Shepherd’s Pie

They are now open for lunch on a limited basis. Fantastic. This is my new favorite place for lunch on the weekend. Love these guys. Great food. Decent prices. Good atmosphere.

My wife and I ate here for our anniversary and we left as very happy customers. Both the food and the service were top notch and the atmosphere is relaxed and unpretentious. We don’t come to Rockport often, but we will definitely return to Shepherd’s Pie on our next visit.

My husband and I Iove coming here when we are in the area. The food is amazing and the atmosphere is great too! I would love for them to have a few more vegetarian options however, this is still one of my absolute favorite restaurants.

Eh… not many positives about this place but I’ll start with the ones I have: the ambiance is great (although a tad dark, I saw some poor older man using a candle to read his receipt) and the service was good as well.
The food? It was just ok. My hanger steak lacked flavor and wasn’t very tender– and for a price tag of $ 28, I expected both. Whenever a restaurant has fried Brussel sprouts I have to try them– and again, these were just ok. More greasy than crispy, although the flavor was nice. I’ve had much better though, especially being from the Portland area. My husbands pork belly sandwich was also not as expected. Pork belly, when cooked really well, falls apart at the touch. His sandwich, not so much.
I really really wanted to like this place– just think it fell short.

Shepherd’s Pie
In talking over our dinner here, My Love graciously suggested that he had ordered the wrong thing, that his disappointing dinner was his fault. But I really do think that a restaurant should be expected to turn out a wonderful rendition of their eponymous signature dish, in this case, Shepherd’s Pie. The main problem was that the lamb presence was questionable, as in «now you see it; now you don’t» and its small cast iron skillet was replete with gravy and mashed potatoes. My wood-​grilled ‘BBQ’ chicken legs w/​thighs, had a too-​sweet glaze for me, but the chicken itself was wonderfully succulent and moist. Our fav things were the sides: Local Corn, off the husk, with miso butter, garlic and bonito flakes; deep fried brussel sprouts in a spiced Heaven sauce, and shoe-​string onions. And a wonderful smoky Shooting Star Pinot. The poutine just didn’t work; the duck sausage lacked flavor depth, the duck gravy was the lightest I’ve seen, and the whole dish had an odd sweetness to it and was rather drowning in goo.
The room itself has one of the best water views anywhere, being in a brick 19^th c. storefront perched overlooking Rockport Harbor. Handsomely preserved, it’s a rowdy packed neighborhood gem with a large front bar area and some quieter tiny alcoves in the back
(the back with the view!) Service was upbeat and welcoming. Maybe we just didn’t order right. Prices and portions were reasonable enough and the menu big enough– to warrant a return trip. Besides, they are about the only game in town (Camden to Rockland) that’s open on Sundays.
* We returned tonight, Sunday, and after a number of major flavor-​misses, I ‘m thinking that
my palate and the chef’s– are from two different planets. The Madeira-​replete Chicken pâté was fine, once you scraped off the oddest flavored crust of ??? I’ve ever had [it turned out to be a ‘chef’s secret spice combo’ that, bad enough as it was, was made truly horrible by being bruleed.] The hangar steak, grilled to a perfect medium rare, was sliced WITH the grain and napped with the oddest ‘porcini cream’. The swordfish was charred but fresh and accompanied by a very odd pastey red coconut sauce. We duplicated our fav sides from last time– the corn and brussel sprouts, as well-​seasoned, bright and delicious as ever. Oh, the Pemaquid oysters were surprisingly salty but fanTAStic; pristinely fresh, VERY big, and plump. A little lemon and I was in heaven. As we drove away and talked over the experience, we agreed that if we learned on our next Rockland trip that the (very young) SP chef had changed, we might be tempted to return. After all, that view really was unbeatable.

Food was delicious! My husband had the best Shepherd ‘s pie in his life. My harpooned swordfish was cooked perfectly. Our fried Brussel sprouts had a delicious zing to them. I would make a reservation because we had to sit at the bar, but it was just as entertaining! Definitely try this place!

This place has the romantic charm & familiar service of the towne inn from days past… With much better — incredible — fare! My husband & I sat at the bar, as we didn’t make a reservation & even on a Monday night the place was packed! & we waited about a half hour to get bar seats. The bartender (Dennis if I remember correctly) was as entertaining as he was informed & made us glad we sat there over a table. We started with house pickles, which were as intriguing as they were delicious. We got fresh oysters (yum) the delicatable shepherd’s pie (yum yum!) made traditionally with lamb & something sweet… All this was lovingly paired by our friendly barkeep /​mixologist with a seasonal cocktail & local craft beers. So good. I’m the type of person who loves trying new things, but am struggling picking anywhere else to go on our vacation… We are here night one & I just want to go back!

This place is awesome! My Mum and I were down at the harbor taking some sunset photos and we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner in town. Shepherd’s pie took our last minute reservation, and was even able to seat us a few minutes early when we walked up the hill. We were seated at a GREAT table near the window, overlooking the water. It was fantastic! They have a great beer selection, and a very creative menu with lots of items containing locally grown ingredients. All of their beer is local (to New England) as well, which I really appreciate. :) We started with their roasted cauliflower which was maybe intended for an a la carte side dish, but we enjoyed it as an appetizer. Delicious. I had the Shepherd’s pie with soft, tender, tasty lamb, and my Mum had the cheeseburger. Both were very good! The french fries were perfectly seasoned, my Mum said that they were some of the best she’s ever had. I would absolutely return to Shepherd’s Pie on our next trip to Maine, and would recommend it to anyone staying in Rockport, Camden, Rockland, or anywhere along Route 1. It is a treat!

We really enjoyed our meal here. It was apparent why they were nominated for a James Beard award in their first year. We tried a lot of different items on the menu and it was all exceptional. The only issue was the grilled fish we ordered — it was completely raw on the inside. Whoever was cooking the fish that night was not on their game. Rookie mistake. But someone whose not a rookie should have caught the mistake before it got to out table. The fish looked beautifully grilled/​cooked, but as soon as we opened it up — well it was just plain raw. I can see this happening at a place not so high end, but it shouldn’t happen at such a steller restaurant like this one.

Been here now three times over three years. First time was 5 stars for both my wife and myself. Second time the cooks in charge were ‘into’ soy infusions and both of our plates were so intensely soy flavored (read: overly salty) that we couldn’t even finish one of the two and yet were still hungry before leaving the table. We commented that the servers should explain that the two dishes were, to be kind, overwhelming and not at all compatible — they expressed zero interest in our concerns.
Bringing us to the third visit. Being one who believes that restaurants deserve a second chance, we returned this July.
I ordered the pork chop, and my wife the chicken. My pork, ordered medium, came out cold (literally) in the middle. Putting on a game face I tried two bites. Seasoning was completely uninspired and tasteless and I felt as if I was cold cuts in an unheated Subway sandwich. I was fairly stunned that anyone would serve this to me. My wife’s chicken came out over-​seasoned, over cooked, small (ridiculously so) and, worst of all, dry. I had taken two bites and she one. We called over the waiter/​bartender and complained about both dishes. As one who almost never sends back a plate I was chagrined to have the server explain that ‘that’s how it’s served’ to which I rejoined ‘you don’t serve pork chops cold!’ Nothing was done, or offered to be done, about the chicken. Unreal.
As one who eats out all over the world as incidental to my profession, I was taken aback by the apparent complete lack of concern by the server, the distinct message being sent being ‘you don’t know good food’. Bad food with a side of pretense.
To her credit, my wife calmly and flatly said ‘we’ll pay for the drinks and we’re leaving and not paying for the food’. As if to remedy the situation they brought back my same pork chop, now ‘reheated’. I said ‘you’re kidding?’. A re-​heated $ 34 pork chop? I laughed, got the bill, paid for the drinks. Any half-​way intelligent manager would have spotted us the drinks, but the absolute lack of concern, and class, means we won’t be back.

Best place on the mid-​coast! Great service and the menu is solid. Cocktails are also fantastic.
The open kitchen is welcoming and the vibe of the whole place is very cool.
I’ve eaten there many times and I always leave thinking «yup, the is the spot!»
The Duck PB & J is outta this world!

This restaurant was recommended by our hotel when staying in the area. Food was fantastic with a unique blend of flavors. I had the duck pb&j which was delicious. Portions are generous and cocktails were delicious. I had a roasted pineapple margarita which had the perfect mix of salty-​roasted sweetness. Atmosphere was great with amazing views of the water or just enjoy watching the kitchen staff work their magic.

I was treated to a surprising amount of GREAT places in the area and Shepherds Pie was one of them. The pickled selection for an app is a great start, followed by entrees that you can’t go wrong with… and solid drinks straight through. I enjoyed the atmosphere with its low light and just enough conversation to make for good background noise.

A year later & still excellent.
Portland restaurants should take note of Shepherd’s Pie’s use of bold flavors. The heat, smoke & bright seasoning — and the above par, informed bar service — were welcomed surprises.
This area of the MidCoast is killing it!

We had the shepherds pie at Shepherds Pie on Halloween! Always a great time and a great meal, one of our favorite places in the Midcoast. Also love the chicken liver pâté for an app, and the fried clam tacos!

Hands down, the best sheperd’s pie I have ever had in my life (which one would hope considering that’s their name). I haven’t had a dish here I haven’t loved, and this is one of my favorite restaurants in the Camden/​Rockport/​Rockland area. The staff is really nice and knowledgable. The beer list is excellent, and predominantly features Maine brews. The deserts are to die for, and if you’re having trouble choosing, always go with the bread pudding. I generally fell very put off by bread in pudding form, but theirs is fantastic! My uncle never passed up an opportunity to order some, and I never passed up an opportunity to steal a bite.

Great spot in the harbor area. The menu is varied but very creative. Nick our waiter knew everything about the menu in great detail. The specials are excellent. I had the yellow tuna tartare. Very tasty. Definitely try the fried Brussels sprouts, they have a great flavor also. The dessert special was strawberry shortcake, on a massive biscuit. Also, our service was incredibly fast for a dinner.

Let me just start off by saying how much I love Maine. Two summers ago I worked on Vinalhaven as a Chef and had one of the best experiences of my life. The people, the food, the ingredients. I have been wanting to go to Shepherd’s Pie since then. I heard great things and finally the week of July 4^th I went with a group of local friends.
The cocktails were great! We sat at the bar and the service was great. Being a chef and having a lot of foodie friends we were ordering almost everything off of the menu.
Some notes:
Seasonal Pickles: very good, each item was pickled with a different brine and had its own distinct flavor.
Smoked alewife Caesar Salad: best caesar salad ive ever had. The dressing had a great smoky flavor to it and it was not overpowering.
Fried Green Tomatoes w/​a crab salad: I love fried green tomatoes but these were so disappointing. The tomatoes were hard. They should have been brined first. There was no flavor there. The crab salad was decent but would have been great if the tomatoes were done correctly.
NOTE: Now this is where it all went wrong. It is an OPEN KITCHEN. I have worked in open kitchen before. The diners can SEE YOU and HEAR YOU. Chefs: you need to watch what you say.
After ordering many things we decided to order the local cheeses. We asked our server what they were and she said she would ask the kitchen. The chef there proceeded to very loudly say «ARE YOU KIDDING ME. A CHEESE PLATE NOW!, I WANT TO GO HOME» It was 8:30. The place closes 9. Its cheese for gods sake. All you have to do is plate it. I am so sorry for the inconvenience. Your service finishes at 9! That is when my service is just picking up! This turned me off. When our server returned I asked her for the check and told her that her that the «chef» (lacks professionalism) needs to watch what he says because I heard everything. He then proceeded to come over like a big macho misogynistic asshole and ask how everything was with a huge smirk on his face. I was disgusted and turned off completely.
I wanted so very badly for this place to be good. It was just ok. It has the potential to be great. I don’t know if I will ever go back. I still have a bad taste in my mouth.

Oh my friggin’ goodness. This place is spectacular — worth the hype and then some!
Walking in, you immediately notice how much atmosphere and character the place has. Adorned with a tin ceiling, there are a cluster of tables near the entrance and more in the back. There is a decent-​sized bar, which is where we made our home for our dining and imbibing adventure. Initially, service at the bar was a bit slow, but once we had a chance to speak with the bartender and make him aware of our plans, we were in good shape.
There was an interesting selection of beers from around the world including a Japanese ginger beer that the bartender said was spectacular. I didn’t try it, as I stuck to wine, but found it to be a creative choice. Wines were a generous pour and reasonable in price.
We started with two of the bar snacks: curried pickled eggs and chicken liver toast. The curried eggs were served cold and had an amazing taste to them. Combination of that sweet and tart vinegar paired with the curry taste. The chicken liver toast was excellent as well, and came with three dollops of sauces. Next, we tried the Rhode Island calamari, which had a tomato confit and kalamata olives. It was again a generous portion and was delicious. We also split the duck PB+J. It was seared duck that had been thinly sliced and accompanied with a spicy peanut butter and hot pepper jelly. For me, hands down the best of the night and one of the more creative dishes that I have had in a while. If you like duck, just order it. You will not be disappointed. Oh, and the fries that come with it are pretty awesome too.
There were so many excellent choices on the menu, it was hard to decide on our selections. Makes me wish I lived closer to this place. Food is excellent, prices are awesome, and the service is good as well. Our bartender knew the menu well, and was able to make some very suitable suggestions over the course of the evening.

The fried clam tacos are wonderful. Expertly cooked, beautifully presented, and amazingly delicious. They are a fresh take on two classic dishes. The perfect combination of Maine and Mexico.
The atmosphere is modern and trendy. Great ambiance and music while not too loud. Overall a fantastic experience.