I recently had an experience at Federal Jack's worth taking the time to write about. My mom, sister, and I had a recent, much-anticipated Girls' Day, and opted to go to FJ for lunch. I ordered pan-blackened haddock tacos - but asked that instead of them being in tortillas, could the ingredients just be "thrown into a bowl?" I was being high-maintenance right out of the gate. I realized that this was a weird request. I'm not sure what my deal was, I just felt like having things in a bowl that day (insert shrug here). Our server's name was Shane and she was so pleasant and more than happy to put my odd request in (side note, she was phenomenal for our entire visit! Thank you Shane!) The end-result of my bizarre request was the most delicious bowl of yum ever! Truly, if haddock is your thing, give it a try. It looked delicious, it tasted even better; holy moly, the people in the kitchen totally understood the assignment. Shane even said she showed it off to the other people working before bringing it to our table. It really, truly was that good. I'm still dreaming about it. Basically, Federal Jack's has it all: a phenomenal menu, awesome food, wonderful staff, great vibes. It's the kind of place you want to revisit, and wish you lived closer to. read more

The food is typical pub food. Nothing great, nothing bad. We knew that going in based on some other reviews, but we wanted the ambience outside and we wanted the view. Both were exactly as we had hoped. The free valet parking was also a bonus. Regarding the actual food, for new it was a Greek Salad with grilled chicken and my dinner partner had the lobster roll. The salad was just a salad, the lettuce was not the freshest and the dressing was sparse, but the chicken was well grilled and juicy. My friend said the lobster roll was good as it did not have large chucks of celery, and the flavor of the lobster was good. She said she has had better and she had worse. Again, if though want pubs food with a drink and a great view, this is the spot. If you are seeking a great and flavorful meal, I would look elsewhere. read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

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Clam chowder was nice and thick. Locally brewed beer was tasty and their in-house-brewed non-alcoholic ginger beer (made with cane sugar) was the best I've ever had. read more

Federal Jacks in Kennebunkport is a must visit spot for anyone looking for a delicious meal in a stunning waterfront setting. During our visit, we decided to stop in for an appetizer and a couple of beers, and we were not disappointed. The crab Rangoon dip was a standout dish - creamy, flavorful, and packed with chunks of crab. My husband, a beer enthusiast, was thrilled with the selection from the brewery and thoroughly enjoyed trying a couple of their brews. Not only was the food and drink exceptional, but the view from our table was breathtaking. Overlooking the water, we felt like we were truly on vacation, even just for a couple of hours. The service was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - Warm crab Rangoon dip - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

Nice view and friendly service but the food is mid. Ordered two crab & havarti melts and they were far from $28 each good. The meat was cold and had no flavor. They did comp both of them which was appreciated. We also ordered the Sesame Chicken bowl also overpriced and lacking flavor. Do yourself a favor and visit Alisson's down the street. read more

I would give this place a 3.5 if I could. Pros: Amazing views I didn't go in the summer but they have a large deck and outside seating which I bet is great Live music lots of the time Tasty drinks Fun vibes Cons: The food is just okay bar food and a tad overpriced Slow service but friendly Hard to find parking Overall a fun place to drink with okay bar food. Will be back in the summer. read more

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Tacos were awesome! And my husband got the crab and havarti sandwhich which was amazing. All the food was great really no questions asked there... and the tuna nachos on the appetizer menu were some of the most delicious nachos I ever had. Only complaint is to add $3 for a Caesar salad, it was extremely small. Overall I'd go back! read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - Tacos and Caesar salad - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

We ordered: Our server was very nice and attentive. They had no Hazelnut Porter(which was what my wife wanted and one other. We ordered: Shipyard Blue Stout Wild Crab Rangoon Dip with Pita Chips Blackened Bluecheese Stacker Burger with tater tots Veggie Sweet Potato Burger with Fries All the food really good with the only complaint was the crab dip was over heated and the cream cheese was breaking. We enjoyed sitting out in the deck on a sunny afternoon with warm temperatures. read more

We stopped by Federal Jack's while on a Maine Foodie tour. Not only did we receive a brewery tour, but we got to sample clam chowder and their summer ale. There's a virtual outdoor seating area and a large souvenir store. Loved the clam chowder! Definitely a fun spot to visit. read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

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Yes! Absolutely eat here! Fish tacos were delicious, as well as tasty fries. They offer free valet parking too for customers, which is an incredible perk since it is very hard to find parking in this area. Eat outside and enjoy the charming harbor views. Additionally, since this is a brewery, they brew their own rootbeer, which was super popular with my family. Definitely recommend if you're in the area! (And take an extra 15 minutes to drive down ocean rd to see the beautiful homes, including the Bush compound) read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - Fish tacos - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

Federal Jacks is kind of a staple in the Kennebunk/kennebunkport community. I have been many times and will likely go many more. The truth is, the food is really not great. It is, at best, moderately good, and at worst just downright flavorless or bad. The drinks are pretty sweet, but they are pretty strong. All that being said, the views are incredible, they have an easily accessible parking lot, they play all the sporting games, and they have a little arcade which offers free pool on Sundays. Would I come here to enjoy a nice meal? no. But that being said, Plenty of the food is perfectly good for just grabbing something while drinking beers and watching a game. The patio is awesome, and the restaurant is big enough to accommodate groups, rarely ever going on a waitlist. The staff here is also always very friendly and helpful! read more

This place, located right in the port of Kennebunkport, has been the place to have a brew with a view, since 1992. It sits right in the water, the lot backing up to the kennebunk river (a tidal river). The place has a large parking lot- that's free- in the summer they do have valet, but you don't HAVE to do it. They have plenty of handicap parking, and an elevator, as the main dining room is on the second floor. It's got a beautiful brewtique on the first floor, where you can get all kinds of Maine themed gear and gadgets. The manager there is lovely. The new GM at feds has really made all the difference in the world. Yes, changes have been made, but for the better. The brewery is back up and running, after a renovation to it over the last summer. The dining areas are always festive and decorated. The food is vibrant and flavorful! The staff is happy to be at work and waiting on customers, you can tell by their demeanors. The atmosphere is wonderfully upbeat these days. They now have gluten free pastas and a wide variety of options for the folks of your party that may be vegetarian or vegan. They have a good amount of seafood, and land lovers meals. They just put out their winter menu, as it changes every six months. They have standard pub fairs, specials daily and something cool happening every day of the week but Saturday. They have free pool all day on Sunday. They have a $5 Bloody Mary and mimosa special day, mugs and Mac, pints and pizza, trivia night, and more. They do a large prelude celebration every December, usually the first two weekends of the month. It's quite something to see, that's for sure ! They're really trying to make a difference at their restaurant, while keeping the customer in the forefront. If you've had a bad experience, I'd say now is the time, to give them a second chance. They have several dishes that are so dang delicious, I have trouble choosing which to get, EVERY SINGLE TIME ! Right now their hours are 11am- 8pm every single day. Those change during the two weeks of prelude, and during the summer, the hours will go a bit later. read more

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I've been to Federal Jack's twice, both times on a Sunday afternoon for a later lunch, both times during the "off season"...once is winter and once in very early spring. Both time I was part of a party of 4. The service both times was so slow....like waited 15 minutes for menus slow. Then another 10 for the staff to take our order. We felt invisible. The food is average. We had the fish tacos, a burger, the chicken fingers. The best things were the warm soft pretzel with cheese and mustard dips, and the onion rings were nice and crispy! The view overlooking the harbor/ river is lovely! read more

Gorgeous view overlooking the harbor. Really nice (and large!) decks for when the weather is nice. Pretty typical meat-and-seafood tourist kind of joint, but they do have a house-made veggie sweet potato burger that's vegan without the aioli, and it was surprisingly good. Also, a really friendly server and great service (some of the best I've had in New England!). I probably wouldn't go out of my way to seek this place out, but it's perfect for what it is if you're in the area -- basic "pub grub" kind of food with a beautiful waterfront vibe. read more

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Pro tip: free valet parking!! If you want to walk around Kennebunk, park here. It's free. All you have to do is, at some point during your day, stop in Federal Jack's for a quick drink or app. Save your receipt just in case they ask for it at the valet. Parking is completely free as long as you eat or drink there. It's a great hack for a town where it's difficult to find parking. The beer is awesome, the drinks are excellent. And the food is delightful. Oh and don't forget about that view! read more

Really enjoyed my food, others I dined with felt food was just okay. Vibe: Waterfront casual Service : Very pleasant and fast Food: We got the bang bang shrimp appetizer which was delicious, probably good for 4 people to share as an app, for 5 people we only got about 2 shrimp each. I got the fish tacos that were really good! The fish was perfectly cooked and the sauce and toppings were fresh and tasty and complemented well. Partner has a chicken sandwich which was okay, nothing special. Accessibility: It was a busy time and they did offer complimentary valet parking which was smooth. There are a lot of stairs to get up to the restaurant, I didn't see an elevator so definitely would double check if you are unable to use stairs. Overall it was good, nothing particularly special, I was treated to this meal so I can't comment on value but overall decent for a casual dining experience and would recommend the seafood. read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - Haddock Tacos (very good) - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

View was what prompted us to go in and try this spot. It is indeed a very beautiful view, but nothing else matched it. Service was fine, not great but fine. Food was not great at all. Nothing we ordered had any flavor at all. It wasn't a weekend night and wasn't during the summer, so options were limited but still wish we had not wasted a dinner out here. read more

Went with a coworker who previously ate here during busy season. Thought it would be good because we came in off season for Maine but still a bit bustling. Our waitress came to get our drinks then disappeared for about 10 mins. While taking our order she kept looking at her watch. 3 larger tables, seated after us got their food before we did. We thought she might have been busy looking at her watch instead of putting in our order. I went with the blackened haddock tacos. When I say that they just threw a bunch of sauce and crap on top I mean it. I had to take the fish and some of the slaw and salsa off taco and just eat it on a plate. It was not worth the wait or the price. Only good thing was the ford pickles. The ranch was great. read more

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A good restaurant in K Port. Ate dinner at the bar. Great service. We tried their turkey burger and veggie burger. Both were prepared nicely. Ambiance is busy. read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - Turkey Burger side salad. - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

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Loved the craft beer varieties, the live entertainment, the cozy atmosphere and the amazing view! The food was decent. I had the fish tacos and those were delicious. My kids had a variety of food off the kid menu which they enjoyed. My husband's and my oldest got a steak and both were cooked perfectly. Our waitress was attentive and kind. Def would come back again if we vacation here in the future. read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - Dining room decor - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

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It was good, nice water views. Loud when crowded. We had yummy bang bang shrimp appetizer (picture). Burger was ok, frozen pattys, but with good charbroiled flavor. Crab havarti on toasted sourdough sandwich was good but could use a kick, an Old Bay aioli, for example, something to take it to the next level. Average bar food place. read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - Bang bang shrimp appetizer, yummy! Would order it again. - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

Great, rooftop, ambience, quick and happy server, food was average. The fried Haddock sandwich was tasty but the bun left some to be desired and the sweet potato fries were OK. The fish and chips were a 7/10 for my husband but I loved the coleslaw. read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - Upper outdoor deck! - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

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Ambiance great. Service ok. Food very average. WAYYYYYY overpriced. I don't care if it's in Kennebunkport Maine (otherwise known as "Vacationland USA"). Lower your fucking prices!! $97.00 for "pub" food is unacceptable! read more

Best place in town!!! Food was great and my server was so helpful! Would definitely recomend this place. read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

If you like restaurant week try Federal Jacks tonight. The jambalaya was amazing. A solid tomato rice base with the right amount of spice. Then there was shrimp, andouille sausage and chicken all cooked perfectly. Snappy shrimp and fork tender chicken, what could be better. There were a nice touch of okra and julienne red and yellow peppers too. My wife had the green curry veggie plate. This was a big dish of mixed curried vegetables with lemongrass basmati rice, pickled cabbage, pickled ginger, cucumbers and Nan bread. That is just the main course. The 2 pork belly sliders on steamed buns were a taste bud sensation. The uni with flying fish roe was a delightful sight for the eye and for the stomach. Desert was a topping off of a great dinner. We got the pint glass of Beer-A-Masu and the chocolate soufflé. Both were delicious, I would have them again. I would have taken pictures but we dug in and couldn't stop savoring our meals. read more

Perfectly good food, beer, and an easy location in the center of Kennebunkport. It's never the best choice, but always a solid one. Wait is usually short and ample outdoor seating. Ambiance is mix of Oceanside and Brewery aesthetic. Something we appreciate is a veggie burger that's quite good. read more

We were so excited to try this place and it was a total disappointment ! The staff was uninterested totally ignored us after not knowing the prices or daily specials ... the food was even worse I ordered the crab havarti grilled cheese which was like a soggy sponge by the time they brought it to me would not come back even if someone paid me too read more

Place is nice roomy and great views of the bay, seated by the window. Waitress was amazing and friendly! Clam chowder was mostly potato's not alot of clams to speak of , was lil disappointed. Had the lobster rolls they were decent until i bit down and almost broke a tooth on a lil round bb like thing ( see photo ) . I did finish and never spoke to mgt. as well things happen. Rolls were plentiful and good. Had blueberry pie and ice cream for dessert! Also had jacks rum punch and husband had a draft beer. Overall a decent late lunch . read more

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Food was really good, lobster roll was delish, albeit too expensive, $38 is a bit outrageous even for Maine! Fries were good! We would come back... read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - Overpriced lobster roll - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

Meh, wasn't great but wasn't terrible. Food, service, and ambience. Kinda pricy though.

Stopped in for a beer while exploring shops. Sat at the bar. Very attentive bar staff. The restaurant had a pool room and lots of TVs. Recommend the beer! Didn't eat anything - just had some beers. read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - Wind Jammer (blonde) - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine

We were dropped here by an awful bus tour- and since the whole place felt like a tourist trap, and I wanted beer because I have a food allergy and can't eat much in a hurry, we stopped here. The staff were very very helpful (thank you especially to Jonathan D- who made sure the french fries would be safe for me and helped me pick out beers.) I tried 6 beers here and they were all amazing (loved the hazelnut, the blueberry and the pumpkin spice best). I don't normally like pumpkin spice things- but this beer was fabulous! Service was fast. Fries were excellent (as were the onion rings my husband ordered). Restrooms were clean. For a place like this in this kind of location, I thought the price was reasonable. 6 beer flight- 11.50. 10 oz glass of red wine- 13. Fries-7 and onion rings-9. These were the best beers we had on our two cruises up and down the East coast. read more

Just stopped in to try some beers and the flight was great! The heated patio was a perfect place to wind down the day with some great beers. The place has high energy and pretty good service. The bar was a bit overwhelmed when we stopped in but once they caught up were very engaging. read more

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After being dropped off from our Royal Caribbean tour bus, we were feeling a bit hungry due to some delays. Instead of following the crowd, we decided to explore on our own and quickly stumbled upon Federal Jack's Brew Pub. We seated ourselves at the bar and were warmly welcomed by the bartender (I believe her name was Lauren). She had a fantastic attitude and was incredibly friendly, promptly taking our order while engaging in some great small talk about where we were from. Before we knew it, our appetizer of fried pickles arrived, and they were absolutely delicious! We shared a crab roll, while my sister and her husband went for the turkey BLT club sandwich. Both dishes were fantastic, and the beer was ice-cold. My sister was particularly thrilled to find blueberry beer, which she'd been searching for during our port stops but hadn't found until today--it was definitely worth the wait! The overall experience was wonderful, with a relaxed atmosphere, good background music, and TVs on the walls, making for a peaceful break as we enjoyed some excellent food. Definitely a 10/10 experience, much better than our disappointing visit in Boston (see my review of Beantown Pub, 0/10). If you're in town, be sure to stop by! read more

We've been to Federal Jacks several times over the past several years. So we went again expecting to enjoy our meal as usual. We thought that service was pretty slow considering that it was not crowded. After ordering, the food took a very long time to get to us. Drinks took a very long time to arrive as well. I ordered a $34 chicken dish from their specialty menu. It was 1/2 baked chicken that was supposed to be lemon/herb. The chicken looked very dry and it looked like it had been deep fried. There was absolutely no seasoning on the chicken. It was extremely dry. I told the waitress that my dinner was awful. She whisked it away without even asking what was wrong with it. She asked if I'd like something else, but left immediately. By the time I was able to order something, my husband was well into his meal. So I got sweet potato fries. Not one person came over to us to ask what was wrong with the meal or to apologize. I was so disappointed because we have always liked it here in the past. We probably won't be back. read more

3.5 The steamers, beer, and entrees were very good! The waitstaff were friendly, but overwhelmed because they had too many tables and couldn't be as attentive as normal. The wait for the simple food order was very long. The steamers only came with 10 steamers (some very small), definitely not enough for $22! The deck was nice but we were not offered a view or a sunny spot. We would have preferred that. read more

Spending the summer in Maine and came in for date night dinner. Been a fan of Shipyard Ale since '92 and realized during the visit that the last time I had been in was with my late father (ironic since it is Fathers Day Weekend). Glad we came in, the place has grown quite a bit but, that didn't negatively impact the service or the food. Decent value, great beer, food, and atmosphere. If you are in the area, want someplace that is laid back, then this is a good spot read more

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Loved the bar and the happy hour prices are excellent the bartender introduced us to a smashed pumpkin which has an excellent after taste.

Renée was awesome waitress! food was great! Manager Danielle also checked in with our table. A+

I rate this a 3.9. I got fried pickles which were very good. Perfect batter to pickle ratio. I also got a flight of beers all 12 for my lonesome. They were all good trying all 12 different. I got a lobster roll. It was a large portion of food. Everything else has large portions appetizers aren't needed. Lobster roll kinda mid compared to other places but still alright. Waiter was great very nice sometimes felt I was being judged but still overall good. No one expected me to finish the beers. Felt like the restaurant was against me... I had to prove them wrong and I did #CaptainJack read more

Federal Jack's Brew Pub - American Near Me - Kennebunk, Maine