My husband and I came here to get a drink at the bar as we don't often get to as we have children. We sat down when a seat opened up. The couple next to us also did the same. We we all then told by the hostess that there is a waitlist for the bar. We have never heard of such a thing. We are wells / Kennebuck visitors all summer and WILL NOT be returning to this restaurant. read more

I ordered their scallop dinner and received 4 overcooked scallops on a wood stick along with bland black rice and boiled endive stalks for $28.00 With only receiving 4 scallops I felt they were price gouging me and spoke my reason for complaint to the waitress who immediately defended the dish by asking me if I read the description of my selection defined on the menu. I asked if it said there would only be 4 scallops and she said no and mentioned something about market pricing. So I at the 4 scallops, paid the bill and knew I would never return there for an evening out again. My husband ordered the mixed grill and it was skimpy with a small piece of salmon, 2 shrimp and 1 scallop and mashed potatoes to fill up the plate for $29 .00 read more

Service was ok even though the staff forgot a few things. Crab cakes were fine but not worth the price of $20 for a casual restaurant in Wells, Maine. The steak was ordered medium rare and came well done. Haddock was the usual fare as was the fish and chips. Their bread needs work but they were kind enough not to charge for it. The creme brûlée was delicious but a small portion for $10. It was ladies' night, so it was half off for ladies with the exception of call drinks and bottles of wine. We had to ask three times for them to reflect the half off for us ladies. This made us quite uncomfortable. read more

Creative and fun! The onion rings are amazing. Love the interesting decor, and the menu suits varied tastes. Arrive early to avoid a wait. read more

Different in a great way! Come relax outside or hangout in the inside with Iconic memorabilia! Clean perfect food! New England with class and flair! The chef is a seasoned example of professionalism and perfection! Always friendly with great service! Love this place!!! read more

I am re-posting my review. For some reason, my review slipped to an area at the bottom that states: "unrecommended review". I don't know who would decide that, since I'm stating the truth about what actually happened. It is a long review, but I felt that it was warranted to explain my poor rating. Here it is again... The name says it all....So it was a bitter experience for me and therefore the end for me too. It's a fun venue- a small, cozy but almost cramped bar/dining room inside and an outdoor seating area with picnic tables, adirondack chairs, a fire pit, outdoor bar and live band. Great casual atmosphere.It was a cool night so we opted to dine inside. We arrived for dinner at 8:20pm on a Saturday night. There was a wait list for the indoor dining room, so we asked to be seated at the indoor bar when room became available. We put our name in and asked if we could wait outside and enjoy the music until they were ready for us. We were told that they would call us when our seats at the bar became available. Well, that never happened. But it was ok with us because we were enjoying a glass of wine by the fire pit and listening to the music. Oh- I did forget to mention that we had to wait for 5 mins at an otherwise empty bar while 3 staffers chatted and yukked it up before even acknowledging that we were sitting there. But eventually we got served. The band finished at 8:55, so my husband went inside to check availability. There were several seats available and the patrons had turned over since we had been inside earlier. Again, I didn't mind because we were going with the flow and just enjoying our evening as it unfolded. When we were brought to our seats at the bar, the hostess asked us if we had looked at a menu outside. We told her that we hadn't because nobody had given us one. (That actually would have been her job.) We then asked the bartender for menus and he slapped them on the bar and said, "You have 1 minute to order. The kitchen closes at 9pm." I said, "Excuse me, but we've waited for 30 minutes to be seated so I expect to be fed." That was the point where he should have apologized for being so abrupt and then gone into the kitchen to give them a heads up that one more order was on the way. But no, instead, he proceeded to argue the point with me, telling me that it was the kitchen who makes the rules and I needed to order quickly. At that point, I was so upset, I couldn't focus on the menu and I honestly couldn't believe the attitude. We settled our bar tab and left. I asked to speak with a manager and my jaw dropped when the manager turned out to be Anne, one of the staffers at the outside bar who upon our arrival, was too busy chatting it up with the other staffers to acknowledge and wait on us in a timely manner. She had the good sense to apologize and offer to wait on us but at that point, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. She assured me that they were a very professionally run establishment and that they could do better. Sadly, I don't think that they understand the meaning of the word professional, courtesy, or how to work in the service industry. Interestingly enough, before we had chosen to go to Bitter End, one of my daughters friends had just told us that she dined there last weekend. Her experience was that the food was good but the service was poor/slow. I thought that we'd give it a try because anyone can have a bad night. Well after my experience, I've decided that it's just overall BAD. So for us, it's a one and done. Never again. read more

Yes outstanding hamburger and fries best in this area of Maine as good u find in Nebraska or midwest if you hamburger man. The atmosphere nice, service very good. Next time try another entree' read more

Service was impeccable! We waited outdoors by bonfire with drinks for our table to be ready indoors. Beer,cocktails, and all food was outstanding! We orders Brussel sprouts, Lamb gyro, and carnitas rice bowl. read more

This is a great restaurant with superb food, generous portions and very friendly service. We tried several dishes and appetizers and all were outstanding. read more

Bitter End did a great job redecorating the place, but the food left a lot to be desired. We ordered two Fattoush salads, which were not traditional Fattoush at all. The waitstaff was not at all knowledgeable about the salad or menu. On top of this, one salad was noticeably smaller than the other with poor presentation. We ordered the special (sole stuffed with crab meat and avocado). The fish was flavorful but we were told the dish came with snap peas however when served it had asparagus instead. The "spaggy meatballs" was nothing more than generic spaghetti and meatballs and not worth the price. This place has a lot of potential, especially with the outdoor bar set to open next week, but right now I simply cannot recommend. read more

We sat outdoors and really enjoyed our experience. They have a great outdoor bar and fire pit. I loved my fish and chips and a few in my party had excellent burgers. We had a fantastic waitress. I would definitely return! read more

Food was really really good but service was brutal. Took forever to get seated despite open tables. When we finally sat there was no real sense of urgency. The food took forever and one of our entrees came out after everyone was done eating. The appropriate thing to do would've been to at least take off a side or an appetizer but nothing was done. I'd come back and sit at the bar for food but don't come for service! read more

The new inside is very nice. It is very small, and people have a difficult time moving around, even the staff. One waitress for the entire restaurant, who was wonderful. We both had fish and chips, and it was delicious. Tartar sauce was different, but very tasty. Confusing why music was playing inside, when we could hear the outside live band. Overall, very good. Next time, if it is warmer, we will eat outside. Thank you. We were very pleased. read more

The hype, the hype, the hype...but then I was underwhelmed. We went midweek for lunch and maybe that's just not their strong time. It was cold in there, my chicken was over cooked but my cous cous was good. Everything else (fish n' chips and crab cakes) were good but nothing amazing like all the hype kept saying. I'll def give it another try. read more

Outstanding atmosphere & excellent service! I have no bad words about this place! Everyone must sit outside in the back patio!!! It's to die for!!! 10/10 recommend ! read more

loved loved loved the food and service here. such a family friendly place. i went with my 3 kids and husbands ages ranging from 10 to 2, the waitress was so kind to my children. i loved the morrocan chicken, husband loved the salmon and my kids loved their spaghetti and meatballs. we also took the lobster special to go for my mom. great experience after a long day and we all left happy customers. :) read more

Quite possibly the best Fish and Chips I have ever had! Service was fantastic and good prices.

Never again and the Bitter End. The wait staff was brutal, self justifying, rude and loud. Felt like we were getting a lecture vs. what we wanted. Not sure why the wait staff doesn't just write down the orders or use a handheld device to get it right. Multiple parts of the order were messed up. Just get it right!! Disappointing! read more

Stopped here for lunch 3 days ago. Very cozy atmosphere outside. Restaurant met all of the covid precautions. I had delicious crab cakes and shared the fried Thai seasoned Brussel spouts with others at the table. They were also delicious. Service and prices were good. read more

We stopped by just before the lunch rush and were seated in a great table with an easy up appropriately distanced from others. We had the fried clams and lobster roll. The clams were absolutely amazing, light breading and a wonderfully lemony aoli. The lobster roll was adequate, but the taste was off, maybe not fresh enough? Tasted fishy and lobster usually is not fishy. The service staff was great and everything else was great. Nice beer selection too. read more

I cannot comment on the food or drinks because we did not stay. We felt unwelcome from the second we stepped into the establishment. The bartender shouted at us from across the restaurant to check in with the hostess outside. The hostess was super unfriendly. We were about the order from the outside bar when the hostess ran up to us and yelled at us about where the line for the bar was. Mind you the bartender was already taking our drinks and never mentioned a line. We stepped behind the women (the line) and they told us we could go ahead of them because they were not ready. We again were ordering our drinks and the hostess runs up to us and says "I told you the line is over there !!" To which I responded "they told us we could go ahead of them" and the hostess looks at them and says "really? You let them go ahead of you?" As if she didn't believe us. We then just left. We were there for 20 minutes trying to order one drink and just ended up leaving. Horrible service. Very rude and very unprofessional and unorganized. read more

My husband and I decided to go to the Bitter End for the first time to check it out. What a mistake! The waitress was rude. the place was dirty and the food was disgusting! I ordered Brussels sprouts which were black and burnt, cold and dried out. They had nothing on them except for vinegar. My husband ordered a salad again dressed with just vinegar. He asked for oil and added salt and pepper. When I told the waitress our concerns she walked away. The manager gave us our check and he had the same reaction when I expressed our opinions. The Waitress answered a phone call from someone who asked if the restaurant would be busy at a certain time. She responded with I don't know, hung up and then proceeded to tell the people at the bar about the phone call and replied " How the hell am I supposed to know!" We are not going back there and we WILL discourage anyone we know not to go there either! read more

We have been craving the fish and chips since we went here the first time. Everyone working here was great as well. Highly recommend!

The outside area is nice the entertainment was very good The food left a lot to be desired The roast duck resembled a chicken wing. read more

This remarkable spot saved our Thanksgiving holiday. My husband and I had reservations at a beloved Italian restaurant down route one in Ogunquit. We appeared for our reservation and guess what? The restaurant was closed no email no phone call. We were stopped and we have really been looking forward to a great dinner. We drove all the way up to Kennebunkport and found nothing that would be suitable. We turned around to head south and this spot appeared like an oasis ! We rolled in and occupied the last two top. We both had turkey dinners my husband was thrilled to get his all dark meat platter! The food was delicious and the clientele was terrific as well. The couple next to us assured us that we were in for a real treat. The owners have long experience in the area having owned a large place for many years on Cape . I worked in restaurants for 25 years and it was clear from the memorabilia and the terrific service that this was a restaurant run by experienced people. I would have given five stars for the entire experience except we were very chilly (excusable because it was unseasonably cold) and we were not offered desert. The regular menu is solid and andhas some welcome twists to it. I stopped in the next morning and had the pleasure of meeting the gentleman that owns the spot.He was working on the property but was generous enough to have a great conversation with me. As my husband put it" it looks like we have a new favorite" when the warm weather comes this place is going to raise the roof! It's just what this particular area needs. read more

The Food was pretty good, but not great for the value. The service was really bad, we ordered 2 glasses of wine and were charged for 2 bottles. When I brought that up to our wait person, she came back with a bill for one bottle, again wrong, as we ordered 2 glasses. After a second edit to our bill I was most happy to leave. read more

This place was highly recommended by two different friends, and they were right. Lots of different seating areas, from inside, sort of outside, and outside with an outside bar as well as the inside bar. A band was playing classic rock but didn't overpower the dinner conversation. Just right. The food was great. I had the lobster risotto with scallops special and my wife had the lamb meatball appetizer with a salad. The risotto was creamy and just right cheesy with plenty of lobster, and the scallops on top were perfectly done and obviously very fresh (served with grilled asparagus that had just the right amount of charred smoky goodness). The lamb meatballs were mild and slightly spicy. The dressing made the salad. Delicious, but not overpowering. How often is the salad a high point? Here's something they get that a lot of other places don't; our table had a wobble after they moved it away from the next table, and the server had a pocket full of proper table wedges and made it solid in about two seconds. That's what made it a 5 in my book. These guys obviously get it. Kudos to the manager who made table wedges standard issue for servers. We had a really good meal and a great time. read more

Funky outdoor space to dine or have drinks with friends. Cocktails and menu are very pricey for such casual atmosphere and small menu portions. read more

We sat at the outside bar and had drinks, appetizers and dinner. The food was excellent. I wish the vibe was a little more upbeat but I would definitely go back. read more

My daughter and I meet here almost every week to catch up. At first it was just a convenient place to meet. Lately I've been more aware of the service, the food, and the surroundings. The servers are always welcoming and we share a few words every visit. They are attentive, but not overly so. My daughter and I have plenty of private time to catch up. The food is always inventive and delish. The atmosphere and the surroundings are outstanding. Shame on me for thinking that some of these items on the walls were cheap replicas. They are all the real things! Yesterday when I was there I looked at the back of the menu and read the listing of items that are on the wall and where they came from. Unbelievable! The street sign from Yawkey Way BEFORE it was Yawkey Way! I am not a collector of memorabilia, but if I was this would look like my collection! Of course we will be back next week but I will be much more attentive to what's going on around me. Thank you bitter end! read more

Fun lively place with great food and fantastic service. Hendricks martini is to die for. Outdoor patio has got a chill vibe. Excited to try again! read more

We had a delightful experience at the Bitter End. We stopped by as we were driving trying to find a restaurant for dinner on late Saturday afternoon. We ended up sitting outside under twinkling lights next to a crackling fire with bluesy live music playing. The food was fantastic - we had the spinach salad, burgers and Maine blueberry crumble - all just-the-right sized portions. Fantastic cocktails. It's so nice to find a place that's not too touristy in the area. Hated to leave - it was a beautiful night. read more

This is without a doubt the best restaurant in Wells. My partner and I were longing for a fine dining restaurant in town. The Bitter End has amazing food and cocktails, great service and comfortable and fun atmosphere. It is our go-to spot every weekend. The friendliness of the staff keep us coming back!!! Thank you for being here!!! read more

Tried the Bitter End for the first time, it's the site of the former Captain Hooks. The restaurant is small and tough to move around when full, there is also a bar which takes up some space. Wait staff was friendly but seemed always on the go. We ordered drinks, our waitress was helpful giving her opinion. My wife ordered the crab cakes off the starter menu, I ordered fish and chips which came tempura style. My wife said her crab cakes were delicious, my fish and chips came with shoestring fires and a good coleslaw. The fish was very good but it was two smaller pieces, they should have been larger or add in a third piece. We ordered a dessert to split, Maine blueberry pie with caramel topped with whipped cream. Absolutely delicious! There is an outside bar and outside seating as well. It was a rainy day so we didn't stay to check it out. Overall a good experience, will definitely be back to try other selections from the menu as well as the outside bar. read more

You will not believe this!!!! If I could give this restaurant and our dining experience here zero stars I would! Food was tasteless and we ordered several things: clam chowder (tasteless) onion strings (tasteless) pulled pork sandwich (dry and tasteless meat and soggy bun), Portuguese mussels (not sure how something with chorizo can be tasteless but they figured out how to do it) and crab cakes (tasteless). But the worst part of the meal...you might want to sit down for this...the classless, unwashed, rude individuals at the next table thought it was acceptable to change their baby's diaper on the freakin tabletop!! I thought I would vomit! And the staff did nothing about it!! And when the slobs left, the busboy came and wiped the table down with the same rag he then went to the next table and wiped with! I stopped the guy as he was doing it and told him he needed to disinfect the table bc of what was just done there and he said not to worry they clean everything again in the morning. Seriously?? The health department needs to close this place down. I have never seen anything so vile. And then after it happened, I saw several of the wait staff hugging the couple goodbye so they obviously knew them. In thinking about it further today - we should have just paid for our drinks and onion strings and left at that point. COMPLETELY DISGUSTING!!! read more

New restaurant by very experienced and successful owners The Bitter End is the newest venture by the former owners of Pier 77 and The Ramp. They also own and operate Pedro's in the lower village of Kennebunk. The restaurant is small,but with a good sized bar. In the warmer weather there is a large outdoor eating area with a large fire pit. They had only been opened for a week or so when we came in late on a Monday evening. Terrific cocktails and generous in size. We had steamed mussels Portuguese style. Excellent sauce of chorizo,onions, garlic, white wine and tomato. We licked the bowl. We also ordered the grilled flatbread. It came with tzatziki, hummus,dolmas, marinated olives and peppers. We enjoyed the dish very much. For dessert we ordered triple layer chocolate mayo cake with caramel butter creme frosting. Out of site. Not overly sweet, but delicious. Good coffee as well. Very casual atmosphere with a sports theme. At this time there is no sign, just two thick ropes hanging where the sign should go. Who knows. read more

I went for the first time. It was a rainy day so I had to sit inside which was so crowded with tables there was no room to walk between. I asked for a diet coke with lime. I got the soda only. I got a cheese burger and fries. The burger was great, but the fries were horrible. More like potato sticks from a can. When she put the plate down, then walked away I realized I did not have a napkin or utensils. I was sitting at the bar. My meal took 20-25 mins. Two women who were sitting next to me said "we got here before you, we both ordered burgers and you got yours first". I had finished my burger before they were served their dinner. I did not eat the fries. I will not go there again. Wait staff very rushed, they needed more help. The waitress was the bartender and had to wait tables. read more

Food was good, service was terrible. Waited over an hour from the time our order was placed until the food was delivered to the table. No excuse, no apology. Won't be returning and could not recommend this restaurant. read more

this place is deserving of only one star. the onion strings were a great item to snack on and the cocktails are fairly good, but the service was terrible. one bartender with dark hair was so sweet and accommodating, but the other bartender annie who supposedly is the "manager" and then the owner of the restaurant were absolutely revolting. i was at the bar on Thanksgiving with my parents to take them out. we got a couple rounds of drinks before having the bartender smash a martini glass all over us. we didn't get an apology, just were told "not to touch anything." we were picking shards of glass out of our clothes for the remainder of our time here. accidents happen, but manners are expected in this situation. the bartender didn't offer an apology or to take one drink off of the tab and was entirely offended when i asked why she didn't. she simply told me "no alcohol was wasted, so why would i take it off the tab?" i found this to be disrespectful and appalling. this bartender then took off the drink and threw a fit, throwing our check at us at the bar. when i asked to speak to the manager about this situation, the woman's first words were "so what's your problem." not even i'm sorry to hear about your experience or any simple apology. definitely will not be returning here because of the lack of common courtesy. read more