Francine Bistro

For starters, arriving for an early reservation and being seated next to another couple whose table was literally 6″ from ours… Really? Very tiny and cramped ambiance throughout. Indifferent service — waitress never checked on us even once, which would have been nice so I could have asked that my rock-​hard brussels sprouts be cooked enough to be able to get a fork into them. Husband’s steak was delicious, my lamb an overcooked mush. Lobster bisque starter was the best part of the meal. What a disappointment overall.

Joined friends here for dinner recently & had mediocre experience. My 3^rd visit in as many years & unfortunately, I won’t be back. Grilled pear salad was too salty & lobster bisque had ZERO lobster in it! When brought to the attention of the server, we were told the chef/​owner «stopped putting lobster in it last week». Perhaps they should list it as lobster consommé instead? My BBQ shrimp with debris sauce was too spicy to taste anything beyond heat & had only 5 medium shrimp in pan. Too skimpy for $ 18. Desserts were delicious & service was great. Most disappointing was the fact that chef/​owner was in the kitchen serving this mediocre food. too bad, I really enjoyed this spot when they first opened.

This place is adorable! A perfect date night restaurant… cozy, romantic and delicious. There was a small kerfuffle with our reservation and a bit of panic on finding a table for us when we arrived, but once we were seated the magic began. They have craft cocktails and a nice wine selection. We started with the Devils on Horseback, which were good, but up next were the Pemaquid oysters and they were off. the. chain. Best (fancied-​up) oysters I’ve ever had — and I’ve eaten more than my fair share of oysters. I had the pan roasted chicken, which was great, though I had hoped for a crispier skin. My husband had the steak frites, which was excellent as well. Service was good. I’d recommend this little gem to anyone with a decent palate.

Hubby & I are out of towners who chose this restaurant for our anniversary dinner based on the reviews. The food was good (just good) and the service was good as well. We were, however, a bit taken aback by the seating. The restaurant is rustic, which we love, but they place the tables about 16 inches apart, which we don’t love. I like meeting new people if I’m sitting at a bar, however I don’t want to spend my intimate anniversary dinner sitting on the lap of the man next to me!
My other peeve with this restaurant is the cutlery. I love how they mix up the flatware and dinnerware — it adds to the eclectic charm of the place. But I don’t want to eat my steak with a salad fork.
All in all, just not my kind of dining experience. Had one glass of wine with dinner then hightailed it out of there to enjoy the relative comfort of one of the many local alternatives.

Our favorite restaurant in Maine; we drive over an hour to get there. It has a cozy atmosphere and personable staff. The food is consistently good though mostly we get the steak frites.

Quiet Tuesday night, the Steak with Horseradish and root vegetables was absolutely fantastic! The food was prepared well, clean earthy flavors every detail exceeded expectations. I could eat here once a week.

The food, drink, and service are all a step above. Brian Hill regularly creates his own unique combinations of local ingredients. This is a restaurant to visit over and over. Definitely make reservations and if it is a busy night you may find you have to wait for your table, but it’s worth it!

A favorite get away spot in Camden. Small and intimate, nice menu with unique options, food is quite good. Not a big menu, but enough– we always find something, and enjoy the innovative creations of chef Brian Hill.

Wow… You can tell the chef loves to cook… food is always great. The specials are always different and very seasonal but there are also some things that are always on the menu.
Chip is a great bartender and always eager to talk about new wines & drinks. I think the soups are always a good bet! I love to cook myself so, I think this is a special place!

We almost didn’t come here because of some of the reviews, and I’m so glad our B&B owner made us go. Francine made me say «wow» after eating a bite of chicken and «holy sh#*t that’s good» after eating a bite of Zucchini. ZUCCHINI. No it’s not magic (people really come in here with some bloated expectations it seems), and yes it still tastes like food, but every dish we ate had a unique flavor profile that highlighted simple ingredients. I definitely recommend the mussels with the pine in it. Make sure and drag the mussel through the burnt sauce on the bottom of the pan after taking it out of the shell. YUMMMMM

Service was excellent, but the food wasn’t as «out of this world» as many other reviewers have noted. Don’t get me wrong: the food was perfectly fine and I would absolutely go back. I think I was just expecting more from Francine based on all of the glowing reviews people have given it.

Disappointed — the Beef Carpaccio was Smothered in Thick Parm Shavings. Loving the dish, I expected to taste it :/​. Asking for help I asked for more Carpaccio & got a second helping of the same?!? Lots of cheese.
Hubby’s Chicken was terrific. We ate later @ night/​service was OK. Hmm

We have been to Francine Bistro two times now. It is important to note the first time we came was in the off-​season (February) and we came back again last week at the height of tourist season (August). The first time we had dinner here I was totally impressed by the food, service and atmosphere. I had the local chicken, while my boyfriend had a crab risotto. Both spectacular dishes! The service was great and we had a wonderful time.
When we came back last week, I was disappointed. We had made reservations and it was busy, as expected. We had to wait a bit for our table, which was totally fine. We started out with the oysters, which were amazing! They had a wonderful smoked haddock crema and tomato mignonette, delightful!
For my main course I ordered the herb roast lobster with local veggies. It was $ 32, which is pricey, but I assumed I would be blown away by this local down east meal. I was not. It was simply lobster with some good local veggies, but the meal itself was not substantial. I did not taste much of the «herb roast» on the lobster and the veggies along with the lobster were sparse. It was good, but not $ 32 good.
For dessert, my brother I and decided to split the local berries with mascarpone and honey. It was $ 8. For $ 8 all we got was a tiny dish of some blueberries and a few strawberries and a dime sized dollop of mascarpone. I was expecting for $ 8 a little more berries and a lot more creativity with the dish, completely underwhelming.
The service was average, but nothing exceptional, which was disappointing given our previous experience. All in all, I was disappointed this time around. I appreciate the passion for local cooking, and high quality local ingredients, Francine just missed the mark this time around.

We were a big party and everything was handled deftly. They were super busy but our server warned us from the outset things might be a bit slow but her pleasant attitude and the food made up for it.
Cocktails were fabulous and fun and fresh.
Appetizers were all loved and eaten so fast by those whose ordered sharing was not a possibility. The corn soup was a serious stand out– essence of fresh corn in a bowl.
Entrees were also loved and shared thankfully. The swordfish seemed to win the day though the chicken was praised a lot too.
One tip– remember they are very busy in the summer. Make a reservation and be prepared to enjoy your meal in a relaxing way. There is no need to rush here.

5 stars just isn’t good enough– I need more stars! After eating here I am now seriously ruined for any other eating establishment. We were a party of 6 and therefore got to sample a great many of the dishes and all were superb in flavor and presentation. The flavors were amazing and indescribably good. I sampled the following: the asparagus salad, pemaquid oysters in champagne sauce, «devils on horseback» which were cheese stuffed dates with bacon (do not miss this one), garlicky herb frites, roast halibut with crab gazpacho, and roast lobster with an amazing sauce. We shared 3 desserts, all of which were fantastic. There just aren’t enough superlatives to describe the meal. One of the best dining experiences ever!

Dinner was delicious, I had the lobster and it was amazing. My friend had the steak frites and again, amazing. Highly recommended.

Went there for dinner with friends and totally enjoyed the whole experience at Francine’s Bistro. The wine selection was great and they had a few special cocktails on the drink menu that sounded great. We had the two special apps which were both great. One was frittes with foe gras and a garlic sauce & the other was a crab mix on crisps. For dinner we had the black fish dish, butternut tortellini and the signature ribs. We all loved our meals. Dessert was apple crisp and chocolate torte and they were also great. If you sit at or near the bar you can watch the chef’s prepare the food and everything is made fresh with fresh ingredients. I highly recommend this place. We thoroughly enjoyed the service and eclectic atmosphere as much as the creative menu which changes daily. Prices are reasonable for the quality of food and service.

NOT up to Expectations
This place was an absolute madhouse. Not only wasn’t there an empty seat in the house but those with reservations, like moi, were crowding the front door sheepishly waiting to be called to the table. While waiting we ambled around back to visit with the chickens in the pen near the back door. They were plump and appeared healthy but cast a suspicious glance in our direction as if wondering what we were doing there.
«Scott!» the hostess called and finally it was out turn. We responded eagerly and were soon seated at a table facing the kitchen. Our waitress was pleasant and helpful, sharing with us the restaurant’s most popular dishes along with her personal favorites.
We started with the corn soup which was absolutely amazing. Easily a five star offering.
Amy chose the chicken and I selected the steak which was advertised as one of the restaurants signature dishes. Amy later learned that the chicken she would be dining on had, just the day before been socializing with the ones we had visited out back just minutes earlier. Life is short we agreed but at least she knew it would be fresh.
Sadly the corn soup was the highlight of the evening. The chicken arrived under cooked and had to make a return trip to the kitchen. My steak was a bit average & chewy. The frittes (fries) that accompanied the steak, however, were terrific.
Francine’s is noisy & crowded which is typically a great sign. While I only rate this visit 3.5 stars I would definitely give it another try the next time I am in the area.

We are big fans of this spot. It’s a once maybe twice a year occasion that we make it up to Maine, yet we always stop by Francine’s at least once.
Francine’s is comforting and yet complex, beautiful food. Their herbed lobster is delicious and always perfectly cooked. (I have a low tolerance for overlooked foods, particularly seafood. C’mon get it right! Here, they do.) The ribs have great flavor from a spice-​packed dry rub, and then they finish it with a lip-​smacking honey marinade. Oh and the meat falls off the bone. The pan roasted chicken has a rich and tangy taste and comes out incredibly juicy.
As for the appetizers, the chicken liver bruschetta, asparagus slivers salad, the devils on horseback, and tuna (?) tartare were all winners.
And then there’s dessert. Ahhhhh so good! Once you sit down, check to see if they still have the marscapone with aged balsamic over fresh strawberries left. This dish is epic and simple at the same time. Say no to sharing. ;) The parsnip cake with honey walnut (?) ice cream has a really nice balance and crunch. And then there’s the sesame ice cream that comes with the chocolate torte (which looked a lil too chocolately and decadent for the moment, so I ordered the ice cream separately). Also a «do not share» dessert. The ice cream is velvety, but the star is the sesame brittle crumble – going to try to make some at home.
We’ll be back!

The year was 2007. A Friday evening, Francine’s was closing at 9:00pm. Pouring rain. A five and one half hour drive from Comnecticut racing up an early summer-​packed Route 1 to make a boat delivery. I made it in to Francine’s Bistro to enjoy my maiden experience of her steak frites. The steak frites with which all others have been compared since.
Fast forward to August 2012 and not much has changed.
A stiff 10 – 15 knot breeze, 2 – 4 foot seas and a sun low on the horizon. Salty spray crusting on hair. The waves pounding under the hull as the vessel careens toward land. All for a two our meal at Francine’s Bistro. A ridiculous journey always seems to be involved in getting there.
Maybe it is the journey to get this food. Maybe it’s the small house tucked away under a tree on a side street in Camden. Maybe its the farmhouse décor with large open kitchen. Maybe its the professional service. It could be the chill bar and energetic music. Maybe its the thrill of not having a reservation and hoping for the best. Just the possibility of waiting at the patio or bar for a table is mouth watering.
Local halibut, pan seared atop a bed of leeks.
Mussels, smoked pine, chilli pepper burned butter Rope grown mussels, pine, lime, black butter, sea salt.
Sreak frites with fried fresh herbs Steak frites: pan roast of coulotte steak, garlicky herb frites.
Local halibut, littlenecks, tabouli, parsley sauce.
Fresh tomato, burrata and lobster salad with a lemon dressing and crisp.
Corn cream soup sweet corn soup, chanterelles, basil.
Who comes up with this stuff, seriously?
It’s all as good as it sounds and you can have it if you can get a reservation.