Portland: Old Port Seafood Lovers Tour
Savor a Maine seafood luncheon and learn about Portland’s iconic working waterfront with a knowledgeable local guide.
Cold-water Maine oysters (Glidden Point, Pemaquid, Bagaduce, Nonesuch) shucked to order and served on crushed ice with mignonette, lemon and cocktail sauce.
Maine's modern oyster industry started in the 1980s with the Damariscotta River farms (Glidden Point Oyster Sea Farm, founded 1987 by Barbara Scully). The cold, plankton-rich Damariscotta brine produces the canonical Maine oyster: small, cold, briny, with a sweet finish. Portland's Eventide Oyster Co opened 2012 with a granite oyster bar built to serve them; Scales and Boone's Fish House quickly followed. Today Maine farms produce more than 4 million oysters annually; the Maine OysterFest at Harvest on the Harbor in October showcases every farm.
4 editor picks for Maine oysters on the half shell in Portland, ranked by editorial score. All Portland signature dishes · Maine oysters on the half shell across every city.
Eventide Oyster Co ★ 4.9
india-street · 86 Middle Street, Portland, ME 04101
Eventide Oyster Co on Middle Street opened 2012 from Big Tree Hospitality, rebuilding the Maine oyster bar around a brown-butter lobster roll on a bao.
Harbor Fish Market ★ 4.7
old-port · 9 Custom House Wharf, Portland, ME 04101
Harbor Fish Market on Custom House Wharf has been the Portland working waterfront's retail fish counter since 1969, with lobster, fresh-cut fish and oysters.
Scales ★ 4.5
old-port · 68 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101
Scales on Maine Wharf opened March 2016 from Sam Hayward, Dana Street and Victor Leon (the Fore Street team) with whole local fish, oysters and a raw bar.
Boone's Fish House + Oyster Room ★ 4.3
old-port · 6 Custom House Wharf, Portland, ME 04101
Boone's Fish House on Custom House Wharf reopened 2014 on the site of the 1898 original, with Maine lobster rolls, halibut and fish chowder on the deck.
Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide
Maine oysters on the half shell makes more sense with someone from Portland explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
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