eventide oyster co.

after a very disappointing visit to next door hugo’s (who have the same owners), we stopped the following evening at eventide oyster co., one of the premiere and most well-known restaurants in portland, maine.  my sister knows the deal, and even with awaittime of 90 minutes (be assured that during peak season this will probably be the case, if not longer), knew our dinner would be worth the wait.  fortunately for us, my sister, an excellent hostess, suggested a quick walk over to one of portland’s many bars, and we enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail at portland hunt + alpine club (another establishment well worth stopping by).  there are no reservations taken at eventide, but thewaitstaff take phone details and will text you when your table is almost ready.  we timed it perfectly and, after some bar snacks and cocktails, waited less than 5 minutes for our table to be ready.  we were seated inside, which was preferable — as the outside temperature was well below our summers in the middle east, i was happy to sit indoors.  a tip to those interested in dining here, do not be the family that stands outside the restaurant for the entirety of yourwaittime, it will not make your table available any faster.  there are plenty of venues in town that are a short walk away — go support local portland business!

arguably portland’s busiest restaurant, a line usually present at the 11am opening with awaitlist ranging 15-60 minutes frequently stretching the next dozen hours, eventide oyster co. is owned by the same team behind hugo’s restaurant and the honey paw, and although originally formed as a more casual spot or place to stop for cocktails and oysters before dinner next door there is no doubt the little-sister has grown up nicely, evidence of a role-reversal even playing out on tuesday when diners entered hugo’s inwaitof a table next door.

we went here per recommendation of one of our friend recommendation. my bf and i love food and were looking for a place that had great food to offer. we were told we would have towaitas they don't take reservations for groups under six, so we were not surprised when we saw the line out the door. ourwaitfor 2 people was approximately 35 minutes, at 530 on a friday evening. not terrible. they told us you may get seated quicker if you hang around the restaurant as opposed to leaving your cell number and getting a text when your table was ready. we went and stood at the ledge along the wall, and were told a waitress would be with us shortly to take drinks. we waited about 10 minutes and no one came (it was very busy), so we tried to belly up to the bar with another couple, and were asked to go back to the ledge. so we went back to our ledge and waited, and at this point my expectations were getting lower. a waitress did finally come by and get our drink orders and we stood and chatted with the couples around us. we met some spectacular people. however, the ledge (our ledge... i was getting possessive), was quite packed, when a hostess came by and asked us if we could all scrunch together a little more so a couple could come "just to eat oysters", which means taking the very long oyster tray and somehow trying to find a place to put it down. we all looked at the hostess, and then at the couple, the couple looked at everyone and then the small space, looked at the hostess, and then informed her they were willing towaita little longer for some more room to open up. we ended up waiting an hour and then were finally seated at the bar. we had a very nice waiter/bartender who was very talkative and informative. we ordered the lobster roll because everyone else was ordering it so we new it must be the thing to have. the roll itself was very doughy, dense and buttery and was awesome. i wish all lobster rolls had this type of roll. the lobster was served with a brown butter and combined with the roll created an unreal taste. i probably could've eaten at least six of them. it was by far the best lobster roll i've ever had and my bf agees. we also had the beet salad and the ceviche, both also great. my only wish was that i had been more hungry so i could've ordered one of everything off of the menu. we will definitely go back.

arguably portland’s busiest restaurant, a line usually present at the 11am opening with awaitlist ranging 15-60 minutes frequently stretching the next dozen hours, eventide oyster co. is owned by the same team behind hugo’s restaurant and the honey paw, and although originally formed as a more casual spot or place to stop for cocktails and oysters before dinner next door there is no doubt the little-sister has grown up nicely, evidence of a role-reversal even playing out on tuesday when diners entered hugo’s inwaitof a table next door.

fast paced and frenetic, several varieties of briny bivalves being shucked rapidly for diners inside, outdoors, at communal tables or the bar, eventide’s menu additionally runs the gamut of upscale seafood selections and a few land-based animals, the sliders and sandwiches particularly popular with a few “staples” and others that depend on whatever is being brought fresh to shore.

spending a 55-minutewaitwandering the city, coffee at bard quickly passing the time, return to eventide was requested by way of a cellphone paging system and ironically sat at a table with a duo from ohio the conversation was almost instantaneous, the server taking orders from both parties with food quickly expedited from a kitchen that moves at an almost unparalleled speed.

much friendlier than the environment at the honey paw, a soundtrack spinning dylan during much of the meal, course one featured three ‘buns’ with fresh-picked peekytoe composed as crab salad proving exceedingly light with strongly sweet notes while the buttermilk chicken and oyster were each fried crisp to play elegantly off of their respective pickled fruits or vegetables and tangy sauce.

celebrated for novel takes on new england classics, course two appropriately presented two of eventide oyster co.’s most famous items, and although the chowder likely will not convert traditionalists the medium-thin potage is undeniably delicious with plenty of seafood accentuated by caramelized onions, the infamous lobster roll an even more impressive three-bites that actually may be good enough to warrant both thewaitand steep price-per-bite cost.

rarely one to forgo desserts, the menu at eventide riffing playful in parts while chocolate whoopie pies and a slice of the day are also offered, suffice it to say that the suggestion to “just get it” for a $6 ice cream sandwich should be heeded while the coconut choco-taco takes frozen novelties to new heights with a clever shell of buckwheat and almonds studding the top.

the brown butter lobster roll is possibly one of the best things i have ever eaten so i am giving this place a positive review. that said, i eat at a lot of higher end restaurants & it has been years since i have encountered anyone as rude as this hostess. and i am not even sure why? for a restaurant where thewaitstaff wears tees and the custimers sit on bar stools at counters, and pay $60 plus for the honor, she does not have any business being snotty to anyone who is well-groomed and well-behaved.

i'm going back. just stopped in for appetizers and a drink.waitstaff was great. helpful suggestions very pleasant. sometimes when you stop in and say just drinks, you don't get, well, you know, ... here you do. real good apps and drinks. i want to go back for a meal.

accept that the portions are not gigantic & you will have to pay a bit more...then sit back and enjoy some of the most awesomely prepared seafood around. everything we had tasted magnificent. best lobster bisque i ever tasted...brown butter lobster roll was oh so moist & delicious..cole slaw with all red cabbage and a light dressing...cannotwaitto go back & try dinner menu!

bunnyandporkbelly july 21, 2013 2 on a hot summer day, couldnt find anything better to do other than drinking some beer and slurping on some oysters. we drove to portland, me for some fresh oysters straight from the source. eventide oyster co. is very small, an hourwaiton a saturday night we sat on the patio a good selection of oysters. we got 2 dozens: 1 from maine and 1 from away. from maine: winterpoint selects, norumbega, john’s river, basket island, pemaquid, flying point, north haven, pine point, wild belon from away: fire river, fire river, kusshi, kumamoto, quilcene, duxbury, katama, beau soleil, cuttyhunk oysters were all super fresh. they had some pretty interesting accoutrements such as kim chee ice atlantic halibut crudo black bean, radish, bok choy muscadet – known as the perfect oyster wine. light bodied, sweet, crisp, jus the way i like it fried oyster bun tartar, pickles pig ear terrine - english pea, pickled pe

decent but expect to pay. we enjoyed everything we tried at eventide, so it gets a thumbs up, but the likelihood of our return amongst the plethora of excellent choices in portland is slim.
two of us shared a dozen assorted oysters all were nicely presented a few not as expertly shucked? the kimchi ice was good and the cocktail sauce just made par. in the end we really prefer any oysters from the pemaquid region, with three from that area outshining those from anywhere else (west coast included).
we also tried two lobster rolls, one with the brown butter which was great and the second with hollandaise, which was too much for us traditionalists. we shouldn't have been surprised that they were finger sandwich sized as the price was $12 each. the final item was a side of roasted cauliflower with was also great with pine nuts and raisins. along with a draft beer and iced tea we dropped $80. again, nothing bad, all tasted good, but for $80 in portland i know i can have a great meal and not leave hungry.

btw- thewaitstaff was great, friendly, attentive and sharing duties to speed the service.