27 Fathoms Waterfront Grille — Restaurant in Stonington

UPDATED: mistakes happen, but there was no explanation, acknowledgment, or apology as to how a call ahead reservation made more than 24 hours in advance and confirmed by a regular customer 2 hours in advance was given away. Double booking the only table able to accommodate a party of 7 30 minutes apart is the definition of disorganized.

We were not offered several options. When I said that my family including an 8 and 5 yo would not be split up, the teenage hostess sarcastically suggested that she would set a single table for 7 people. Even though Jodi the manager knew the upstairs was full, she suggested I go upstairs to check if the large table was available thereby putting the onus on the customer to fix their problem.

When the owner came out, the first thing she asked was whether I wanted her to throw the guests who had been seated at 6:30 out. These were not serious solutions bordering on insulting.

To make matters worse, while I was trying to talk to the manager and then the owner, the hostess and other employees continued to argue and interject. Very unprofessional.

When I tried to resolve this in the corner near the bar, I was immediately accused of yelling, which left another patron gobsmacked as I had only tried to explain the conversation I had the day before. Likewise, saying that the way we were being treated was unacceptable is not berating, and the owner’s response simply reflects the staffs’ “take it or leave it” attitude.

….

I was warned in advance that the front of the house was disorganized but had also heard decent things about the food so decided to give it a try.

I called the day before about making a reservation, and was told they took “call aheads” for groups of 5 or more and that the two large tables were booked that evening. I asked when I should “call ahead” for the following evening, and was offered an inside or outside table at the time we wanted and they took my name and number. Because this sounded like a “reservation,” I repeatedly clarified that we were all set for the following evening.

On the day of, a member of our party went in two hours before our call ahead/ reservation to tell them we would have one more person and my name was on the list. However, when we arrived for our “call ahead/ reservation,” we were told that the table was given away 30 minutes earlier. We were offered two tables for four next to one another, but they could not be moved because they are bolted down. I explained that we come here on vacation for two weeks to visit extended family, and we were not going to be split up. I tried to find a solution civilly, but as soon as I tried to explain what happened, I was accused of yelling at the staff. Another patron at the bar said that I was not yelling. Ultimately, the “owner” came out and I asked if they would comp a meal to make up for the inconvenience and she refused.

I have been coming to Deer Isle for 45 years and know that confronting the locals is not the “Island way,” but unlike a town or city, it is not like we could go next door to a different restaurant. The teenage hostess was trying to seat people at the tables that had been offered before I even had time to consult my family about whether we would stay. Based on 27 Fathoms refusal to rectify the situation with a small gesture, it’s clear that they understand that the diners are captive to their whim and customers should be grateful.

After leaving the restaurant, a local, who said he knew the hostess and manager, followed me down the street and confronted and tried to...

So here’s the thing, I didn’t have high hopes for this restaurant from go. It’s the only place to eat. That’s never good. Corners get cut, less care is taken when there’s no competition.

CRAB CAKES… NO.

I do not recommend the crab cakes. At all. Aside from being cold (and then rudely interrupted by the waitress when I was telling her this) they are almost all breading and filler.

There’s no need of this in a location of this nature. The waitress ignored my complaint & continued to talk over me to my wife about how she doesn’t get them because they are all breading. I was pretty taken back. The crab cakes are also absolutely not made to order. Which we were told they were and were fresh. Nope. They are preformed and sitting around waiting. They smelled. They tasted like the fridge.

Luckily, the fish n chips were good. Great fries. Great fish. Just not a big portion of fish. There could easily , for the price, be 2 more pieces of fish. That would add crazy WOW factor to portion size and make up for downfalls. Cole slaw was bland. It was ALMOST right. It irritates me that seafood restaurants skip the effort. I mean…. Cole slaw isn’t just an expect side to seafood. A lot of us actually WANT to be able to eat it.

I’m disappointed. We most likely will not be back.

Worth noting : it’s VERY small in here. At 4:30 on a Monday, off season, there were 10 dinners. Myself, wife. 2 other sets of 2 and then a 4 table. 3 guys came in and had to crowd at the bar I mean… squish up. It’s not really a bar. 2 sets of 2 came in and were turned away. Then a lady looking for 3. Turned away. Told an hour , hour 15 wait. Yes. I noticed all this. It’s a small room. Besides, ...

Came on a mini vacation with My Wife, who recently had a kidney transplant so we were looking for something calming and relaxing to do. We decided to eat outside on the back deck and we almost got up and left because the hostess kept very slowly walking by our table to the end of the deck to rearrange the table top and chairs, and instead of picking them up, she dragged them back-and-forth one after another for the entire time we were eating. She sat down for a couple minutes in between and then got back up and so slowly went back to the same table and dragged the chairs all around. She was extremely lazy and couldn’t be bothered to pick the chairs up and carry them which would’ve made zero sound. Instead, she annoyed us to the point we almost just left before the food arrived and during us eating it. It was not very hard to tell that she did not want to be there. It made the atmosphere gloomy in such a beautiful place. Chances are pretty good. I won’t be coming back to deer Isle or Stonington, but if I do, I’m probably going to avoid 27 fathoms. The food was really good though. My Wife ordered a lobster roll with mayonnaise and they didn’t put any mayo on it. They gave it to her on the side only after she asked for a side of mayo. She had to use a knife to spread the mayo on the bite that she was about to take and the fact that it cost $30 and wasn’t made correctly was a downer. I ordered a burger and it was really good. The fries that came with the burger were amazing and I wish I could just have them instead of any other fries for the...