The Cockeyed Gull Restaurant — Restaurant in Portland

First, let me say that a visit to Peaks Island was great. The people running the ferry were great, the woman at the golf-cart rental business was great, the people serving ice cream were nice. The people that we encountered around the island all seemed lovely UNTIL--our quick visit to the Cockeyed Grill.

We were exploring the island with our extended family over Columbus Day weekend. We decided to stop in this tiny restaurant for an appetizer and a beer. From the outside it looks like it will be a laid-back, Jimmy Buffett feel. It does not. The exterior charm does not follow through to the inside. The restaurant was just one mid-sized room with a small bar in the corner. Very plain and run down looking. The place immediately had a strange vibe about it. The bartender was, quite honestly, the least friendly person I have ever encountered in any restaurant setting. He seemed annoyed we came to his restaurant. My husband ordered 2 draft beers and handed the guy a $20. The bartender walked away with the money and never returned with change. $10 drafts? That is pretty steep. Such is life. My husband put down another dollar down on the bar as a tip. The bartender really didn't speak at all--just scowled at us and ignored us.

We were eventually seated outside (though the host/waiter never asked if we preferred indoor or outdoor seating--I guess they just decide for you here). We sat down at our table. The view, I admit, was terrific! If any other aspect of this establishment matched the view than it may be worth trying. Unfortunately, nothing did.

While waiting for service, I quickly did a search of the name and read the reviews. They were terrible. Many comments similar to our experience thus far--rude, rude service and weird, unfriendly atmosphere. And food reviews were not good. People wrote things like "I would not trust anything they put in front of me." The words "mediocre" and "rude" were mentioned more times than I could count. We decided to leave without ordering anything. There is a cool inn right down the street and people online rave about it! We got up to leave. We met up with our entire party right out front (2 senior citizens, 4 adults, and 5 kids). We told them we were leaving--and started telling them how unfriendly the bartender was and how the beer was $10 a pint. Suddenly the waiter appears on the street and asks if we are going to "pay our tab." What tab we ask? We never ordered anything but the 2 beers. Then we ask him how much drafts are and he says "$6.25." We explain that we paid $20 and got no change. He tells us to come in and clear it up.

Long story short, we deal with wildly unfriendly bartender again. He seems confused and agitated. Says, "Let's just call it even." We ask if he is going to give us our change because he overcharged us. He tells us to LEAVE HIS ESTABLISHMENT. Crazy--you are going to serve up this much ill-will over 2 draft beers. You messed up and you are going to throw us out. Hysterical.

Funny, there are other reviews of guests being accused of not paying and then the establishment "figures it out." Who would be stupid enough to walk out on a tab on an island where you need to take a ferry? What are we going to do--swim back to Portland? The entire experience was screwy.

So, I highly recommend you avoid the Cockeyed Gull. Short of the nice view, there does not seem to be anything redeeming about this place. The interior of the building is pretty dingy and neglected. The bartender is unfriendly and mean--oh, and he steals your money. The wait staff chases you onto the street to pay a tab for...nothing. That's right, you didn't order anything. (I am just glad we did not get the police called on us as other reviewers mention this happening.) The place just has an inhospitable vibe. Spend your time and your money elsewhere if visiting...

Bring the Pepto, but Leave Your Children at Home! Upon returning from our trip to Maine, we compiled our thoughts on this horrific restaurant, and I found that my 15 year-old niece said it best. This is what she said: On a vacation with my aunt and uncle, we decided to grab some lunch at The Cockeyed Gull on Peaks Island. It was at least a 30 minute wait (even though we were told 15) before we could even sit down and order any food, and we were appalled to hear a same-sex couple be told that their wait was at least 45 minutes (maybe not everyone is welcome here). My uncle ordered a drink in that interval of time and had a seemingly pleasant conversation with the bartender. When we ordered our food, we found that the waitress was somewhat polite to us, but was incredibly rude to others. Finally, we finished our meals, my aunt staying behind to pay while my uncle and I left to rent a golf cart to drive around on the island. Unfortunately there weren't any available so we returned to the restaurant to inform my aunt of this. A guy, more than likely the manager, halted us, saying that they weren't seating anyone else (they were closing early for no apparent reason). Despite my uncle's calm explanation that my aunt was inside, the man impatiently told us that we couldn't go inside. We continued in anyways, and my uncle told the man to check himself, which resulted in the man's ranting. After informing my aunt that there were no golf carts, we ventured off to a bike rental shop. Outside the restaurant stood the bartender, so my uncle asked what the man's name was in order to write a proper review. Clearly, the bartender's politeness was a very false pretense because he defensively demanded an explanation for the inquiry, apparently getting an unsatisfactory answer; he exclaimed , "Oh, you're one of those guys!", then waved his middle finger in my uncle's face, yelling the corresponding words to the gesture. Later on in the day as we were riding bicycles, my aunt's stomach began to feel dreadful. My stomach began to feel awful as soon as I got on the ferry, my uncle's following in pursuit soon after we got off. Our churning stomachs caused us to have to take two Peptos, along with cancellations of subsequent plans. I would NEVER recommend this place, for it has terrible food, terrible service, and is utterly...

I do not typically write reviews on Google, but our experience at the Cockeyed Gull was so exceptional that I had to let everyone know! We had an amazing experience at the cockeyed gull on Saturday, July 13th. Trust me when I say I have not had a seafood meal this delicious since our trip to Sicily. Spontaneously, we decided to visit Peak Island on our trip to Maine.

The frogs decorated around the restaurant were absolutely adorable. We loved the meditating frog outside of their beautiful pollinator and vegetable garden surrounding the property.

We made a reservation for 7:45, and they kindly seated us 20 minutes early. Our server Christian was highly attentive throughout the entirety of our dining experience. He always made sure that we were taken care of and our water was full. He spoke highly about the restaurant as well as our choices for food. We started with the little neck clams cooked in what was possibly the best broth we’ve ever tasted. We did not leave a single drop. Our minds were blown instantly. My main course was a linguine with cilantro butter sea scallops, and my husband chose the wasabi pea encrusted halibut. Both were to die for. The breading was the perfect amount on the halibut and it stayed on perfectly.

We were full from the appetizer and entrees but we were curious about the carrot cake. Christian insisted that we should not miss trying it and that it was the best carrot cake he has ever had. After trying the decadent cake, we agreed. The three layer carrot cake was out of this world. No carrot cake we’ve ever had could compare.

The view of the sunset over Portland’s skyline was picture perfect. We couldn’t believe that we had never heard of this place!

To top it off, we left our credit card at the restaurant and they kindly offered to mail it back! Needless to say, this restaurant will be a staple in our itinerary each time we have friends and family come to visit Portland. We would give it a 10/5...