J’s Oyster

«I’m not a food critic and I’m not gonna Unilocal this, but as a simple layman, I found the clam chowder to be delightfully delicious.»
«The mussels were spectacularly spicy, but not too.»
On the lobster roll:
«I’m starting to craft a response right now on my first bite.. . Yum.»
— my Dad

Lobster roll– lobster was fresh but bland. The roll looked like the hot dog buns you get at Walmart for $ 1.28. Chips were stale. $ 19.44 for a mediocre sandwich.

Very disappointed in our lobster dinner. Animal was not fresh (meat stuck to to shell means lobster was dead when cooked) on all our orders. Plenty of other lobster places in town to try. Can’t talk about oysters, didn’t order any.

Tasty seafood in a dive bar full of local characters. Well, about half-​full; the rest were tourists like us. The bartenders were super helpful in picking out some long neck clams and then showing us how to eat them. The food was good and reasonably priced.
They were sold out of oysters when we showed up about an hour before closing so we will definitely have to come back to try them.

Lobster are so fresh and delicious! But the waiting time is so long… it seems like just few waiter

Five stars for the atmosphere! Had fun waiting, talking, and people watching at the bar.
Food was ok. Mussels-​good, lobster roll-​good, crab stuffed mushrooms-​not so good, bloody mary-​okay/​bland, lobster bisque-​very good!

This is one of my favorite seafood restaurants in Maine. We discovered it after our tour guide on the Maine Foodie Tour mentioned they serve the best fish sandwich around the area. J’s serve the best deal for oysters at $ 21 for a dozen! They were so delicious that I came back for them two nights in a row! Even more, their raw scallops and lobster seafood combo is a must try! The food is super fresh, I guess it was just delivered fresh out of the ocean. The haddock fish sandwich also lives up its its name. The fish was so sweet and tender that it melted right in my mouth! I will definitely return to Maine soon for this!

Cindy is one of the most amazing people I have met in ME, the food is amazing as well I encourage everyone to eat here!!! Great establishment!!!

This place is a fun a kinda divey place to go as a tourist. I’d say, visiting Maine you should go somewhere like this at least once. The lobster roll here has huge chunks of fresh lobster which I loved. Our group voted this the best lobster roll on our trip.
I’m kinda not super into places that serve potato chips instead of fries though.
All in all, I give three stars because I think that there is probably another similar type place you can go to get a similar experience, but where it feels like they are a bit more spirited about their concept and try a little harder.

Liked J’s. Good food, friendly prompt service, decent prices and it’s where the locals go. It’s a non-​pretentious type of place. It’s not the place for guys who try to show they’ve big wallets and big mouths but no class. It’s a down to earth, salt of the earth type place.

I’ve had seafood on both coasts, and J’s oyster is among the best I’ve had. The fresh clams and raw scallops are to die for! I’ll have to stop by again for the signature oysters sometime…
The scallops have a succulent, tender bite and a wonderful sweetness; I’d consider them almost a dessert. Eat them with just a squeeze of lemon for maximum impact!
Be careful to clean your clams aggressively before eating. The crunch of sand really isn’t such a nice mouthfeel. So very worth it, though… they’re juicy and an absolute pleasure. Enjoy!

Last night Lena and I shared the seafood casserole. It was delicious. There were huge chunks of shrimp, lobster, scallops, and fish. It was baked in the oven and had just a thin layer of bread crumbs on top. It was about 28 bucks but completely worth it. We were told to check out J’s cause it’s where the locals hang out. The bar was very full and it was just the atmosphere we needed.

I never knew how mussels are properly eaten and best served until I came to Portland, Maine. In the past I tried mussels with pasta, raw with many sauces, baked with vegetables, etc. I even tried to make it at home. I finally gave up and concluded that mussels are just for decoration, cool-​on-​photos and just to make you look fancy or something.
About the mussels at J’s Oysters.
They serve them in a giant oval bowl, steamed and topped with fresh ingredients: garlic, touch of scallions, little of green and red peppers and a slice of lemon. What a wonderful simple and tasty sauce! They were very delicious and we could’ve eaten more. Maybe the secret is everything was fresh. I’m tellin’ ya, wherever you go, eat local, natural and whatever earth has to offer in that season.
Tried lobster stew here which was amazing too! It was hot, fresh, rich in tender scrumptious lobster meat and perfectly creamy. The lobster roll here wasn’t that great. I’ve had much better. It was small, coated with a leaf of lettuce on top of a cold stale roll, served with a packet of mayo and chips. Hmm, I think you have the right to be picky about your lobster roll if you are in Maine. Although the place wasn’t the cleanest, but we left happy. Mussels here and lobster stew were something you don’t experience and enjoy everyday.
Oh, wait, we didn’t try the oysters here! Ok, no worries, there shall be next time.

it was a very good food experience for a quick dinner with the king of Unilocal of the northern Maine. Ahmad A. we had lobster stew, lobster rolls and mussels
pros:
nice laid back atmosphere. and although it was nighttime. the view outside is perfect for a sunny summer with some fresh seafood
amazingly delicious lobster stew. very creamy and fresh
lobster roll was delicious, but a bit small. they have a small kitchen so they serve chips not fries.
the mussels were the best I’ve ever had!
very nice and friendly staff
cons:
not the best clean place and it wasn’t even crowded at the time
the lobster roll is a bit pricey

The waitress we had that wore a ball cap was super friendly and attentive! I really enjoyed her presence
Ordered half a dozen oyster, cup of clam chowder, large bucket of clams and side of potato salad.
The oysters were big and delicious. Super tasty!!! Highly recommend.
The clam chowder was full of flavor, but too liquidy for me. If it was just a bit more thick, it would have been perfect but it was like watery soup then a chowder.
The large clams for 2 of us was a bit too much for us to finish. Lol, but it was great. Couldn’t really taste the butter so I asked for lemon on the side and dipped it with that.
Potato salad was bland so add salt and pepper and it’ll be super refreshing. The hint of scallion slices in there was yummy.
Enjoy!

I love J’s Oyster Bar… So why the 3 star review, you may ask? Well, it’s just that kinda place, in a good way. Know what you are getting yourself into and you will be A-​OK! My recommendation is to go in the winter time and avoid the madness of this place in the summer. OMG tourist hell.
When you go in the winter–
First, sit at the bar (if you can) and order a Bloody Mary, extra spicy. They are delicious and strong as hell.
Second, enjoy the local vibe. Start talking to your neighbor. I have had some of the most enjoyable and interesting conversations at this bar. Good times, good times.
Third, the dinners are okay, but way over priced. Don’t bother buying one of the full meals. Get the lobster claw cocktail and the haddock sandwich, maybe even some oysters or the fish chowder, but don’t bother with the expensive meals.
Lastly, have fun and wait until the following winter to return!

Service sucks but can’t go wrong with steamed seafood and butter! You just need to be aggressive with flagging down a bartender in this understaffed establishment. They have 4 local beers that I found to be tasty.
Deliciously clam packed chowder
Lobster roll
Lobster and steamers
3 beers
$ 81 with tip. Not bad! Probably would’ve been more if someone came around to refill our drinks. There are lots of good seafood restaurants in this port city. And I’ll be sure to try them before coming back to this place.

When it isn’t tourist season in Portland, you’ll be loathe to find many places open past 9pm. I suppose that makes sense, but it is incredibly vexing, and the Unilocal information does not reflect tourist season hours. HOWEVER, J’s Oyster is OPEN and OPEN LATE year round, thank heavens.
Came here late one wintry evening and the place was half to two thirds full the entire time I was there. The place is basically a big bar in the center with tables on the walls. I sat at the bar and had a coupla Harpoon IPAs, a half dozen raw oysters (which were sitting on ice in the middle of the bar – nice touch), and some New England clam chowder, which damn, is the best way to warm up on a cold night.
The place had a divey feel, but it was more of a local feel. People knew one another. I appreciated being able to eat some good seafood late on a weeknight and wash it down with some suds after a long day. Would recommend to anyone.

This seafood shack is my favorite place to when I am in Portland. I think if I don’t go there to get their clams I will come home depressed. It is always packed but it’s really worth the wait. The staff may sometimes be short with you but that’s because they are constantly on the go so I normally won’t let that bother me because I am here for the seafood. This place is rather small so grab any bar seat you could find.
Their clams make me cry and give me euphoria every time I bite into those juicy sweet thing! Seriously this is the best clams I have ever eaten in my life and believe me I have eaten a lot of them as I used to live in the Pacific Northwest. Their lobster roll, fresh oysters and clam chowder, they are all so good I think I may just plan on moving to Maine. :) I can’t wait to go back!

The service here was great but unfortunately, the food was less than stellar.
For starters, we shared the Lobster Stew (or Lobster Bisque as it is called in MD) which was really really good! My husband had the lobster roll which he mentioned was okay but the lobster was bland and unseasoned and was served on a regular hot dog bun. I on the other hand had the shrimp scampi which too was bland and left ALOT to be desired. I added salt to the dish and jazz it up a bit, but I wonder if someone actually tastes the food prior to it being served. The shrimp scampi was served with noodles, scampi sauce, five extra large seasoned shrimp and red and green bell peppers.
Although the service was wonderful, I hope the owners or cook will read through the reviews and correct the food and lack of seasoning to improve the star ratings provided by fellow Unilocalers.