Docks Seafood — Restaurant in South Portland

Docks wasn't even on my radar (since most of my research on places to eat were in Downtown Portland) until my friends told me about it. They've been here a few times over the past few years and raved about the twin lobster dinner and what a great deal it was. And they were not wrong.

My fiance and I came in for a late late lunch/early early dinner on a Tuesday at around 4. There were only a few people there at a time since it's an odd time to eat. Both indoor and outdoor dining are available but we opted to sit outside. You place your order inside, grab a table, they'll announce your name over the PA system, and then you go pick up your order. It does take a bit for the food to come out (about 20 minutes) because it's made to order. This is everything we ate:

Twin lobster dinner - this is market price, so it'll vary but when we went at the beginning of September, it was $24.99 and comes with a side (french fries, baked potato, or corn). The lobster wasn't that meaty at this time (lots of water inside) but $25 for two lobster?! You really can't complain. It comes with plenty of melted butter for dipping

Crab roll - this was only okay. It did come with a lot of crab, which I appreciated but it was missing something. Maybe salt? It definitely needed some kind of seasoning

Lobster quesadilla - this was my fiance's fave. Lobster and melted cheddar? What's not to love. It's pretty heavy though so I would recommend getting it as something to share. But it's considered a lunch plate, so this also comes with a side. We chose corn as one of the sides, which tasted like it was overcooked from frozen, so you're better off going for the carbs and getting the baked potato or the fries

Lobster bisque - this was really good. Flavorful and even though it was a bisque, it didn't seem too heavy. (pro-tip: dip the lobster quesadilla in here)

Corn and crab chowder - I love corn chowders so I was very excited since this one had crab in it too. Unfortunately, there was not much crab flavor and just a lot of potatoes in there

My only regret is not trying the lobster roll because I'm sure that would have been amazing. But at the point, we had been in Maine for a few days and had a good amount of lobster rolls already, and there were so many other menu items we wanted to try instead. Will definitely make this one of my first stops if I am ever back...

I am going to hold the hand of anyone reading this review when I say this: This is easily one of the BEST places I have ever eaten in my entire life. We had a group of 8, came from another restaurant that was much busier than intended. Most were irritated, some were tired but all were hungry and did feel bad for being unable to reserve. But the waitress who served us easily got us a table for 8 and was the sweetest woman ever. Got us our drinks with ease, we felt comfortable and welcome even given the circumstance. She was very diligent and kept an eye on us even despite how many other people she was serving. Our food took a tiny bit to get out but the servings were much more than expected and tasted FANTASTIC. I got the calamari, very crispy and not too salty. Tartar sauce was the right blend of lemon-y alongside, well, tart. Lemonade was easily some of the best I have ever drank, not too bitter or strong or sweet and made me feel refreshed. Everyone ate till they were full. They had a comfortable amount of gluten free options and even vegetarian by what I saw, and the chowder my nana got was steaming. She said it was delicious, and not having gluten free items is actually why we left the other place before ordering. And don't even get me STARTED on the restrooms. Stocked, clean, fresh. Lighting comfortable but plenty enough to do your business. Women's bathroom had free tampons alongside a sugar/salt scrub sample since they also sell cute items like that near the front desk. The woman with curly ginger hair and a warm smile who served us is easily the sweetest waitress I've ever encountered. I complimented her on the restroom and restaurant several times and I have never left a place feeling so refreshed in my entire life. If they ever wind up reading my review, I am very sorry we couldn't reserve ahead of time for your folk. You all did FANTASTIC, especially the poor chef boy in the back who looked so sad when all 8 of us wandered...

They have minimal gluten free options, but l'd recommend that if you have any allergies to avoid this place altogether as Management only understands that you are a liability to feed and will not accommodate any dietary restrictions no matter how small and you will be asked to leave. Ive been here in the past without a problem, but apparently they have new management. I had one small request and they were unwilling to handle it in a professional manner. I have never been treated with such poor customer service in my life. I've lived here my entire life and am downright disgusted with how I was treated. I would hate to have anyone else go through what I did. Avoid if you have any food allergies at all as they are not able to handle it here. I've also reiterated this message to all the Facebook allergy groups that I'm a part of. Everyone should be able to eat out with their family. You claimed that I was an inconvenience and liability to you and your business, but this is a disability not a choice. If you are so concerned with liability then maybe you can better prepare yourself with a waiver form for people with allergies to sign before you heat up food in a microwave and maybe for the future you should have more safe food handling practices so that this is not a liability or concern for you. I know that nothing in life is guaranteed, but you didn't even try and help. A little human decency goes a long way. How are you going to deal with this when the next person that walks in has allergies? Are you going to tell them I think it's best if you leave? I'm not the only person with food allergies out there with a...