River House Restaurant — Restaurant in Damariscotta

Had a lovely time here while on vacation recently!

Being pregnant and predominantly pescatarian, I was comforted by the several options available suitable for pregnant women. That said, the restaurant was out of at least one option I was interested in (the mushroom app), and I learned I couldn’t eat the cheeses featured in the dishes as they’re unpasteurized. If I weren’t pregnant, I know I would have loved to have had the cheese!!! Looked amazing. The chef was accommodating towards my situation and left the cheese out of the tomato salad that came with my salmon, so I was really grateful for that.

The shining star of the evening was my zero proof cocktail The Layover. Hands down, the best NA cocktail I’ve ever had (and I’ve tried MANY). It had dimension, flavor, and most importantly, it had BITE. That’s so hard to find in a zero proof cocktail. So thank you thank you thank you for making an amazing option for those who can’t imbibe! I also tried the Ravenscourt Park mocktail but it didn’t hold a candle to The Layover.

Second shining star of the night was the soup of the day which was banana pepper! I was skeptical, but man in was tasty. It was buttery, rich, and had a bright pepper taste. So fantastic.

The rest of the table enjoyed the swordfish belly special, and everyone thought the smash burger was delicious.

Highly recommend and...

Although they have a VERY small menu (5 appetizers and 5 entree options, that’s it…no sides or dessert options). Our food was good overall.

Our server was either inexperienced or didn’t care to try to make it a good experience, she just seemed annoyed with us.

Our 1st frustration was that they did not tell us they are not kid friendly and I didn’t find any reviews or mention of it anywhere. So we brought our 4.5 year old and there were no options for him. I asked for a side of cucumbers or veggies, and we couldn’t be accommodated.

The google highlights mention “good for kids”. I don’t know many children that like steak, halibut, mussels, salmon, or oysters. So I would say this place is not good for kids.

2nd frustration is that they snuck in a 3% “fair kitchen wage fee” on our $190 bill. Prices were already on the higher end (it was just 2 of us plus a child) We understand the challenging times we are in, but a little frustrating that they don’t mention this anywhere and just add it to the bill with no...

Excellent from start to finish! My husband and I popped in for drinks and apps on Thursday night before heading down the street for dinner. Had we not had reservations with our extended family, we certainly would have happily stayed at The River House. Our server was super friendly, efficient and informative. Our drinks were both fantastic and both the mussels appetizer and the tomato appetizer were not only delicious, but so fresh and flavorful. We made it a point to go back the very next evening to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary! We happily sat at the bar where John served us creative top notch drinks. Our entire meal was delicious, but the miso squash was so amazing that we had to order it again as a side to go with our bluefin tuna and steak!

We’ve eaten at fantastic restaurants in Boston, San Francisco, Portland OR, and beyond, and this was right up there with the best of them. We will definitely be going back to The River House next time we...