Alisson's Restaurant — Restaurant in Kennebunkport

Where do I start? Certainly, not the food. I never got that far. Why? The demeanor of Brittney, the manager, at best, was off-putting. After I received permission from the hostess to look through the sweatshirt sizes on display, Brittany enters the scene moments later. “Can I help you?” Me: “No thanks we’re just deciding between red and grey.” Brittany snippily replied, “We go through the sizes for you.” My reply, “I just received permission from the hostess.” Brittany said nothing, as if she didn’t believe me.

I purchased the sweatshirt and made my way into the bar with my twenty-two-year-old daughter to meet my almost 60-year-old friend. We planned to eat at the bar as there was a wait for the dining room. We saddle-up. My daughter asked for water. The bartender asked for ID. We are from Colorado where we have digital state ID’s. We don’t need to carry our license. The bartender was looking at the app and didn’t seem concerned until she and I both notice Brittany skulking around the corner looking straight at us. I signaled with my hand for Brittany to come over and invited the bartender to consult with Brittany. Brittany didn’t have the good sense to come over. The bartender and she went into hiding. The bartender came back and said her manager, Brittany, wouldn’t accept the “picture” of the ID. I explained again that the ID is not a picture, it’s a valid ID back and front on a government app. (As an aside, digital identification from states that have this feature, are a legal, accepted, form of identification in the State of Maine.) I understand laws about sitting at the bar, but is there any common sense left in the world? Here’s a young lady of age, ordering water, and sitting with two women fast approaching the age of sixty during lunch hour.

My friend had just received her beer. My daughter and I left the restaurant. Since Brittany was no where to be found, I called the restaurant and spoke with her minutes after leaving. Instead of taking responsibility for her choice she throws the blame on the bartender. The same bartender who went to her to get an answer.

I understand confusion over the digital ID, but given the amount of out-of-state visitors, I suggest that anyone serving alcohol (or in this case water) get familiar with the rules. My displeasure comes from the way Brittany chose to handle the situation and her zest to be “Queen of the Fishbowl” from the very start of entering into the establishment. Perhaps, I didn’t fold the sweatshirts correctly?

Brittany desperately needs schooling in Wisdom 101. Allison’s, can you register her for fall classes? It’s...

A fellow guest at the place we were staying at heard my hubby and I discussing restaurants to try for fried clams and recommended Allison's. I checked out the menu on the website and became intrigued with the Lobster Bisque Poutine. We decided to give Alisson's a try for dinner. It was a Sunday early evening and we had no need to get on the wait-list. I would recommend visiting their website and checking the wait-list time as it does get busy here. We had no wait for a table and all of the staff was friendly. Our waitress was very attentive. We ordered the Lobster Bisque Poutine as an appetizer. My hubby ordered the Gouda Burger, and I ordered the small lobster roll that came with clam chowder, and a side of potato salad instead of fries. My hubby is picky about his burgers and he really enjoyed this one. The lobster poutine was flavorful and cheesy. It had alot of lobster chunks and was served hot. The lobster roll was served on a buttered toasty roll and was a cool lobster with light mayo salad type, not a hot buttered type. The lobster was cooked perfectly. The white chowder was very good. I am not a fan of ordering white chowder at restaurants because there are so many versions and some are awful. This white clam chowder was one of the best. A simple recipe that results in a creamy chowder with lots of clams and small pieces of potato. We were very happy with our dining experience Alisson's and will go again next time we are in the area to actually try the...

This is a hard review to nail. Sometimes you’ll walk in and get seated immediately and the next time it’s an hour wait. Usually seated upstairs which has a nice view and is open and airy and the staff is super careful to make sure you don’t trip on a couple tricky steps. Food prices are average for Kennebunkport. Service can be hit and miss. We’ve had some incredible wait staff and some you barely saw after taking your order. The food is the same. I’ve eaten ALOT of lobster rolls and these fall just below mediocre served cold with mayo and extra spices. Not my cup of tea. Have had much better even from food trucks. At least offer warm with butter. The chowder is fairly good but I’m not inclined to think it’s homemade and is 75% of the time served room temperature. The black bean burger is the “worst I’ve ever tried” in the words of my vegetarian friend and it looked and tasted every bit true. The summer salad however is an absolute gem and with coming for in itself. In fact during the fall visit it’s sadly (and not surprisingly) not on the menu. One sign of class is that they are a Coca Cola purveyor so there’s that.

So I think I’m being generous in my review. I want to like the place. Occasionally I do, especially when the salad is on menu. Just don’t expect to be treated special or be overly thrilled by the other items on the menu. It is a warm spot indoors in the fall and cool in the summer but your...