Van Lloyd’s Bistro

This is our favorite restaurant in Damariscotta. We come most often in the wintertime to avoid the summer crowds. However, we enjoy sitting on their porch, where three tables look out across the parking lot to the harbor. They always have creative vegetarian options, at least one main dish and several small plates. The fish dishes are always outstanding.

Small unique restaurant
Interesting assortment of drinks, I especially enjoyed the cider Cosmo
Order the chocolate soufflé
My husband enjoyed the hunter special while I enjoyed the cod fish

Lured by the rave and breathless review of Van LLoyd’s Bistro in Down East Magazine, my wife and I stopped in one summer evening at 6:00. Did we have a reservation, we were asked? No we did not; we stopped here because were in the area and we had read the raves in Down East. As I looked over the half empty restaurant, thinking an open table would not be problem, I could almost hear the hostess sigh, «Quel dommage!» Alas, a table was not available at 6:00, but if we walked around town for 30 minutes, the 7 people seated at one table were nearly done, and she could arrange something for us. They were sure to leave soon.
That seemed agreeable enough, so we window shopped for a half hour (retail shops close their doors at 6:00 in Damariscotta). We returned to find the table of 7 still enjoying their dessert and the row of empty tables along the side wall just as empty of patrons at 6:30 as they were at 6:00. Without a hint of irony, the hostess welcomed our return and said, «Right this way.»
While the menu was interesting, the bar well stocked, and the wine list more than sufficient for a small establishment, the experience left me very disappointed. The portions can only be described as meager and the drinks wanting. Apparently we are supposed to be more impressed by the hand cut oversized ice cube than the drink.
The restaurant prides itself on preparing and serving «REAL» food, but I’ve learned that «REAL» is defined differently at Van LLoyd’s. When thyme foam shows up on my plate, I feel about as far away from «REAL» food as I can get. So if you are in Damariscotta and you’re looking for a good restaurant, go almost anywhere else.

Enjoyed fabulous cocktail and charcuterie board on the deck.
Salads are excellent too, and treat yourself to dessert. The banana cake with chocolate and buttercream frosting was delicious!

Great place to stop for dinner in Damariscotta. The food is delicious, and the staff is friendly. We had lamb, lobster, sausage, and polenta entrees, all of which were fantastic. The restaurant is well decorated, with pews from an old Catholic church in Lewiston, and old maps of Nova Scotia, Maine, and Europe. Good beer selection, and try dessert as well — particularly the strawberry rhubarb tart.

Reasonably priced for such high quality, delicious food. Dessert blew me away. Service was impeccable– we were practically treated like royalty! VERY impressed with the whole experience and will definitely be back.

My new favorite place in town. The food is excellent and service great. I had the Pizzaiola Bowl. It was delicious.

Van Lloyd’s has an incredibly diverse, delicious variety of foods. Their baked goods, meats, and coffee all taste fantastic and are clearly made with thought and care. The staff are great, and the ambiance is very enjoyable. The option to sit outside with the harbor view or in the private booth make Van Lloyd’s great for all types of occasions.

Van Lloyd’s Bistro, opened just weeks ago, qualifies as a «find» for foodies. The intimate 30-​seat, semi-​funky layout includes several small tables on the porch that overlooks Damariscotta Harbor just beyond the parking lot in front. (With Damariscotta’s abundance of pretty good restaurants within a couple of hundred feet of the harbor shoreline, it’s curious that only Schooner’s Landing on the dock offers any serious view of the water.)
But Van Lloyd’s Bistro’s view of the harbor pales beside the outstanding food on a menu that changes weekly. These people are really into creating dishes that grab your attention and startle you with their quality. We began with a housemade sausage wrapped in grape leaves that left us thinking seriously about another order of them after our entrée, in lieu of dessert. The dense, savory sausage was rich with complex flavors yet tender and perfectly cooked, and the grape-​leaf wrap enhanced the visual appeal, taste, and texture. We’ll be sorry to see them replaced on next week’s menu with another inventive selection.
They were trumped, however, by our entrees. Amid half a dozen offerings that sounded irresistible, neither of us could pass up the seared sea scallops on a bed of spaghetti squash, and it’s a good thing, too; they were so spectacular that we were both emoting with each bite. If only one of us had ordered them and displayed that much delight, order-​envy would have run rampant and the scallop plate have been invaded by the other without mercy. The scallops were perfectly cooked over high heat and served with slightly crusty tarragon flakes scattered atop each succulent scallop. The spaghetti squash had been dosed with just enough butter to enhance the flavor but not to overwhelm with richness or any hint of grease. They were accompanied by sautéed snow peas flecked with tiny shards of fresh tomato. The plate was a joy both to behold and to consume.
The dessert menu was appealing but we really did decide to go for another appetizer to follow the entrée: a warm timbale of herbed goat cheese topped with crisp crumbles of seasoned bread crumbs, served with small triangles of naan. This was less successful than the other dishes, slightly too heavy-​handed with the paprika in the goat cheese mixture. Another time, we’d stick to our original idea for an encore of the sausage in grape leaves.
Or plunge into the dessert options. The five or six on the menu sounded good enough to eat, but it was only when we went inside the restaurant from our table on the porch that we became aware of the extraordinary array of house-​baked goods that outdid each other in appeal. Next visit, we’ll ignore the dessert menu and browse the showcases for an edible treasure.
The carefully limited wine list is a work-​in-​progress but offered some interesting, little-​known makers. Our chardonnay and garnachia from small producers were both interesting enough to make note of, for future reference.
We expect to return to Van Lloyd’s Bistro many times in the days to come, curious to see what new offerings will come from their kitchen, and confident that we will be very glad to have this somewhat offbeat alternative to our usual contingent of good places to eat in Damariscotta.

Creative food paired with real honest unpretentious service. Reasonable prices and a fun vibe. The deserts are creative — although a couple are a bit over ambitious. Well worth a visit — I would rate the dinner above the lunch menu.

Outstanding from start to finish. The food was expertly prepared and served by a staff that was friendly knowledgeable, and provided excellent service. We were a party of six and from the appetizers to the dessert everyone was delighted.
Great spot with wonderful food, great staff and very reasonable prices!

Quaint riverside setting. Great pleasant service. Food was delicious with gluten free options.

When you dine out, you want to feel like love was put into the food. Van Lloyd’s delivers on a mighty fine plate. The ingredients and menu seem to be carefully and lovingly selected each Tuesday using the freshest succulents. Home made breads and baked goods and in-​house cured meats are just the beginning. My sea scallops with lemon thyme sauce melted like butter. The hen in the woods was a subtle, tasty divination on a plate. For appetizers we enjoyed the cranberry and pumpkin seed salad with feta as well as the herb goat cheese with house made focaccia; both items are a pre-​meal must. For dessert the triple truffle balls with Corte coffee is a little slice of heaven. The buttercream cake which happens to be the size of a small SUV, of which we had a slice, is a diners post meal dream come true. Both are highly recommended, even for one. And you have a view of the harbor. The atmosphere is very cozy and eclectic, laid back but hip. Seven weeks old and they have it down! You’ll be sorry passing this place up. Enjoy!