Dinner and lunch options are plentiful along the town’s main streets Check out Daily Soup. Take it to go or sit outside on a nice day. The menu is short but you’ll still have trouble choosing which offering to enjoy. The soup is delicious and the staff is super friendly.
Across from the Harbormaster Office is a convenient spot to have lunch or dinner. The Nautilus Seafood & Grill is as Maine as anything could be, where everyone in your party will likely find something on the menu to enjoy. There is outdoor, waterside seating and a jovial dining room and bar inside. Try the lobster.
Just a short walk along the path to the shipyard, you’ll find Marshall Wharf Brewing Company. Check out their website to find out if there is live music playing under their canopy outdoors as they welcome an array of great local musicians. Enjoy the summertime view waterside or cozy up to one of their several patio heaters–including one that is wood burning–to stay warm in the winter months. Their beer list is lengthy with a brew for every kind of palette. There is a short food menu for those who come hungry.
Just behind Marshall Wharf, follow your nose to Jamaican Grille. This walk-up window leads to a wonderful menu of jerk chicken, pork ribs, steak tips and delicious sides and sauces. While the climates of Jamaica and Belfast are an unlikely marriage, the food and this friendly town are a delicious pairing. A must try.
For a laid back coffee right in the center of town at 39 Main St., head to Downshift Coffee. Perfect for sailors who like to bike when they’re not on their boats, this shop has bikes lining the back of the store. This small coffee shop offers delicious coffees and lattes and a small selection of delicious pastries. On a warm day, take your coffee out front to their comfy bright red Adirondack chairs and chat up locals and visitors alike. A great place to sit back and relax without a rush.
If you’re looking for a quick breakfast or lunch, perhaps to take back to the boat, head to Bay Wrap at 20 Beaver Street. Simple and unassuming, the owner couldn’t be nicer and the wraps are a generous size.
For a more substantial breakfast close to town, Crumbs Provisions cannot be missed. Just steps from the water at 2 Spring St. (and a lovely walk from the shipyard), the smells of fresh baked deliciousness will hit you in the face as you enter the door. A favorite with locals, you will have a hard time choosing from the abundance of from-scratch sweet and savory offerings lining the counter in tall glass dishes. The menu also offers full breakfast and hot coffee. There are a few tables outside on a nice day.
Near the center of town at 2 Cross St., look out for Must Be Nice Lobster, which offers a lovely little gift shop (with a lobster tank, of course!) offering local wares just steps from a food truck that offers lobster rolls and other simple yet savory lunch items worth a try. Be sure to ask for owner Sadie Samuels, captain of F/V Must Be Nice. Don’t let her sweet personality fool you, this is one tenacious lobster woman. Ask her about her story–you’ll enjoy hearing it as much as you enjoy eating the lunch that comes right off her boat. Talk about fresh!
Down the hill of High Street toward the water, just beyond the big red chair on your left, you’ll come upon Chocolate Drop Candy Shoppe at 35 Main Street. You’ll have nostalgia walking inside and find candies and sweets that you likely haven’t seen in a long time. They carry some hard-to-find favorites alongside modern day favorites like a wall of Jelly Belly jelly beans. If ice cream is more to your liking, you’ll find that here, too.
If You Have a Car
About 6 minutes from the shipyard and across the bridge, you’ll find Rio’s, a restaurant open for dinner, just over the border at 357 West Main St., Searsport. Don’t let the humble exterior fool you, you are in for an unexpected culinary journey. The menu is inventive and full of flavor. Try several dishes to share among friends and don’t forget to try something from their creative cocktail list.
For an indulgent treat head to The Only Doughnut at 225 Northport Ave., south of town. Their Maine potato doughnuts are heavenly, and you’ll have trouble limiting yourself to just one…or two…You know what? It’s just over 2 miles from the harbor–you could get several and walk them off.