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Restaurants in Camden, ME
Maine takes its food and farmers seriously. Home of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), one of the oldest and most venerable local food organization in the country, it’s also a state that prides itself on grower-based markets, where you can find anything from fresh blueberries and salad greens to artisanal gelatos and canned kimichi.
Midcoast Maine is a particularly rich place to source high quality local food direct from the growers and makers, and a stroll past the stalls quickly becomes a food tour onto itself. You’ll find plenty of fresh produce at all of them, along with some specialty vendors as well. Well-behaved dogs and kids are encouraged. Check out the Rockland Farmers Market (1 Pleasant St., Rockland. Thur 9am-1pm) for sourdough bread and local spirits, and the Camden Farmers Market (116 Washington St., Camden. Wed 3:30-6pm; Sat 9am-noon), where you can pick up bourbon barrel aged maple syrup and small-batch granola.
Belfast’s United Farmers Market (18 Spring St. Sat 9am-2pm) is one of the state’s largest year-round indoor markets, and offers local produce, seafood, and prepared meals, along with soaps, fresh flowers, and crafts.
On Friday mornings, you’ll find many local residents at the Belfast Farmers Market (256 High Street. Fri 9am-1pm), where folks cue up for sourdough bagels and fresh sweet corn while listening to local fiddlers and dulcimer players. The adjoining craft market features handmade ceramics, glass, bags, and more.
In addition to its fine-dining options, downtown Camden has a wealth of places to nosh, snack, lunch, and brunch. Pick up a bag of gourmet groceries at French & Brawn (tel. 207/236-3361) on Main Street at the corner of Elm.
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8 Results
- Raw Bar/Gourmet American
18 Central Oyster Bar & Grill
The best place for a date night in these parts (and I have dated in most of them), 18 Central is in a stately 1891 Romanesque Revival building, a romantic dining room with high tin ceilings and lots of rich wood and a big raw bar in the middle of it. But the best seats in the house,…$$Rockport - Pub
Barren’s Distillery + Restaurant
[S] PUB[em]There are three great reasons to find yourself at this distillery restaurant appended to a marina on the away-from-downtown side of Camden Harbor: The cocktails, made with house spirits, are tasty and strong (try anything with blueberries—co-owner Jeremy Howard represents…$$ - Deli
Bleeker & Greer
In neighboring Rockport, this deli/market/bakery/sandwich shop has long been the place that locals and summer people duck into for locally roasted coffee and to-die-for pastries in the morning, a bottle of wine and a baguette for an afternoon picnic, some prosciutto and fancy…$Rockport - Caribbean
Café Louis/Costa Media
Located in a former Greek Revival home on Camden’s main drag, this double-named restaurant brings an air of the tropics to Midcoast Maine. The restaurant preserved the home’s internal architecture, and so offers several small dining rooms, each with elaborate murals that’ll have you…$$ - French
Franny’s Bistro
Chef Jack Neal and his wife, Jennifer, opened Franny’s in late 2018 in a space that had long been occupied by the slightly chefier Francine’s Bistro (see what they did there?). Though it bills itself as a neighborhood place more than a destination, Franny’s is a worthy successor and…$$Camden - Thai
Long Grain
If you’d have told me that WASPy little Camden had some of the country’s best Thai food, I wouldn’t have believed you, but here’s Long Grain. The glossy food mags have all sung its praises (the restaurant’s Chicken Khao Soi soup was even a Bon Appétit cover girl), and the…$Camden - Mediterranean
Nina June
Star chef Sara Jenkins returned to her native Midcoast Maine after a celebrated career in New York City and Florence, Italy. Her menu is crafted with a decidedly Mediterranean flare, and she sources much of it from nearby farms and fishing boats. Signature dishes include pasta limone…$$$Rockport - Eclectic
Waterfront
It’s not the most glamorous place to dine in greater Camden, but that might be why locals like to lunch here so much. That and the view. The wide deck out back is maybe the best al fresco dining on the midcoast, with the waves lapping at pilings right beneath you and the green hump…$Camden
