I'm so glad to see that Ann's Book Bistro is open again. We went last night and sampled their new Tapas menu and were blown away. We had their tomato fennel soup, slow cooked pork tacos with pickled veggies, and their Sparta (Greek) salad and finished with their special banana nut sundae. Finally we had a unique cocktail with chocolate tequila, Gran Marnier and Tia Marie (addictive!). All were unique and outstanding. It was also nice to see that the restaurant was packed and their unique atmosphere was hopping. We'll be back soon! read more

Ann's Bistro - Charcuterie board for last night's Fall Social at Ann's. Delicious! - Mediterranean Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

There are many terrific dining options in Damariscotta/Newcastle. But the no-doubt winner in the most underrated restaurant is Ann's Book Bistrot. We've met three groups of friends there in the past 10 days and sample pretty much everything on the tapas menu. Pork souvlaki, lamb ragu, Indian butter chicken, lamb burger, brie brûlée, bistro sesame noodles, tomato fennel soup--all of it fresh, delicious, all brilliantly presented. Quiet, comfortable at-home dining area makes for a perfect setting for perfect meals we and our dinner pals have enjoyed. Ann's Book Bistrot is just a couple of miles outside of downtown Damariscotta and well worth the trip. read more

Ann's Bistro - Indian Butter Chicken at Ann's Bookstore Bistro - Mediterranean Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

See all

Wholeheartedly recommend Ann's Bistro in Damariscotta, Maine. This place is a gem, and the service and the simple, yet sophisticated cuisine is fantastic. Ann's Bistro is also a great place to meet up with friends for Happy Hour. I have fallen in love with the owners. read more

This place has incredible potential. My review really is somewhere between a 3 and 4 but I am rounding it up because I truly hope they stay in business and are able to work out some of the kinks. The menu was varied and it was really nice to have some Spanish tapas flare in between a thousand fried clam shacks. The atmosphere was relaxed and quaint with a romantic backyard magic. I was simultaneous transported far away while still feeling the New England charm of dining in the forest. Our meals were decent enough- we ordered a salmon burger, the watermelon gazpacho and a salmon salad. The salmon burger was good, but it was literally just a sandwich on a plate. No fries, no sides, zilch. For close to $20. The salmon salad was the best part of the meal. It was cooked to perfection with a quail egg, gorgeous baby greens. Really good. The watermelon "gazpacho" needs to be removed from the menu. If not removed, then served as a drink. It was cold clear liquid with three or four corn nuts floating in it. For our dining experience, things went down hill due to the service. We went on a Tuesday night- so it was pretty quiet. Our waitress didn't write anything down any time she spoke to us and inevitably screwed up everything we ordered, every single time. It seemed almost too ridiculous to be true, She brought the wrong drinks, in the wrong sizes. She brought us something we didn't order. We would get to the end of saying what we wanted and she would repeat it back 100% wrong. It was actually sort of interesting to try and imagine where her mind was at. I think this was their first summer in business and I hope it is not their last. Damariscotta is a tough town to "make-it" in as a new restaurant and I hope they find their quiet tourists who are looking to step away from the chaos downtown. We are excited to go back next year and see how things are going! read more

See all

Cozy and charming, with great caring service and delicious food. We had dinner on a Wednesday evening, and the place was quietly busy. One of our party had a food allergy, and rather than limit her, the chef made a special effort, sending out separate bread service and making substitutions. The Caesar salad was excellent. The fish entree, mahi mahi, was perfectly prepared, moist and flavorful. The Brazilian beef special was massive but so good my husband devoured every bite. We will be back to try paella, which another patron recommended highly! read more

See all

The Seafood Chowder is possibly one of the best things I've ever had (and I've had my fair share of food). It was made fresh and such a nice size portion. They brought complimentary GF bread and hummus, Caesar salad was also great and our coconut curry mahi was soooo good. This spot has a cool vibe, delicious food, and great service. They also had really good gluten free options! read more

Ann's Bistro - Mediterranean Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

See all

We were visiting Damariscotta for vacation and decided to try Ann's one evening. We went in and sat down and ordered. Everyone was kind and friendly. After we ordered we noticed the place was emptying and looked at their closing time online and realized they were closing within 15 minutes. As we had already ordered we stayed, but felt so guilty. As stated before, everyone was kind and friendly, no one made us feel bad and they easily could have. The food arrived perfectly cooked, obviously fresh off the grill, one of the best meals we had on our vacation by far!! The fact that Ann's cared so much to get everything right even when we were the rude customers arriving right before closing shows how much quality and customer service means to them. Our server told us every meal is made fresh to order and the chef is passionate about preparing exceptional meals each and every time. That much was obvious! Since we had such a great experience and noticed they had a coffee bar, we went by the next morning to get coffee. My husband went up to the door and they had not yet opened so we started to leave. The server from the night before saw him and came out to let him know they weren't open yet but asked if there was something she could help us with. He told her we were going to grab a coffee but saw they were closed - she went in and got us coffee!!! I cannot say enough good things about this place. The people and the food (and drinks!) are SECOND TO NONE! read more

My wife took me here for dinner. She had Been here for lunch a couple of months ago and enjoyed it very much. The ambience, surroundings, background music all conspired to create wonderful ding surroundings. I had the Cazuela, a Spanish Seafood chowder and it was perfection. We shared the Seafood Paella which was wonderful And I felt i was in Spain. No surprise since the chef hails from Barcelona with training and experience both in Barcelona and Manhattan. We will be back and i recommend this bistro Highly read more

Food was delicious and they even made slight changes for us. Server, Christy, is super sweet. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed out food and the music. There are also picnic tables in the lawn. Very cute place read more

Ann's Bistro - The books on the patio and the name of the business. - Mediterranean Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

Food was delicious and beautiful, but be sure to ask for prices on the specials so that you are not surprised, as we were, when seeing that the charcuterie/antipasto board was $79. read more

Great new place in Damariscotta, an absolute jem! The food, ambiance and service were amazing. Do not miss this place, literally nothing like it in the region. You will be blown away by the food! read more

Ann's Bistro - Menu - Mediterranean Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

See all

Ann's Book Bistro is amazing. It just gets better and better. We have eaten this summer at several James Beard nominees and hands down Ann's Book Bistro is better than any of them. The food is Mediterranean in style for the most part with an emphasis on fresh and local. We began with scallops from local waters grilled in the shell. I am not a scallop fan but these changed my mind. They were so delicious. Every dish was better than good, prepared imaginatively and will great skill. Our server was so nice. The interior is small and intimate as if you are having dinner at the home of a highly literate friend with great books on the bookshelves and a great chef in the kitchen. Our only sadness was that when we asked if we could meet the chef to thank him or her, she would/could not come out. So I will say it here "thank you for an amazing evening and an entrancing meal of great artistry." read more

new menu, new price check out pasta nights every monday featuring salad soup and up to 5 different pasta small plates for $19? for everything? best deal in the state of Maine read more

We had such a lovely meal here! The food was high-quality and unlike anything else you can get in the mid Coast. Service was friendly and professional. Loved: Baked crème brûlée brie Atmosphere Service Best seafood chowder! Terrific salad Perfectly cooked salmon The menu is very heavily Spanish influenced. I think the 'book bistro' part of the name is misleading. People eating out at this price point are willing to eat Spanish food... Just be a Spanish restaurant! There's nobody else in the area doing it! You're already crushing the Spanish food, just go for it!! Give us the chorizo, the omelettes, the tiny clams in the chowder! Be yourself! Please consider either tablecloths or solid tables. When swapping food bites/ eating family style, the food goes right through the grates in the table, onto the diner's legs. Love the tableware. Gorgeous plates and bowls! Lose the flatscreen. ((To be clear the TV wasn't on, but it was still there)) The salad clearly featured local greens. The chowder was studded with tiny delicate clams, absolutely to die for (but not from here). For heaven sake please don't change the tiny clams, however don't be afraid to embrace local seafood in other parts of the menu, such as on top of the salad or as an entrée. The adffogato we had for dessert was absolutely transcendental. The strawberry cheesecake was magnificent. We will be brunching here ASAP. We're so excited to have this restaurant here in Damariscotta. It's so refreshing to have a variety of local dinner options! Thank you for choosing our town read more

Easily the best food in the region. My family ate here for dinner recently and all of the dishes we ordered were excellent. The restaurant's website unfortunately does not give much insight into just how marvelous the Spanish food is here. The paella is unbelievably good, filled with seafood (2 lobster tails, several large shrimp, clams, and calamari) as well as chorizo. It's a large dish for two and very easily worth its menu price. It's the best seafood I've had in Maine (with the exception of this restaurant's cazuela dish, which is a lovely seafood stew with the same abundance of shellfish as the paella). The salads are fresh and delicious. Even the hamburger was better than any other burger we've tasted in the region. Do yourself a favor and make a dinner reservation! read more

Had a fantastic experience at Ann's for lunch. We sat outside and on a nice day the atmosphere is great. Food was all very fresh and delicious, and the service was friendly. The pork carnitas tacos were great! read more

Excellent burger! Excellent turkey club. Everything seemed home-made and delicious. Great addition to the town!

We visited this past week. Each dish was a masterpiece, in taste and appearance. Amongst the highlights : a spectacular seafood paella for two, prepared without chicken broth (at our request) and the perfect Spanish wine to go with it; the cheese, charcuterie and fruit starter; and the strawberry cheesecake for desert. We cannot recommend the Bistro any higher, it's the best around ! N Saucier read more

Excellent food, well sourced and expertly prepared, but it needs to get over itself. Two of us shared the charcuterie board and a single plate of halibut, both of them specials not listed on the menu. Stupidly, we did not ask the price. When we got the bill we thought surely there must be a mistake! $60 for the charcuterie, $50 for the halibut. Yes, we know, inflation. But this was higher than anything we'd seen in Boston or New York. And unlike in Boston or New York we were served on a picnic table, very sweet, but hardly fancy. I truly hope the owner reconsiders his business model, for I doubt this one is sustainable and I'd love to see Ann's Book Bistro succeed. read more

Amazing food and service. Friendly staff, fantastic options for kids, and such an upscale menu that isn't JUST seafood. So lucky to have found this gem on our way back from Hardy Boat tours. The only place open late! The atmosphere and aesthetic are the icing on the cake. I never write reviews but have to share this for others traveling through the area. read more

Ann's Bistro - Soup de Jour- gazpacho Chickpea - Mediterranean Near Me - Damariscotta, Maine

See all

Best meal we have had in a long time! Pricey, but worth it. Nice atmosphere and staff.

This is the best food you will ever have in Maine. We had both a lunch and a dinner here The food is mind boggling!!! We met Chris, the chef, when we had lunch. Very friendly and charming. Service was also great. We are sorry to be leaving Maine after our vacation is over but we will defy be back next year. read more

One of the best meals I've ever had. And it was a simple turkey sandwich. If you enjoy food and live within a 2 hour radius - it is worth the drive. If you are visiting Maine, put this little Bistro on your to-eat-at list. Delicious food, friendly staff, a great experience. read more

Everything about this place delights! The owners, the staff, the ambiance, and the food...not one false note in our first meal here! I had the burger...thick, flavorful and perfectly prepared at medium temperature! Chelsea, our server, was attentive and enthusiastic without being even the tiniest bit annoying. Chris, the chef/owner, stopped by to chat as well. He and Abby have a fantastic vision for this place and I can't wait to see where they take it! read more

had a delightful lunch yesterday. Sat at the bar. The Coconut shrimp was delicious. Also had a taste of the seafood stew which was one of the best I have had recently. Small but good wine selection. Staff was attentive and genuinely seemed happy we were there. Long drive from Port Clyde, but worth it. We will back soon read more