Ogunquit Lobster Pound Restaurant

Unfortunately the food here did not live up to my hopes. We are local which means we probably should have known to stay away. The bacon wrapped scallops were good, you get 5 in the app. The clam chowder tasted like it came out of any bag/​can you find anywhere. The swordfish was less than appetizing, and the seafood scampi had very little taste. The one meal that was delicious was the baked scallops. Way overpriced, way overrated. Never again.

Steamers & lobsters are incredible but get here before 6pm was our friends advice and well taken! This restaurant is very large. pretty much a lobster compound. The yard around it is so vast children can run and play! Plenty of seating all around outside if you do encounter a wait. Alas we did not because we went early!
We were sat in a lovely table by the window so we can watch the lobsters being picked right out of the pool like lobster tank outside and weighed. The décor was rustic reminding me of a wood cabin — lodge feel all very casual. The cute little souvenir shop was just a cut out of the restaurant but offered t-​shirts, sweatshirts, totes and a few childrens items.
Teams of servers were prompt and efficient to take care of you, coming so early we actually saw how the dinning room filled right up very fast.
We ordered a couple of cold beers to start and the steamers. Then we ordered the lobsters which is all done outside at the lobster tank once your server hands you a small piece of paper to take with you. The paper gets handed off to one of the many staff that will help you select your lobster. My hubby told the guy how big and he was picking out his dinner within a minute. I wanted to be a little more precise .I like claws and etc. so I unlike my hubby had the guy showing me a few different lobsters before I selected my dinner. The experience is unlike anything else I have done! After we are settled back at our table a large hot bowl of steamers arrive. OMG you don’t need to even rinse these and they were outstanding!
The lobsters arrived perfect timing after we devoured the steamers and already cracked! I love when someone does the work for me. Why don’t we have a lobster pound in RI? The lobsters were cooked right and very tasty. This was a fun way to eat lobster!

Order only boiled lobster! My baked sole was a poor choice though it sounded tasty. It tasted like a casserole and not in a good way. Heavy sauce overwhelmed the dish so I could not taste the seafood. We let the waitress know. And the cashier who didn’t know what sole was. Oh well.

On a lot of levels this place is great for out-​of-​state visitors. Part of the experience here is picking out your lobster. And for those that have never seen a live bug before swimming in a tank, a real positive. But, it is a food factory. A very good & well run one, but still… My biggest disappointment was the pre-​cracked shells. Part of the lobster experience is sucking the juices out of the shell and then opening them up. Missed that. The steamers while large & plump were over cooked. So, if you’re an experienced seafood eater I might try some place more «down home». But if this is your first, go for it.

Mixed feelings on this place. Overall I think their average rating of 3.5 stars is pretty accurate.
Pros:
They pre-​crack your whole lobsters before they are served! No nutcracker at the table necessary. This was pretty cool!
Nice setting back from the highway & walkway through large, mature trees. Restaurant is very large with a rustic lodge style & big stone fireplace in the center.
Service was excellent — attentive & timely
Cons:
Confusion of what we were supposed to do as you enter. They’re cooking lobsters right at the door. Do you enter the restaurant or hang out there? Turns out you get your seat in the restaurant first, then come back outside to select your lobsters. You give your ticket to your server after you come back in.
Pricier than anywhere else we’d been in Portland & Portsmouth. You pay by the pound for what they pull out of the tank. We paid as much for 2 single lobsters as we paid for 4 lobsters (2 apiece) elsewhere.
And This:
The restaurant has a vibe of my parent’s 50’s/60’s era about it. I’m not judging this part harshly, it’s just there. You do feel like you’ve stepped back in time.

I’ve been to many lobster pounds throughout Maine and this one will provide your quintessential experience albeit a little more upscale than most. I mean, you have restaurant style indoor seating for goodness sake! Personally I prefer the more rustic ones where you can watch them unload the traps, bring the lobsters in, pick the ones you want and have them cook it for you in a big barrel in the parking lot! Then eat it with gusto at a picnic table with the butter dripping down your chin but hey, that’s my preference. Doesn’t mean it’s yours.
The setting here is very nice with the huge pines providing a woodsy feel. Almost looks like someone’s camp. Some well to do person’s camp. Inside is a huge restaurant where you can order pretty much anything you or your family might want. So it, again, is a step beyond what I think of when I envision a lobster pound. Pricing is higher here than at other places along the coast but I attribute that to it being in Ogunquit where a lot of things are pricier. But the lobsters are certainly fresh and taste fantastic!

Steamers and lobsters — absolutely the best! Been coming here for years and will continue to! Cheers!

Ogunquit Lobster Pound is a regular destination for us on our annual trip to the Maine sea coast. Family friendly, excellent menu variety, delicious New England seafood fare.
We dined this year with my mother-​in-​law and our 4 children. The kids loved picking out their lobster and steamers for cooking and the staff was very friendly.
The price is a bit on the high side, to be expected for fresh seafood in a beach town I suppose.
My only negative is the main dining area is a large open room and the ambient noise is quite loud. But it won’t keep us from returning, the whole family loves it there.

I must admit, I judged this place as soon as we arrived. The set up & décor are super dated so I thought it would be a mediocre old school New England spot. I was so pleasantly surprised! We ordered steamers which were amazing! Two people got lobsters & they were the best they’d ever had (one is a 60 year old New England/​New Yorker so that’s saying a lot) A couple got the swordfish which was great. I chose the pasta primavera because I wasn’t feeling so hot and didn’t want to risk it with seafood. The house salad was very fresh with sprouts and a yummy red wine vinaigrette and the summer squash, zuchinni, broccoli & carrots in the pasta were fresh and grilled and seasoned perfectly. It was a bit heavy on the butter but otherwise Delish. Nice little spot for a family dinner!

Totally hokey and completely fun. When you’re looking for a break from the upscale local restaurants and just want to have a utterly low key time, Lobster Pound is an entertaining place. Yes, everything everyone says is true, both good and bad. The décor is 40 years old and divey. The baked potatoes are small. The baked beans DID come out of a can (as the waitress acknowledged). The margarita had lots of salt and an undetectable amount of alcohol (and tasted good nevertheless). All that notwithstanding, the lobsters were great, the staff was friendly, a good time was had by all and I would go back in a heartbeat.

Terrific surprise across the street after arriving to our room. It was along drive — especially w pups. I was so hungry. The lobster bisque was perfect & our server was a local who kept us smiling. Check out the lobster holding area outside. This place needs to b on the water !

I love the Ogunquit Lobster Pound and I’ve been coming here for decades starting when I was a little kid and the place hasn’t changed much. The focus is definitely on the lobster and they make the best lobster I’ve ever had (the steamers are also fantastic).
The daily lobster price was $ 20 per pound, which is not at all cheap obviously, so when you are having a ~$ 200 meal you would have hopes that everything about it is great. The baked Brie appetizer was good but didn’t have the brown sugar and walnuts on it, which we didn’t realize until we had eaten most of it. The side dishes were pretty sad. I got about 7 green beans and the smallest baked potato I’ve ever seen. The service is ok, not great.
As I said, the focus is on the lobster but I wish they’d up the rest of their game to match the great quality of the seafood. I will probably always love the place, I just wish it was as good as it could be if they put more effort into the details. But if you want great lobster, this is still the place to go.

Freshest lobster ever. This place deserves a higher rank than the current average. Don’t be a curmudgeon and complain about the side dishes (which are adequate) or the décor (which is fine), just choose your lobster and enjoy.

Looking for a real Maine experience? You’ve come to the right place. Pick out your own live lobster and have it served on your plate minutes later. They cut the lobster up making it’s easy to eat, but no less messy, so you’ll still get the real feel of taking it apart yourself. Incredibly fresh and delicious and don’t forget to order yourself some of their clams, a little bland but yum!

Lobster was overcooked and chewy. My kid had a lobster pie that had no taste and texture. The stew my wife had was watery and also with chewy chunks of lobster. There is so many more restaurants with better food around for the same price — dont waste your taste buds…

I have gone to the Ogunquit Lobster Pound every year for the past 10 years on my teary visit to Maine. This year, I was disappointed for the first time. I ordered a small (operative word) side salad and a boiled lobster. The salad could fit in a teacup and cost $ 3.50. Not worth it. The lobster was overcooked and so tough that I could not cut it with my knife. I had to eat it with my fingers. The rice was so overcooked it could have passed for mashed potatoes. All in all, a pricey dinner that was not worth it. Save your money. Go somewhere else for lobster. I know I will.

The lobster and steamers are so amazing tonight! The cold water this time of year has led to the sweetest lobster and steamers! Great service and as usual amazing seafood! Pick your own lobster out of the tank!

It’s a little on the pricey side and the inside is a big olé’ feed barn, but I like how you get to select the size of the lobster you want «No, put that scrawny lil’ feller back, I want THAT one!» and in the end I filled my belly with a lot of delicious lobster which was the purpose of my visit. I could see myself going back on a future visit to Ogunquit but I wouldn’t knock down old ladies to get inside. (For the record, there’s nothing that would make me knock down an old lady, let’s be clear here!)

Came here with the family on a recent trip in the New England area. The place is nice — décor a bit on the old side, but wood is a pretty timeless feature.
Let’s dive right in (no pun intended). The food — maybe it’s because I’m not a local but the lobsters were delicious, got to step out to the pound and pick my own! The meat was springy and perfectly steamed. The mussels and clams were also equally delectable. Couldn’t recommend the seafood enough. However, the lobster stew was expensive and although it came with nice chunks of lobster was a bit too buttery, almost oily. And the sides and service were forgettable to be honest. The price was reasonable by UK standards, but a bit of the hefty side for the region.
Would probably shop around next time!

Apparently the thing to do when you’re in Maine is to eat lobster. Who knew?
The Lobster Pound has a full menu with a good variety of option from meat to pasta. But who cares about that. You’re getting the lobster. Once you order this and your two sides (mashed potatoes, coleslaw, green beans, or baked beans), the waitress gives you a number and you go outside and let the (really cute) lobster guys know how big you want it.
We got 1.5 pounders with the hard shell because the waitress claimed hard shell lobsters have more meat than soft shell. They’re also more expensive. But we’re here for the Maine experience, so more lobster meat is what we’re gonna get. The lobster bros fish out each victim and weigh it in front of you. Make sure not to get too attached to the wriggling crustacean because in 20 minutes it will be slit open and sitting on your plate, hot and ready for devouring.
They claim that the lobsters are boiled in Ogunquit River water, which adds sweetness to the meat. Maybe they just add sugar to the water, but boy Billy was delicious (okay, so maybe I did get a little attached). We also ordered some steamed clams, which the bros fished out of the pool and cooked on the spot. You literally can’t get any fresher than that.
The restaurant’s atmosphere is very casual. It reminded me of a camp lodge with it’s wooden tables and paper place mats. The service was fine, but the food’s timing was a bit off, as we ordered artichoke dip as an appetizer, but the lobsters appeared in front of us before the dip even came, so we cancelled our order. We put on our plastic lobster bibs, and dug in. My sides, the green beans and the baked beans (I guess I’m a bean girl), were good but not outstanding, as the green beans had the right amount of crunch but lacked some flavor and the baked ones were tender but a bit heavy on the molasses. But whatever. Don’t get distracted by the sides. You should just focus on the lobster anyway.
For dessert, we ordered a blueberry pie a la mode. It was a good way to end our Maine-​focused meal since it was made with those teeny Maine berries, although it was a bit watery for my taste. But everything tastes good with a scoop of ice cream on top, so it disappeared pretty quickly. For all this food (plus 2 bottles of sav blanc), the price was very affordable!
I’d say the Lobster Pound is a great bet to get a taste of Maine. RIP Billy the Lobster. You were delicious.