Eventide Restaurant Review

COVID-19 REVIEW: We settled for the take out experience given host said it would take an hour plus for a shaded table and a little less for a non shaded table. It was off a crowded street so masks definitely required if waiting for a table. We only came to the restaurant to try the highly hyped up bao bun butter lobster rolls and to my surprise I was completely let down.

I was expecting more bang for my buck at $15 per roll I spent $32+ with tax on two doughy 4 inch long quarter filled lobster rolls. The meat did taste sweet and chewy roll gave a different mouth experience compared to a traditional lobster roll, but it is just that. Nothing that blows your mind just a good different that doesn't sit well with you when you finish it in 20 seconds and realized you just paid a premium for that. It is an appetizer so don't expect it to come with anything else. I would say if you are curious and in town go for it as a one time experience given price point but I would not go out of my way for this roll it's just too expensive the value is not there. Go to highroller or lobster co and get a traditional roll if you want more of a meal.

Oysters are really fresh and delicious. Clam bake and lobster roll are also recommended. However, the size of the lobster roll is a bit small, so please refer to it. It was good enough to come and eat 10 times in Boston.

Food is good, drink selection is decent, and it is pricey. Definitely a favorite location for tourists, but you will find locals getting their fix at other locations.

I have been wanting to try this place since they opened up in Boston. I drove back from Bar Harbor, and decided to stop in for dinner here in Portland at their flagship location. Excellent food, and service! The Oysters, lobster bake and lobster roll where excellent! You can just tell that the food is fresh, AND prepared very tasty! Very reasonable prices for what you get. Grade A!! If you want big portions, and paying McDonald s prices, then go else where (Intended for those complaining and giving bad reviews).

The plates are small, but the food is great. A little expensive for the portions you get. The beer selection is excellent and all the servers are friendly and knowledgeable. The brown butter lobster roll is amazing, but definitely too small to split.

Fantastic oysters and cocktail. Would definitely go back for a second try.

This is the place to go... we arrived pretty late Saturday night and everyone was super nice, tables properly distanced and located outside with proper heaters, and then there was the entire reason we went there: their amazing food! The oysters were spectacular as was the lobster bun, etc. Great place!

I haven't even been to eventide but they do a great job of clearing their sidewalk after it snows

Everything is always good. Try the lobster stew- amazing! Expect long waits during peak hours.

Best oysters ever. The food is amazing too. Recommend brown butter lobster roll and a dozen assorted oysters!

The food is delicious and worth the steep prices. It's a small plates style of dining, so for a meal for two, you should get at least three items to share. The oysters on a half shell are excellent and I highly recommend the lobster stew with green curry. Also, if you're into craft beers, their local draft selection is impressive. This is definitely a must-visit for any trip to Portland.

Local oysters We're great, but warm, buttery lobster roll was amazing!! Service was great too!

One of the best meals we have ever had. Service amazing. Order the jumbo oysters. SO SO GOOD. In fact everything is next level

Long long wait, but definitively worthy. One of the best place to eat in Maine. One of the best Lobster roll! Funky place!

We ate here twice in one day it was so good Don't miss the lobster roll, house chips, and the Basket Island oysters. Fantastic place with great service.

Great experience. The oysters are good and the lobster roll is delicious and really unique. It's a little pricey but worth it for a special occasion, such as your first time in Portland.

If you're willing to wait (and there is a wait regardless of day or time), this small plate seafood-forward restaurant has delicious food. Do not miss the lobster stew with green curry. Great daily specials. And more raw oyster varieties than you can shake a stick at. If you're claustrophobic or can't deal with bumping elbows while you're eating, it's not the place for you. Seating gets so tight and the space is so small that they do offer SRO counters where you can stand and order of the full menu. Staff is knowledgeable and willing to offer suggestions. Nice local beer selection and a full bar. Pro tip: put your name on the list and head down to Vena's Fizz House for a drink while you wait instead of standing out front with everyone else.

Fabulous oysters and great beer! You must go if in Portland

Service excellent. Cocktails phenomenal - 5 stars on the oysters - chowder could be more robust but delicious - dirty dirty martini was great but could be a tad dirtier - overall - great atmosphere and food

Been to Eventide twice- neither time disappointed. There will be a wait, so don't expect otherwise. However, the service, food, and ambiance are definitely worth it! Oysters are out of this world and servers are very friendly. A Portland must!

Small place. Layout is a little awkward. Oysters are fresh and super tasty.

Excellent experience. Huge variety of oysters at a fair price. Can't wait to go back.

Get a lobster roll, and some lobster stew, and some oysters, and some crudo... and anything on the menu because you wont be disappointed.

Literally the coolest and best oyster bar I ve ever been to! I ve traveled the world, and this is the one place I constantly come back to for seafood. While the prices are not cheap, the quality is outstanding, and they have a number of other creative small plates to keep everyone in your party happy. This is an absolute must try if you re in the area!

We were in for a bite this past Saturday (February 16th). The oysters were great, the lobster rolls were really good (or so I heard from the grunts and groans) and I had the lobster stew which was delicious. A job well done

Wonderful food, drinks, and service! I highly recommend this place!
Beth Ann Dollar

Didn't quite meet the hype for me or make up for the wait, but overall, the food was good. Decent Asian-fusion, seafood-style. The stand-outs were the waffle-yaki which was interesting and delicious and the oyster bun which beat out the lobster roll.

Phenomenal! We were visiting from San Diego, CA in December, and noticed the high reviews. Eventide lived up to the hype. We sat at the bar, we tried the lobster role, crab role, and lobster stew. ALL WERE AMAZING! Also, we asked about local distilleries, we were looking for a Gin cocktail. She recommended a local distillery, and poured us a terrific cocktail. I strongly recommend Eventide when visiting Portland.

This is a must stop when you are in Portland. Be sure to try the lobster rolls the chowder and the clambake. This was so good that we ate here both days we were in town.

Food is so fresh and delicious. My Girlfriend and I have the say will travel for food and this is one of those places.

Lobster roll is unique regarding the bread and the sauce - very delicious!

Omfg best seafood I've had in a long time. Recommend lobster soup and fried oyster rolls

The oysters were, predictably, amazing. Really great menu, some of the apps were just okay but overall good food. Decent beer, lots of locals which is great. The place itself is really cool inside, the oysters are presented on a stone slab very attractively, but the seating arrangement is a bit sporadic and confusing. I understand that there is only limited space in the establishment, it is just a weird set up. Seems like the place is constantly packed out, and I feel pretty lucky we got seats after only 20 minutes on a Saturday after opening. The prices are a little high, but arguably worth it for how fresh the seafood is and locally sources the ingredients are.

I was extremely dissatisfied with out experience here. We came with a party of 6 for brunch and put in our names for either inside/outside table. The wait was pretty long but that was to be expected. The host staff was clearly overwhelmed and short with the single member of our party we sent inside but that can happen so we let it go. What a mistake that was. When we were finally seated we were placed at a literal wooden plank outside. Barely enough room for drinks for 6 let alone a meal. If you don't have tables to accommodate a larger party why even offer them? Our server was nice which was a big upgrade from the hosting staff that seated us. He had the unfortunate duty of informing us they were out of pretty much everything on the menu. No seafood boils, no mussels or clams, no oysters, no bisque. Why is a restaurant seating tables when they can't even serve the menu? The lobster roll I had was fine. It was buttery lobster on a nice roll. Not exactly groundbreaking and certainly not worth the experience at this restaurant. Two stars for the nice server and instagrammable atmosphere, maybe that's their niche?

Despite the rude and annoying woman at the cashier, it is an amazing place. Food is incredible!! All other staff and everything else were nice ..

I thought lobster tasted gross until I ate here. Turns out no one else knew what they were doing. Also, the Winter Point Select oysters are awesome.

Got food to go, it was amazing! I will def come back and enjoy the full experience.

The food is excellent, in the staff is always friendly.

Where do I begin? Obviously a popular spot in Portland and for good reason! Coastal meets industrial in this chic little joint. The seafood is exactly what I expect when in Maine - fresh, fresh, fresh! The brown butter lobster roll was obviously the star of the afternoon - a unique twist to the classic but oh so freakin' good! And those kettle chips... my mouth is watering over the memory of this delectable combo!

Arrived at 2pm on a Sunday, unsurprisingly the wait to sit down was four hours. We ordered takeout instead (only about 20 minute wait) and ate nearby on a bench. The lobster roll was decent but tiny - more of an appetizer. The tofu sandwich, however, was massive and probably the best I ve ever had. Kimchi was very good too.

The food is delicious but the portions are literally minuscule! Very expensive for the minute portions but it really is tasty!

The lobster roll, trust me. It's nothing like any other roll you've had in Maine.

Sure there s a 45-minute to 2-hour walk-up-no-reservation-put-your-name-on-a-list-text-me-when-a-table s-available list... but once you re seated the farm/sea to table is fresh and impeccable! The prices are fair for fresh tapas. The seafood selection is fresh and savory! Oyster selection is incredible and well thought out! Cocktail selection is interesting and refreshing! There is NO fried swill for the masses! Seafood should NOT be fried you glutinous animals! Eventide does a FANTASTIC job of preparing fresh seafood with eclectic ingredients! The server was knowledgeable, friendly, jovial and a pleasure to talk to! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED despite the process of obtaining a seat...

Oysters were amazing, but the Beet Salad was out if this world!

There's good reason this popular seafood outpost is busy open to close - everything is fantastic! You will probably read in every post how amazing the lobster rolls are, and they are, but don't sleep on the raw stuff. Maine-ly the crudos are inventively crafted and put together for an authentic local flavor experience of the freshest variety. Great service and great drinks too. All around A+.

Amazing Oysters with very interestingly done accoutrements! The waiters know what they re talking about so ask for recommendations on what to get and what to put on them.
Seating is a bit limited with the high demand, so be patient. It s worth it.

Simply the best food in New England. Slurp an assortment of oysters and clean it up with their awesome cocktails.

I had a great time here. Oysters were unbelievable and $3 for a 16oz Narragansett!

Fantastic tuna crudo. Good cocktails, I recommend the testarosa. Small potions and a bit expensive though.

Honestly one of the greatest lobster rolls I've ever had. It was a bit on the small side, but very rich and buttery. Loved the bao bun it was served on

They have vary kinds of oysters. It is cool, dishes size would be larger will be nice.

Waitress was nice and recommended good oysters... The lobster chips was wonderful, if only they sold them in a bag.

Fresh oyster and lobster, good staff and atmosphere. The soup was a little too salty but everything else is great.

The menu doesn't have a lot of options but the service was okay and the food was good. Get the lobster roll.

Food and service phenomenal! The 1 bathroom for this very busy restaurant is absolutely disgusting. Call us when that s fixed...then 5 stars!

This place has an amazing staff and incredible food. Easily the best lobster roll and clam chowder I have ever had. I would definitely recommend it.

Not for everyone! This place would NOT be a good place for kids, older folks, or impatient people, but it is a true gem and super fun! Excellent crab roll and cocktails. Make a reservation or expect a long wait - with good reason. Very hip spot!

Be prepared for a wait, it's a small place. The oysters are a bit pricey, but really tasty!

Amazing seafood fare and incredible itself selection, they had 14 types when I went.

Fantastic food to say the least. Huge selection of local as well as neighboring oysters served shucked/fresh to order. For the price we paid for the meal amongst friends we did not get the service. The affect of the waiters was flat and expression was forced. Even attempt to engage the 3 waiters we had was futile (important to note, it was not busy nor full). At one time we even got eye rolled by one of the waiters. Despite a not so engaged waitstaff, the food and drink alike were divine and we all had a very good time.

Shot and an oyster is the best way to start your evening out in Portland! Eventide can get super busy, but you can often pop in and grab a spot at the bar for oysters and good beer.

Interesting place, I'll have to try the oysters next visit. This time, we had lobster rolls. The place was standing room only, but it's easy to understand, best lobster roll ever!

I cannot out into words how great this place is. Maybe the best oyster bar I've ever been to.

Ok but if your hungry don't expect to walk out full.

I really enjoyed this place. Good service, good food. I thought the seafood was fresh but the portion size was a little small, in my opinion. I would absolutely eat here again if I were to return to the area.

Do not order the lobster roll!!!! So not worth it, go to Lukes instead! There was a spoon full of lobster in a big white undercooked bun. The tuna tartare and halibut ceviche were actually amazing, Exceptional! But tiny portions. It was a 4 hour wait to sit down both days last weekend, ended up getting take away and sat on the water 2 blocks down.

Overpriced. The food and small portions are exquisite however! Good drink variety

It was a long wait but the hostess was the most enjoyable young man. A little pricy but worth it. Very popular with the locals. Couldn't tell the difference between the two different Oysters but very creamy and fresh.

Had a great experience here for lunch. Say at the communal table and was comfortable. The food is pricy and the portions are quite small but the flavours are delicious.

This place is amazing! The oysters were fresh and delicious. The server was very knowledgeable and the New England clam chowder was off the charts!

It was ok. My friend got the oyster roll and loved it. I got the crab and it was ok, had a bunch of shell in it so I stopped eating it half way.

Worth the wait. Try the lobster roll and lobster stew. Also get an oyster shooter

This could easily be one of the best restaurants in portland and thats saying alot. Every Single bite of food ive had there was worth every penny. I was perfectly content waiting an hour while the beautiful waitresses served me cocktails. IGNORE ANYONE who didnt rate this place a 4 or 5 star, i read alot of the reviews and couldnt believe what some of these losers had to say about the place, if you like and constantly eat at chillis, applebees or texas roadhouse i could see how you would be confused when at eventide, i mean there qas actually a guy who said "the lobster rolls at mcdonalds was better" hahahahaha which is one of the funniest things ive heard in a while. EVENTIDE for life, break out your wallets and open up your imagination because you arent gonna eat food this good and fresh and locally sourced anywhere else.