You’ll Love This Restaurant Hiding In The Heart Of A Maine Fishing Village

Cozied up and hidden away in Maine's Midcoast is the lovely town of Castine. Perhaps best known as the home of the Maine Maritime Academy, it's also a lovely place to spend a few days. Especially if you're looking for a small Maine town with that quintessential Midcoast vibe. While there is plenty to do and see (we're planning a short guide for a future article!) we've heard especially wonderful things about this small restaurant located directly next to the town docks.

Editor's note: As of 2021, this business is permanently closed.

Castine's initial draw might be the perfect seaside village feel...

But once you're there, you might just feel yourself pulled to the water for another reason.

Dudley's Refresher has just opened again for the season and they're serving up some pretty awesome seafood!

But, number one on our list of must-get-there-to-try are the lobster rolls!

They've got just the right amount of mayo (not so much that the meaty goodness is overpowered!) and come in two varieties.

Choose between the tried and true, "Traditional" or the more adventurous "Curry Mayo Roll" with red curry and spices.

Once you've tried both lobster rolls, you can move on to their fried seafood basket or, "Chippy," which is the perfect specimen for the definition of the dish.

Then, try the award-winning fish tacos.

And, finally, once you've made your way through those things AND the changing specials, you can order yourself a serving of Morton's Moo from Ellsworth.

(Note: Rumor has it that "Nutty Bovine," a Castine favorite made with chocolate ice cream, roasted almonds and coconut is always on the menu!)

Or try one of Chef Brad Buck's creations.

Lastly, what you might just love most is their dedication to sourcing locally grown ingredients for the almost entirely handmade, from scratch menu items.

This year, Dudley's Refresher is trying something new! Each weekend the specials menu will feature a different geographic region in Maine. This coming weekend you'll have the option to enjoy some classic New England favorites, including a beef burger featuring Maine Fiddleheads on top!

They're located at the Castine Town Dock in Castine and you can reach them at (207) 812-3800. Click here to check out their website and here to visit them on Facebook.

And, for some of our other favorite unexpected restaurant finds in Maine, click here!