La Orilla

Best restaurant we’ve been to in awhile! We took a day trip to Ogunquit, ME on a Saturday and after shopping for a few hours, we came upon this Gem. It has a small patio out front, with heaters for those cool months. We had a friendly waiter, a nice quaint table, and with the sun shining, it was a perfect day. I enjoyed a nice Sangiovese, which was incredible with or without food. We started with the cheese plate, that complimented the wine very nice. Then, we had soups: mine was the butternut bisque, and my boyfriends was the clam chowder. All I can say, is that I wish this restaurant was closer. I would have to go there at least once a week or hand in a job application.

They were out of basically EVERYTHING. And after giving us the dinner menu, and leaving us alone to look at it forever they said we couldn’t have anything on it because «it’s not dinner time.» This is after a really long wait to get a table (even though nobody was actually sitting anywhere and plenty of tables were empty) and an even longer wait for drink orders and regular orders. The servers were spacey, and inattentive. Took forever to get the bill which was annoying because we just wanted to get the hell out of there ASAP. Food was overpriced for what it was and putting tapas on the sign outside was very misleading because there were no actual tapas available! Definitely an awful place, miss Mirandas more and more now, wish they would come back so this «restaurant» wouldn’t be a blight on Ogunquit center.

Very enjoyable, relaxing dinner spot. It was a little chilly — 50 degrees — but heat lamps were working well and kept us nice ‘n comfortable on their front patio seating. Plus the bldg blocked any wind. Made for an enjoyable view of the street life as the evening progressed.
This Mediterranean & tapas place was a nice change of pace from the lobster gorging we had been doing. They serve lobster here too, of course, with their own take on it. But we opted for: clam chowder (New England clam chowder, house cured bacon, garden herbs & house croutons) — top notch; oysters ($ 1 special instead of normal $ 3/​ea; from Wiley Point, Damariscotta River, ME; cocktail sauce, fresh shaved horseradish, hog wash) — typical, but fresh, including especially the horseradish; marinated olives — which were a very small, slightly tart type of olive that was surprisingly good; rosemary bread plate — nice soft chew to the crust, with an oil/​vinegar dipping mix; Bayley Hazen dates (stuffed Medjool dates, Bayley Hazen blue cheese, house cured bacon, bacon-​honey glaze) — warm, savory, delicious.
Enjoyed it all, and would recommend to others.

It was not the worst experience, but we were not wow’ed either.
They bill it as Mediterranean, but I didn’t find much on the menu that fit that category. It would have been nice to see some appetizers such as hummus and bread or dolmas.
We ordered the paella, which they sell only as an order for two. It was a pretty small portion — not really sized for two. The two shrimp for each of us were good, muscles ok, but the rice stuck to the pan, and there was only about a teaspoon of lobster to share.
We had some tapas which were good — figs (ok that does sound Mediterranean) and gnocchi
The service was very good, and the price was fair. So all in all, it was on OK experience.

This was a fabulous meal. Chef Matt is a superb cook. I am most impressed by how subtle, unusual and satisfying all the flavors are. The staff is incredibly friendly. On the whole the atmosphere is unassuming which makes the whole experience even better. The crab cakes are fabulous. The hake sandwich was delicious — in addition to a great smoky aioli, the fish was melt in your mouth. The sangria was great. The mussels were great. Nothing was less than great. The only problem was not having room for more. Can’t wait to go back.

Stopped by for an amazing Sunday lunch. All the dishes were great — marinated olives, anchovies, oysters, lobster and mussels in an incredible sauce. Dessert was also spectacular. Service was excellent, everyone very friendly. A memorable meal!

Possibly the best take on New England clam chowder I’ve ever had.
Everything here was delicious, but the chowder and sangria (white) were the real stand outs.
I love tapas and I loved the interesting take this place had — combining traditional New England with Spanish-​style cuisine. Really well executed.

Delicious. One of our best meals in Ogunquit. Lovely setting, good service, great food. We shared the paella and yum. Look forward to going back some time soon.

We enjoyed our meal at La Orilla this evening. Service was good. But it didn’t wow us to the point we would rush back. We travel full time so get to eat, drink and enjoy restaurants around the country (Canada too) and I guess we’ve been pretty spoiled for choice. All of the dishes we chose were very nice and presentation was lovely. Started with the cheese board, then the dates, and shared the Paella entrée for two, which had lobster, shrimp, mussels etc. I love Paella and order it whenever it’s on the menu. This was tasty and the seafood was fresh and excellent but the flavor of the dish seemed a bit like a curried rice! The paella sausage was cut in very small pieces and actually was burned which wasn’t optimal for taste. But overall we still enjoyed and finished it. Portion size not big considering it’s for two… It is just as well we started with two apps or we would have still been hungry. We were offered a taste of the sangria base before ordering and are glad we did as both the red and white were way too sweet for our liking, they add simple syrup… So we passed on sangria and had a glass of Malbec each instead. This was the most disappointing part of our meal. We have never before had a bad Malbec (even cheap ones taste good to us) but this one (I cannot recall the name but it’s the only Malbec on the menu) was bad. Neither of us enjoyed it and hubby left half a glass on the table unfinished. Such a shame. All up bill was about $ 90 with tip. We had read such amazing reviews and were excited to try it. And we did have a nice evening and meal, it just wasn’t as outstanding as we might have hoped. I really think the wine (weird soapy flavor?) was the biggest disappointment, and the food like I said was very good, but I have definitely had better paella and generally a much larger serving size. The chef does a good job and the meals are much more interesting than many places which we appreciated.

Brilliant food, brilliant staff, brilliant concept. Most enthusiastic, friendly group there and you feel like you’re part of an experiment gone fab. Tip: go with at least two others hungry so you can try as much as you can on the menu. It’s really worth it.

This was such a cute place with very friendly service. It was so relaxing sitting outside in the backyard while we ate. First, we had the stuffed dates which were good. For the entrée, we had the paella which did have very fresh seafood in it and the bits of chorizo were delicious. The sangria was not my favorite since it was too blueberry flavored for me but my husband liked it. The children’s portion of pasta was beyond small but they were nice and found some vegetables for him to eat. To finish off the meal, we played boccie in the back.

Incredible paella that brought us in and didn’t disappoint. Cute spot with a tiny patio as their only seating. Bravo on attention to detail and great dishes from the apps to the dessert. Amazing experience!

It was a nice experience to sip sangria on La Orilla’s patio during the summer. The food was also better than I expected in the touristy Ogunquit. I’d recommend making a reservation at La Orilla if you go in the summer since there were streams of people passing by the restaurant lined streets looking for a place to eat. We tried the oysters which were very fresh and came with a delicious cilantro/​jalapeño sauce. We shared the paella which contained some of the best shrimp I’ve eaten. Although we wish there was more lobster in the paella for the $ 39 price tag, it was nonetheless a tasty meal.

great service and amazing food– nice environment.
LOVE IT!

Hands down the best meal I have ever had! I am not a big seafood fan however given the circumstances I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and give some of these dishes a try.
I went with the mussels and the crab cakes to start and both absolutely blew me out of the water (no pun intended). Each of the dishes were served in broths that were so decadent and mouth watering that I contemplated ordering seconds instead of my entrée.
Thankfully I did go ahead with the entrée which was the savory ‘Solomillo’ sirloin steak. The meat was cooked to perfection but it was the pairing with the chimichurri and white truffle that sent my taste buds into a euphoric state of bliss. I probably took twice the amount of time I normally would to finish the meal just because I didn’t want the flavorful sensation to end!
I could go on and on about how incredible the food was but the staff was equally as impressive. From the host to the waitress to the chef greeting me from the kitchen, overall the dining experience at La Orilla was top notch and fully worthy of a Five Star review! I HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone in the area and I know for a fact that I will be returning before the summer’s end…

Dear all the people who may be intimidated by the menu… don’t be. This place is legit class with ZERO pretentiousness.
The hostess was the first to win us over. She was wonderful with our six year old. Encouraging him to draw her pictures, what a gem.
Our waitress was also terrific, very knowledgeable and nice. We ordered five tapas and asked her to arrange them to come out in the order she thought best. She nailed it.
Finally there was the food itself. Spot on tapas. Great presentation, perfect flavors, layered textures… Damn! Two of our tapas were the specials of the day and I can tell you you can dependably put your palate in the chef’s hands!
Enjoy your visit, you’ll love it!

I don’t often write reviews unless I’m totally impressed or totally disgusted. I was totally impressed by La Orilla.
The food spoke loudly enough for a solid 4 or 5 star review. As another reviewer said, I wanted seafood having just spent a day by the beach, but I also didn’t want the same ol’ haddock covered in bread crumbs and broiled. Shocking that so many restaurants so close to each other are doing the same exact thing. La Orilla delivered the much desired variety while still providing me with one incredible piece of fish. The hake with garbanzos, greens, red peppers and figs was perfectly cooked and its accompaniments were delicious separately and together. I’ll admit the figs still seemed out of place no matter how I mixed and matched the foods in this dish, but overall an amazing dish that I will be dreaming about!
However what really made this place worth 5 stars and worth writing a review was the service. Our server was pleasant and very knowledgeable. But I’m actually not writing about her. Foolishly I did not bring layers and was not prepared for the cool evening. La Orilla seems to only have outdoor seating. So the servers brought over a portable heat and set it up next to us, just for us. This was done after we simply asked to be sat near a heater. They went to a lot of trouble, but it did it pleasantly with a smile. That’s some good service!
Of course I’m also a sucker for any place that allows dogs, has a garden and actually uses it. There were beautiful chive blossoms on the table center pieces rather than generic flowers or candle. Lovely!
Finally. The price. Very reasonable for the quality and service.

In a stereotypical beach town like Ogunquit, La Orilla is a breath of fresh air. The cuisine is fresh (straight from the on-​site garden) and complex. I ate my fill for far less than what I would pay at a lobster shack while enjoying their awesome playlist over the intercom. Seriously, people, patronize this place! Help Ogunquit evolve into a destination the next generation will enjoy.
Still need convincing? Bacon wrapped blue cheese filled dates.

Sublime! At last. An Ogunquit restaurant serving truly delicious, imaginative and healthy Mediterranean food. We stopped in for lunch sampling our way from the Pinchos, caesar salad, hake sandwiches which were absolutely ‘weak-​at-​the-​knees’ delicious. Every detail at treat. A perfect completion — the cheese plate. We returned for DINNER! We shared the pulled pork boullebaise (only one bowl left — little wonder it was gorgeous)! Looking forward to sampling the paella.
I know good food (grew up cooking Mediterranean with my mother and her 8 sisters) and this is it.
And smartly, they keep the few ‘New England items’ on the menu for those who just have to have that lobster, chowder, or crab cake.
Matt is a master. Even within the first week, we felt we were in good, capable hands. True professionals. Can’t wait to come back. Again and again. Congrats La Orilla!

My husband and I came here on the Grand Opening and would recommend it and come back. I thought the pictured crab cakes were delicious though my husband thought they were a little bland. The La Orilla Burger with a fried egg was very good. Though their medium rare was a little too rare for me. Hubby got the Lobster Roll which was tasty, small and the bread though delicious dominated the sandwich. Big praise for the Sebago Frye’s Leap IPA. Check this place out.