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Bell Buoy Restaurant

3.5 (118 reviews)
Closed • 4:00 pm - 9:00 PM
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Bell Buoy Restaurant Photos

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BELL BUOY RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Quiet
Casual
Touristy
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Bell Buoy Restaurant

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Lazy stuffed lobster
Sue S.

Great service and food, reasonable prices. The lazy stuffed lobster was very good; the homemade seafood stuffing was delicious and not just the typical Ritz cracker crumbs. The asparagus tart was outstanding and unexpected. Great onion rings and horseradish dipping sauce. Excellent burgers. Salmon was so-so. Big chucks of lobster in the lobster stew. Friendly staff.

Steamers!
Leanne M.

Every time I come up to Old Orchard Beach, my family and I stop here! It's no frills, but a solid, straightforward meal. Everything is reasonably priced with portions that will leave you full. Once you walk in, you feel like you've been transported back in time. Old school decor, your classic American restaurant. On the menu, they have an option for a 3-course meal. They have various options to choose from for a fixed price! It's great . My only complaint about it is that they used to have steamers as an option for an appetizer in the fixed 3 course meal, and it is no longer included. I decided on clam chowder, Caesar salad, and stuffed shrimp. I enjoyed the salad, and the stuffing for the shrimp was buttery and rich, but the clam chowder was terrible. No flavor at all and extremely watery broth. Would never get that again. Overall, enjoyable sit down, family restaurant, and will be back next year!

a hot dog and french fries
Nick M.

Nice spot that was very accommodating. We intended on going to a popular lobster shack nearby but they closed about 2 hours early for no reported reason. We found this place in seconds and were seated immediately. Friendly staff, good choice of beer, inexpensive lobster relative to portion size. Probably the largest lobster roll I have seen in my life for only $20. Would definitely come back for a quick lunch in OOB.

Cindy G.

So glad this restaurant was open since we came in mid-October and most other places were closed. Good prices for seafood. Server was very friendly and helped me with eating a whole lobster. Warm bread was served. Husband had a big portion of Parmesan chicken. Casual ambiance and bar close to the dining area.

menu
Emily K.

Pros: well priced, good drink specials, friendly staff. Cons: Slow, soggy and greesy food, nkt vegetarian friendly, dirty bathroom. No vegetarian makin dish which is to be expected; sadly my fried and onion rings were soggy and greesy. My family enjoyed the lobster bisque, brochetta, and stuffed mushrooms but that may have been due in part to the great drink specials and drunkenness. Lobster was the main event and served great. The wait staff was very accommodating to the baby and a overall kind. However after waiting to be seated, it was backed out the door with no waiting area, we had to wait another 20 mins to have our order taken. Arrived there at 6:50 left at 9:15 p; not really how we wanted to spend our night at the beach. Had to run out to feed the meter!

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2 years ago

The lobster was really really good. Our waitress was fantastic . The bread and French fries were also good

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6 years ago

Best food inn Oob thank you Linda, and a big hug to the bartender Sandy thanks for a great summer in these crazy times!

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

I did not enjoy my meal here. The lobster was over cooked. The ambiance was depressing.

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Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery

Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery

4.7(163 reviews)
57.1 mi
•$$

We were spending a long weekend in the area and, as we tend to do whenever we travel, started…read morelooking for places to sample local drinks. We normally go brewery hopping, but if the town we're staying in has a winery, we make a point of stopping there too. So we ended up here for one very specific reason: we wanted to sit down, relax and try a couple of wine flights. We didn't do the tour and we didn't order food, so those aren't things I can personally comment on, but the wine experience alone was excellent. I did the white wine flight and my wife went with the red, and we were both genuinely impressed. Neither of us likes wine that is overly sweet or syrupy, and these were exactly what we were looking for. The wines had much more depth and character than I expected, with robust flavors that made the flights fun to work through rather than simply tasting like different versions of the same thing. My favorite was the House White Reserve. I could have happily sat there with a glass of that for the rest of the afternoon. The service was probably the biggest surprise. Our server took the time to explain the wines and answer our questions without making the experience feel overly formal or pretentious. That's important with a tasting. I want someone who knows what they're talking about, but I don't want to feel like I'm taking an exam before I'm allowed to enjoy my glass. We were made to feel completely comfortable, and even though we ended up staying later than we originally intended, nobody rushed us out the door. We sat outside on the front patio, which made the whole afternoon even better. There was live entertainment while we were there, with a gentleman playing guitar and singing, and it created exactly the sort of relaxed atmosphere you hope to find when you're away for a long weekend. Good wine, comfortable outdoor seating, live music and nowhere we particularly needed to be. That's a pretty good combination. Our only real regret is that we didn't order food. We've heard a lot of good things about the eatery, and after seeing what was coming out of the kitchen while we were there, I definitely wish we'd planned for a meal. We were focused on the wine flights that day, but next time we're coming back with our appetites as well. I really enjoyed this stop. The wine was excellent, the service was outstanding, the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, and the whole experience felt like exactly what a winery visit should be. If you're in the area and enjoy wine, I'd definitely recommend stopping in and trying a flight. We'll be back, and next time we're staying for dinner too.

A super cute little winery! Full disclosure, I'm the farthest thing from a wine expert, so if…read moreyou're looking for a nuanced take on the vintages of Hermit I'm afraid this is not the review for you. But as a casual wine drinker, I really liked this place. We didn't order any of the food, but I did try a flight of their reds, all made not with grapes but a variety of local berries. I didn't get to sample any of their meads, but it's cool that they have them on the menu. We drank our wine outside on the lovely front patio, but they also have indoor seating both on the first floor as well as on the second floor where there was a musician performing. Good atmosphere, nice people working there, definitely worth a visit when you're in town.

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Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery
Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery
Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery - Interior

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Interior

Vino E Vivo - Olives

Vino E Vivo

4.9(64 reviews)
46.9 mi

So, we finally got to try the chef's table, or "Chef's Whim" as it's officially titled. Eight…read morecourses. In addition to the food, we added the suggested alcohol pairings. I say alcohol because it wasn't all wine but ... since it's a bit of a surprise in terms of what actually appears I'll just leave it at that. However, as to the food ... I'll give a taste, a flavor, a wisp of a whisper of the full culinary adventure. For complete details, see your local sous chef! Here's what we had. In the middle of my photo collage, a blood sausage slider with fennel/jalapeño sauce on toasted brioche bun. Then clockwise from top left - cornbread with maple glaze in a Barbie sized personal cast iron skillet; beet salad with goat cheese half spheres; a dessert tray of black apple cake with hay ice cream (yes, seriously), chamomile pot de creme and a duck fat beignet; an assortment of ice creams - fenugreek, fennel/maitake mushroom/burnt hazelnut (all tasted fabulous and in each you could taste the listed flavors); entree of duck and wild mushroom tart; white bean soup and finally a pasta dish of ravioli with two fillings. Just a note on what it would take to make it yourself. See that hexagonal white blob on the bottom row, middle pic? That's a potato foam. Forgive me for not recalling the full procedure but the prep is roughly 7 hours long. First, the cut potatoes are cooked in a sous vide for 2 hours so that no moisture is added to them. Then a succession of ricing, smoking, drying, undrying, mashing, placing in a foam machine that looked like a whipped cream dispenser and boom - a tiny dollop of potato. It tasted great. But man - that's a lot of effort for a mouthful of potato. I don't think I'll be trying it at home. Over two hours of eating and chatting. I brought a couple of my restaurant-based cartoons as my personal thanks for the meal and was shocked that Justin, their sommelier, had done a cartoon of his own ahead of time for me! Just stick to wine, Justin - I don't need any MORE competition with my magazine editors ... With Dylan ably providing the primary chef duties and Amaya and Justin handling the booze, the meal was a smashing success. The food pairings were masterfully chosen and timing of the dishes meant we were always primed for the next one. Although the succession of what I'd call dessert dishes made me start to feel like a Hobbit enjoying dessert, second dessert and then post seconds. As Anton Ego said in Ratatouille (and they have a cute Reme rat under glass on a shelf) "I shall be returning, hungry for more."

What a lovely restaurant. Just for a tip if you find the apothecary it's down the stairs right…read moreafter it. We did have a little bit of trouble finding it but that was kind of fun. Reservations recommended we were seated at a beautiful table for two right near the bar and started off with a Pinot noir and a cabernet. Both wines were delightful. For appetizers we had the braised lamb crepe and the octopus... Both dishes were delicious, presented well with sauces to die for. Followed by the pasta dish and the duck. These were the best dinners of the year for us. The blending of flavors were fantastic and it was augmented by the owner coming over and talking to us about how the food was prepared. I won't bore you with all the details but the octopus is slow boiled for 5 hours.. complete with wine. Corks it was tender and delicious with the Mediterranean flair. We go out to eat our fair share from high end to diners anywhere. The food is well prepared and delicious... This was the top for the year! From the service to the presentation to the wine to the ambiance, everything is top notch here. I will provide a warning. You will drop a pretty penny if you partake in all the courses, but we thought it was well worth it. Thank you to the staff and ownership. We enjoyed our evening.. a true date night.

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Vino E Vivo - Reservations for 2

Reservations for 2

Vino E Vivo - Melon dish

Melon dish

Vino E Vivo

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Magnus on Water - Old Fashioned w/ House Whiskey Blend

Magnus on Water

4.6(78 reviews)
4.1 mi

I'm glad we were able to get a table because this restaurant deserves to be packed. Spectacular…read morefood, excellent service, inventive cocktails

My wife and I started going to Magnus during lockdown, right after we'd met. It was outdoor…read moreseating, you scanned your order via an app, and they'd bring your food out to a little table. And that more or less started a tradition with my wife and I of going in on birthdays and sometimes anniversaries. Sometimes, particularly in the dead of winter when all the tourists have gone from Maine, we go in just cuz. First of all, the menu and the cocktails. Just. F'ing. YUM. I'm a huge fan of the yuca fries which are crispy on the outside, perfectly soft inside, just the right amount of salt. The "Fall Green Salad" on the menu currently is just... It's a death wish meal. Like, if I'm ever on death row, and they're like "OK, buddy, what's the last meal you want?" It's going to be that salad. Well, maybe that and some lobster. ANYway the menu is generally small, which some people seem to take issue with, but changes regularly with seasonal foods, and all but the most picky of "Applebee's" fans will find something to enjoy. In other words, if you're expecting an eight page menu with low quality, bland food, this may not be the place for you. The presentation is always spot on, but the flavors? My god, I am just gushed over a salad? Yes. Yes I did. The sweetness with a nice bit of tart from the grapefruit, the slight bitterness of the radicchio, and then the curried pecans. This fantastic little crunch with the curry flavor and heat? Seriously. So freakin' good. The bartenders are wonderful and really know their stuff. Last night I saw a bottle I didn't recognize, which turned out to be creme de cocao. I've had DeKuyper and others, but this was so much better. I asked the bartender for a cocktail made from it and what she made.... *chef's kiss*. A tiny bit of coffee, some flavor from akvavit, some whiskey. It was so subtle, so delicious, and exactly my flavor pallet (I tend to be somewhat alcohol forward in my drink preferences). Whenever I'm in, I also order a "Last Word" since they always, always make them perfectly and it's difficult these days to find green chartreuse. The bartender very kindly explained to me what why his were generally better than what I made at home. And of course, the staff in general. We LOVE THEM. ALL of them. Magnus has a vibe, if you're a local in particular, similar to a neighborhood pub. The people get to know your face, they greet you warmly, they chat not just with you but with one another. It's clear, abundantly clear, that they like where they are. Parking is where you can find it on street in the area. We've never had any issues finding something within easy walking distance. The price, well lets face it, even going to eat at a local Irish bar these days is going to set you back, but for the current market I'd say it's average. We had three cocktails each, three appetizers, and one main dish for about $150, AND we had leftovers. BTW, refried yuca fries with over easy eggs? Perfect hangover food.

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Magnus on Water
Magnus on Water - The Goat Burger & Fries

The Goat Burger & Fries

Magnus on Water - House Cocktail Named "Eureka"

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House Cocktail Named "Eureka"

Bell Buoy Restaurant - wine_bars - Updated October 2026

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