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    Rockland Cafe

    3.7 (227 reviews)
    Closed • 6:00 am - 3:00 pm

    Rockland Cafe Photos

    ROCKLAND CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Rockland Cafe

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    Fried whole clams -- just OK. Not as flavorful as others I've had.
    Dewi A.

    We ate here on an evening where many towns, including Camden, where we were staying, lost power during the rain storm on 9/16/23. Our hotel suggested we go to Rockland where they still had power, so we decided to swing by Rockland Cafe as they weren't too incredibly busy. My friend ordered a seafood chowder and salad while I had the fried whole clam basket. Food was OK -- we've both had better chowder and fried clams. But service was lackluster and inattentive. We had to call for service as well as our check in the end. No one ever came by asking if all was OK. They simply took your order and dropped off your food and that was it. What was very disturbing was watching our server, an older female brunette, eat in the kitchen and LICKING HER HANDS during her shift within view of her customers. She had her back to us, but we could see what was going on the kitchen. This is UNPROFESSIONAL. How about you take a break from your shift and then eat?? On top of this, she did NOT wash her hands afterwards but instead proceeded to touch plates of food and bring these said plates to her customers. Yuck!! We also witnessed the chef scratch his head while handling food. He too, did not wash his hands. And there was an older female blond server who wore her hair down. We think whenever you deal with food, hair should be tied up and kept back somehow so that hair does not get in people's food. The menu is nothing special -- pretty run of the mill offering a little of everything to try and satiate all palates. You can find most seafood plates offered here at all the restaurants in town and beyond in Midcoast Maine. Definitely consider sanitation and cleanliness before you dine here. The staff does not seem to take this seriously.

    Seafood lasagna
    Amber O.

    This local spot is clean, friendly and makes you feel at home. The food was wonderful and you could tell it was made with love. We will be coming back for sure. Wonderful service as well. Everyone's so friendly and we had zero issues bringing out autistic teenager in there. He was welcomed just like everyone else

    Shel D.

    Well 3 stars was a tough one to give, mostly because I liked the place! I liked the service, the layout and the establishment itself was clean. I only tried the crab stuffed haddock. It came with a potato and green option. I got fries and a garden salad. The fries are delish. Hot and fluffy inside. The salad was your basic side salad with onion, peppers, tomato and cucumber. The haddock, sadly, was over cooked and the edges dried. The stuffing was bland and very wet. I would've liked it to of had more depth .... Maybe a hint of garlic, parm cheese, parsley and a splash of sherry with more cracker base (ritz? Or a buttery cracker crunched up). This may sound weird but the ketchup and tarter sauce were great! I'm finding more places lacking in the condiment department these days. Anyhoo... the queer o meter was a solid 10. Our server couldn't of been nicer. I sooooo want to give this place more stars but I can't. I have a feeling their fried food seafood is much better. This place struck me as more of a comfort food establishment. Unfortunate we live in the morning and so I'm unable to try it again. I will post a follow up if I can ever make it back to try. Thank you for a pleasant dinner time for our last night in town! Cheers.

    Fried clams
    Jennifer M.

    We were not disappointed in the food or service at the well-rated Rockland Cafe on Main St in quaint Rockland. My party enjoyed fried clams, seafood chowder, haddock wraps, haddock Reuben and grilled salmon sandwich. All were cooked perfectly and delicious! Darlene was efficient and helpful with my questions.

    Seafood chowder
    Mary G.

    Seafood chowder was so over done like it sat on the stove all day. The flavor was ok but all the seafood was so over done like cat food. I could not identify what each one was. I would NOT get it again. My husband said his sandwich was ok. The Blueberry pie was good she said it was homemade but did not taste homemade. The peanut butter pie was good but he knew that was not homemade but was pleased with it. I always try a place atleast 2 times so I'll try them again to see if it was just that dish. Atleast I didn't get sick.

    A real gem. It has a homey feel and the staff are attentive and friendly. We ordered seafood chowder, a lobster roll (comes with fries and coleslaw), and a fish cake which comes with choice of seafood chowder or clam chowder. The seafood chowder was delicious and hearty. They don't skimp on the ingredients. All else was excellent - the lobster roll was on very tasty bread, sandwich style. The clam chowder was good but has lots of potatoes and not many clams. Overall, a fantastic place that we would love to return to.

    Menu

    Locals place, good food and reasonably priced. We seemed to be one of two families eating that were not local which is always a good sign. Had the fish and chip basket, was very good. Service was great as well.

    Front entrance.
    Dorothy S.

    Wowsa. Don't walk by this cash-only cafe. You will miss the best meal of your life. We stopped in on a Thursday, and each of our lunches was exceptional. Daughter #1 had their award-winning Seafood Chowder, and it was buttery and delightful and full of seafood. Daughter #2 opted for chicken nuggets and fries and claimed them yummy. And on point. Husband opted for the pulled pork bbq sandwich and enjoyed it. I had a wonderful haddock BLT. It was truly a perfect BLT. We all had French fries, which were perfectly cooked and seasoned. This was a great meal in a simple storefront. Don't walk by!!

    Hillary L.

    I understand we're all adjusting to the new normal but unfortunately I was very disappointed in the restaurant's lack of care to their customers regarding covid precautions. Our waitress and all of the cooks were wearing their face masks as chin straps. I was incredibly uncomfortable the entire time we were in the restaurant. At one point, the waitress finally put her mask on and then proceeded to serve my husband by leaning and reaching over me putting zero space between us. It doesn't matter how the food tasted, we wouldn't return due to this careless behavior. The food was ok. Pancakes were good and are plate size. The home fries are slightly mushy and the sausage wasn't flavorful.

    Inside with Lobster Festival posters

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    3 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Love the food. The fish is always fresh and delicious. The service is pleasant and attentive and the prices are fair.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    7 months ago

    Old time historic cafe with delicious fish cakes, chowder and an upscale salmon grain bowl. Great service. Relaxed vibe.

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    3 years ago

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    8 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    A comfortable, nostalgic restaurant experience. Food is very good, prices are reasonable, and the service is nonchalant.

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    I ordered a burger to go. I took one bite and knew the beef was bad. I didn't eat any more but still got sick. 0 out of 5

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    What a find for lunch! I had the Spicy Breakfast Sandwich on sour dough. Fantastic. Hand crafted and delicious.

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    2 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Will go back for the seafood chowder. It's literally one of the best things I've ever had. It's a huge serving, a meal in and of itself.

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    8 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Horrible food. Worst in Maine. Won't be back. The service was also bad. Avod this place

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Good food & counter service. Love that they have vegan options for food & milk substitutes for the coffee drinks.

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    3 years ago

    Bad experience of horrible service. The huge menu and tiny kitchen makes me think of a lot of frozen or prepackaged meals.

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    Page 1 of 6

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    Dry Dock Restaurant - Haddock Cakes Special

    Dry Dock Restaurant

    4.3(29 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    Unfortunately this place was average (or below average) for the cost…read more Came here to get lobster bisque due to a glowing review from another Yelper. I asked for it extra hot. Ordered the fried haddock sandwich too. Soup arrived with steam (before the spoons to eat it came) but the soup was actually not that hot when we tasted it. We had to wait for spoons. The bowl of lobster bisque was $34, which was a conscious decision for us to order - because that's expensive. (A cup is$20.) The lobster bisque had no flavor. The salt, pepper and lemon we added ourselves helped but for $34, it should be amazing. It cooled off super quickly and was room temperature within 3 minutes and in 8 minutes or so, cold. Which means it wasn't truly heated through and through to start. We regret ordering it. The fried haddock sandwich had zero flavor. None. Not salt, not pepper. The fries and Heinz ketchup had the most flavor of anything on our table. When the sandwich came we asked for another plate (we were sharing it), which never came. At one point, the waitress came over and asked how everything was. I replied, "Eh, alright." She said "Okay!" and walked away. Disappointing since, budget-wise, we are eating out one meal a day of this trip and that was the experience (and lack of flavor) we had. $66 including tip. Such a waste. Sorry to say....but skip this place.

    To start with, this is the same Dry Dock restaurant I reviewed in 2023 - sort of! It is actually…read morethe same owners but in a larger space. We learned of it from locals and decided to give it a try. It was a bit rocky of a start, someone didn't really know that we were there, but when we asked we had service recovery that was off the charts. We had a very nice Chardonnay. and because of our initial wait we received the cajun shrimp appetizer that was absolutely incredible and served with homemade chipotle cocktail sauce - so good and perfect with the wine. I then followed that with an order of chicken wings that came with buffalo sauce and blue cheese, Wayne had the fettuccine Alfredo that was also excellent. Although no longer within the blues festival grounds, we will totally add it to next year's plan!

    Photos
    Dry Dock Restaurant - Entering the Dry Dock

    Entering the Dry Dock

    Dry Dock Restaurant - Living the HIGH LIFE at Drydock

    Living the HIGH LIFE at Drydock

    Dry Dock Restaurant - View from inside the restaurant

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    View from inside the restaurant

    Archer's on the Pier - Lobster club - $62.50 for "market price"

    Archer's on the Pier

    3.3(355 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    •$$

    Lynn beat Bobby Flay with the Lobster Club. So, I had to give it a go. We sat outside on a…read morebeautiful day in clear view of the bay. Abby was a great server. Super nice and attentive. We ordered oysters on the half sell that were so fresh because Lynn's brother brings them to the restaurant everyday. We had the lobster club and fried seafood for lunch. The club was huge. Loads of lobster salad with perfectly cooked bacon and generous lettuce and tomato portions. The fried seafood was fresh and light. We watched sail boats come in and out of the pier while washing down our lunch with blueberry beers. This was a perfect way to spend an afternoon in coastal Maine.

    09/16/26 The food…read morewas good, but overpriced. Our server was friendly, but not attentive or timely. We came for the lobster club. While the bread was toasted and the lobster tasted good, the bill left me with quite the sticker shock. I knew it would be pricey at "market price," but $62.50 for some lobster on bread with lackluster french fries seemed a bit much. The sandwich itself was prepared well and was accompanied by three pickles, potato salad, and hand cut old bay fries. The fries were lacking any real flavor and didn't impress me. I wanted sweet potato fries, but unfortunately, they were out. The potato salad was good, but nothing special. My husband ordered the Mate's platter which consisted of smaller portions of haddock, shrimp, clams, and scallops. The fry on everything was nice. I've never eaten scallops or clams before, but since we were in Maine, I figured I'd sample my husband's food as well. The scallops were rubbery and the clams had a funky taste to them. I've never had these two types of seafood so perhaps that is how they taste, but just not something I personally would like to eat again. The shrimp tasted like popcorn shrimp and the haddock was okay. The plate was accompanied by coleslaw and old bay fries. The slaw was alright and again the fries were a miss. We sat on the outside deck, but on the left side of the building as you walk in. The seats are very deep and quite uncomfortable, but I took two seat cushions and put them behind me to help. The view wasn't great and I thought we were missing out, but when we were leaving I looked at the other tables on the back of the building and we weren't missing that great of a view. The restaurant is on the water, but only with an okay view The biggest disappointment was feeling ripped off. The menu price for the mate's platter was $39 and when the bill came we were charged $42.50. I realized the price difference after returning from the restroom and my husband had already paid. I was also shocked at the $62.50 price tag for the lobster club. I realize it's lobster, but I don't know where that amount of lobster plus a few other much less expensive ingredients/accompaniments would come out to a market price over $60. The restaurant is definitely overcharging for the fact that the club beat Bobby Flay. On our trip to Maine, I've had better lobster that topped out just over $40 and nothing near the price tag of this restaurant. The food here is the only food we happened to eat that day and we both ended up not feeling well after. Not food poisoning or anything, just saying the food definitely didn't agree with us.

    Photos
    Archer's on the Pier - Lynn's claim to fame

    Lynn's claim to fame

    Archer's on the Pier - Mate's Platter - $39 on the menu, but charged $42.50

    Mate's Platter - $39 on the menu, but charged $42.50

    Archer's on the Pier - Lobster club - $62.50 for "market price"

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    Lobster club - $62.50 for "market price"

    Claws - Lobster Roll warm buttered and a Vodka Lemonade with Blueberry

    Claws

    4.2(708 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    •$$

    The hotel we stayed at recommended Claws. It was Our favorite dining experience in Maine. I got the…read morelobster already pulled out of the shelll with a baked potato and corn on the cob. Charlie got a fried haddock Sammy and fries. Both were spectacular! Liz, our waitress, was attentive and sweet. It's what I imagine from a lobster shack: over looking an inlet/harbor with the tide going out, a line to order, good food, real butter, cold beer, blueberry cornbread, and real people serving ya. Definitely visit Claws.

    What an incredible experience at Claws in Rockland!…read more We arrived to find a long line outside, but right away we noticed something that told us a lot about this place: the staff was offering umbrellas to everyone waiting in line. Such a simple, thoughtful gesture, and such a great first impression! When it was our turn to order, we were helped by an incredibly pleasant and patient woman. Despite the long line behind us, she never made us feel rushed and was completely focused on making sure she got our order right. Then there was our waitress. WOW! She was a blonde woman, maybe around 35, and she was absolutely amazing. She was working incredibly hard--literally running circles around everyone else--yet she never stopped smiling. She was extremely friendly, attentive, and amazingly efficient. My husband and I both agreed she was one of the best waitresses we have ever seen. At one point, in the middle of everything she was juggling, a customer asked her to roll up one of the blinds. The timing could not have been worse because she was SO busy, and she actually had to climb onto a stool to reach it. But you would never have known what an inconvenience it was. She smiled, took care of it, and went right back to work without missing a beat. My husband and I own fast-food restaurants, so we understand just how difficult it is to provide that level of hospitality when you're slammed. We were so impressed with her work ethic and attitude that before we left, we discreetly gave her a $100 tip. She absolutely deserved it. And somehow, the food managed to be just as impressive as the service. The lobster was, without question, THE BEST LOBSTER WE HAVE EVER HAD IN OUR LIVES!!! Perfectly cooked, absolutely delicious, and everything we hoped for when coming to Maine. Claws gave us one of those dining experiences we'll remember long after our trip is over. Amazing lobster, thoughtful hospitality, and an exceptional waitress who truly stood out. If you're in Rockland and want lobster, do not miss Claws!

    Photos
    Claws
    Claws - Oysters

    Oysters

    Claws - Blueberry Pop

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    Blueberry Pop

    Sammy's Deluxe - Crab claws

    Sammy's Deluxe

    4.0(69 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    •$$

    Sammy's deluxe... unforgettable experience. Was walking around Rockland and we just stumbled upon…read moreSammy's not knowing what to expect or what the menu was like. Sat at the bar since they were quite busy and haven't had a chance to clear a few tables. Restaurant reminds you of grandma's house, rustic, chic tables and chairs, mismatched dinnerwares and the whole ambiance playing "killin jive" from the 1940's. I wasn't born then but the whole vibe reminds you of that era that I only get a pleasure to watch on TV. Now for the food... Jonah's crab as you can expect was sweet and delicious but a pain to eat using your fighting tools however, the dip was heavenly. BF had the burger, he was surprised that you can't modify it, but thoroughly enjoyed how unique it was, I told him, the chef takes pride how he prepares his food, so you either take it as it is or get something else. Keep an open mind. And I had the overnight beef shank, wow, simple yet delicious, fork tender and luscious marrow. The celery and fennel salad added brightness to the dish and the blue cheese wasn't overwhelming. And I don't like blue cheese and this creativity made me wanting it more. The dish isn't a huge portion, but surprisingly it got me full that I left a few bites of the beef and the salad. For drinks, I had the Rosé and he had the New England India pale ale, light and bubbly. Service was okay, a little slow in the beginning and as the night went on, our server became friendlier.

    My wife and I often visit Rockland, and we were excited to try Sammy's due to the positive reviews…read moreit receives. Unfortunately, our experience was on the downside. The meal we ordered was the worst I have been served in a restaurant. It was an oversalted, tasteless mishmash of ingredients that should never have been sent out of the kitchen. Kind of like a super expensive gruel. We considered voicing our dissatisfaction to the staff, but after reading how the owner unprofessionally confronts customers, we decided to not get into it with him. We chalked it up to a bad experience and next time we'll head across the street to Ada's, which is consistently solid. The server was pleasant and the drinks were good.

    Photos
    Sammy's Deluxe
    Sammy's Deluxe - Scallop Aguachile Negro $17

    Scallop Aguachile Negro $17

    Sammy's Deluxe - Sammy's Deluxe

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    Sammy's Deluxe

    Rockland Cafe - seafood - Updated October 2026

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