North America / USA / New England / Maine / Penobscot Bay / Rockland / Best Restaurants

North Beacon Oyster

A cozy, unpretentious room with bench seats, paintings by Rockland artists on the brick walls, a nine-stool bar, and picture windows overlooking Main Street, this eatery is an exemplar of the “new midcoast”: hip, not flashy, a little rustic. The shareable seafood plates are simple and excellent: tasty cioppino and chowder, a chef’s-choice crudo, Jonah crab and spicy mayo on toast, lobster sliders, and local oysters raw, fried, or Rockefeller. It's the kind of place where happy hour all too easily extends into a leisurely dinner.