Diners' Choice: Best Ambiance restaurants in Maine

OpenTable

Updated January 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best ambiance in Maine? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Novio's

4.9

4.9 (924)

$50 and over

Bistro

Bangor

About the restaurant

Novio’s is an inspired bistro offering a small and selective menu that includes items that are representative of the education, training, travels and experiences of our team. We feature meats & seafood and produce from local farms, fisherman and other purveyors. The menu offers vegetarian and gluten free options, beautiful soups and salads, and fresh pasta. Novio’s offers a full service bar that showcases an elegant yet approachable wine list, craft beers, and signature cocktails and an extensive scotch & bourbon list. Items on the menu change often as our team becomes inspired by the stories of experiences had by our guests. While guests seated at tables and booths order from the four course menu with an optional wine pairing guests that book reservations at the bar have an option of ordering à la carte.

Top review

Vanessa VIP

Dined 2 days ago

A delightful date night paired with relaxing ambiance, creative and tasty cocktails, and delicious food!

Ocean

4.8

4.8 (2201)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Kennebunkport

About the restaurant

Discover Ocean's exquisite dining experience with our prix fixe menus, offering three courses for $105 or four courses for $125. Enhance your culinary journey with our wine pairing, priced at $68 for four courses and $60 for three. Start your evening with drinks on the terrace or at the bar, enjoying breathtaking Atlantic Ocean views from every dining table. Our seasonal menu showcases the finest Maine seafood and locally sourced ingredients, ensuring a memorable dining experience. Join us at Ocean for an unforgettable meal that highlights the best of coastal Maine cuisine.

Top review

George

Dined 2 days ago

Excellent food well prepared. Both main courses were very good. Interesting cocktail choices for the winter months.

Discover more

Lamb Dinner featuring North Star Farm

White Barn Inn

4.8

4.8 (2340)

$50 and over

American

Kennebunkport

About the restaurant

Our contemporary New England cuisine has been rooted in the local and seasonal long before they were the mots du jour on menus across the country. At our AAA Five Diamond, Forbes Five Star restaurant, we showcase incredible ingredients sourced through specially cultivated relationships with the farmers, fishermen and foragers of coastal Maine and just beyond for beautifully-presented, always inspired dishes that encapsulate the very essence of our spectacular setting.

We have a smart casual dress code; jackets are preferred, but not required. Shorts, sportswear, and flip-flops are forbidden in the dining room.

Top review

Kevin

Dined 2 days ago

Best dinner of my life maybe. It’s an experience. Looking for a place to go on date night? Applebees is great. Want an experience that you will remember the rest of your life? Come here.

Discover more

Experience

The Macallan Cocktail Class

Experience

The Macallan Whisky Tasting

The Tarratine

4.9

4.9 (601)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Bangor

About the restaurant

Welcome to The Tarratine. We focus on providing an elegant yet approachable experience for our community. Created with skill and passion, the menu features an exciting array of seafood, streak, brunch foods, and signature items from our Executive Chef and his culinary team. This is within our historic gentlemen's social club, built-in 1907. Our spacious venue allows for individual experiences in various spaces, including our rooftop terrace. The Tarratine provides a variety of spirits, cocktails, local brews on tap, and an approachable wine list.

Parties of 12 - 18 guests will be offered a reduced restaurant menu.
Parties with 19+ guests, please call us at 207-992-4090, and someone will love to talk to you about your special night.
We allow you to bring in a cake from state-licensed bakeries; a $5 per person cutting fee will be added to the final bill.

Due to the historic nature of the building, our upper levels are not handicap accessible.

Top review

Norman

Dined on Dec 26, 2024

The meal was fantastic. Service excellent. Will definitely be my choice for an elegant meal. Over the top!!

Discover more

Popular dish

Halibut

Earth at Hidden Pond

4.8

4.8 (3389)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Kennebunkport

About the restaurant

Indulge in an unforgettable dining adventure at Earth, one of Maine's top restaurants. Nestled among balsam and birch trees, Earth embodies community, connecting exceptional cuisine with dedicated farmers and foragers.

Our farm-to-table menu celebrates locally-sourced ingredients, including meats, seafood, and vegetables from our organic gardens. Crafted by Chef Justin Owen, each dish boasts distinct, handcrafted flavors.

For intimate gatherings, reserve the Potting Shed for up to six guests or the Painting Shed for up to 12 (food & beverage minimum required, call to reserve).

Note: Table reservation durations: 2 hours for parties of two, 2.5 hours for parties of four or more. Walk-ins currently unavailable. Check for new openings regularly.

Top review

Meagan

Dined 1 day ago

Excellent experience 10/10 will be back again! Thank you Earth team for making a wonderful memories for my birthday dinner. Drinks were incredible, and the two members of our party with gluten allergies were treated like queens. Earth team went above and beyond! Then the food, oh man. Every person got a different combination of dishes and every dish was phenomenal. You could go back 100 times and never get the same thing twice but you should always get the donuts.

Discover more

4.6

4.6 (157)

$31 to $50

Chinese

Portland

About the restaurant

Dumpling enthusiasts and champagne lovers alike can indulge in in the elevated, yet unpretentious fine-dining experience offered in this sexy, and intimate underground hideaway. The menu honors Cantonese classics with dishes like Xiaolongbao and Char Siu Bao, while creative offerings such as Foie Gras Blackberry Dumplings with Brown Butter Miso Crumb showcase culinary innovation in this celebration of Chinese American fare. A deep champagne and wine list complements the menu, and at the 14-seat Pink Italian Stone bar, classic cocktails are shaken up with unique spice combinations and Asian-produced liquors, like a Manhattan riff “Doyer’s Street” made with Chinese five-spice infused Bourbon and Fernet Michaud from Portland, ME

Note: Table reservation durations: 1.5 hours for parties of two, 2 hours for parties of 4 or more. Walk-in seats are available at the bar.

Top review

TopherVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Best place in Portland. Such a great vibe, great food, staff were all very friendly.

Fore Street

4.9

4.9 (4073)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Portland

About the restaurant

Located in Portland's Old Port District, Fore Street opened in June, 1996. The interior surrounds a unique brick and soapstone hearth with a wood-burning oven, grill and turnspit; visible from most tables. We believe that good food travels the shortest possible distance between the farm and the table. Our menu changes every day and is founded upon the very best raw materials from a community of Maine farmers, fisherman, foragers and cheese makers. Most of the Maine foods are organically grown or harvested wild, each brought to us at the peak of its season. In 2002 and again in 2007, Fore Street was named by Gourmet Magazine as one of the Top Fifty Restaurants in the United States. In 2004, Chef-Partner Sam Hayward was named Best Chef: Northeast by the James Beard Foundation.

Top review

Rory

Dined today

The foie gras as always was amazing. The butternut squash was as well. The food never disappoints here.

Islesford Dock Restaurant

4.9

4.9 (306)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Bar Harbor

About the restaurant

The Islesford Dock Restaurant & Gallery is just that - a restaurant and gallery on a dock on Islesford, Little Cranberry Island, Maine. We have a large greenhouse right out back that produces a good amount of our produce, source our lobsters from the fisherman's co-op just next door, and use Gulf of Maine seafood almost exclusively. The menu is rounded out with naturally raised meats and chicken and the service is casual but professional, warm and inviting. Make sure you get out to Islesford Dock while you're here in the area by taking the Beal & Bunker mail boat that makes multiple trips back and forth every day or take one of the several other tour boats out.

We are closed Mondays throughout the Summer. Starting in September we will be open for dinner service only, and we are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Season ends October 1st.

Top review

Karen

Dined on Sep 26, 2024

Great last night of the season! Fabulous band and staff!

Anneke Jans

4.8

4.8 (2101)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Kittery

About the restaurant

Anneke Jans is a lovely neighborhood bistro in the heart of downtown Kittery, Maine.

Seasonal menu subject to change.

Gift Cards online or on our Facebook Shop.

Top review

Matthew

Dined on Dec 27, 2024

Love this place & have been coming for years! Happy 20th Anneke Jans!

Discover more

Popular dish

Scottish Salmon

Rosella

4.9

4.9 (261)

$31 to $50

Asian

Kennebunkport

About the restaurant

Rosella, part of the Kennebunkport Resort Collection, has expanded from New York City to Kennebunk, Maine! As NYC's only sushi restaurant committed to sustainable ingredients, Rosella now brings its eco-friendly sushi to the beautiful Maine Coast. Enjoy the best sushi in southern Maine, crafted by Executive Chef Matt Kramer.

Nestled in the Grand Hotel in Lower Village Kennebunk, Rosella offers a unique and intimate dining experience with warm hospitality. Our mission is to serve authentic sushi while inspiring our community to embrace sustainability through our delicious creations.

Join us for a memorable meal and explore our monthly events on our website. Don’t miss out on this special culinary journey!

Top review

eleniVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Obsessed, love it. Expensive but worth it. Every bite is a burst of flavor and the fish is super fresh

Explore Diners' Choice best of Maine

Explore more Diners' Choice lists