Boathouse Bistro Tapas Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Boothbay Harbor

Best risotto I've ever had! We were a party of 5 sat on the roof deck. Service was curtious, prompt and accurate.

We had 2 starters; oysters on the half shell and a goat cheese tart. The tart was flakey with just the right tang with wonderfully smooth cold goat cheese. The shell was cooked perfectly, for those of us that like soft cheeses it was a major hit. The oysters, fresh, cold and buttery as you'd expect them to be. Oysters are imho easy to get right and just as easy to spoil with pre-saucing. These were the former with a selection of cocktail sauce, horseradish, lemon wedges and an orange colored sauce that regretfully I don't remember what was. The starters set the tone for dinner.

We enjoyed 2 different risottos, a lobster newberg over baked potato and a seafood alfredo. The risottos were fantastic. Perfectly cooked seafood, over a creamy cheesey properly cooked risotto. It was an amazing find on that roof top. I can't say enough good things about it. They had several options of risotto for those who do not like seafood. If you find yourself there do try a risotto. The alfredo had amazing large flat noodles. They were cooked properly and the sauce was rich, creamy and if not for the risotto would have been the highlight of the night. The newberg was similar quality but not the beacons the other 2 dishes were.

Price was on the high side, but they did have less expensive pub fair available. I'd say if you are doing seafood plan on spending a fair bit. The value for money was very high and worth the price.

I've not eaten at every restaurant in Maine but this by far was the best risotto I've had to date.If you find yourself in the area definitely pop in for dinner you won't be...

Boathouse BiatroTapas Bar will not disappoint!

We came on a rainy day in June and not many places were open in the arwa, so we stopped in Boathouse Bistro Tapas bar. The place was relatively busy considering the weather. The atmosphere inside was nice, and in particular I really enjoyed the paintings they had on the walls. The bathroom and restaurant was clean and in great condition.

I ordered the Shrimp Risotto with Mexican seasoning. Normally I'm skeptical of ordering risotto - however this was hands down the best risotto I've ever had and I was extremely pleased with my order. There were about 10 decently sized shrimp with the meal. The risotto had a nice cheesy consistency. The Mexican seasoning was the real highlight. It didn't take over the dish, but had a great flavor in every bite and you could taste the heat and smokiness which complimented everything nicely. I scraped every morsel off the plate! My mother got the Haddock Risotto which she enjoyed as someone who really likes Haddock. I tried it and that was also good, but I preferred my selection. Everyone else in the party seemed to enjoy their meal as well. They had a small selection of local craft beers which was good.

Pricing was a bit high, but in line with what you'd pay for seafood and the quality of the meal, so no real complaints there. Service was friendly and the location is central to the main harbor area...

We just completed an eight day trip through parts of New England and Canada. Of all our dinners, including restaurants in Boston and Montreal, this was by far our favorite meal.

The restaurant has a great location beside the harbor, and the building is old coastal Maine. However, the inside of the restaurant is rather plain. By looking at it, you would never assume the quality of the food you'll find here.

We started with an incredible Ceasar Salad. The dressing was creamy and delicious, the shaved cheese was plentiful, and the lettuce was fresh and crisp.

I had the shrimp and grits (sans the bacon) for my entree, and it was out of this world. The grits were deliciously cheesy, and the cajun seasoning on the shrimp was perfect. It was just the right spice to complement the grits. If we had had another day in Boothbay, I would have gone back the next day and ordered the exact same dish.

My husband had the Haddock Risotto, and it was also outstanding. Our server informed us that the chef specializes in risotto, and we agree that she knows exactly what she is doing. Both the fish and risotto were perfectly crafted.

We ended the night with the tiaramasu. It was creamy and light. Personally, I prefer my tiaramasu to have a little bolder flavor to it, but it was a great finale to an incredible meal.

We would go back in...