• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Tiny Urban Kitchen
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • Michelin
    • Subscribe
    • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » US Travel » Maine » Portland

    Eventide Oyster Company (Portland, Maine)

    Published: Aug 25, 2014 · Modified: Nov 28, 2017 by Jennifer Che

    Eventide Oyster Company
    Eventide Oyster Company

    This is the third post about our weekend trip to Portland. Other posts in this series include A Summer Weekend in Portland Maine and Duck Fat.

    I liked Eventide Oyster Company the moment I walked in the door. It was everything about it: the variety of fresh oysters sitting in ice right at the counter; the colorful chalkboard full of the day's mouthwatering specials; the bright and cheerful space; and the friendly people working there.

    We were definitely not alone. _DSC7874.jpg
    This is one of the most popular places in Portland, and the waits can be excruciatingly long. Thankfully, they have become pros at estimating time, and they do a good job of trying to move things along. Our wait time was 45 minutes. We killed time by stopping by a local bakery (Two Fat Cats) and eating a slice of delicious Maine blueberry pie (dessert before lunch? I don't see why not!), and then coming back to enjoy a drink at the bar.
    _DSC7863.jpg
    I tried the Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA on tap and I loved it.  I now think it is one of my favorite beers all around. Bryan tried several local ones, including the Oxbow Loretta and Allagash Triple (both excellent).

    It was close to 2:30PM by the time we got seated.

    Our meal was fantastic, and totally worth the wait. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

    Eventide Oyster Company
    The menus is simple and comes freshly printed on a sheet of paper to reflect the day's offerings. They have a huge selection of local Maine oysters and also a very respectable selection of oysters from elsewhere. The chalkboard has additional oysters that may not show up on the menu.

    You can get other shellfish, such as clams or even a lobster tail. The rest of the menu consists of various small plates. It's fun to order several and try them "tapas style", which is exactly what we did.
    Eventide Oyster Company
    You have to try the oysters. We stuck with Maine oysters (which we don't see as much in Boston) and tried six different ones. These were fresh, delicious, and it was fun to sample different flavors. They come with fun accoutrements (you get to choose two), such as pineapple-jalapeno ice, "Kim Chee" ice, and Tabasco ice, among others. Though it was fun to try them, I typically enjoy my oysters raw and straight up with nothing on top.
    Eventide Oyster Company
    Our first small plate, Beet Cured Arctic Char, came with beet slivers, horseradish, and citrus salt. It was refreshing, a lovely explosion of flavors and textures. I think we were starving at this point too, so it probably tasted even better.Eventide Oyster Company
    There are several buns on the menu. It was hard to choose just a few, but we eventually settled on two. Pictured above is the Fried Winter Point Oyster Bun ($7), which simply came with pickled vegetables and tartar sauce. All elements were executed perfectly and the overall bite was delicious. The tartness of the pickles definitely helped cut the richness of the crunchy and perfectly fried oyster.
    Eventide Oyster Company
    Soooooo tasty.
    _DSC7860.jpg
    One of their signature dishes is the Eventide Lobster Roll, which is actually more like a steamed bun sandwich filled with lobster cooked one of three ways: brown butter, mayo, or ginger scallion. We went with brown butter, which was fantastic.

    Please note these lobster "rolls" (or buns?) are smaller than you might expect. We ordered them thinking they would be the size of a normal lobster roll made with a hot dog bun, but they are closer in size to a Chinese steamed bun.
    Eventide Oyster Company
    The last dish we tried was one of their specials: Shaved Whelk Salad ($9) tossed with honey and Tabasco. I had never heard of whelk before and had to ask what it was. It turns out it's a sea snail that is locally harvested and in season during that time.

    It was pretty good. It sort of reminded me of abalone or even sliced beef tendon (prepared Chinese style where it's still a bit "crunchy").
    Eventide Oyster Company
    All in all, we both loved our experience at Eventide. I especially liked how the menu items were all small, so you could eat as little or as much as you wanted. Since we had a big dinner planned later on that night, we ended up getting a little less food, which worked out perfectly.

    Everything was executed really well, made using fresh, high quality ingredients. It's hard to go wrong - we enjoyed everything we ordered. And of course, I love the seafood focus.
    Eventide Oyster Company
    Even though the lines are crazy long, I say it's worth it. There's a legitimate reason why people are willing to wait for this place. It's not just a tourist gimmick or trap. Everything is seriously good here.

    If I came back to Portland, this place would most certainly be on the top of my list of places to revisit. Both Bryan and I agreed wholeheartedly that Eventide Oyster Company was our favorite meal of the entire trip.

    ©2009-2014
    Tiny Urban Kitchen
    All Rights Reserved

    More Maine

    • Weekend Trip to Portland and Freeport Maine
    • 24h Trip to Portland - Fore Street Portland Maine
    • 24-hour Trip to Portland Maine - LUNCH!
    • Happy New Year! A Look Back at 2015 - Part I

    Recent Posts

    • Wing Restaurant by Vicky Cheng May 22, 2023
    • A Weekend in Bergamo Italy - Trip Report May 17, 2023
    • Bryan's Birthday at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana May 10, 2023
    • Godenya Hong Kong May 8, 2023
    • Chung Kee - Lockhart Cooked Food Centre Wan Chai May 6, 2023
    • Fiata Pizza Hong Kong May 3, 2023
    • 48 Hours in Warsaw Poland - Trip Report May 1, 2023
    • A Month in Boston: our first post-Covid Trip April 28, 2023

    Reader Interactions

    Trackbacks

    1. Happy New Year! A Look Back at 2015 - Part I - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      January 5, 2016 at 10:45 am

      […] Portland Maine for a quick weekend girls-only, sans husbands trip. We enjoyed a fantastic lunch at Eventide and then brought take-out Duck Fat fries to the beach, where we chatted while soaking up the […]

      Log in to Reply
    2. 24-hour Trip to Portland Maine - LUNCH! - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      October 14, 2017 at 12:54 pm

      […] but we definitely hit many of the top places (there are so many good ones!). Stop 1: Eventide Eventide Oyster Company is one of my favorite restaurants in Portland and I always try to stop by if I can. They do a […]

      Log in to Reply
    3. Jen's Top Restaurants to visit in Boston - 2017 update - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      December 20, 2017 at 7:27 am

      […] check out Eventide in Fenway. Originally from Portland, Maine, this trendy and casual seafood joint offers some of the greatest hits from the Portland […]

      Log in to Reply
    4. Kyoku Hong Kong - Teppanyaki and Sushi in Causeway Bay - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      November 28, 2018 at 10:11 pm

      […] whelk on the menu. I think the last time I had whelk was likely either in Boston or Portland (at Eventide!). The whelk was fresh and simply cooked on the flat teppan grill and seasoned with some salt and […]

      Log in to Reply
    5. Clamato Paris - Casual Trendy Seafood Bar - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      January 18, 2021 at 11:05 am

      […] is possible. In short – a Parisien version of a cross between the likes of Neptune Oyster, Eventide Oyster (Portland, ME), Select Oyster, and maybe even the crudos at Bar […]

      Log in to Reply
    6. Traveling during Covid: Our 3-Month Trip Around the World says:
      December 20, 2021 at 2:58 am

      […] took a short weekend getaway trip to Freeport and Portland Maine. We had a fantastic lunch at Eventide and an equally delicious dinner at Central Provision (where we dined on their massive outdoor […]

      Log in to Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

    More about me →

    Explore

    • Recipe
    • Restaurant
    • US Travel
    • World Travel

    Popular Posts

    • Wing Restaurant Hong Kong
      Wing Restaurant by Vicky Cheng
    • Hotel Excelsior San Marco Roof Garden Restaurant Bergamo
      A Weekend in Bergamo Italy - Trip Report
    • Otto e Mezzo Bombana
      Bryan's Birthday at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana
    • Godenya Hong Kong
      Godenya Hong Kong

    Recipes

    • Appetizer
    • Snacks
    • Meat
    • Vegetables
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Seafood
    • Noodles

    Recently Traveled

    • Hong Kong
    • France
    • Belgium
    • Boston
    • California
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • Spain

    Support Us

    Recognition


    Featured on the front page
    of the FOOD Section: 2015

    Best Food Blog Awards:
    Restaurant & Dining 2012

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • My Equipment
    • In the Press
    • Project Food Blog
    • Privacy Policy

    Eating Guides!

    Eating & Travel Guides
    Trip Reports
    "Kawaii" (Cute Foods)
    Around the World

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Mail
    • RSS Feed

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Shop at Amazon

    Copyright © 2022 Tiny Urban Kitchen