Shearwater at Stage Neck Inn — Restaurant in York

Worst dining experience I have ever had. If you are a family vacationing in York Maine, like we were, steer clear of this place.

We were a party of 4 adults and 4 children. To be clear, the restaurant does offer kids menus complete with crayons, so we thought this was a kid-friendly place. We ordered appetizers and the kids meals right away, knowing how kids can get impatient when waiting for food. Our server did not come back over to take our dinner orders until the kids meals and appetizers arrived. Typically not a problem. However, we didn’t realize that at that point our meals would take another 30 minutes or so to arrive. After a considerable wait, our kids were done with their meals and we were doing our best to keep them entertained while trying to have a nice dinner out.

Well, apparently our mere presence was a major inconvenience to another party approximately 10 feet away (we were seated by the entrance to the restaurant) and they were towards the back of the restaurant along the windows. And evidently the laughter of children in a public space was just too much for this particular group to handle.

Before our meals even arrived, one of their 3 party members- a man wearing a pastel pink button down shirt, fluorescent green watch and look of “shear” disdain on his sour face- appeared at our table and began accosting us in the most classless display of entitlement I have ever witnessed in my entire life. This grown man began shouting, face red with anger, that we “need to keep it down…they are TRYING TO DINE!”

Completely out of nowhere. Unprovoked. With zero warning.

We sat there with our jaws on the floor, and as he stormed back to his table muttering about us not apologizing to him, an elderly female member of the party turned around and began mumbling incoherently in our direction. Something about a disruption?

The only disruption anyone else experienced that evening was the hissy fit that this grown man threw in the middle of a public space.

After this belligerent (attempted) display of superiority, this man sat at his table and proceeded to stare in our direction with a look of contempt.

Feeling uncomfortable and still not having received our meals at this point, I approached the servers who were standing by the entrance to the restaurant to ask that our table be moved so that we didn’t continue to offend the restaurant’s “most important” party that evening.

The food arrived before we were able to move to the new table and we then had to proceed to pick up and move our dinners across the restaurant to a different location. All the while being stared down by the offended table.

A man who I believe was the manager did come over to apologize, but little else was done about the embarrassing display. Unfortunately, by this point my appetite was ruined and I tried only a single bite of my food.

Was this meal even worth the long wait? Not in my opinion. I would have preferred to have left immediately after being scolded for having children in a restaurant.

Needless to say, this is one place I will never ever return to again.

So, if you are vacationing in York Maine, a family-friendly vacation destination, this is not the place to try. Unless, of course, you enjoy being embarrassed and alienated while dining out with...

We had dinner here around 7:15 pm on a Friday night in mid-July. Although the restaurant doesn't take reservations unless you're a guest at the Stage Neck Inn where it's located, a friend who recommended this place said that after 7pm there would be no crowds, and he was absolutely correct. We had an amazing dining experience and will return the next time we are in the area.

The restaurant is large and has several different seating areas. It was a beautiful night so we chose the covered outside patio, which had scenic views of the York River. Service was not only very attentive, but super accommodating.My wife has food allergies and had a wonderful dish made to order.

Everything was fresh, delicious, and expertly prepared. The Green Salad and the Peach & Blueberry Salad were beautifully presented and were as good as they looked. The grilled salmon with sides of broccolini and baby potatoes that my wife had custom made was perfectly prepared and delicious. The tuna special that I ordered was incredible.

For dessert the sorbet was creamy smooth and the blueberry pie was one of the best I've tasted.

This is not BYOB, but there is a full bar, and there was plenty of free parking at the resort.

We had a very relaxing dinner with great food, terrific service, and very nice ambiance.

Bottom line: We definitely recommend this restaurant and...

One of my faves, but not last evening. Although our server was top notch (Cheryl), the food was definitely disappointing. Two of the party order from Medium Plates. The lobster roll was reported to be good, but the Reuben was said to taste like ham. The other two ordered from entrees; one was served 7 small to medium scallops, which were described as jumbo, and a large amount of rice, which tasted “okay”. (36$) I ordered the Bouillabaisse, expecting a seafood stew. I was served a small to medium bowl with a little lobster creme on the bottom. Resting on top and widely spaced were 6 mussels, two relatively small shrimp, 4 scallops (small to medium) and two fingerling potatoes halved, for 37$. This is a dish I’ve had here before, which was then a tasty hardy stew served in a big bowl. Needed to take half of it home. Left hungry and let down, and a bit embarrassed, as we brought good friends, promising a delicious...