and so I asked the hipster waiter what happened. He and a woman huddled around a screen to see what went wrong before giving us a table that had been sitting empty since we first arrived, right in the middle of other empty tables. Curious. We should have run for the door because it went from bad to worse. Our server took our order and then completely forgot about us. After TWENTY FIVE minutes, my husband asked why we still hadn't gotten the salad and he got a blank stare in return. He asked to speak to a manager, which wasn't possible. The remainder of our evening consisted of silent placement of food on the table with no attempt to make amends from our server. We were treated so poorly that it ruined our evening. One would expect more from a restaurant in a vacation destination. We read about 40 Paper in Maine magazine and were excited to give it a try. It was a mistake. I don't see a need to go off the tourism path in Camden to eat a meal in a place that has so little regard for its customers. What a shame to spend an evening of our long awaited vacation in an atmosphere of such shabby treatment. Why should we be made to feel like an imposition??? read more

My partner and I went here for dinner the other night and were expecting something great after the hype we've heard. The experience we had, however, was disappointing. The lamb steak I ordered was wonderfully spiced, but about 70% fat and bone. For $29, I definitely expected better. The service was also fairly slow as it took about 10 minutes to get one drink and two sodas. The highlight: the spinach and ricotta ravioli in a brown butter sage sauce. I probably won't be going here again unless they get a LOT better. read more

I really really really wanted to love this place....but I was sadly underwhelmed. My husband and I had a reservation for 8:00 on a Sunday night of Columbus weekend but since there were seats open at the bar - We decided to have dinner there - After all if you are seated direcly in front of the man making the cocktails one would assume you certainly wouldn't wait long....First mistake....We consider ourselves foodies and we always research our restaurant choices....I admit we are a bit picky but this place got great reviews...still not quite sure how. We ordered our first cocktails from I believe one of the waiters who was kind enough to give us menus and was actually very pleasant. I ordered the honey-lemon drop Martini which was definitely a fabulous drink - in fact it was the only thing good about our dining experience. We decided to go with a flat bread to start - It supposedly had shaved zucchini and mushrooms and I actually don't recall the other ingredients but for $18 dollars - I expected so much more than was delivered - it was nothing special at all. In spite of being seated directly in front of the bartender - He never noticed our empty glasses or checked on us regarding our dinner decision ...We had to wait and ask him for additional drinks after watching him make many cocktails for the dining room without so much as glancing in front of him at us. I worked in a restaurant/bar for many years so I'm a bit sensitive to service...His was terrible. We eventually ordered dinner from the other person working the bar area - We both ordered the Fedelini with local heirloom tomatoes and olives - and it took an extremely long time before it arrived and then when it did finally arrive - We were not impressed and in fact were shocked at the poor quality. In addition to the poor service and somewhat snobbish attitude of the bartender I found it quite odd that the woman working the bar was using wine glasses with black lines as guides to make sure she didn't over pour even slightly....She would crouch down as she poured each glass of wine.....It was the strangest thing I've ever seen and seemed a bit out of place for the nice ambience the restaurant actually provided. We will not be back here - Overpriced and uninspired. read more

Do not plan your event here! They canceled my reservation for a larger party so they can make more money. I spoke with them over the phone and made plans for my event. Just today, almost a month before my wedding they email me and tell me that someone else reserved the room and I could plan something for the next day. Unprofessional and shady. It's sad when a company has no ethical standards. read more

While we had an 8:30 dinner reservation for a table, my wife and I instead decided to sit at the empty bar to eat our dinner. Big mistake. Wind the mixologist was like a cold breeze on a rainy day. No greetings. No pleasantries. He was by far the unfriendliest bartender we've ever encountered. What was worse was that he prepared incoming drink orders before the drink I had ordered. We opted to leave his frosty presence and requested a table. The highlight of our meal was the salt-baked whole brazino, which was quite good. I would recommend the place for the food. Just don't sit at the bar. read more

My partner & I escaped to Camden for a night away from the Portland area-we were given 3 restaurant recommendations & boy did we select the right establishment! We selected the mussels, goat cheese stuffed artichoke hearts & spaghetti with lamb meatballs. We dine frequently at top-notch eateries & this was the BEST spaghetti & lamb preparation either of us has ever tasted. Fresh bread was divine. Mussels were cooked to perfection with just simply excellent taste. It's a shame we were just too full for dessert we tried to wait a few mins but just couldn't (next time for sure!). Chocolate truffles to end the meal were amazing! Waitstaff friendly & accommodating. Atmosphere is normal -nothing too special. Loved the rice lights. Seemed a bit of a "local haunt" scene at the bar (expected in January in Camden) -smart locals for choosing a fantastic restaurant to haunt. So good my partner & I decided we would drive the 4 hour round trip from Portland just to dine again at 40 Paper! read more

We are three locals who decided to give this place a try last weekend. The hostess who sat us was pleasant, but the subsequent attitude from the waitress ruined the evening. Food was mediocre....won't be back any time soon. read more

Tried to slip into the bar for some light dinner, we were greeted by the bartender then completely ignored...... We left

The chairs are too hard. Ok, now that I've found something to complain about, go eat there. Hand-made pasta, local produce, best bar in Camden. Totally delicious! read more

We stopped here for a late dinner one night and had a lovely server. It's layout is a big strange, but the atmosphere and design are otherwise very lovely. I had the carbonara, which was lovely, if a bit salty. Honestly, I just think the place takes itself a bit too seriously - you can find better bets in the area for half the price. read more

Food, environment and location are absolutely stellar. What a find! Staff, however, was a bit aloof. Strongly recommend this venue, especially for happy hour. read more

The ambiance is nice. The service is hit and miss. The menu is dull, mostly pasta that all tastes the same. That's the problem with run of the mill Italian. It's too often multiple styles of pastas with the same sauce. The price is ok. Keep your expectations moderate and it's fine. read more

I love this place! As a long time local "from away" I can't express how happy I am to finally have an option for drinks and dinner that is modernly elegant without being stuffy. It has quickly become one of my friends and families favorite. I am not a big fan of braised meat but I took a chance based on the servers suggestion and I loved the short rib with polenta. I have had it several times in fact. All of the pizzas have been amazing and I can't skip my favorite arugala salad, perfect in it's simplicity. My daughter raves about the pasta as well. I found the staff to be friendly and helpful. I haven't made it in for happy hour but I hear it's amazing. Diffently the only place for a sazarac north of the mason dixon! read more

Just a heads up to anyone choosing to dine here, happy hour prices for drinks and flatbreads apply only to the bar and the outside area. This restaurant was referred to us based on good happy hour prices and the flatbreads. We made the mistake of making reservations, which meant we were in the dinning room, just feet away from the bar. Happy hour prices didn't apply. As others have said, service was poor, and the server disinterested. Don't bother if you expect to be treated well. read more