Cornish Inn

The Cornish Inn is on route 25 as you head from Portland, Maine west to the White Mountains or Lake Winnipesaukee. This is a tough road to find dinner on if you don’t want an Italian or a slice of pizza. Most of the busy restaurants serve big portions of reheated processed food. Not the Cornish Inn. It is honest to goodness expertly cooked food albeit simple recipes — served in a casual atmosphere. It has a full bar, great service and a small but good wine list.
The Chef/​Owner was previously at Portland’s infamous, Fore Street Grill. He cooks from his heart using the finest standards of local food, fresh seafood and simple approaches. His fish chowder was impeccable. He makes the stock in small batches and finishes it when you order it – not too thick, perfectly seasoned and the wonderful taste of fresh fish comes through. (We even took an extra order home.)
Although we were tempted by the skirt steak and the deconstructed Shepherd’s pie, we stuck with the seafood. My husband had mussels Provencal and I had the crab cakes. Both were expertly done and seasoned perfectly. The meals were served with local greens and apples as well as his own cider vinaigrette and homemade bread.
We didn’t save room for dessert but we will definitely be back.

Our wedding would not have been as special as it was without the amazing people at the Cornish Inn.
Influenced by Lyndsey F.‘s review, my hubby and I visited the Cornish Inn, intending to maybe have our rehearsal dinner at their restaurant. The food and service was so phenomenal that we immediately agreed we wanted them to host our rehearsal dinner… and cater our wedding.
Richard is an extremely talented chef and a lovely person. Working with him was an absolute delight. We were practically drooling as he excitedly drew up menu plans with us. I requested colcannon as a side dish at our rehearsal dinner and he was more than happy to comply with my request. Everyone raved about the food, and the room itself was perfect: cozy and glamorous (an unusual combination). And the cocktails… the bartender was a gem.
We wanted casual BBQ food for the wedding and Richard went above and beyond. For EXTREMELY reasonable rates, we had hamburgers, hot dogs, perfect pulled pork sandwiches, pasta salad, green salad (Richard’s cider dressing is legendary), and several vegan side dishes. I was really impressed with Richard’s ability to execute on vegan fare for our guests, as it seems like a lot of chefs can do BBQ or vegan, but not both. He gave us the freshest, in-​season, local ingredients and cut NO corners. The bar staff was also fabulous and professional, and were able to handle our guests (many of whom are rock and roll types and big time lushes, god love ‘em.)
Heidi at the Inn was fantastic, and very helpful with responding to guests’ needs. The only issue we had was that, because this is a small country inn run by a couple, they weren’t always available to take phone calls/​reservations. Our guests (who are used to enormous chain hotels with ²⁴⁄₇ booking) found it frustrating to have to leave messages. But I’ll personally sacrifice a little convenience in favor of personality, excellent service, and local charm. Not to mention the AMAZING blueberry bread and butter that were complimentary in our rooms in the AM. Heidi even brought complimentary mimosas to myself and all my bridesmaids on the morning of my wedding! Totally unexpected, and very much appreciated
Like Lyndsey, I cannot recommend them enough. You will not get this level of quality, class, and service at these prices anywhere else. If you’re looking for a caterer or private dinner party in the area, look no further, because they cannot be beat.

Where’s little Cornish, Maine get off having two world-​class eateries? Just had our first-​ever meal at Cornish Inn (across Main Street from Krista’s) and found it exceptional in every respect: superb fare (lobster risotto to die for), servers that actually care, charming atmosphere, and live acoustic music that you can hear and yet still carry on a conversation. You can bet it won’t be our last visit!

Stayed here again and it was perfect! I had a very spacious and quiet room. I had dinner by myself in the restaurant (my traveling companions were delayed by a day) and they made me feel so at home and I quickly made some new friends.
The food was delicious and served at a nice, unrushed, pace. The seafood chowder and salmon cakes were lovely, and the homemade bread pudding was divine!

These guys catered our wedding. I cannot recommend them enough.
Our families also stayed here for the days up to and after our wedding.
It is a family owned bed and breakfast and the family that runs it is amazing. Richard and Heidi and their daughter Hannah made our wedding a success!
The food is incredible, they use the freshest ingredients and they cook with love. Richard used to work on the docks, so he has connections to get the freshest Maine fish that is available.
They bake their own bread, and smoke their own fish. The morning of breakfast that we had at our venue included some of the most buttery lox that I have ever tasted. And our wedding dinner was OOC. Paella (due to my first love, Spain), Kosher Chicken (for the religious side of the fam), and Pasta Primavera (for all of our hip vegan/​vegetarian friends) and fresh baked pasta, and roasted root vegetable salad!
They outsourced our cake, but it too was amazing. Three tiers of carrot cake (our fave) decorated in the same vain as our florals. Wrapped in ivy and roses.
We also patronize them a lot for dinner during the summer. The food is great, the atmosphere is fab and they have a great open mic on wednesday nights.
My dad says that staying in the rooms is like living in a Steven King novel, but he’s just a little scaredy cat!

My husband and I were traveling through Maine and happened upon The Cornish Inn where we met the DeCourcey’s who own and operate the inn and restaurant. We were welcomed with a very quaint room. That night we ate dinner in the restaurant downstairs where Richard, the owner, cooked an amazing meal. My husband ate the hanger steak and I had Hannah’s meatballs along with the flatbread pizza with apples and feta. It was one of the best meals I have ever had! And the prices are unbelievably reasonable! We lucked out finding this goldmine in Cornish and will definitely be back the next time we visit Maine.