The sign caught my eye on the incoming Vinalhaven ferry. Do yourself a favor and eat here! The best, no close second, lobster roll in my quest for the best lobster roll. The search continues. Beautiful view, draft beer, lotsa lobster. Like the sign says: "It's a keepha"! read more

5/5 for my experience but I only did takeout so I can't speak for the entire experience. The takeout option was perfect for my road-trip. Fast, pleasant staff, and good food. I got the lobster roll traditional style. It wasn't cheap but neither was the taste or flavor, it felt like I got what I paid for. The bread was perfectly toasted, the lobster was fresh, and bits were substantial. I also enjoyed my side of Cole slaw and lemonade. Id like to go back again when in the area. It would be hard to pass up another roll but I'd like to try more items from the menu too! Update: I've been visiting Maine all week, and I've had about 4-5 lobster rolls from different establishments around the bar harbor area, Claws was the best one in my opinion. read more

My family and I recently visited one of my favorite seafood restaurants/clam shack, Claws in Rockland. I got the haddock basket that featured a huge piece of fresh haddock that was lightly breaded and fried. The large fries were crispy and hot. Everyone we encountered working there was friendly and warm. The view of Rockland harbor is also amazing. I certainly recommend Claws to anyone I know who enjoys delicious fresh seafood. read more

Great family owned restaurant. Left with full belly. Had the three pounder lobster to share with my wife. Also got some steamed clams. All delicious. Stopped by here on my vacation. Definitely a place to come back to. Friendly service. Lots of parking. read more

Down home. Down East. No quiche. No ferns. The Maine-style lobster rolls are fantastic! What is Maine-style? All lobster. Just lobster. On a great roll. None of that city-slicker mayonnaise or sauce to hide the great lobster flavor. Ditto for their crab roll! Ditto for the lobster Mac & Cheese - a very generous portion. The seafood stew/casserole is merely excellent, although the portion seemed a tad skimpy for the price. But, no regrets. read more

Claws - Seafood casserole - Seafood Near Me - Rockland, Maine

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Great Food by an Excellent Knowledgeable Team a must visit if you're in the Mid-Coast.

Oh jeez. This place. I have now told everyone I know how maddingly delicious the lobster roll was here. The walk through downtown Rockland was lovely and the lobster roll waiting for me at the end of my walk was everything I had hoped for and MORE. Luscious, fresh lobster with a wonderful buttery drizzle on a toasty roll. I could eat the roll by itself, it was that yummy. If you are in Maine, if you are in Rockland specifically - get yourself out to Claws and try them. The blueberry beer was pretty damn good too. Thanks for a wonderful visit. read more

Wow. I wish I could claw my way back to this place... Got the half pound lobster roll and it was incredible. French fries were great as well as a side. Lemonade on a hot day was the cherry on top! Beautiful view from the back deck, definitely worth the wait in line. read more

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I'm so happy my family and I were able to stop by before they closed for the season. Ordering was a breeze at the counter, and the servers would bring your dishes to the table. On the menu it said "you haven't lived until you've tasted lobster freshly picked" or something like that. And I don't know if it was the power of suggestion, but their lobster was soooo good. Super sweet and juicy. Even the chowders were better than usual! Probably the best meal I've had during our week-long road trip. It was such a lovely experience and I can't wait to go back. read more

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I was not convinced I was eating Maine crabmeat. It did not taste at all like it. The haddock was previously frozen which is too bad given the place is right on the ocean. read more

Food is always delicious, service is always great and the view when the sunshines out is fantastic! Our go to place for an affordable lobster roll the way we like em! read more

I am, at my heart, a commoner. I do not need linen tablecloths and silver platters on which my French food is delivered. I am happy with paper plates and the only French food I really love is French fries (please don't argue that French fries are actually Belgian). Claws in Rockland delivers some of the best seafood in some of the largest portions I have ever had. And all of it is prepared fantastically! Ok Ok do I want to order at a window and have my food delivered to my table - not really. But that does not detract from the great experience I had here. I had the broiled haddock sandwich. They warned me it was messy. In fact, the menu said it was a "bit messy." They lied. It was VERY MESSY! Messy as in I had to finish it off using a fork and knife messy because so much of the sandwich had fallen off of the brioche roll messy! But so fresh and so good! Plus I was relaxed, sitting with 2 of the best people in the world and looking out on a small harbor with boats that had delivered that haddock earlier that day. This is one of those moments in time that is hard to recreate. It all contributed to a great meal. I highly recommend Claws in Rockland Maine! read more

Ambiance can't be beat when you have these kind of views in Maine. But what I'm here to tell you about is the baked beans. So much better than the coleslaw here. So if it's even remotely a reasonable temperature for you to eat baked beans, do. Because they're really good. I also had the beet salad which was huge and tasty. read more

Claws - Beet salad and baked beans - Seafood Near Me - Rockland, Maine

Stand in line a while (it's worth it!)and peruse the menu; shift over to the drink counter and grab your beverages after ordering your food. If you want my advice, grab the Lazy Lobster Dinner and leave the work to the kitchen staff. If you go for the whole bug, hold it to the side as you snap off the tail and claws and allow the water and juices to escape - much more tidy that way. You'll get seriously wonderful seafood and a lovely lobster shack ambiance, right by the water. It's outstanding. read more

Great place for lobster. Beautiful view of the water. Had the jumbo lobster dinner. 3 pounder. Excellent. Wife had fish and chips. Also good. Great staff. Drinks were also good (they have booze!). Had the blueberry crisp for dessert. Also very good. No faults found here. read more

The service here was very nice, constantly checking on us and providing recommendations. The ambiance is great, very nice to be on the water enjoying a great lobster roll in Maine. The award winning Mac and cheese was underwhelming. However, we also got the warm wild blueberry crisp topped with vanilla ice cream (not pictured as we ate it too quickly) and that was amazinggggg. If we only got the lobster roll and blueberry crisp this would be a 5/5 review! Highly recommend trying the food at claws and don't pass up on the blueberry crisp! It was even better than the cornbread. read more

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Ordered take out/curbside pickup on a Friday evening. The restaurant itself has covered outdoor seating and window service. Beef tips were wayyyyy overpriced for the portion (see pic)! Salmon portion was large; 2 pieces and well cooked. I went with the biscuit side which was underwhelming. It was undercooked and did not come with any butter/jam. Lobster Mac and cheese portion was massive and made with penne pasta (wasn't expecting that). Lobster bisque was delicious and highly recommended! Service was average. The girls at the counter seemed kind of clueless and didn't even have utensils to add to our takeout bag. There are so many places like this in Maine; we weren't impressed and will be trying other places in the future! read more

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Expect a wait at Claws, as with many well-known lobster shack-like places along the coast. I would say the wait is worth it, though I'm still on the fence as to whether the cost is. After about a half hour wait early on a Monday night, we went simple with a lobster roll (hot with butter), a fried clam roll, and fries. The rolls were good sized, with generous piles of seafood on top. Disappointingly, my lobster was room temperature when I expected it to be at least warm, but the meat was very fresh and tasty. The fried clam roll, however, was spectacular! The whole belly clams were big, and the breading was tasty but didn't overwhelm the clams' flavor. Fries were very good as well. With a good tip for the friendly service, the total bill was almost $70. I definitely don't like to cheap out on seafood, but it seemed to be quite a premium compared to other places we visited. I'm not entirely convinced it was really worth that much, and I wouldn't make a return trip, but for the overall experience and freshness - and especially the clams - I would say it wasn't a ripoff. If you go in with the expectation that you're going to splurge, you will most likely enjoy it. read more

Claws - Fried whole belly lobster roll. Fantastic! - Seafood Near Me - Rockland, Maine

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Amazing lobster rolls . Fried clams yum Friendly service, great view. My favorite lobster restaurant in Maine . read more

We were walking from the dinghy dock to the grocery store and wanted to eat before shopping Claws was the only restaurant in the way that was open on a Monday and we are glad that was the case. The shrimp basket was delicious, especially with the onion straws. There was so much shrimp! I had a hard time deciding between the lobster tacos and a lobster roll. The tacos on corn tortillas were the perfect choice! Lots of fresh lobster and a great blueberry salsa! We also tried the very bliss salad. It was good and very large, but a little bland. The service was good and pretty fast for dinner time. We will return for more heat food! read more

Claws - Lobster tacos - Seafood Near Me - Rockland, Maine

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Claws was so good, we had to eat there twice! Service was quick and excellent. They had a good variety of food, even for those that didn't like seafood. Their ribs and bbq sauce (not pictured) were pretty tasty as well! We will definitely be back to visit on our next trip to Maine. read more

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Drove by this roadside diner yesterday and saw long lines. Negligible today. We stopped and are glad we did. Friendly, courteous, and helpful staff. Extensive menu choices. Got the acclaimed lobster roll, Rockland dinner, and oysters. All excellent! Exceeded expectations. May go back tomorrow for the chow day and scallops. Bottom line: Try it and decide for yourself read more

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As annual visitors to Maine, my wife and I have eaten at Claws 4 or 5 times previously. The lobster is fine. This year however was an assault on my wallet. The process is-you stand in line and order, you pick up your own drink on the way, and they bring your food to the table. As we ordered the food, the person behind the screen turned the the screen around and stated, "the staff shares all the tips...". Seriously? Gratuties are for service and that is non-existent at this restaurant. I mean if you want another drink you literally have to fetch it yourself. Lobster is expensive, I get it, no issue with the food. But I'm tipping for what? I was so taken aback and frankly insulted that after ordering I realized we should've gone elsewhere- we won't be back. read more

Some of the best seafood on the coast. Their deck overlooks the harbor and is heated for early and late seasonal eating. Fair selection of beers and drinks. Friendly, fast and delicious read more

Seafood was terrific! My husband had the fish basket & I had the lobster roll! Service was great & loved looking out at the water!!

Fantastic. This place was awesome. Of course, everyone in our party ordered the same thing (whole belly clam basket), so I can't comment on anything but that. They were tender and sweet with just the right amount of breading. The onion rings were great as well. I actually ate those before digging into the clams. I was told by my friends that the fries were good too. The prices were fair and the staff were super friendly. Even the bathrooms were clean and spotless. I appreciate a clean bathroom, lol. It says a lot about a business. Anyway, give them a try. You won't be sorry, and the view is pretty awesome, too! read more

This place was great. My wife loved the lobster dinner and it's much cheaper than some other places. I like the atmosphere right on the water. Everything is red. Everything smells good. I had fish and chips and it was delicious. Better than Youngs read more

The less said the better. I have been eating lobster for seventy years. It seemed to me that it had been boiled earlier and kept in very hot water. Every time I cracked the shell open water poured out until my plate was swimming in water. Guess they forgot the melted butter. Lobster itself was just ok. Cole slaw was good. Corn on the cob was good. Cornbread was gooey. Staff was very nice. My wife's scallop, shrimp and haddock looked like it was thrown on the plate. Not appetizing at all. . I know this place gets good reviews but we have eaten lobster all up and down the coast and hope to soon forget this meal. read more

Pros: shrimp tacos were tasty, blueberry pico de Gallo was great, chips were salted and fresh (better than any Mexican restaurant around), quick service despite the completely full parking lot. Peaceful view of the boats. Lobster bisque was alright- I was expecting more due to the number of plaques of best chowders hanging by their takeout window. Cons: Grilled buttermilk biscuits were not grilled and were definitely not buttermilk. The Pillsbury biscuits straight out of the can are without a doubt 100% better than the Claws "buttermilk" biscuits. When asked if they were made from scratch, the cashier told me she didn't know and that she stays out of the kitchen.... Should have taken that as a sign not to purchase them, oh well. They couldn't sell me a single filet of salmon for $12 (the price of how much their salmon filet is to add to a salad), I was forced to purchase the $20 strawberry rhubarb salmon minus the strawberry rhubarb for my single filet of salmon. Weird but I shrugged it off. Tourist trap without a doubt but the food was decent and I would try it again- as a fellow Mainer surrounded by out of staters. Their strawberry lemonade was tasty- I'd like to try the blueberry lemonade next time (says they're made in house.) read more

Claws - Shrimp tacos - Seafood Near Me - Rockland, Maine

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We live in SE Virginia and have been coming to Maine every year for 9 years. Claws is far and away the best restaurant we have tried (and there have been many). There were 7 in our party and everything we had was delicious! The staff was friendly and helpful, and the ambiance was just the best. We'll definitely be going back! Thank you Claws for a stellar dining experience. read more

Fun, charming lobster decor brought a big smile to my face! So fun! We enjoyed some local ipas while overlooking the bay. Then we ordered clam and fish chowder and we were not disappointed. Delicious! Considering returning tomorrow for a full lunch. read more

The best lobster roll I ever had. So much lobster, it is totally worth the price. The classic is the best

This place was really disappointing. The lobster rolls were just average; we have had better the previous few days in Rockland. The waitress couldn't tell us which rolls were plain for the butter and which had mayonnaise. Turns out my wife had mine and put honey butter on it before realizing it had mayonnaise. The fries were okay and my daughter's chicken tender "tasted like something you'd get a ballgame". Overall, we had higher expectations that were not met. I'd skip the lobster rolls if coming here. We might try one of the baskets if we come back. read more

We are from SE Virginia and have been visiting Maine every year for 9 years. We ate at Claws last night for the first time. It was far and away the best place we've eaten since coming here. ALL the food was delicious and the staff friendly and beyond helpful. Don't miss this place! The outdoor dining was especially nice. Just all around perfection! We will definitely go back every year! Probably multiple times. Thank you everyone for a stellar dining experience. read more

This was our favorite spot for fried clams and fried scallops during our trip to Maine. Not to mention the super packed lobster roll was delicious as well! You'll want to go to this place if you want: - Lunch/dinner with a view - Extremely fresh and fresh-cooked seafood - Great seafood at a great price! The process is simple, stand in line (there will almost surely be a line), go up to the window, order, and wait for your order. Yes, it can take a little bit longer because everything is made to order and there are a ton of people, but it's definitely worth the wait! Highly recommend to go around sunset time so you can stare out the pier, enjoy your seafood, and admire the beautiful Maine weather! read more

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We happened to drive by and attracted by the big LOBSTER sign. Little did we know, this is one of the best lobster places in the area. We got lobster rolls, which is known at this place and it was phenomenal!! Will be coming back tonight for Lobster dinner!!! The view was awesome! Right in front of the water. read more

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What a quaint place! Clean, friendly, great views and the food was excellent. I had lobster roll with warm butter which was excellent, my husband had the grilled haddock sandwich which was delicious. The onion straws were a nice compliment and the fries were crispy and perfectly seasoned. Would definitely come back. read more

Went heee today on a rainy day. The staff was so nice and the food was so good! Such great service my husband went back tonight for more. Got me a garden salad and It is spectacular. He got another delicious lobster roll. Thank you Claws! These Georgia folks loved your food and hospitality! read more

Very casual with delicious food! This is a great spot for lobster tree and all types of other items also. You just order at the counter and go over and sit on their delightful covered patio, overlooking the water. It's not a fancy place, but it's a very nice place. read more

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If you are looking for great local eats, Claws is the place! The food here is absolutely delish. My sister and I shared the Lobster Mac and the bacon wrapped Scallops. The Scallops were massive and very tender. They did not skimp on the lobster at all there were huge chunks throughout the Mac. The dining area is cute, they have heaters in the enclosed area which were perfect on a windy evening. Everyone who works there was super nice as well. read more

Claws - Lobster Mac, Blueberry Biscuits, bacon wrapped scallops - Seafood Near Me - Rockland, Maine