Our group of 4 had a mixed experience at Sammy's. Perhaps we're to blame for our expectations, but it might be helpful to be better prepared to make sure this place matches your preferences.
First, some attributes that are not for everyone. The vibe is what I'll call funky-disheveled. Plastic table covers, empty wine bottles on the window ledge (deliberate, I hope), yard-sale lighting, and a ceiling fan/light combo from the bottom shelf of a big box store. This might be a curated aesthetic, but I couldn't really tell. It was an interesting vibe, but one which we older folks were not quite expecting. A real eclectic mix of patrons (in a positive way).
The music may have been a playlist or vinyl. We found the music (1960s jazz) to be distinctive and at just the right volume to not be distracting and allow conversation without having to raise a voice.
We were annoyed by the QR code menus. I hadn't seen that in quite a while. A table next to us had to have a large chalkboard brought over where they were struggling with cell phone flash lights to read what was written on the board. Oh well....
We might have gotten unlucky with the server who, while maintaining a pleasant demeanor, was confoundingly unhelpful. It seemed like we were speaking completely different languages. Perhaps we were partly to blame, but after each encounter, we all looked at each other with "what just happened?" expressions.
Despite (I think) telling us how to order so that our plates would be properly sequenced, they were not. I wish we had just been told that plates come out when prepared regardless of what you ordered, so don't wait for everyone else in your party to get their plates before you begin eating. Or don't expect the bread to come out until after you finish your first small plate. Or don't expect your oysters to come out until after you finish your mussels....
Our group of 4 all got the Mezcal Margaritas, which were very disappointing. Coarse salt on the rim, sour-dominated flavor profile, and no smokiness to the alcohol. Either too little mezcal, or we got a splash of tequila instead of mezcal. Since we all got the same drink, perhaps we were unlucky to have ordered the one disappointing cocktail.
OK, now let's get to the food. I thought it was excellent. The mussels were like a ceviche in a citrus, onion and cucumber marinade. I loved it. After a long confusing conversation, we got the brown bread and sourdough. Our server could not communicate the portion sizes when we ordered, but the bread order would properly satisfy two patrons.
The brown bread is excellent, slightly crispy/crunchy in texture (corn meal?), raisins, molasses.. wonderful. I would have eaten every bite put in front of me. Lightly sweet without being cloying. The sourdough was not what we were expecting. Thick slices of tight-crumb moist bread didn't have much hint of fermentation. It is from Brazen Baking in Rockport, and looked nothing like the photo on the online menu.
Get the melon and eel bisque, which was also really good... creative and a delight. The Little Gem salad was also praised. The dozen oysters were not as well chilled as I prefer, but were good.
The eggplant cutlet with trumpet mushrooms was reported to be excellent by my party, although at $32, seems priced high for this entree. My Sammy's Cheeseburger was everything it was described to be, and was very satisfying at an appropriate price point. The swordfish dish ($34) was reported to be very good. The busiati (pasta) dish was very disappointing, lacking flavor. The $27 price is wildly too high for what it is.
So our experience was mixed and could have been better. We wanted to like Sammy's much more than we actually did. But your experience may be vastly different than ours was if you get a different s
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Magnus Westergren
One of my very few five star reviews. Spectacular place. Went for my birthday, as I wasn't impressed with Primos last year. The recommendation came from Luce's Distillery next door. We ate crab claws, melon bisque with eel, smoked haddock, local greens, and three of us had the roasted hake dinner, one the skirt steak, and one chicken and chanterelles. Everything was top notch, especially the melon bisque and the roasted hake. What Primos wishes it were: local seafood and foraged greens cooked to perfection with imagination and skill, and no kitsch. We will be going back every summer we're in Owl's Headn
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Zoe Schonfeld
I was hoping for a special warm experience for my friend’s birthday dinner. Our two families - 9 people in total - were instead met with an unpleasant vibe from the staff. I understand that Sammy’s is trying to accomplish something culinarily. But self-righteousness and smarm really detracts from the diners’ experience. The food is pretty good. But I would never return to a restaurant where I feel like I have to tentatively and apologetically request to be served what I want. I will never return to Sammy’s and unless you want to feel small and ashamed, you should not visit.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Gabs h
I walked in for dinner after work, was looked up and down by the hostess deciding if she wanted to say they were to busy to give us a table or not.. even though the restaurant was half empty. The menu was just not it. I ended up just leaving
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
R Benner (Rain)
Friendly staff and patrons, affordable and can answer most questions we asked....
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Smoked Fish, Parsnip Cake, Dollar Oyster Dollar Jonah Crab Claw Night
Brittany Kohman
Perfect meal.
kara blatt
Fantastic smoked fish and drinks. Friendly and comfortable atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
sophie rixe
Our favorite restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Galante
Excellent food! Best soup I have ever had in a restaurant.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Nelson Pickering
This place was wonderful! Local friends showed us this little treasure. The service, atmosphere, food and drink was all perfect. Truly a Maine gem! I got the oysters and halibut and wish I had gotten a burger when I saw them coming out. Next time..
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Smoked Fish, Smoked Haddock Bites
This is one of my favorite returns in Maine. The food is delicious and I love the vibe.
Jeremy Bell
Travel Nurse in Rockland and ordered a Sammy cheeseburger to-go as an out of towner, having no idea where I was going, and ended up staying to eat it fresh, and imbibe a delicious mezcal marg. Highly recommend for the food deliciousness, drink prep tastiness and qual, and overall ambiance. A+ 100% will go back whenever possible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Angie S
Not really my cup of tea not very much of a selection the burger threw me off alot with how raw it was in the middle and the sauce was really to much and didn't agree with my stomach the lemon cocktail was decent just to Over lemony for someone who dislikes lemon stay clear away from it out of it all it was a small portion burger was a 4/10 Drink wise 1/10 for the lemon Mocktail unalcoholic version
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Spear Sparrow
Not really my cup of tea not very much of a selection the burger threw me off alot with how raw it was in the middle and the sauce was really to much and didn't agree with my stomach the lemon cocktail was decent just to Over lemony for someone who dislikes lemon stay clear away from it out of it all it was a small portion burger was a 4/10Drink wise 1/10 for the lemon Mocktail unalcoholic version
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Hannah Edmands
An absolute MUST for anyone staying in/traveling through Rockland. Owner/chef Sammy is a delight himself, and the authentic dishes he creates are masterpieces.
Our group of 4 had a mixed experience at Sammy's. Perhaps we're to blame for our expectations, but it might be helpful to be better prepared to make sure this place matches your preferences.
First, some attributes that are not for everyone. The vibe is what I'll call funky-disheveled. Plastic table covers, empty wine bottles on the window ledge (deliberate, I hope), yard-sale lighting, and a ceiling fan/light combo from the bottom shelf of a big box store. This might be a curated aesthetic, but I couldn't really tell. It was an interesting vibe, but one which we older folks were not quite expecting. A real eclectic mix of patrons (in a positive way).
The music may have been a playlist or vinyl. We found the music (1960s jazz) to be distinctive and at just the right volume to not be distracting and allow conversation without having to raise a voice.
We were annoyed by the QR code menus. I hadn't seen that in quite a while. A table next to us had to have a large chalkboard brought over where they were struggling with cell phone flash lights to read what was written on the board. Oh well....
We might have gotten unlucky with the server who, while maintaining a pleasant demeanor, was confoundingly unhelpful. It seemed like we were speaking completely different languages. Perhaps we were partly to blame, but after each encounter, we all looked at each other with "what just happened?" expressions.
Despite (I think) telling us how to order so that our plates would be properly sequenced, they were not. I wish we had just been told that plates come out when prepared regardless of what you ordered, so don't wait for everyone else in your party to get their plates before you begin eating. Or don't expect the bread to come out until after you finish your first small plate. Or don't expect your oysters to come out until after you finish your mussels....
Our group of 4 all got the Mezcal Margaritas, which were very disappointing. Coarse salt on the rim, sour-dominated flavor profile, and no smokiness to the alcohol. Either too little mezcal, or we got a splash of tequila instead of mezcal. Since we all got the same drink, perhaps we were unlucky to have ordered the one disappointing cocktail.
OK, now let's get to the food. I thought it was excellent. The mussels were like a ceviche in a citrus, onion and cucumber marinade. I loved it. After a long confusing conversation, we got the brown bread and sourdough. Our server could not communicate the portion sizes when we ordered, but the bread order would properly satisfy two patrons.
The brown bread is excellent, slightly crispy/crunchy in texture (corn meal?), raisins, molasses.. wonderful. I would have eaten every bite put in front of me. Lightly sweet without being cloying. The sourdough was not what we were expecting. Thick slices of tight-crumb moist bread didn't have much hint of fermentation. It is from Brazen Baking in Rockport, and looked nothing like the photo on the online menu.
Get the melon and eel bisque, which was also really good... creative and a delight. The Little Gem salad was also praised. The dozen oysters were not as well chilled as I prefer, but were good.
The eggplant cutlet with trumpet mushrooms was reported to be excellent by my party, although at $32, seems priced high for this entree. My Sammy's Cheeseburger was everything it was described to be, and was very satisfying at an appropriate price point. The swordfish dish ($34) was reported to be very good. The busiati (pasta) dish was very disappointing, lacking flavor. The $27 price is wildly too high for what it is.
So our experience was mixed and could have been better. We wanted to like Sammy's much more than we actually did. But your experience may be vastly different than ours was if you get a different s
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
One of my very few five star reviews. Spectacular place. Went for my birthday, as I wasn't impressed with Primos last year. The recommendation came from Luce's Distillery next door. We ate crab claws, melon bisque with eel, smoked haddock, local greens, and three of us had the roasted hake dinner, one the skirt steak, and one chicken and chanterelles. Everything was top notch, especially the melon bisque and the roasted hake. What Primos wishes it were: local seafood and foraged greens cooked to perfection with imagination and skill, and no kitsch. We will be going back every summer we're in Owl's Headn
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I was hoping for a special warm experience for my friend’s birthday dinner. Our two families - 9 people in total - were instead met with an unpleasant vibe from the staff. I understand that Sammy’s is trying to accomplish something culinarily. But self-righteousness and smarm really detracts from the diners’ experience. The food is pretty good. But I would never return to a restaurant where I feel like I have to tentatively and apologetically request to be served what I want. I will never return to Sammy’s and unless you want to feel small and ashamed, you should not visit.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
I walked in for dinner after work, was looked up and down by the hostess deciding if she wanted to say they were to busy to give us a table or not.. even though the restaurant was half empty. The menu was just not it. I ended up just leaving
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Friendly staff and patrons, affordable and can answer most questions we asked....
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Smoked Fish, Parsnip Cake, Dollar Oyster Dollar Jonah Crab Claw Night
Perfect meal.
Fantastic smoked fish and drinks. Friendly and comfortable atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our favorite restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent food! Best soup I have ever had in a restaurant.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
This place was wonderful! Local friends showed us this little treasure. The service, atmosphere, food and drink was all perfect. Truly a Maine gem! I got the oysters and halibut and wish I had gotten a burger when I saw them coming out. Next time..
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Smoked Fish, Smoked Haddock Bites
Restaurantji Recommends
This is one of my favorite returns in Maine. The food is delicious and I love the vibe.
Travel Nurse in Rockland and ordered a Sammy cheeseburger to-go as an out of towner, having no idea where I was going, and ended up staying to eat it fresh, and imbibe a delicious mezcal marg. Highly recommend for the food deliciousness, drink prep tastiness and qual, and overall ambiance. A+ 100% will go back whenever possible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not really my cup of tea not very much of a selection the burger threw me off alot with how raw it was in the middle and the sauce was really to much and didn't agree with my stomach the lemon cocktail was decent just to Over lemony for someone who dislikes lemon stay clear away from it out of it all it was a small portion burger was a 4/10
Drink wise 1/10 for the lemon Mocktail unalcoholic version
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Not really my cup of tea not very much of a selection the burger threw me off alot with how raw it was in the middle and the sauce was really to much and didn't agree with my stomach the lemon cocktail was decent just to Over lemony for someone who dislikes lemon stay clear away from it out of it all it was a small portion burger was a 4/10Drink wise 1/10 for the lemon Mocktail unalcoholic version
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
An absolute MUST for anyone staying in/traveling through Rockland. Owner/chef Sammy is a delight himself, and the authentic dishes he creates are masterpieces.
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