King Eider’s Pub

I have e to give this place a firm 5 star for my latest visit Sunday/​memorial weekend. The haddock picatta was to die for. It was perfectly prepared and cooked. The shrimp cocktail and the oysters where fresh and awesome… There was no sea flavor taste to them. They tasted perfect !!! My son had a kids meal which was very good… yes pasta ! But it was cooked nicely and served hot with a side of
wife had the crab cakes which seems said was awesome. It came with a nice sauce. The service was great. We had a male waiter on the 2^nd floor and he was attentive and polite and made great suggestions. I thought I was walking into your basic pub grub but was pleasantly surprised with great food ! The hostess was a little put off that we did not want to sit down stairs by the bar stating reservations would not allow us to find a place upstairs but after a please and thank you and a few more pleases her attitude changed and she miraculously found a table for us !!!. Some parents don’t find having a child sitting in a bar atmosphere a good idea ! That’s my only comment ! But the hostess turned out to be super ! What a nice lady !!!

In this day and age, there is no excuse for a restaurant not to be handicapped accessible. My husband couldn’t do the stairs and there is no other entrance. Ended up across the street much to my husband’s embarrassment.

We went to King Eiders for beers on Friday and lunch on Saturday. When we sat in the bar we were served immediately. The bartender was talkative with all the patrons. We saw some of the food coming out and decided to go for lunch the next day. Saturday we went right at peak lunch time and we were also seated immediately. They seem to have a lot of seating. They were busy but the staff was attentive. We happened to see that they did whiskey flights so we tried the flight of Scotland and weren’t dissapointed. This was the first place we have seen this so we were pumped. The wings were really delicious and they let us do two flavors for one order. We also had the nachos with beef. They weren’t the most amazing nachos we have had but they were better than most. Overall we would definitely visit again.

I was sad we were just passing through and could only eat here once! The old New England Pub feel was cozy and felt like the kind of place I would want to join the mug club! The food was fantastic, the service was spot on… we were very pleased and will make it back to King Eider’s Pub our next trip through Maine!

Had the Mussels and Chorizo, what a great pairing. Dinner was good and had a great Nitro Coffee brew from Sam Smith.

Made a reservation for this place on a Saturday night at 6pm. Ordered food immediately upon arriving and got our food within 20 minutes. Food was excellent! Props to the chef & sous chef because everything was perfectly cooked and tasted out of this world. Crab cakes were the best I have ever had. We could tell the seafood in the pot pie my boyfriend got was fresh and never frozen, which really makes a difference. And my steak was outstanding. 5 stars on the food, without a doubt. Service however… that was a 3. Waitress was kind enough but… we got our food at 625pm and were done eating by 645pm. It took us another 30 minutes for the waitress to notice and bring us the bill. Of course it is always nice to not feel rushed but… they could have had us in and out of that place in 45 minutes! 30 minutes spent on just getting us a bill and picking up the card to check us out? Missed opportunities for this place. I can see why the week before we were turned away at 5pm (because we didn’t have a reservation). This place needs more wait staff.

Went for lunch with my mom– it’s a funky and cozy space. We were seated upstairs at a little table near the bar. I had the crab burger which was very good. Our waiter was friendly and efficient.

The service and the food was outstanding. If you’re looking for a place to have a quiet lunch on the Maine coast offseason this would be the place

Love this place. When you go, sit at the bar. The bartenders are personable and super nice. They have Stella Cidre on tap. We always get the mussels. I don’t know where they get them but they are nice and plump. It’s am appetizer to share because it’s huge. One of our fave things to order. Split the special which was a ribeye with Parmesan cheese on top. One really nice thing is they split it for you so you aren’t trying to do the plate shuffle at the table. Steak was delicious and tender. You have to try their Irish cupcake. Omg! Guiness and chocolate cupcake with Jameson icing. It’s sinful and oh so good! Take one home if you have to but definitely try it.

Oysters on half shell excellent. Chicken Pot Pie tasteless and a high priced rip off! Menu says «cream sauce» NOT SO! A watery mix of some veggies and boiled chicken pieces with a basic flour/​water based crust. Expensive and unappetizing. Our comments/​complaints were responded to by the waitress and the lady host with «sorry!» Apparently our fault for ordering it. Upstairs seating overly noisy. «Sorry».
Have enjoyed oysters, hamburgers, and beer on previous visits.

Food was good but the locals sitting next to us could be heard complaining about us being there, wouldn’t recommend unless you like feeling uncomfortable while you eat

Visited Damariscotta many times, first time trying King Eider’s Pub. Our party of 5 were warmly welcomed by the hostess and quickly seated upstairs. Friendly waitress was excellent, provided prompt, courteous service and quickly removed plates after each serving. I really enjoyed a half dozen fresh local oysters and cup of seafood chowder for appetizers, my fellow diners had the grilled bacon-​wrapped sea scallops, BBQ grilled oysters, and baked pretzels w/​Brie cheese dipping sauce. My «sautéed» haddock sandwich was very fresh but bland, the French fries were dark, limp, and tasteless. My fellow diners enjoyed their full rack of BBQ ribs, grilled NY Sirloin steak, and Chicken Pot Pie. All in all a good meal.

Still 5 star — been there many times since my first review, but I’d never had the seafood pot pie — and now I don’t know why. It was unbelievably good. It’s really more of a seafood cream stew with a pastry top. The sauce was really good. Try it.

I try and not give out five stars so with such flagrant abandon, but King Eider’s has earned each of these five stars. Nestled away on a side street right off the main street in Damariscotta sits this brick pub with a few tables for outdoor seating. The restaurant has two levels, the lower level – in my opinion by far the best ambiance and décor – is all brick walls, a dark bar, and is more pub than restaurant. The upstairs is more of a restaurant seating area, more light and airy. If you make a reservation, make sure you specify where you wish to sit. Also, the second floor is up a large flight of stairs so for the handicapped or elderly, just keep that in mind.
They have great cocktails, british beers, local on tap, and an incredible whisky selection. The food is great, tasty, local, and the oysters come right out of the river there in town until they have no more from the harvest, so try and get there for oysters before they run out in the winter. I don’t eat oysters, but my wife does, and she highly recommends. The pub pretzels are warm, buttery, golden, and with a blue cheese dipping sauce they are heavenly. The carolina wings are to die for, and their beef pies are savory.
We make sure, when we visit the area, it is always King Eider’s Pub. Oh, and the service, well friendly, and attentive. Great restaurant.

Three of us stopped in for lunch and sat outside on the small covered patio. We started with the pretzels (very good) and then had the crab cake sandwich and the smoked salmon BLT. The crab cakes were great but the smoked salmon BLT was even better. It is Duck Trap Scottish style salmon served on marble rye bread with lots of crispy bacon — superb combination.
The place has a a very English pub feel on three cozy levels. The drinks list is extensive and well thought out. Some excellent local ales (really local) that you don’t find in many pubs. But the food really is the star attraction and well worth a detour here.
Prices about average for coastal Maine.
Excellent and friendly service, too. Will absolutely be returning.

Visiting Damariscotta for the first time, we looked up different restaurants and decided to try this pub. We went a couple of times. The first time for drinks on the patio to people watch. The server was attentive and the margaritas were good. The second time was on Sunday for dinner, We didn’t think to make reservations as the previous night on Saturday the town was dead after the shops closed promptly around 5pm! Really?! In the Summer? At any rate, when we arrived the host told us that there might be a wait. There were some open tables in the bar area and some on the upper level, but he claimed they were reserved. However, they sat empty throughout our visit. We were seated in the oyster bar area, which was Ok, but we wanted to sit on the upper level as recommended by the Haunted History Tour guide to see if we could experience paranormal activity along with our dinner. The drinks were good, the blueberry martini was a favorite. The dishes were well prepared and very tasty. Steak and Ale pie was another winner. We had a Guinness cupcake for dessert, definitely worth it. It was outstanding.
All and all a good experience, however, the staff could be a little more welcoming and friendly.

You have to drop in and meet Dan the batender. Best haddock sandwhich we had. Sautéed. Best bacon wrapped scallop appetizer. Excellent BBQ oysters. Will go back!

My wife and I went to King Elder’s for lunch on July 3 after having been here many times before and usually enjoying ourselves. This time we were seated downstairs and it was horrible. After we were seated, the hostess/​waitress totally ignored us. After ten minutes, the bartender came around to take our drink orders (very nice) and we said we would like menus to order food. Hostess still ignored us and others — after ten minutes my wife went and asked her for menus which — she said «oh ok» and gave them to my wife. Over the next 15 minutes we tried to get her attention a couple of times, no luck, so we just walked out.
When we got up another couple also left with us — they were also ignored and had been there longer than us!
Only sit upstairs.

Favorite restaurant in Damariscotta. Great seafood, atmosphere and great people.
Must haves:
Mussels
Oysters
Crab Burger
Scallops

Let me preface this by saying I have only been to the bar downstairs so it may be different upstairs… in part.
I went with my mom and she and I were having a hard time deciding what we wanted so we asked for some advice from our waitress and she was really abrupt and obviously didn’t give to poops about us. We settled on the pub fries, Guinness and a Stella Cidre. I would say that was a good amount of incentive for our waitress to show that we were willing to have a good time and weren’t going to just order water and a side salad. When she came back she was no nicer still had no time for us. I don’t even remember what I ordered for a main course because the service was just such a let down. A note about the food, really heavy and greasy and kinda gives you a roiling tummy for the evening.
We went back a few times and had similar experiences with the same waitress and one other.
The last time we went and sat at the bar and the bartender was infinitely better.
So here is the take away, if you want friendly service sit at the bar. If you want to feel like a burden to a waitress sit at a table.