Mike’s Clam Shack

Decent family food. Really good coconut shrimp and the large salad was a great to share. Decent if you’re looking for some fried seafood and live music!

So… we decide to stop in here on a Friday starting Columbus Day weekend since a few of our haunts were either closed or destroyed by the thought of sitting in construction traffic South of here. Entering the massive parking lot and looking at the massive structure, we thought «Looks like they know how to handle crowds» and so we went in. The host advises us (after doing a tango-​like dance to get to his podium) the wait would be 40 minutes and yes, it took 40 minutes of standing in the gift shop before we were called to our table. The choices are the usual fare at a seafood joint with pricing slightly more than it should have been. Both entrees we ordered were piping hot/​fresh and better than expected, so that may negate the earlier price comment. The chowder is really quite good as well as our haddock. Dessert was equally impressive. Service was VERY prompt and attentive… being seated in the back next to a kitchen the employees apparently have been told to hustle, and it was proven to be effective.
So, yeah, the big parking lot and big building structure prove that Mike’s is feeding the masses quite well and seem to have a very good following. Have patience and give it a try!

Not a big fan of this place. Even though very busy all the time, I find the food mediocre with a bland taste. The atmosphere is not much inside as well and has no charm… It appeals to my elderly parents but not worth the wait for me.

Nothing exciting. Lobster roll was small. We asked the waitress for recommendations and her reply was «I don’t know what you like». Not a very intelligent reply. There was nothing excited about this place to bring me back ever.

Have been here many times and the food is usually good. The large lobster roll is good and the portion is good. I would recommend it.

We always go to Bobs Clam Hut. Someone told us we needed to try mikes. So here we are. I am going to pretty much order what I do at the other place so we can compare. Lobster roll, clam chowder and clam strips. We both agree the clam strips were a little bit better than Bobs. Had a better flavor and I liked the batter a bit better. Bobs lobster roll is better. Bigger and the bread toasting is what makes Bobs better. I would recommend this restaurant.

Best clam chowder in town. Honestly. Lobster rolls are just average. Claymation is excellent and the batter is perfect and cooked perfect. Lobster Pie is actually better than a more famous local place in our opinion. Only complaint might be service because the waitress seems to want to serve us in HER idea of order instead of ours. We were ready to order and she insisted on just getting drink order first. I understand if you are pacing orders for kitchen. But who is the customer?

Wasn’t sure what to expect based on the reviews but was very happy. We arrived at 4:45 or so with 2 hungry kids and 2 adults. We were seated right away. There were already quite a lot of people here!
We chose mikes because the variety on the menu. Both kids are somewhat picky and 1 is allergic to shellfish so coastal eating is a challenge.
Waiter was really cool guy. However we ordered a bottle of wine and had to pour ourselves. I don’t mind and I know this is a glorified clam shack but isn’t it taught in waiting 101 to pour for the customer? But again we didn’t really care.
I had the clam strips. Perfectly fried with great breading. Clams were not chewy at all. Hubby had the seafood pie — shrimp, scallops, and lobster in a sherry cream sauce with puff pastry top. Could have used more lobster but otherwise was very tasty. Kids, well they were kids — Mac and cheese around!

Excellent chowder, lobster and seafood. Always a wait to be seated but worth every minute of it. Been coming to Maine on family vacations since I can remember and Mike’s is always a stop… sometime’s more than once.
The chowder is chocked full of clams and is so creamy and buttery that you wish you could just eat it all day !! Their seafood choices are amazing and the lobsters are perfect every time.
This place is about average for the price of a good meal 15 – 25 dollars per person. But you get what you pay for.
I also recommend Mike’s seafood market right next store. Fresh local seafood to buy at fair market price.

Wicked sick bah
Good bands
Good service.
Great food
Awesome restaurant and bar environment all together. Great job mikes!

We decided on Mikes Clam Shack after having been here last year on vacation with a very large group. This time it was only my husband & myself. We were seated within 2 – 3 min of walking in (which is unheard of in vacation at 6pm).
The waitress was very attentive but not pushy.
We ordered 3 specials, 1 appetizer & 2 entrees. The bacon wrapped scallops were delicious and just enough for an appetizer. My husband had the shrimp stirfry & was at first upset to learn there were no sides included until we saw how much stirfry he had. His new was perfectly cooked. I ordered the crab & scallop stuffed sole. It was heaven on a plate. It literally melted in my mouth and was so delicious I made sure that was the last bite of anything that I took! Overall a wonderful experience and amazing food!

For a typical tourist trap, the wait can be tough but overall the quality and portions were darn good
We had the whole clam roll and the gulf shrimp basket
Portions were sizable and the oil fresh
Plan accordingly for the wait time and enjoy an adult beverage at the bar
You’re going to wait anywhere you go during the summer around here so go with the flow
vs the rest of the cry babies on this thread

Not impressed! Food was just ok, clam cakes were awful, being from RI, that is NOT a clam cake, that is a clam patty, chowder was way over rated!

Came in for lunch today and ordered the «lunch special» lobster roll and cup of clam
Chowder for $ 17.50
Chowder came out right away and was descent
The meal took so long to get to our table I forgot I already had the chowder
The lobster roll was tiny and came with out fries.
I wanted to tell the waitress «you want me to pay how much for this hotdog roll?» That’s basically all it was. Please go to McDonald’s instead where you can now get a lobster roll, fries and drink for $ 8
This place was terrible and I honestly can’t believe how hard it is to find a good lobster roll in Maine

Went for dinner about 5pm with the old hen and 2 kids. I got the steamers and lobster with clam chowder and it was delicious. The steamers were a little more sandy than I am used to but still awesome. My wife and son got clam strips. My only issue is that my wife’s meal was $ 13 and my sons was $ 6 and they had the same portion (smaller size prevailed not bigger). So even that the waiter didn’t even know whose meal was whose. But other than that the food was delicious. When we left at 630 there was an hour wait so I suggest going early.

First piece of advice: go early bc this place is mobbed after 6:30…wall to wall people. Food is delicious and served quickly. Huge menu — something for everyone. Great for families, casual environment, knowledgable staff. Our waitress wasn’t very friendly but I think they run a tight ship here. I only gave it 4 stars bc of the wait…

First you have to wait, which I truly dislike.
If they say app ²⁰⁄₂₅ minutes, there is no fun in finding out they have a bar (still don’t understand why nobody told us) where you can eat as well. No waiting, available tables same menu ?!?
Then, nobody seemed to care to waiter us; either they weren’t our waiter, they weren’t a waiter at all but just entertaining other customers at other tables (I guess) and our waiter was stressed out as she was TOO busy (doing things inefficient and not busy at all if you’d ask me).
A colleague of her picked up our impatience, (we are about 45 minutes at least here at Mike’s), and offered to waiter us.
Then all changed for the better! :)
We ordered a small lobster (1 ¹⁄₈) and a new York steak. Both were great! Lobster was nice and fresh as expected in this area and cooked well. The steak was exactly how you want the steak to be cooked and well flavored.
For the food three stars.
Afterwards we wanted to have a drink, as we were sitting in the bar anyway, so I ordered a Bloody Mary. It was fine — but come on, they can do better. Don’t use the premix. It is only tomato juice, tabasco and some herbs use to make a fabulous replacement for the mix!!! The Bloody Mary was too premixed, and therefore lacking in taste. And an olive in a Bloody Mary? Really???
So bottom line; it is really crowded, expect to wait or go straight to the bar. The food is great! The service can do better and the cocktails are better to be left in the bar and not to be ordered.
Three stars for the food quality.

Never disappointed in Mike’s! I didn’t have seafood but it was good, those I was with had scallops, haddock and clams and they were not disappointed. Food was great. Our waitress started out ok, we got our food Ina timely manner, but the wait for the check was bad. She needs to find a new way, so that customers aren’t sitting for 20 – 30 minutes for the check. Other than that, Mike’s is always a must go to when visiting Maine.

Went there today for lunch while on vacation. Got the clam strips and fries and the clam strips were so tender, really yummy batter and perfectly crispy. Got the clam chowder too, filled with clams and they were really tender. The staff was very friendly. I will be craving the chowder and clam strips. I want to go again tomorrow!

Amazing service. Great beer. Great food. The clam chowder was just as good as I had hoped it would be and the portions were large for the price