Kennebunkport

Restaurants, hotels, bars and wineries in Kennebunkport from the En Primeur Club guide.

CountryUnited States Locations20 Restaurants10 Hotels8 Bars2 Wineries0

Accolades in Kennebunkport

In our guide, Kennebunkport counts 10 restaurants and 7 hotels. Dock Square holds 5 venues, the highest neighbourhood count. Seafood cuisines in the guide include classic Maine seafood shacks, American seafood, fresh seafood and lobster, and seasonal seafood with French and Mediterranean influences. One venue has an exceptional wine programme, and two restaurants hold Wine Spectator awards. Both counts are citywide. Prix fixe dining with a list, a waterfront restaurant with cocktails and seafood, and classic lobster shacks appear in the guide. Ocean Restaurant in Cape Arundel serves seasonal seafood with French and Mediterranean influences on prix fixe menus. Sommelier Bret Reynolds curates Ocean Restaurant's 920-selection wine list. Craft cocktails are on the drinks list. The menu includes Lobster Thermidor, pan-seared Maine scallops with brown-butter jus, and a charred New England ribeye.

Fine dining

The picks are prix fixe dining at Ocean Restaurant in Cape Arundel, the restaurant at White Barn Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection in Kennebunk, and farm-to-fork dining at Hidden Pond in Kennebunkport.

Ocean Restaurant
In Cape Arundel, this prix fixe room pairs seasonal seafood with French and Mediterranean influences and a wine list. The list has 920 selections, and the venue holds Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and Award of Excellence recognition.
White Barn Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection
In Kennebunk, White Barn Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection is a historic inn. The inn holds AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star restaurant accreditation. An infinity pool overlooks the Kennebunk River, and accommodation runs from manor-house rooms to a luxury houseboat. The property has 25 rooms and a Michelin 1 Key for 2026.
Hidden Pond
In Kennebunkport, Hidden Pond is a cottage-style resort on sixty acres of birch groves and balsam fir, with private bungalows. On-site organic gardens, a working farm, a forest spa, and farm-to-fork dining are on the property. The hotel holds Michelin Selected for 2025 and Virtuoso Luxury Hotel Partner for 2026. The dining programme is a collaboration with James Beard Award-winning chef Ken Oringer.

Seafood counters and casual lobster spots

Kennebunkport also has a strong casual side, with lobster rolls, steamed lobster, and counter-service seafood across the area.

The Clam Shack
In Kennebunk, The Clam Shack is a classic Maine seafood shack that serves lobster rolls a la carte and has a beer programme. The chef is Steve Kingston. Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in North America ranked it #242 in 2025.
Mabel's Lobster Claw
On Ocean Avenue, Mabel's Lobster Claw is a 1950s-era seafood restaurant with a standard wine programme and an a la carte format. The menu covers lobster rolls, steamed Maine lobster, fried clams, shore dinners, and homemade pies.
Three Sea's Fish and Lobster
In Cape Porpoise, Three Sea's Fish and Lobster is a fresh seafood market where a seventh-generation fishing family sells lobster from its boats. The format is a la carte counter service. Lobster rolls and steamed Maine lobster are on the menu.

Planning FAQ

Which neighbourhood has the strongest dining concentration in Kennebunkport?

Dock Square has 5 venues in our guide, the highest neighbourhood count in the city. Cape Porpoise, the neighbourhood named Kennebunkport, and Kennebunk have fewer venues in the same guide.

How many wine-focused venues are in Kennebunkport?

Our guide counts one exceptional wine programme in Kennebunkport, citywide. Ocean Restaurant in Cape Arundel holds Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for 2025 and Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 2026. The restaurant has an extensive wine list.

Where should I go for the most structured meal?

Cape Arundel is the place for the most structured meal, at Ocean Restaurant, which serves prix fixe menus. The room covers seasonal seafood with French and Mediterranean influences. Dishes include Lobster Thermidor, pan-seared Maine scallops with brown-butter jus, and a charred New England ribeye.

Which places hold Wine Spectator awards?

Two venues in our guide hold Wine Spectator awards, citywide. Ocean Restaurant in Cape Arundel holds Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for 2025 and Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 2026.

By Emmett Haley · Updated October 8, 2026 · Editorial standards

Kennebunkport

Where to eat in Kennebunkport

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Kennebunkport, United States

Ocean Restaurant

Ocean Restaurant in Kennebunkport, Maine serves Contemporary French–inspired New American cuisine with a focus on Maine seafood and seasonal produce. Must-try dishes include Lobster Thermidor, pan-seared Maine scallops with brown-butter jus, and a charred New England ribeye. The glass-walled dining room places every table facing the Atlantic, pairing prix-fixe menus with a 920-selection wine list selected by sommelier Bret Reynolds. Guests praise the view-driven experience and refined service led by Chef Steven Brooks and General Manager Chelsea Speight. With a TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice distinction and a strong AAA rating, Ocean Restaurant delivers precise cooking, coastal flavors, and memorable sunsets that reward advance reservations.

Kennebunkport, United States

The Clam Shack

The Clam Shack on Kennebunk's Western Avenue has placed on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in North America list three consecutive years, ranked #242 in 2025, making it among the more recognized fried clam operations on the Maine coast. Under chef Steve Kingston, it operates daily from 11am to 7pm through the season, drawing a loyal queue that reflects the town's appetite for serious, no-frills seafood.

Kennebunkport, United States

Mabel's Lobster Claw

Mabel’s Lobster Claw is worth booking for a casual Kennebunkport seafood meal built around lobster rolls, steamed Maine lobster, fried clams, shore dinners, and homemade pies. Go for easy service, coastal energy, and a classic Maine format rather than a quiet, chef-led tasting experience.

Kennebunkport, United States

The Boathouse Restaurant

The Boathouse Restaurant is worth choosing for a lively Kennebunkport waterfront meal where cocktails, river views, and Maine seafood matter more than formality. The strongest order is around the pan-Asian seafood dishes, especially lobster fried rice and Vietnamese-style lobster spring rolls, with the bar or Lobster Bar giving the meal its clearest point of difference.

Kennebunkport, United States

The Cottages at Cabot Cove

The Cottages at Cabot Cove sits within Kennebunkport, Maine, a coastal town where the sourcing conversation is built into the geography. The harbor, the farms, and the salt air define what ends up on the table here, placing this property inside a dining and hospitality tradition rooted in the land and sea rather than imported from elsewhere.

Kennebunkport, United States

Three Sea's Fish and Lobster

Three Sea’s Fish and Lobster is worth choosing when the priority is fresh Maine lobster in a relaxed, counter-service setting. The draw is direct provenance from a seventh-generation Cape Porpoise fishing family, not a formal dining-room experience. Go for lobster rolls or steamed lobster; choose somewhere more structured for large groups, business meals, or a drawn-out special occasion.

Kennebunkport, United States

Kennebunkport

Where to stay in Kennebunkport

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Kennebunkport, United States

White Barn Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection

Few American inns carry both AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star restaurant accreditation simultaneously, White Barn Inn does, and has anchored Kennebunkport's upper tier for 150 years. The 25-room Auberge Resorts property sits steps from the waterfront, with accommodation ranging from manor-house rooms to a newly launched luxury houseboat, all feeding into a dining room that Condé Nast Traveler called 'one of the great places to stay and eat in the world.'

Kennebunkport, United States

AWOL Kennebunkport

AWOL Kennebunkport earned a Michelin 1 Key in 2024, placing it among a small tier of recognized properties along the southern Maine coast. Located on Maine Street in Kennebunkport's historic village center, the property draws on the architectural character of the surrounding captains' houses and Colonial-era streetscape.

Kennebunkport, United States

Kennebunkport Captains Collection

A Michelin Key-awarded bed-and-breakfast occupying a Federal mansion built in 1813, the Kennebunkport Captains Collection offers 64 rooms ranging from period-faithful antique furnishings to crisp contemporary redesigns. Priced from $281 per night, it sits on a quiet, walkable street in one of Maine's most characterful coastal towns, with a multi-course breakfast served seven days a week and evening cookie service built into the stay.

Kennebunkport, United States

Hidden Pond

Hidden Pond sits on sixty acres of birch groves and balsam fir outside Kennebunkport, operating as a cottage-style resort where the dining programme, anchored by a collaboration with James Beard Award-winning chef Ken Oringer, carries as much weight as the accommodations. On-site organic gardens, a working farm, and a forest spa position it within a small category of American resorts where the land itself shapes the guest experience.

Kennebunkport, United States

Tides Beach Club

Tides Beach Club sits on Goose Rocks Beach, one of the quieter stretches of Maine's southern coast, and carries a 2025 Michelin Selected distinction that places it in a small peer group among Kennebunkport's lodging options. The property reads as a classic New England beach club reinterpreted for guests who want direct sand access without sacrificing considered hospitality. Booking well ahead of the summer season is advisable.

Kennebunkport, United States

Waldo Emerson Inn

A Michelin Selected inn on Summer Street in Kennebunkport, Waldo Emerson Inn occupies a historic property in one of coastal Maine's most sought-after villages. The selection places it among a small tier of independently-scaled lodgings that trade on architectural character and proximity to the Kennebunks' harbour and shoreline. Advance planning is advisable, particularly across summer and fall foliage seasons.

Kennebunkport, United States

Kennebunkport

Where to go for a drink in Kennebunkport

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Kennebunkport

Which wineries to visit in Kennebunkport

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