LDI Lobster dock & dine — Restaurant in Deer Isle

When you think of a Maine lobster shack I am certain you will conjure up a view if LDI. This spot is prime real estate. The LDI Dine and Dock shack is on the right hand side as soon as you end your journey over the historical Deer Isle suspension bridge. The menu has the usual expected offerings, lobster rolls, crab rolls, mussels and steamers and during our visit live and steamed lobsters were also available. There were two menu offerings that seemed a bit out of place for a Maine seafood shack, Ahi tuna and smoked trout dip. As odd as I found the addition of these two items I found the absence of local fish more confusing. I'll correct this by saying that they did offer fish "nuggets" on the kiddie meal. Strange. The menu rounds out with hamburgers, veggie burger and hotdogs. We ordered a lobster roll, which was served in a regular hotdog roll with little mayo $22 was the MP. Lobster was fresh and sweet. We were disappointed that at 12:50p they were already sold out of crab rolls. I, instead opted for the crab cakes (2). The crab cakes were phenomenal they had little filler, just enough to hold their shape with a gentle kick of spice that only helped to highlight their flesh, sweet flavor. They were served with an incredible, but far too little drizzle, of a lemon aioli that could challenge the fanciest of restaurants. The cakes were served on top of a nice sized healthy serving of fresh garden mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, grated carrots and cucumbers. The salad was drizzled with an incredible vinaigerette, but again not near enough to dress the salad. There are picnic tables and chairs available for diners. All seating overlooks Eggemoggin Reach and the Deer Isle bridge. ...

I sooooo want to give this place a 5-star review because I've only heard amazing things about it. I know there are some factors that played into maybe why it was an "off" night but I'll start with the pros.

Pros: the ambiance and location of LDI Lobster is fabulous! The kids had a wonderful time playing on the swing and throwing rocks in the ocean and the scenery with the bridge is beautiful. It never got old. The employees were very friendly and kind. And their sweet potato fries are delicious!

Cons: like I said, there were some factors that played into it being off. We had a large group of about 13 people, we ordered mostly hamburgers and hot dogs. There was a large group (I think about 10 people) in front of us that all ordered lobster rolls. With it being basically run by 2 guys, the other groups' order took FOOOOOOR-EVER because they had to to cook and de-shell all the lobsters, just the 2 of them. We arrived and ordered at 6 and didn't see our food until almost 8pm. The majority of the hamburgers were not 3.5 ounce (as described on the menu) and it looked like half of the meat had fallen off during cooking due to the shapes of the patties. Plus, half our burgers were raw in the middle. It was really depressing to wait so long and not get a decent order for more than half our group.

I felt sorry for the employees, you could tell they were trying to accommodate and do their best and maybe it was just bad luck that we went that night (and why I gave them 2 stars instead of just 1). But for the amount of time we waited and all the hype I'd heard about it, it was disappointing to not get a...

This is a wonderful place to stop and eat on your way onto, or off of Deer Isle. The scenery is magnificent. Whoever ordered the schooner to drift by while we were eating dinner- Bravo! and thank you. The atmosphere for families is great. Plenty of things for the children to do while waiting fir fresh made food from the galley. They can run around with other children, play on the boat or swing on the bouy. Some spent time skipping rocks, or beachcombing before the tide came in. Although it took alot of tike for our order, we had no complaints while watching the tide come in. Completely relaxing. We could have brought our own bottle of wine too. A must stop when visiting this Island! And, give your self plenty of time to take in the atmosphere. Food was good, a little...