Somehow we've been latecomers to NBO but oh boy is it a go to now. Love this place. Excellent food. Great bar. Great service. No pretense. Just simply great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Angela Loavenbruck
Maybe this was an off night given all the positive reviews, but the food was truly horrible - virtually inedible. The only good thing were the raw oysters, which were wonderful. But the fried full belly clams were inedible - thick batter that was pale and tough. Haddock chowder that was thin, under seasoned and essentially some watery milk with a few potatoes and somewhere a piece or two of haddock. The chowder was served with a fully raw biscuit, brown on the outside with a totally uncooked inside. For the first time ever, I returned the clams, and ordered a hamburger instead. Thin bit of beef, very salty and also virtually inedible. The waitresses were pleasant, but the food - no!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oyster Sliders & Raw Oysters
Mark Siladi
North Beacon Oyster in Rockland on Penobscot Bay is an oasis in the off season of local oysters. Its also an oasis of great service and great food overall. Conveniently located on Main Street, the décor is a relaxed vibe for a smallish place. I choose to sit at the bar as a solo diner.The bartender was a major contributor to a great meal. Kim was able to offer up wine pairings for all my courses which were intelligent and spot on. I had the oysters (the Jalapeno and Cucumber mignonette was brilliant) , scallop crudo and duck. All were great. One comment was that the presentation of the duck was poorly made. The crudo looked great and delicate but the duck plating didnt have so much skill. The use of cauliflower, also white, with the polenta, and then a few sprigs or arugula did not do it justice, the pomegranate seeds add flavor and some color but still overall it looked crude.All that said I would certainly come back and look forward to it. Thank you for a great meal and experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Compass65004325797
Best oysters in town. They have a wide selection to choose from . Their food has amazing taste leaving your pallet looking for more.
Caroline Ronten
Amazing well prepared food. Server was very good as well.But it was so loud we couldn't hear ourselves thibk, never mind talk, and the room was so hot, we were sweating. Granted it was a Saturday night. We may try again on a less busy
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sarah Karp
I had an exceptional meal at NBO tonight. You know when you go to a place so much that you’re afraid to NOT order your favorite? Branched out and had the tamarind shrimp with a side of miso brussels, paired with a thoughtfully selected wine of the week and OMG. New favorite. Thank you, NBO, for always being So. Damn. Good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
WMSME
While I don't quite get to five stars, my wife and I really liked this restaurant and look forward to returning. Much of the food is really good. I found the oyster sliders spectacular, and my wife very much enjoyed her calamari. The oysters (there were five or six choices) were very fresh, and I found a new favorite in the Aphrodites. It's also a pleasure to find a restaurants with options of different sizes. We were able to get exactly the mount of food we wanted. Finally, the menu is quite varied and there are a lot of things we look forward to trying on our next visit. What kept our experience from an all-out rave? The crudo of the evening (salmon with corn) was bland and a slightly small serving, and the cole slaw could use more individuality. There was also a thirty minute wait for our meals after we finished a serving of oysters. The noise level is also a bit high. Still, this is a special place, and its popularity is fully deserved. Despite the food delay, service is personal, friendly and caring.
Lucinka T.
Incredible food and drink selection I was surprised to see a lot of world wine on the menu, pleasantly! Also good drink specials and food nightly specials. Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Littleneck Clams, Peel
Madigan Shaw
We went here for the first time a couple weeks ago, and the food was the best we've ever had! So my husband and I just had anniversary dinner there tonight! Food is incredible! Servers are always so nice and pleasant, and the atmosphere is so cozy and relaxed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
K Lerner
We dined here for our anniversary and loved the experience as you can tell everything is homemade. Given the quality of the food we were surprised to see the prices so reasonable. We will return again soon and look forward to sampling more items from the menu.
My husband and I had dinner here last weekend and it is absolutely a cannot miss for dining if you are visiting Rockland (make sure to get a reservation!). The Pemaquid mussels were quite possibly the best we have ever had...the sauce was amazing. The atmosphere is lively, happy, bustling. Cannot wait to visit again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brent C.
What a beautiful walk to this seaside location! Parking wasn't an issue, seeing I stayed at a hotel near by. The staff were welcoming and greeted everyone with a smile. Now the food.... Wow! They had many choices from small plates to larger meals. Their oyster selection was great from local areas and the little necks were sweet and fresh. The Lobster sliders tasted amazing but feel they could change the bun. I may have bias but feel a traditional New England roll is key. I highly recommend this place if you'd like a taste of Maine and some great cocktails.
Peter J.
We had a fabulous dinner here tonight. Started with fresh oysters from Damariscotta and Bath. These local oysters are fabulous and were served perfectly with delicious vinaigrettes, etc. We then had fried oysters and crab toast small plates. Both were really good and perfectly prepared. For our main course, we had blackened shrimp gnocchi. Gnocchi is one of their specialties and they change particulars weekly, based on availability of local ingredients. This version was out of this world. Such a unique dish for culinary creativity!We also had great cocktails, including Black Manhattan and Aperal Spritz. Their bartender takes pride in making a great cocktail. Loved it!This is a small, intimate restaurant. It reminds me of top restaurants in the East Village (New York)) where chefs are creative, and everyone involved, including wait staff and servers, acts like an owner that is committed to making sure you have a great time. Our server was fabulous.GO HERE!
Astros F.
Our entrees were fish & chips and crab toast. Delicious! Service was friendly and efficient. So glad we were able to eat here.
david d.
I usually read 4.5+ ratings with some skepticism, but NBO is a 6 out of 5!We were in town for the weekend. Stumbled upon them late on Friday night and while they were packed and we didn't have a reservation, they squeezed us in. Holy crap was this a find!Every plate was beautifully balanced. Everything is fresh and they do run out of thing as they ran out of lobster on day 1. We were envious of the person who got the last lobster roll that night so much and that we made an earlier for the following night!Everything was AMAZING. We enjoyed the daily crudo, cioppino, raw oysters, lobster rolls, extra dirty martinis, stupid good garlic-parm fries, and somehow saved room for the blueberry biscuit dessert!We forced the owner to step out of the kitchen for some praise and he immediately stepped out of the spotlight and acknowledged the rest of the staff. The full team worked very well together providing us an excellent dining experience. I will make this a destination for future trips!
Somehow we've been latecomers to NBO but oh boy is it a go to now. Love this place. Excellent food. Great bar. Great service. No pretense. Just simply great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maybe this was an off night given all the positive reviews, but the food was truly horrible - virtually inedible. The only good thing were the raw oysters, which were wonderful. But the fried full belly clams were inedible - thick batter that was pale and tough. Haddock chowder that was thin, under seasoned and essentially some watery milk with a few potatoes and somewhere a piece or two of haddock. The chowder was served with a fully raw biscuit, brown on the outside with a totally uncooked inside. For the first time ever, I returned the clams, and ordered a hamburger instead. Thin bit of beef, very salty and also virtually inedible. The waitresses were pleasant, but the food - no!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oyster Sliders & Raw Oysters
North Beacon Oyster in Rockland on Penobscot Bay is an oasis in the off season of local oysters. Its also an oasis of great service and great food overall. Conveniently located on Main Street, the décor is a relaxed vibe for a smallish place. I choose to sit at the bar as a solo diner.The bartender was a major contributor to a great meal. Kim was able to offer up wine pairings for all my courses which were intelligent and spot on. I had the oysters (the Jalapeno and Cucumber mignonette was brilliant) , scallop crudo and duck. All were great. One comment was that the presentation of the duck was poorly made. The crudo looked great and delicate but the duck plating didnt have so much skill. The use of cauliflower, also white, with the polenta, and then a few sprigs or arugula did not do it justice, the pomegranate seeds add flavor and some color but still overall it looked crude.All that said I would certainly come back and look forward to it. Thank you for a great meal and experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best oysters in town. They have a wide selection to choose from . Their food has amazing taste leaving your pallet looking for more.
Amazing well prepared food. Server was very good as well.But it was so loud we couldn't hear ourselves thibk, never mind talk, and the room was so hot, we were sweating. Granted it was a Saturday night. We may try again on a less busy
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had an exceptional meal at NBO tonight. You know when you go to a place so much that you’re afraid to NOT order your favorite? Branched out and had the tamarind shrimp with a side of miso brussels, paired with a thoughtfully selected wine of the week and OMG. New favorite. Thank you, NBO, for always being So. Damn. Good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
While I don't quite get to five stars, my wife and I really liked this restaurant and look forward to returning. Much of the food is really good. I found the oyster sliders spectacular, and my wife very much enjoyed her calamari. The oysters (there were five or six choices) were very fresh, and I found a new favorite in the Aphrodites. It's also a pleasure to find a restaurants with options of different sizes. We were able to get exactly the mount of food we wanted. Finally, the menu is quite varied and there are a lot of things we look forward to trying on our next visit. What kept our experience from an all-out rave? The crudo of the evening (salmon with corn) was bland and a slightly small serving, and the cole slaw could use more individuality. There was also a thirty minute wait for our meals after we finished a serving of oysters. The noise level is also a bit high. Still, this is a special place, and its popularity is fully deserved. Despite the food delay, service is personal, friendly and caring.
Incredible food and drink selection I was surprised to see a lot of world wine on the menu, pleasantly! Also good drink specials and food nightly specials. Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Littleneck Clams, Peel
We went here for the first time a couple weeks ago, and the food was the best we've ever had! So my husband and I just had anniversary dinner there tonight! Food is incredible! Servers are always so nice and pleasant, and the atmosphere is so cozy and relaxed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We dined here for our anniversary and loved the experience as you can tell everything is homemade. Given the quality of the food we were surprised to see the prices so reasonable. We will return again soon and look forward to sampling more items from the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
My husband and I had dinner here last weekend and it is absolutely a cannot miss for dining if you are visiting Rockland (make sure to get a reservation!). The Pemaquid mussels were quite possibly the best we have ever had...the sauce was amazing. The atmosphere is lively, happy, bustling. Cannot wait to visit again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
What a beautiful walk to this seaside location! Parking wasn't an issue, seeing I stayed at a hotel near by. The staff were welcoming and greeted everyone with a smile. Now the food.... Wow! They had many choices from small plates to larger meals. Their oyster selection was great from local areas and the little necks were sweet and fresh. The Lobster sliders tasted amazing but feel they could change the bun. I may have bias but feel a traditional New England roll is key. I highly recommend this place if you'd like a taste of Maine and some great cocktails.
We had a fabulous dinner here tonight. Started with fresh oysters from Damariscotta and Bath. These local oysters are fabulous and were served perfectly with delicious vinaigrettes, etc. We then had fried oysters and crab toast small plates. Both were really good and perfectly prepared. For our main course, we had blackened shrimp gnocchi. Gnocchi is one of their specialties and they change particulars weekly, based on availability of local ingredients. This version was out of this world. Such a unique dish for culinary creativity!We also had great cocktails, including Black Manhattan and Aperal Spritz. Their bartender takes pride in making a great cocktail. Loved it!This is a small, intimate restaurant. It reminds me of top restaurants in the East Village (New York)) where chefs are creative, and everyone involved, including wait staff and servers, acts like an owner that is committed to making sure you have a great time. Our server was fabulous.GO HERE!
Our entrees were fish & chips and crab toast. Delicious! Service was friendly and efficient. So glad we were able to eat here.
I usually read 4.5+ ratings with some skepticism, but NBO is a 6 out of 5!We were in town for the weekend. Stumbled upon them late on Friday night and while they were packed and we didn't have a reservation, they squeezed us in. Holy crap was this a find!Every plate was beautifully balanced. Everything is fresh and they do run out of thing as they ran out of lobster on day 1. We were envious of the person who got the last lobster roll that night so much and that we made an earlier for the following night!Everything was AMAZING. We enjoyed the daily crudo, cioppino, raw oysters, lobster rolls, extra dirty martinis, stupid good garlic-parm fries, and somehow saved room for the blueberry biscuit dessert!We forced the owner to step out of the kitchen for some praise and he immediately stepped out of the spotlight and acknowledged the rest of the staff. The full team worked very well together providing us an excellent dining experience. I will make this a destination for future trips!