Published October 22, 2023

After our afternoon adventures in Rockland, Maine, we decided to stay local to Camden for dinner. With our innkeeper’s recommendations and my own research for the trip, we decided to visit Peter Ott’s for dinner.

Peter Ott’s on the Waterfront

Set back from the road like The Waterfront Restaurant, we snagged a table for outdoor dining that looked out onto the Camden Harbor.

Several large tables already dined on whole lobsters as we walked to our four-top table set back against the restaurant. It still had a good view of the water, and many people stopped in front of the restaurant’s outdoor dining to take pictures of the boats in the harbor.

Peter Ott’s Menu

Peter Ott’s menu was a long, laminated, one-sided menu organized into horizontal sections. I liked the branding with the transparent crab in the background and the clean two-colored font for each section. 

I also noticed that most menus in Maine had the year printed on them, which made me believe that these restaurants create a new menu each season.

It didn’t take us long to decide on our order. We traded our menus for drinks and enjoyed the quiet dining room despite the amount of people walking along the harbor.

Appetizers

Fried Calamari and Arugula Salad | $16.00

I don’t typically order salads as appetizers, so this was a good change of pace. I liked that this salad had fried calamari for the protein. Even though the calamari was fried, the combination of ingredients kept the salad feeling light and fresh.

The arugula was drizzled with a sweet balsamic glaze. The calamari was golden and crisp and provided a contrasting texture. The cherry tomatoes and parmesan overtop made this a little more Italian than beach-town seafood, but I still enjoyed it. The portion was good, and a good amount to split between the two of us.

Oysters on the Half Shell | $18.00 

Of course, we ordered oysters as an appetizer. Nothing says summer vacation to me like chilled oysters while looking out on the waterfront.

Who knew ice could look so aesthetic. The oysters came with a cucumber mignonette and cocktail sauce. I still think The Waterfront’s lemon sauce offered the best sauce options. I ate these oysters plain and they were fresh and tasty.

Entrees

The Lazy Lobster | Market Price

Our appetizers were cleared efficiently and our entrees arrived shortly after. We both ordered the “Lazy Lobster.” I liked the idea of not having the effort of cracking open your own lobster and extracting the meat. I wasn’t sure what to expect for the portions of this entree, but I figured it was worth trying.

The lobster arrived on one plate. The claw meat was perfectly extracted and the tail was cut in half. It came with a side of warm butter and a plate of mashed potatoes and grilled zucchini and squash.

I loved the grilled vegetables — they had a great texture and crunch. The potatoes were fluffy and creamy. The lobster was delicious — light, tender, and rich with the melted butter.

Visually, separating the plates made this feel like a smaller portion. Without the effort of breaking down your own lobster, it’s easy to finish the dish in a quicker amount of time.

Overall, I think it was a tasty meal and I was glad to try it, but you’re definitely paying for the convenience of having the lobster broken down for you.

My Recommendations 

I give Peter Ott’s an 8 of 10 for the following: 

• Decor and Design

  • Since we sat outside, it was difficult to get an impression of Peter Ott’s brand, aside from what I could see from their website and menu. The outdoor dining was spacious and quiet. I liked that there was a fair amount of room between each table. Even though we sat against the building, we had a clear view of the harbor.

• Service

  • I have no complaints about our waitress or service. At the start, it was a little fast and we asked for time to browse the menu, and to wait to bring out the entrees until our appetizers were finished. I didn’t feel rushed, and I typically communicate this message when I go out to eat, so this was nothing new for us. The pacing of the courses was well timed, and we didn’t have to wait long for our check.

• Food

  • The dishes at Peter Ott’s were fresh and well prepared. The oysters were refreshing and the calamari salad was one of my favorites of the meal. The lazy lobster was a nice treat for vacation but pricey, in my opinion. I’d recommend ordering the whole lobster instead or trying another local restaurant for lobster. We could’ve ordered two lobster rolls each from The Waterfront for the price of the lazy lobster at Peter Ott’s. Since we were on vacation, we didn’t mind the extra price, but it is something to consider when selecting a restaurant in the area.

Dessert

As we finished our entrees and waited for the bill, we noticed many people walking from the left of Peter Ott’s with ice cream cones. Was there an ice cream shop nearby? We wanted to explore this ourselves, so we opted to skip dessert at Peter Ott’s and find ice cream near the harbor.

We followed the walkway down the harbor, coming to many seating areas that looked up at the mill behind the Smiling Cow. It was nearly sunset and many boat tours were launching from the Harbor.

We didn’t see any ice cream stands in this area, so we stopped by a small stand called Harbor Dogs and asked if they served or knew of any nearby ice cream. They mentioned Camden Cone, which we visited the night before, but said that River Ducks Ice Cream was the best place in Camden.

River Ducks Ice Cream

River Ducks Ice Cream is tucked to the right off of Mechanic Street. It is a neon pink and green building with baskets of flowers, overhead lights, and a colorful patio that looks out onto the river.

River Ducks Ice Cream had a wider variety of flavors compared to Camden Cone. Plus, I adored their branding and decorations around their business.

I ordered the Maine Moose Tracks cone and my boyfriend ordered a strawberry cone with sprinkles. We each had two generous scoops of ice cream on a classic cone.

Since River Ducks patio seating was filled, we claimed a bench on the Tannery Lane Footbridge and sat overlooking the river. Guests staying at the Camden River House Hotel & Inn took the footbridge as a shortcut into town.

Hanging baskets and archways of tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs hung across the bridge and built-in irrigation systems misted water across the space. I was impressed at the maintenance and innovative way to grow some additional produce along the footbridge.

River Ducks ice cream was the perfect recommendation to wrap up our second day in Camden. We moseyed back to The Elms of Camden so that we could pack up before the next day, where we headed to North Haven Island.

Adventures on North Haven Island

Click here to read our visit to North Haven Island as our last stop in Maine.