The Front Porch Restaurant

1 star for the food, 4 stars for the entertainment… average is 2 stars, although I am hesitant to rate it this high bc of our awful experience with our meal. We had a reservation, and despite my husband requesting for us to be seated in the side room, the hostess attempted to seat us at a high top table in the bar area. Therefore, we had to wait about 15 min for a table to open up. When we were seated, I could immediately tell we were going to have poor service. Our waitress barely acknowledged we were seated and it took almost 10 min for her to approach our table. We ordered mixed drinks, and they were nice and strong. I enjoyed the Frozen Cosmopolitan, which was like drinking an alcoholic slushy. We ordered the Calamari as an appetizer, which was served with an aioli. We were excited for this appetizer, and were beyond disappointed after almost 30 min when it finally arrived to see that it was cold. It took a good length of time to flag the waitress down, and we requested fresh and hot calamari, which were tasty the second time around. For our entrees, my husband ordered a scallops entrée with a white wine sauce, and he subbed sweet potato fries for the mashed potato. The Scallops were good with a nice sear, but the sweet potato fries were plated under the scallops and sitting in the sauce, so they were beyond soggy once served. I ordered a baked haddock dish, which was topped with bread crumbs and supposed to be flavored with lemon. I have never tasted a more flavorless dish. The broccoli that was served with it was so raw that I couldn’t even cut it with my knife. Meanwhile, our waitress again was no where to be found for about 15 minutes so we both picked at the food in front of us, because we had already been at the restaurant for over an hour. When I finally got her attention and explained how horrible the food was, she stated rudely that there was nothing she could do bc we had both already eaten part of our meals. It was unbelievable how we were treated. We did decide to head upstairs after dinner, as we hoped the piano bar would be a better experience, and it was. The music was fun, although it was so crowded that there wasn’t even really anywhere to stand. We found a corner and eventually made our way towards the bar, where after hovering, I was able to grab a bar stool. It was disappointing we couldn’t get closer to the music, although our dinner had taken too long and by that time the upstairs was already packed. I heard the menu is being looked at, but I’m really not sure I’d ever give The Front Porch another chance, and we frequent Ogunquit.

Fantastic Eats! Day before New Years jammed packed food was so on point it was great w/​only a Skelton Staff probably getting geared up for the main event but I tell you they did a fantastic job!

Me and my partner, dine in on October 22, 2015, we both ordered there «Mac and Cheese» but he instead wanted some lobster in his, to our suprize when we recieved the bill we not only had the charge for the «Mac and Cheese on it twice (15.00 each) but there was a 23.00 up charge for the lobster, never was this ever explained to us or we would have just both gotten the regular Mac and cheese. I complained to the waiter, then asked for the manager, both were nasty, no action on there part was taken. Wouldn’t step a foot in a place like that ever again, regardless if the food is good or not, not a way to scam people out of there money. BAD CALL ON MANAGEMENTS PART.

My mom & I have been coming to Ogunquit for years but have never tried this place. We are so extremely happy we finally did after all these years. Victoria was our waitress & we were seated in a cute tucked away booth. The food was amazing & so was the service! We started with red sangria & the blue cheese mussels. So good! We split a ceasar salad which was great. Dinner was one of the best I’ve ever had. We split the ahi tuna & the lobster risotto. Best tuna ever & they definitely don’t skimp on the lobster in the risotto. We will definitely be back!

We chose this restaurant for our last vacation night (Oct 1, 2015). There are no words to really describe what a wonderful place this is. Every positive review given about the Front Porch is correct. The food is beyond great. I ordered the chicken under a brick which was superb. My husband ordered the cast iron skillet salmon which he is still raving about. The drinks were just right! (Compliments to the bartender).
The most important thing I want to say is that the atmosphere was friendly and welcoming. I know the main reason we felt so comfortable was due to a special person. That person was our server
JEFFREY*. He made our last night in Ogunquit so special and memorable. In my opinion, Jeffrey is one of the best servers I ever encountered and that says a lot. We travel frequently and meet many people, but this the first time I felt I needed to give a positive review so quickly – while it was still fresh in my mind.
If you want a special evening go to The Front Porch and request Jeffrey!

Cozy little restaurant in The center of an adorable town. My daughter and I had a fabulous dinner there. The tuna tartare was cooked perfectly and we shared for an appetizer. We also ordered the shrimp cocktail which unfortunately was overcooked. Each of us had one of their specialty salads and thoroughly enjoyed it. We had terrific service and they seem to have a great bar crowd. Would definitely recommend.

This is a fun, fun, fun place… We always come here at least 2 times when we are in Maine for the month of August… Love the old time music and show tunes they play on the second floor. It can be very crowded and hard to find a seat. We enjoyed a great sangria in which a lot of restaurants are including on their drink menu’s lately… Highly recommend stopping in to the Front Porch whenever you are in Ogunquit Maine!

Four of us had dinner at The Front Porch a few nights ago. Please note: this place is popular and they don’t take reservations. We called to say we were on the way and they put us on the list, it was early and we didn’t have to wait. Everything about the place was really nice. There were plenty of good things on the menu, our server really knew the menu, and he was able to make useful recommendations. Food and drink came quickly and everything was exactly as it should have been.
The only complaints I could make were minor — it was too dark for my aging eyes to read the menu, and as the dining room filled up it became too loud to have a conversation. But we had gotten a lot of talking done early and did more after we left. While we were eating, we were enjoying the food too much to talk anyway.
I’d go back in a heartbeat, but I’d avoid weekends or any time when Ogunquit is crawling with tourists. As we were leaving we noticed that there was a line of people waiting in the rain to get in and this was on a weeknight after Labor Day. There’s also a piano bar upstairs but it was really loud and we wouldn’t have been able to talk up there.

Unwelcoming to international visitors. A friend and I stopped in for a drink. He is almost 30 (and I am over 40) and had a foreign driver’s license that clearly showed his age. We weren’t allowed to enter because a passport was required. Carrying a passport everywhere, especially when casually going out for dinner or a drink, is risky. You can lose it or it can be stolen. Such a rigid requirement in a tourist town is unnecessary. In the end, the atmosphere here was stuffy and not at all lively so we went to other, more entertaining places. They were welcoming and we were happy to spend our money there.

We landed in Boston and my partner lost his wallet. We got Massachusetts state police and TSA to give him an official id cards signed and stamped so he can enjoy his vacation. They accepted EVERYWHERE except at this place. The bouncer, a very low class and obviously lacking experience stated «we don’t care where else they let you in, we can’t accept this.» How this happens in a tourist area, it’s baffling. Shame on this bouncer and establishment. They’re not interested in your having a good time… That old bouncing Queen needs some serious education…

We have walked past this restaurant 100 times since we’ve been frequenting Ogunquit. After having dinner there we don’t know why it took us so long! The ambience was beautiful! We went brought our two teen daughters with us and had a lovely dinner. We enjoyed it so much that we’ve already decided that we are going back tomorrow evening! My husband had a salmon sandwich, I had the fish tacos and one of my daughter had the haddock sandwich-​delish! Our waitress, Kelsie, was very attentive and nice. We highly recommend this restaurant!

My wife and I sat down stairs, which was fine. I enjoy the piano, but it wasn’t the reason we went there for dinner. The menu looked pretty good (over priced), but nothing that made it stand out from the other resturants around. I ordered the stake and my wife ordered a burger.
The stake was very tough and overcooked, but I didn’t feel like sending it back and waiting. The mashed potatoes were bland and scarce to say the least. Shortly after eating I didn’t feel well and even as I write this my stomach is still in a bad way. My wife and I have been here for 3 days and this is the first place that I felt ill shortly after eating at.
Lastly the drinks were awful. I had a whiskey sour and it was like drinking a sour patch kid. I definitely won’t be eating here again on this vacation or any we take in the future to Ogunquit.

We ate here mid vacation for dinner. We were lucky and able to get right in. (A tip-​get here early if you want to go right in for dinner!)
Our food and drinks were very good. The service was good as well.
I feel the serving sizes of our entrees were slightly smaller (I was able to finish mine-​that never happens) and I think they were also a bit pricey.

Went here with a group of 7 to grab dinner on a Saturday night. Somehow, we were able to be seated right away indoors – which was a nice surprise.
To start off the meal, we decided to split a couple orders of the special pizza, which included chicken and two types of peppers. In my opinion, the pizza was not very good as the peppers just tasted like they had come out of a can and were not even warm.
For our meal, my friend and I decided to split the fish tacos and an order of the caesar salad with chicken. The fish tacos were definitely the best thing we ate all night, but they still didn’t wow me overall. The salad was pretty basic – in that it included all the proper ingredients – but was very uninspired and even difficult to eat since the lettuce was chopped so finely.
This place has a great atmosphere and our waitress handled our large group well, but the food just came as a disappointment on an otherwise stellar night.

What Fun! On a girls trip and stumbled on to this restaurant. We were just going to eat BUT Jeff, the manager, encouraged us to go upstairs to the singing piano bar. We had a delicious dinner served by our star waiter, Hayden. Afterwards, we sang until we lost our voices. All in all, great service, drinks, food and entertainment at s reasonable price.

Ive been to Ogunquit since 1980 with 2 kids… first time I was able to step inside this restaurant/​bar sans kids!!!
lt was utterly delightful…
Having taken a very late nap… hubby was hungry… he had their steak & mashed potatoes which he deemed exceptional…
I had their chopped salad which too was very good…,
Atmosphere…entertainment…in a word… bawdy!
Once you go… youll wonder why it took so long to go in the first place!
Loved it… staff could not have been any more friendlier or accomodating!!!

A must for evening entertainment –sing along piano bar — we had a fabulous time upstairs!

During our recent first-​time visit to the Ogunquit area, we found ourselves walking down Main St. looking for a bar to have a few drinks. We decided to give The Front Porch a try. Great call! Matt, the bartender, certainly knew how to make yummy dirty martinis and he was a very personable guy too! It’s a very nice bar (not a dive)! When we realized that it was getting late and we needed a little something to eat, Matt recommended the mussels. Wow, great recommendation. There was a heaping bowl of mussels placed in front of us. The recipe included tomatoes, garlic, chorizo and bleu cheese! Would love this recipe!
I didn’t feel that I could give 5-​stars since our food experience was minimal.

Can we call the Front Porch a landmark in Ogunquit? I would. I’ve been going to Ogunquit for years. And I have to confess — IF there is a place that has been around for as long as I know this town and have been visiting it — and that has only maintained itself and only improved — I would easily be calling out the name — The Front Porch.
Classify me in the group that goes to a piano bar and does not sing along — but definitely enjoys every moment of the time spent there for all it’s joy and fun. That’s what I enjoy the most at the Front Porch. And especially when you have the option to choose between the downstairs and the upstairs. I totally enjoy every bit of it.
The bar downstairs is not so big but has a great intimate set up. The décor — which has changed over the years — is quieter and more in tune for couples and singles and smaller groups. Accompanied by the dining area — it makes for really an alternate choice if you are not into the piano bar scene. I have seen a very different crowd almost always downstairs as compared to the floor above. Not that there is anything wrong with any of it. But downstairs is more quieter and more intimate than upstairs.
And of course the piano bar upstairs is a totally different ball game. And a blast at that. I love it. For someone who doesn’t visit Ogunquit enough — I am yet to know the staff on a first name basis. Especially since there are newer faces pretty much every year. Regardless — they are all cool!
The food has been such an improvement over the years that it has been really impressive. From the apps to the main course — almost everything is quite nice. I have never had anything negative from anyone I have known eating there. So I will no go into details on the food options. But it is not the food that is your main focus when you come here. It is the ambiance — the people with you or probably who are not with you at times ;-) the drinks and then of course if you are hungry — the food. And depending on who your bartender or the wait staff getting your drink is — the drinks are typically good.
At the end of the day (night) — it all comes down to company that you are with. Bigger the group that you go with to this place — the better. As an alternative — if you are not a big group and you are the extrovert kind who likes to make friends and talk to anyone and everyone — while singing along to the piano bar tunes — this is a ‘cannot miss place’ for anyone visiting Ogunquit. Enjoy!

A piano bar? A restaurant? Cool!
This restaurant reminded me of a place that I’d find in New Orleans. Make a reservation during busy nights or summer! We were seated in the main dining room. I loved the twinkling light decorations and the cozy feel to the restaurant.
I had mac ‘n cheese, one of my favorite things to order and it was delicious. Comforting, cheesey, and yum. This is a great restaurant to enjoy a meal, listen to piano music, or grab a drink with friends.