The Thistle Inn

A charming place to spend the weekend!
It was my first time to visit Maine, and it was such a treat because I traveled with one of my bestfriends, Racquel and her kids. It was just a spontaneous trip, and we did not have any reservation! We arrived late in the evening, but the restaurant staff (Cameron) assisted us and showed us the room.
It was very clean and neat, and I find it’s charm to be appealing to me. It is just walking distance to everything.

One of the best burgers of my life.
We only ate in the pub, which is a great space. The beer selection was great. The fries were great, but the burger was really amazing. The meat must’ve been cooked in teh cast iron following the bacon. The fried onions and bun really pulled it together and blew my mind. I really suggest this place.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the food was out of this world. The scallops were huge, the portions were generous, and it was one of the most delicious and memorable meals I’ve had in a while. I also wanted to drink a Maine beer with my meal, and our server brought over a sample of a few for me to taste before ordering. We’ll definitely come by the next time we’re in town.

This was hard for me.
Bartender, Sasha, amazing.
New chef with a completely new menu, not so much. The thing about The Thistle is that it’s been able to keep it’s charm and followers (local & from away) for years.
Five of us went in on Saturday afternoon and were completely disappointed at what the new chef had done. I understand tweaking things here and there, but everything but the physical restaurant and bar has changed. Not fun. Not impressed.

Good food, nice atmosphere, great bar. The waitstaff is excellent, especially Sasha, the bartender.

Can’t help but notice most of the reviews for The Thistle Inn are from people from away. While that isn’t a bad thing I think it is important to point out that The Thistle in is a great place all year round for locals and tourists alike.
One of my favorite things to do in Boothbay Harbor is sitting and talking to Sasha (the bartender) and eating their Grilled shrimp, that is served with a corn purée and crispy wantons. To finish off the night I always indulge in an Espresso Martini. Such a fantastic drink. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Recently my brother visited from Buffalo and this was the definite choice for a celebratory dinner. He raved about the East Boothay burger, a coffee rubbed burger topped with smoked gouda, pickled onion and bbq sauce.
There simply aren’t enough nice things I can say about the Thistle Inn or about Sasha.
Hey, how can you go wrong with a place that uses an old boat at a bar and has a harpoon hanging above it?!

We found the menu, service and ambiance to be superb, the best in Boothbay Harbor. Entries were creative, tasty and well presented. This establishment is worth a return visit.

We almost don’t want to tell you about The Thistle Inn, because we want it all to ourselves. We went three times in five days… twice for dinner and once for breakfast. By far, this is the best restaurant in Boothbay Harbor. The food is excellent, the servers are all top-​notch and the Happy Hour is wonderful. We couldn’t get a seat the first time we attempted Happy Hour in the Dory Pub, so we headed straight outside for a fabulous dinner. The lazy man’s lobster is awesome — fresh, tender and the risotto is just perfectly done. My husband had the haddock and raved about it. The next time we came early and had a splendid martini at the Dory Pub. Dinner followed at a cozy booth where I tried the scallops and husband took my earlier lead and enjoyed the lazy lobster. Excellent wine list with reasonable prices. We asked the server where she would recommend breakfast and she said, «here.» So, we went back the next morning and I had amazingly, perfectly cooked eggs benedict and my husband had waffles. Great service (again) and lovely to sit outside. They are apparently one of the few places open year round and I can see why. We’ve been to Amsterdam, Bruges, Baltimore, Detroit and Los Angeles this year and this ranks as one of the best restaurant experiences of our whole year.

Three nights in Boothbay Harbor, three visits to the Dory Pub for the nightly happy hour that runs from 5PM to 6PM. Yeah, I’m a fan. We ordered a number of different drinks with the highlights being a blueberry lemonade martini and Daniel Gehrs cabernet. The latter was full bodied and a veritable steal at only $ 4 a glass. For food, I highly recommend almost anything on the menu, but the standouts included a bountiful Cobb salad and mussels. Wait, I forgot the beautifully plated crab cakes that contained very little filler.

The Thistle Inn is amazing. This is my first time in Boothbay Harbor, ME and my host held off The Thistle Inn until my last night. I’m almost glad she did otherwise I would have overdosed on the place. I would suggest you make a reservation. We didn’t and only had a choice of outside. No complaints as I’m sure the food is just as good on the outside as the inside. I did enjoy the walk through the two or three rooms on the inside.
Our server, Stacy, was great. Expert waitress. She knew the wine list well. Suggested a very lovely Pinot Noir. I chose the Paella and my goodness it was special. There My friend raves about the filet mignon and I was this close to getting it. The Paella was magnificent. Get it. Loved this place.

Surprised to see so many positive reviews here – we had a very disappointing experience at the Thistle Inn restaurant. Our server Ryan was unhelpful, absent, and downright rude. The lazy lobster risotto was a huge disappointment: lobster overcooked to the point of rubberiness, risotto as bland as pabulum, asparagus overcooked to within an inch of its life. The restaurant was hot, stuffy, and un-​air-​conditioned, even in the humid summer weather. It took twenty minutes from the time we ordered drinks until they were served. I’m giving a second star because 1) the hostess was lovely and friendly; 2) the cocktails were delicious; 3) the oysters were fresh and well-​shucked. But I would never go back here.

Everything we had for dinner was exceptional. I had the lazy lobster with lemon risotto and asparagus and it was just perfect. I was also able to sample my fiancée’s Maine scallops and they were the best scallops I have ever had. Our server Anya/​Ania was very friendly. We also loved the wine list. Being from California we had a couple of wine aficionados at the table and they were very impressed with the wine list. We were told one of the staff is a sommelier so that makes sense as to why their list is so impressive. I would absolutely come back to the Thistle Inn for dinner the next time we are in Boothbay.

We decided to try Thistle Inn since other Unilocal reviews mentioned the ½ price happy hour from 5−6pm. We arrived at about 4:45 and there was already a line of local residents waiting to get in. Really great mix cocktails and extensive bar selection, ALL ½ price! The food was good too with a seasonal menu. Risotto was rich and cooked to perfection. My companion had the fresh baked haddock and gobbled it up. Either way, head there early for the ½ price drinks at happy hour, stay for food. It will not disappoint.

This was perhaps one of my favorite places that I ate at during my trip to Boothbay. The food was great and so was the atmosphere. For an appetizer we had tuna tar tar which was probably one of the best appetizers I’ve ever had. My sister had a cease wedge salad which I sampled and it was amazing. For dinner I decided to order tuna and made the mistake of ordering it medium well rather than raw medium so it was a little dry but that was my fault. I would definitely go back because it was so good. And the fish was very fresh.

Great $ 159 night stay in the Victory Chimes king size bed on first floor… be sure to hit the AC as soon as you get there if a hot day… tight stair way to rooms on upper floors so pack light bags. Breakfast included and great, Restaurant in and outdoor on porch under the trees great atmosphere. Dinner was great! Strongly recommend the paella with salmon and lobster, tenderloin filet, as well as antipasto & mussel appetizers… bread was very tasty and crispy as well… wine very affordable, had a nice Veneto Vallpocella for $ 36

Wow — what a major disappointment. Have had several great meals there in the past but not this time…
The grilled Caeser salad was just wilted and nasty. The medium NY Strip came to the table very well done and grey. The scallops were rubbery. The only good dish the five of us had was the buffalo chicken fingers. When that is the best meal at Thistle — there needs to be some major changes.
Hope this was just a bad night at the Thistle — but hearing our waitress apologize two dozen times to every table in earshot makes me think time has passed by both the Thistle and their terrible chef.
Too bad.

This is the place to go in Boothbay Harbor for breakfast or Dinner. There is no better breakfast anywhere. The dinners are great as well. The servers are very good.
Nice place to eat where you can talk. Not a touristy booze joint. Refined and good food.

Visited Boothbay for the first time last week and we went to the Thistle Inn twice for their happy hour from 5 – 6. The service was quick and friendly and the food was DELICIOUS! The best mussels an crab cakes I have ever had. They also had truffle onion rings that were incredible.
Great cocktail list too.
Only negative was both nights it was very warm inside.
Definitely will return when I go back.

This is one of my favorite places to eat when I head into Boothbay for vacation. On a nice spring/​summer/​fall evening the patio is unmatched.
Being a father of 2 small childen — money is not normally in excess. The wonderful thing about the Thistle Inn is that you can still enjoy the wonderful patio with the pub menu. I know — I know … the main menu is FANTASTIC but the pub menu is not too far behind. THe Burgers are hand packed in house — and cooked to perfection. The fries are crispy and plentiful. The salads are fresh and great tasting.
They also have a great selection of beers — both local and national brands on tap and in the bottle.
I have been to Boothbay every year for the past 6 years with my partners family and I have enjoyed my meal each time.
Overall the best place to eat in Boothbay for the cost.

The Thistle is one of my favorite places in Boothbay Harbor.
It is a beautiful old building, with a lovely, cozy, pub-​like atmosphere, and everyday from 5 – 6 ALL DRINKS are half off! And I mean all drinks! $ 40 glass of aged scotch? $ 20 during happy hour! $ 7.00 split of champagne? $ 3.50 during happy hour! It really never gets old. They have a good sized selection of beers on draft (maybe 8 – 10?), which I think are $ 2 during happy hour. The bartenders are friendly and attentive.
And the food is delicious. They have truffle fries, tuna tartar, raw oysters, burgers, pizza, quesadillas, mussels, salads, etc. I’ve never had a bad meal at the Thistle. All the pub food used to be half off during happy hour too, but now there is usually one daily special available for half off during the hour. You can also order from the dining room menu in the Pub.
I love this place.