Captain Simeon’s Galley

Ahhh yes. Named after the famous Captain Simeon who discovered the island chain of Trinidad and then proceeded to trick the locals into giving him all their money for shitty seafood!
It has a nice view, and you better enjoy it because that $ 25 clam dinner is gonna suck.

I came here with my New England friends from Boston. He said it would be packed and was amazing. Well it must have changed owners because it was not packed (Sunday night on memorial day weekend). I had the stuffed haddock $ 21 with vegetables and a salad. My meal was OK but honestly the Roundabout Diner’s was better and cheaper. My friend had the Steamers and while Ive never had steamers before these were very sandy. The view is amazing though and would make for a very romantic date. I saw several people having lobster and that being hard to screw up I would have that if I we there again.

By far the best scallops I’ve ever had. It was so good that we still talk about it years later because while I was sleeping my husband ate my leftovers and I never let him forget it.

I’m going to encourage anyone who’s been here in the past to come back and try again. The new chef is from Boston’s North End (our waitress told us this) and he specializes in Italian seafood dishes. Sitting on the deck in one the prettiest harbors in Maine watching the tankers coming in to Portsmouth, with a glass of wine and lobster roll, I mean, can it get any better? The lobster roll had so much meat on it (caught right there) I had to give some to my husband. It was good and it was fresh. Come back and try it again, I would hate for this place to close and turn into condos because people seem to drive right past.

Add a star if you’re a tourist and you haven’t already been looking at the rocky coast for a few days. Yes, Cap’n Simeon’s has re-​opened. The food was okay, but heavily slanted towards the tourists and away from anyone who lives close enough to potentially become a repeat customer. Lots of fried seafood platters, lobster rolls, lobster caesar salad, etc. My shrimp primavera was supposed to be in a cream sauce but it was more of a milk sauce. The onion rings were good, though.
Service was slow but we weren’t forgotten and the meal wasn’t screwed up. Sunday brunch involves a sort of odd bit about going upstairs for brunch or staying downstairs and having dinner (at 11:30 in the morning). There’s a sign at the entrance that says «Under Exciting New Management» and it makes we wonder what the old management must have been like. This was not what I’d call exciting. The atmosphere was the Maine seacoast cliché that you’d expect. Nautical décor, big windows, and plastic tablecloths. A leaky ceiling by the fireplace too, but the rough weather in the area made thousands of other nearby roofs leak as well so let’s not hold that against them. And I give them credit for not having a moose head mounted on a wall somewhere.
There’s potential for this to be good if you can eat lobster on the picnic tables outside. There’s an area facing that water that’s half picnic tables and half parking lot, with a big stockade fence separating them. The parking lot attracted stereotypical tourists. First, a Mercedes with New York plates drives to the end or the lot, admires the view for 30 seconds, and leaves. Then a Volvo station wagon from Connecticut does the same. Then an old Dodge Neon from somewhere parks where I can’t see the license plates, the kids get out and chase each other around without noticing the view, and then they leave too.
On the other side of the fence was a seemingly tranquil collection of white picnic tables. The restaurant is on the way to Chauncey Creek and this might be a cheaper and less crowded way to do the obligatory summertime «Lobster in the Rough». I’ll have to check that out. The view is the one that tourists come to Maine for and after living here for years, it’s still amazing. But all up and down the coast, the view is free. And there’s nothing enticing about sitting inside and getting the kitchen involved. Yeah, I’ve got to check out those picnic tables. Just looking at the view makes me want to find a way to give Cap’n Simeon’s another star.

May 2009 — Restaurant is currently closed and will reopen late May.
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Given its history, its beautiful location, and its bird’s-eye view of the entrance to Portsmouth harbor, Cap’n Simeon’s is a great disappointment. The food is mediocre and even the service is often lacking. Like Warren’s and the Weathervane, this is one of those places you’re supposed to love because it’s been in the area for a long time. Having grown up elsewhere, I cannot taste the nostalgia in my meal.
2 stars for food, 4 stars for location and view
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The family has had financial difficulties and the restaurant and adjoining general store have been closed for some months but will reopen sometime in late May 2009. I truly hope that they improve the food and the service. If so, it could be a great place to bring your out-​of-​town friends. In either case, you should definitely check out Frisbee’s Market in front of the restaurant.

Pretty good seafood. The pasta with shrimp and scallops was drowning in butter, a little too much for me. The lobster salad was decent but I wished I had ordered the actual big hot lobster itself. There’s a nice view and it’s a cute place to go after visiting the fort that you will see right before you get to the restaurant! They also have ice creams for dessert — even peppermint!