6 Best Restaurants in Kittery, The Southern Coast

This Kittery Foreside café is named for the woman who worked the register at nearby Bob's Clam Hut for two decades, but you’ll find no shellfish here—just excellent pastries and breads, made on-site daily. Don't miss the top-notch old-fashioned crullers, and duck into the vault in back—filled with vintage records—while you're at it.

With a cozy, open-plan dining area and a laid-back atmosphere, Anju Noodle Bar serves up reimagined versions of traditional dishes such as house-made, slow-roasted pork-shoulder buns, spicy miso ramen, inspired local seafood dishes, and seasonal vegetarian options. This is one of the few places in the Pine Tree State outside Portland where you'll find fresh and innovative Asian-inspired cuisine done really well. You'll likely be eating lobster and fried seafood for every meal the farther north you go in Maine, so it's well worth stopping here en route Down East, or on the ride home, for a palate cleanser. Just keep in mind they don't take reservations.

With fresh (never frozen) shellfish and a cheery, old-school vibe, Bob’s also serves up scrumptious, homemade sauces to smother over golden fried clams, alongside some of the creamiest New England clam chowders around.

From the road you can barely see the red roof hovering below the trees, but chances are you can see the line of cars parked at this popular outdoor restaurant that has been serving up fresh lobster for more than 70 years. Brightly colored picnic tables fill the deck, and enclosed eating areas sit atop the high banks of the tidal river, beside a working pier, which delivers fresh seafood straight to your plate. The menu has lots of fresh lobster choices, as well as a raw bar. Bring your own beer or wine, if you like; you can pick up bottles of local, handcrafted suds at the Tributary Brewing Company just around the corner on Shapleigh Road off Route 103. You can also bring sides and desserts that aren't on the menu.

New American surf or turf dishes made with locally sourced, farm- or fishing-boat-to-table ingredients are the hallmarks of this restaurant in a navy-blue clapboard building with a striking, red-and-white-striped lighthouse replica on one end of it. Lobster—in a roll, in risotto, or in mac and cheese—takes comfort-food pride of place, but the haddock Reuben sandwich and the barbecue steak tips in a sauce made with Moxie (a New England soft drink) are creative alternatives.

This artful bar in happening Kittery Foreside district has an excellent selection of mostly local brews on tap, as well as a rotating menu of fun cocktails. Equally praiseworthy is its upscale-but-still-approachable pub fare, which includes buffalo fried oysters, ratatouille, and bar snacks like deviled eggs with pickled watermelon rind.