Great chef this summer. This might only be her 2nd summer at Shade, but her years of experience and owing a restaurant are evident. Noise level is "we're on vacation and having a couple of drinks!" So, not the place for an intimate dinner for 2 but a great place to enjoy dinner with friends or family. Vibe is kind of Nantucket -y, in a good way. read more

Good- Julie provided great service. oysters 3/$12 were fresh and delicious Charcuterie board $18- great variety of items, Apple chutney, pimento cheese spread, crostini, pepperoncini , pickled items and 4 cheeses. Martinis $15 Fish and chips (18) outstanding! Seafood chowder (?) outstanding as well I thought the KALE Caesar ($14) was ok, kale is kale. My fiancé did not like her kale Caesar at all and did not eat it. Bad- overheard the staff at the bar using the f word upon entering the restaurant. Mold found on two pieces of cheese on the charcuterie board Waitress comped the Caesar ($14) which was not the kitchens fault, but still charged us for these charcuterie board(18) ! Too many restaurants to eat at, so we won't be back for a while read more

Shades is just a disappointment. Too bad the Beverage Manger ego got in his way. Winnie was the attraction star. Myself and many others will not visit. Too bad Migis Group couldn't step up to the plate and truly care. read more

This is relaxing dinner spot that does decadent small plates and has the old time charm of yesteryear. I had the sweet brined pork and it hit on many different levels. Tender meat, crispy potatoes and presented properly. Our waitress was extremely friendly and professional. There were six of us and we each had 2 beverages, an app, entree and then shared the three desserts for a total of 344.00 read more

Shade - Pork - Seafood Near Me - Scarborough, Maine

Great food. We ordered the crab and corn fritters, Caesar salad, lobster linguine, and the day boat scallops (special). Staff and service was timely and pleasant. Drinks and wine were great as well. The bar seating was nice but loud. Next time I would sit outside in the screened in porch but it was still comfortable and friendly inside. read more

Shade - Crab and corn fritters - Seafood Near Me - Scarborough, Maine

Upon walking in, we noticed our favorite bar tender/service leader was not there. We heard she has been gone for 2 months. This was our favorite restaurant in June, with the bar tender/service leader running a great team. This time the bar and restaurant seemed unorganized and leaderless. Waitresses were running around asking patrons if they ordered food on the plate they were holding; it happened multiple times to us on the first 15 minutes. After 15 minutes of sitting there, a waitress finally approached completely flustered. We ordered drinks and 1 app to start. We waited without being served anything, not even water, another 15 min before leaving in frustration. The waitress was apologetic when we explained why we were leaving. She mentioned talking to Nick, the manager. We considered this but he was no where to be seen. read more

First off, the food was really good. But, the service was bad, like, comically bad. Get comfortable. We had a reservation but ended up with extra people in our party. I called several hours ahead and they said they could accommodate us all, but we would have to have split tables, which was fine. When we arrived, they said one table could sit and one table had to wait out on the porch, even though the other table was set and empty. We asked if we could all sit at the same time and they said no, they had to stagger the orders. Ok, no biggie, but can we just sit and wait to order? No. We have to go out to the porch. Ok. That table of 4 goes to the bar and asks to order drinks to take out on the porch and the answer was no again. So, the first table sits and the 4 top next to us is empty, so we ask if the 4 on the porch can have that table when they are allowed back in. No, that table is reserved. One person asked, is this too much trouble? Should we go elsewhere? And the waitrperson says you are welcome to leave. Which, most of us have or are currently working in restaurants and know that that is a firable offense where we work or worked. At that point, the other table comes in, sits down, has a lovely waitperson and gets their food way before us even though it was all supposed to be staggered. The food was delicious. And no, the table next to us was never filled and to add insult to injury, it was auto gratuity even though the checks were separate. Again, the food was delicious. read more

This is a great little restaurant down by Higgins Beach in the Higgins Beach hotel. I like to sit at the bar, but there's lots of great seating. Lots of seafood options as well as pasta and burgers. For me, the classic meal of oysters and a lobster roll is the best. And they have the best bartender in town, her name is Winnie. Go enjoy. read more

Shade is the restaurant attached to The Higgins Beach Inn. It has a brief menu that caters to the seafood lover and to those who aren't. The ambience is charming, but not overstated. The cocktails and the food is absolutely delicious. The Maine oysters were the best I've had in years. The fish chowder was not the heavy cream variety but lighter and superb. Don't miss the lobster scampi. Winnie tends the bar with a most pleasing and welcoming ability. Say hello to her for me if you have the chance to visit Shade. read more

We visited Shade for the first time on Friday, July 9 with a reservation at about 6pm. It was pretty busy, and parking is at a premium; however, drive around and carefully be on the lookout -- you will find something eventually. This restaurant is on the main level of the Higgins Beach Inn. Some of the tables are inside and others are on the enclosed porch. We had an excellent time. Our server was very friendly and she kept up with us our entire meal and was excellent to us. We started off with a round of drinks, and I had the Beachcomber, which was one of the most refreshing drinks I have ever had. Our table shared an order of the crispy calamari which was super yummy. For my main course, I had the Crispy Chicken Sandwich which was good. Others at our table had the Halibut and the Linguini and Clams. Everybody had a great meal. After dinner, it is just a short 1 block walk to the ocean. Walk off the meal, and you won't feel so guilty! read more

Had a great team dinner here. Fun servers. Sat outside on the screened porch. Cocktails were interesting and delicious. Crab and corn fritters were excellent. Crunchy on the outside, crabby on the inside. I had the lobster scampi for dinner. Perfect size. Plenty of garlic flavor. Lots of lobster that was not overcooked. Perfect. Worth going out of the way to eat here. read more

We really enjoyed our experience tonight at Shade in Higgins's Beach Inn ! Arriving early and making our way to the bar where Tori the bartender was there to greet us. I enjoyed a wonder gin signature drink made with Bimini gin( go local) and an added botanical ice cube . Toni offered the best ceviche I've ever had, made with fresh halibut and cilantro, amazing. My Lobster fettuccine was delish , hubby loved his flank steak but missed the steak frites that was served last summer. Great service and a wonderful spot to visit we were very impressed with Shade and recommend it highly. read more

What a pleasure to not only great food, but friendly, above the top service the other evening! Thank you to Lilly for making it special, and Emily for double- checking our satisfaction! Such a rarity these days! read more

Food was excellent. Lobster linguini. Drinks were so good. Dessert fabulous. Can't wait to eat there again. Waitress, January, was awesone

Great breakfast. Huge sausages with good flavor. Highly recommend. Sorry, took pic when was 1/2 way done. Staff was very friendly and attentive. read more

Shade - Sorry. Only 1/2 of the breakfast. Couldn't resist and stop eating. - Seafood Near Me - Scarborough, Maine

What happened to this restaurant? The service was slow and odd and we were one of two tables occupied. I asked to substitute the side fries for a vegetable and was told the chef does not allow any substitutions at all and rolled her eyes. I had to get the fries. okay no problem. The food was mediocre when two years ago it was delicious. More like pub food now. When we left there was a note on our vehicle saying we would be towed as these spots were for Inn and restaurant guests only. I went back inside and showed our waitress. she asked me when I ate there!!??? I said 30 seconds ago you served us. she couldn't recall. so strange. I told her she might want to show her manager so customers don't get towed while they're eating. overall it was a weird experience and I won't go back this season. read more

Came here for dinner on July 4. We sat inside at a high top table, very quickly. The restaurant was pretty busy both inside and on the patio. It was a nice night out so that's to be expected. Our group ordered a wide range of items: calamari, caesar salad, clam chowder, fried chicken sandwich, halibut with gnocchi, a brownie sundae, and the blueberry crisp. The calamari was very fresh, batter was delicious and well seasoned. One of the better calamaris I've had. Caesar salad was delicious, the dressing tasted homemade which is always appreciated. The Clam chowder had a good ratio of clams in it for a good price. Our entrees were par for the course, the fried chicken sandwich was delicious but the fries were slightly undersalted. The halibut was slightly overcooked but the gnocchi and sauce were delicious. The stars of this review are the desserts. The brownie sundae was absolutely amazing - probably the best brownie I've ever had. It had that nice crinkle top and was SO soft on the inside. The ice cream was great but the caramel and hot fudge tasted homemade and were amazing. The blueberry crisp was delicious, obviously the wild blueberries were delicious but the oat topping was well seasoned and not overbaked. I would definitely come here again for those desserts! read more

I didn't have high expectations based upon some of the Yelp reviews, but I had received a gift certificate from a friend so we went for dinner. SURPRISE! We loved it. I ordered the Bistro steak, which is a fancy way of saying a shoulder cut, which is another way of my telling you that it's really important for a chef to do it right. It can go really wrong, but they did it perfectly: It was tender, juicy and flavorful. It was also bathed in black pepper which I happen to love. It comes with asparagus, and that, too, was perfection. They were fat (so not at all like the usual wilted waif-like things I often receive when I dine out), flavorful and not overcooked. It also is supposed to come with mashed potatoes and a tomato salad but they let me sub those with fries, which were crispy and good, and coleslaw, which was a nice balance between a vinegar and mayonnaise slaw. My husband ordered the scallop roll which he really enjoyed but wished there was either more scallops or less roll. The decor is cute and modern. They were playing classic soul which we both like. The bar wasn't yet too loud because it was still early. Sadly they will be closing soon for the season but I'm so glad we discovered that they are a great seasonal option in Scarborough! read more

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Still the only game in town, and the game is not good. Mediocre, overpriced, inconsistent "food" cooked by an amateur chef.

We live locally and had some family visiting so thought we would give Shade a try for a low key dinner. Service was friendly and attentive. Drinks were fairly standard- my wife had one of their signature cocktails, The Beachcomber made with a local Maine distillery rum, and said it was OK. Rest of the party had some craft beers and their couple of draft options and bottles were decent. Chicken sandwich I had was pretty standard, not overly flavorful with a huge pile of good fries. My wife, who is vegetarian, said her homemade veggie burger was better than average with a nice flavorful aioli spread. Rest of my party seemed not impressed, but not overly unhappy with their food. Overall a good place for a quick after beach app and drink, but so so dinner option and a bit overpriced for the food quality compared to so many good restaurants in nearby Portland. read more

I've been sitting here for fucking 40 mins and only ten mins ago she asked for our drinks which still haven't fucking gotten here yet, fuck this shit place read more

We had a wonderful Father's Day dinner tonight at Shade!! It was a foggy Maine night and we sat on the porch. Everything was so good! We really had great service and everyone was so friendly! read more

Shade - Chicken Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Scarborough, Maine

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Visited for breakfast on a Sunday morning. Our waitress was friendly and very attentive. We are locals and have eaten here since it was Garofalo's. We were overall disappointed with the food. We all ordered Benedict's, and they eggs came out cooked to the point of hard boiled eggs. Our waitress immediately had the kitchen make new ones which came out very quickly. The hollandaise was tasteless and the home fries came out of a freezer bag--what happened to the homemade home fries? The French toast was delicious though. Overall, I think we'll stick to breakfast at Inn by the Sea. read more

Good food and good service but no accessible bathroom. When their porch is closed the main part of the restaurant is not accessible either.

Excellent service and a fantastic meal. The seafood chowder was amazing. Go just for the chowder and also enjoy fresh oysters and a surprisingly diverse menu. Delicious food and close to the beach on a summer night. read more

Have gone to Shade several times and really like the burgers. They do accept reservations and you'll need it during the busy season. They have a lovely screened porch for outdoor dining or you can dine indoors. read more

A good place to breakfast. My family and I went here last year and came away disappointed. The first time was a complete joke; lousy food and slow service. We went this year and they seemed to have gotten their act together. Maybe because we were one of two tables eating breakfast at 11:00, but it was good. I got a goat cheese omlet with somewhat crispy home fries. my sister ordered a Greek yogurt with granola and they gave her a chobani container of yogurt with a small helping of granola. Quick service. All around pretty decent. read more

Great spot right down from Higgins beach. Try the lobster roll and the Mango Mint Margherita.

Squandered opportunity--an achievement in mediocrity. Pay WAY too much for lousy food. Bisque is a floured mess served barely warm. Pulled pork must be cooked in canned sauce. Fries soggy. Pork belly is merely chewy thick burnt bacon. Wine is a joke--they have all three kinds!--and it's served from a tap (hooked up to a box?). Salad sandy with tasteless dressing. Prime rib bland and overlooked. Seriously, nothing works at this place. It's a small place. Can't be that hard to serve a few decent meals. Probably time to purge and re-staff. perhaps this is what happens when there is no competition (the nearest restaurant is about three miles away). read more

Shade - Burnt offering - Seafood Near Me - Scarborough, Maine

Nice new restaurant that features delicious, fresh food in a casual and comfortable environment. Friendly and attentive service. From the looks of the other diners, I think they are making their customers happy. read more

The food was delicious and tasted fresh! So many great options on the menu, including some gluten free choices, like rice-dishes. The staff was super attentive to our big and loud group and made us feel welcome. I'm sure the other customers thought that we were annoying, but the staff treated us kindly regardless of our shenanigans. read more

My evening out with friends turned into a nightmare! The waiter was rushed and told us wrong prices for the specials! Upon receiving our surf/turf meal it basically had a crab sauce for surf. I was told the restaurant ran out of forks so I had a salad fork which I switched from another table!The wait for food was hour and half wait. No bread to hold us over! No special orders to equate for the wait! Tables were empty so no excuse for waiting. House manager left for the day so our comments fell on deaf ears read more

Wonderful food at s great price. The smoked seafood was done to perfection . Staff were attentive. Great food and reasonable prices read more

Shade - Pork chop in a blueberry glaze, - Seafood Near Me - Scarborough, Maine

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Food was well cooked but a pretty limited menu. Ordered cocktails because there is NO WINE LIST and both of ours seemed watered down. Wine 'on tap' offered. Staff very friendly and plentiful. Love the renovations and the screened in porch. read more

I was very disappointed with the treatment we received. I stopped by in the morning to see about a reservation for 9 people. 2 of which were staying at the inn. I was told that with a large party they would have to ask the manager and they would call me. I left my name and number. We wanted to get a reservation because it was a Friday night in the Summer. They never called.Subsequently my sister called and left 2 messages and then we stopped by at 4:45 pm to find out if in fact we had a reservation. She was told that they had a big party of 11 on the porch and 13 for later. We then asked if we could have 2 tables of 4 as we didn't want to go far from the cottage because of a disabled family member. They declined to give us the 2 tables of 4. This terrible review could have been avoided if someone had the decency to call us back. We were told that they didn't call us back because they were either too busy to listen to the message or that they couldn't fulfill our request so they didn't bother to call us back. Very disappointed. read more

This is a great addition to the local restaurant scene. We had the ceviche as an appetizer (excellent) and shared fried clams (nominally an appetizer) and fish and chips plate for dinner. The clams were outstanding (corn meal crust and not at all greasy) but the fish had too much batter and the fries were limp. They have a weekend oysters on the half shell special ($1 oyster) which we came back for the next day (3 people, 36 oysters). Can't beat that! Tap beer list is short and wines limited, but overall great experience. read more

After waiting for 20 minutes the waiter informed me that "they ran out of cracked eggs" and I had to order another breakfast item besides Eggs Benedict. Then when the bill came I was charged for the wrong breakfast. Luckily the manager refunded my money for breakfast. That was the best part of my dinning adventure. read more