Pemaquid Fisherman’s Co-Op

Gave them another try on 6÷21÷16 — and what a difference. The place is under new management, they remodeled the inside, and built a new deck on the outside. Besides the stunning views from the new deck, the staff was actually smiling this time. We met Ashley, daughter of the new owner, who was very friendly and promoted the new restaurant. Something you don’t see in Maine very much. Food was good. We will be back.

Off the beaten path but well worth visiting. Wonderful people and great food. Best lobster rolls in the entire midcoast region! BYOB and eat inside or out on the brand new deck overlooking a working lobster co-​op and lovely Pemaquid Harbor with views out to islands. Beautiful family day trip area with sandy Pemaquid Beach, historical sites and the famous Pemaquid Lighthouse right nearby. Don’t miss it!

Pemaquid Point lobster Coop used to be one of the best places to sit and eat fresh lobster.
I went back in 2015 and did not know it had been sold when I ordered my lobster. They tried to pass off a frozen lobster as fresh. Only when I sent it back because it had no taste and a texture like rubber did they admit it was not a fresh lobster. Six local senior citizens each ordered two pound lobsters. When they went to pay, the proprietor charged them an extra $ 5. each for bringing their salads in a picnic basket. They had been coming to the co-​op for many years and they were furious. The party picked up their basket and left without lobsters.
It is a shame to lose this wonderful resource.

Check the hours of operation before you make plans to eat here. You don’t want to be unable to order. Note: they sometimes close early and sometimes they run out of stuff.
The last time we went there (last week) I ordered 2 lb of steamers on the dinner. The steamers were sandy, and they furnished a cup of hot water for me to rinse the steamers in. I rinsed and rinsed and some sand accumulated in the bottom of the cup, but the clams were still sandy. Don’t they know how to prepare steamers?
The haddock sandwiches that our party ordered were very good, but I was tired of haddock. The guy that ordered the lobster dinner was happy. The corn was very good. But the main event for me, the steamers, were sandy. I quit eating them because I was tired of eating sand.
The view was outstanding.
This is a BYO.

Great views and friendly people. Lobster roll was very good, not great compared to others. The lobster dinner was also very good. Way off the main roads but that just adds to the atmosphere — peaceful and relaxing.

Way, way off the beaten track. GPS a must. This is where the locals go to get lobster. It is a co-​op so the lobstermen bring their catch to the dock here and it goes right on to your plate. Prices are very reasonable so do not expect a «dining experience» Rustic wood tables and benches overlooking the harbor. Go see the Pemaquid Lighthouse then stop by here for lunch.

Lobster rolls had absolutely no seasoning. The roll was jumbo, the portion was not. Taste was just okay. Salad was good, lots of fresh veggies. Corn was overlooked and tasteless. $ 1.50 for a tiny shot of coleslaw. People behind the counter acted like that was the last place on earth they wanted to be.

This is wonderful, the views are true Maine and the people are nice. Can’t go wrong with this place whatever you order.

So disappointed! 45 minute wait, over charged and chowder was cold!

i have eat there with my gf many times since 2010 the staff is friendly its come as you are and byob its not clothe napkins its just good food the lobsters roll is one of the best i have ever had my gf loves there lobsters we share the steams the fried food is also very good when we go to pemaquid lighthouse i look forward to stopping there its very good food at a decent price

Amazing views and fresh lobsters! We ate at several places in bristol, south bristol, and other towns, but this place is just the best!
We actually ate here 2 nights in a row based on how much fun we had.
Its a great value, its fresh (boat to table), the views are just amazing and its BYOB!
It can get crowded in a hurry, so get there early.

We ate here at least a dozen times over a two week period so obviously we enjoyed it. We recommend the lobster, clams, haddock, and scallops. All fresh and good as it comes. We enjoyed the casual atmosphere and great views. We would not recommend the crab rolls. The french fries were inconsistent. Sometimes soggy and underdone, sometimes crisp. Prices were not cheap. Very crowded on Saturday evening but otherwise relaxing.

The entire Pemaquid area has been in my heart for over thirty years. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s my favorite place in the world. I’ve got family who have been living in this area since the 60’s, I’ve found arrowheads near the Fort and taken skiff rides in Pemaquid Harbor with my Dad, walked through the woods a hundred times with my Mom, Dad and sister, and have wonderful memories of our old dog refusing to get out of the water when it’s time to go back inside for the night. My best memories are there, and I have three decades of them. And as a family, we’ve eaten many a delicious lobster at the Fisherman’s Co-​op over the years while taking in that stunning view. So it pains me greatly to give the Pemaquid Fisherman’s Co-​op this poor evaluation.
I’m now an adult and have moved across the country to California with my husband. We’re about to have our first baby while my entire family lives in New England, and there are over 3,000 miles in between us. It’s not my ideal situation. But last week, right before the pregnancy cut-​off for flying set in, I got my pregnant, homesick self onto a plane and went to visit my family one last time before the new kiddo enters our lives. All I wanted was to simply see my family for a week and maybe, just maybe, at some point get up to Maine to have a real Maine lobster with them (west coast «lobsters» are a sad joke, so when lobster cravings set in in California, it’s best to stop searching and just get on a plane). I’d been craving a Maine lobster for six months.
Well, we DID get up to Pemaquid, and it was a blast! Until we went to the trusty old Co-​op overlooking the harbor, that is. My mom, dad, sister, sister’s fiancé, three grandparents, myself, and the wee kicking fetus got to the Co-​op at 7:20pm. Closing time was at 8. As soon as we walked into the Co-​op shack to place our order, the older woman working at the shack (I assume she was the boss) said loudly, so we could all hear:
«Awwwww, MAN, I was hoping we could get out of here early tonight!»
Very nice. So tactful. Thanks, lady. Why, yes, I did fly 3,000 miles while in my third trimester for a lobster with my family JUST TO INCONVENIENCE YOU. My wonderful, generous parents are treating all of us to a dinner here at the Co-​op after shelling out a couple hundred dollars to hear you complain about us trying to give you more business. I love it when the locals make you feel welcomed. The sad part is, we are practically locals ourselves!
Also, it’s not as if we were the only people there– almost all of the tables outside were full and most people were still eating. We sat inside the shack rather than outside, that’s how busy it was.
From our tables inside, we had a wonderful view of our lobsters as they sat out, fully cooked, in the kitchen for over fifteen minutes. By the time they were served to us in the order window, all of our food was luke warm.
We’d only been eating for about five minutes when all of a sudden, the rude teenage staff began agitatedly unrolling the thick plastic on the shack windows, letting the plastic hit the window sills hard to show their frustration with us latecomers. By doing this, they blocked our beautiful views of the harbor, the whole point in going to the Co-​op in the first place! We could have gone to Shaw’s Wharf instead, but it’s got less of a view and more people. The staff clearly wanted us to hurry up and finish, and this was their extremely rude way of telling us it was closing time. We sat eating just long enough for one of the teenagers to come over and ask me if I wanted to keep my metal lobster crackers and forfeit the dollar it cost to use to use them. I looked at my lobster, a very, very hard-​shelled one which I’d barely started on, and said that no, obviously I wasn’t done using the crackers but that I certainly wasn’t going to steal them when I was done. It honest-​to-​God took me five entire minutes just to open one side of a single claw. He begrudgingly gave me my dollar back as I promised to leave the crackers in the shack when I was done.
By the time my family and I had finished our meals, it was barely 8pm and the shack was completely closed up. Every single employee of the Fisherman’s Co-​op had already left before we had finished our meals. I’ve never felt so rushed at a restaurant in my whole life, and the staff made me and my entire family feel hurried and stressed out as we ate.
I’m not sure when the change happened. I remember workers at the Co-​op serving food happily, with a «thank you» and a genuine smile, and sometimes a «Let me know if you need anything else.» I realize I’m getting older, and perhaps this is just a «Kids these days» moment, but when did people stop being polite? Is social media and lack of real world interraction to blame? Because we also encountered this same blasé rudeness at Round Top in Damariscotta. It’s unsettling.
Sorry for the two stars, Co-​op, but you really earned it with your rudeness and cold lobsters.

My wife and I stopped in a few days ago we have eaten there over the years many times. We always have a good time the lobsters are fresh their cook the way we like it serves the way we like it also and the views are hard to denier beautiful. The prices are reasonable it’s a BYOB and it’s an all-​around enjoyable afternoon or early evening. So two thumbs up from my wife and I. Bön appétit.

I’ve been on a quest for the perfect lobster roll, and found it at Pemaquid Fisherman’s Co-​op! The big chunks of lobster are fresh, perfectly cooked and served on a just-​right roll. When I visit Maine, I love going to the Co-​op on pretty days when I can sit outside at the picnic tables, and watch the boats go through the bay. On blustery days, it’s fun to sit inside the cozy covered porch area.

This restaurant is very rustic. You order at the window and than wait for your number to be called. We opted to sit outside, but there is a covered dining area as well. The price of lobsters has remained low this summer so we paid $only 4.99 per pound. I received the softest of soft shelled lobsters, but my wife lucked out by getting a hard shell after they ran out of the soft shells. A side order of coleslaw was a perfect compliment to the sweet tasting lobster bathed in melted butter.

Fantastic lobsters, the fries were perfect, and onion rings were great too. We had steamers as well, and they were good. The view is to-​die-​for. It’s also BYOB, just like a picnic, with lobsters. Priced at 6.99/lb (cooked) for hard-​shelled lobsters and 4.99/lb (cooked) for soft shelled ones, there is nothing quite more to ask. PERFECT, and I love this place!
If I were to nitpick, I’d say I didn’t like the coleslaw since there wasn’t much dressing.

Dont go here… cause I hate waiting for tables.
But seriously, best deals in Maine! And they boil a lobster as well as anyone. PLUS you get to BYOB

Mike Urban, the author of «Lobster Shacks: A Road Guide to New England’s Best Lobster Joints» mentioned Pemaquid Fisherman’s Co-​Op, indicating that the «place is a throwback to the days when lobsters were trapped and eaten locally in a rural setting reminiscent of an Andrew Wyeth painting.»
After finishing a book signing in Damariscotta, my wife and I headed down the peninsula towards Pemaquid Harbor. The Co-​Op is off the beaten path, but several signs direct you to your destination.
The views of Pemaquid Harbor are gorgeous. The nearby dock and harbor views accent some mighty fine seafood, as fresh as it gets.
If you are someone that has to have all kinds of amenities to appreciate lobster and various kinds of Maine seafood, then Pemaquid Fisherman’s Co-​Op will probably disappoint you. The open-​air structure and picnic tables provide a no frills approach to seafood that’s taken off the boats and carried up the hill before preparation. If fresh is what you want, and fresh is what makes lobster, clams and other coastal delicacies special, then this is a place worth seeking out.
My wife had the lobster dinner with a side of steamers. She loved her lobster and raved about her steamers.
I opted for some deep-​fried fare this time out, choosing the combo basket of scallops and haddock. Both the haddock (a large portion) and scallops were excellent. The fries were nothing special, but the cole slaw was very good with hints of pineapple adding a nice touch to a good slaw.
While my wife was savoring her lobster, I decided to try a cup of the clam chowder. I’m glad I did because the Pemaquid Fisherman’s Co-Op’s chowder was outstanding. Not the overly thick, all-​too-​creamy concoction that’s become ubiquitous in New England (maybe because of chains like Legal Seafoods?), theirs was similar to the traditional recipes you’ll find in a Marjorie Standish cookbook – flavorful broth, abundant potatoes, and real clams with necks intact, with a bit of onion and the kind you savor every spoonful of.
A real treat and I’m glad we sought this one out. We’ll definitely come back here again.

We first came here two years ago and it left such a wonderful memory we had to go back. A perfect 10, if your ‘10’ is great food, great view, great people and great prices. You couldn’t find a better lobster experience in the U.S. We ordered lobsters, clams, fried shrimp, lobster stew (which was a bit watery), and c-​o-​c and slaw. Perfect for a family with two kids.