My boyfriend and I visit the Frog and Turtle often and we love it! Â We live in Westbrook and love the fact that there is a really great restaurant just a short drive from our home.
The Frog & Turtle serves up delicious food within a range of prices.  All their food is made to order and we've never had a bad meal there.  While their entrees are always fantastic, our favorite dish is actually the green leaf salad with red onion, bacon, a hardboiled egg, and a light garlicky dressing - I can never get enough of it.  They have a great selection of food from flatbreads to fish tacos, duck to a NY strip steak.  They Cajun mussels are also a must-have!  While the food can be a tad bit pricy depending upon what you order (a salad, flatbread, steak, crème brulee and three drinks came to $90), it's one of those places that you should definitely try out. Â
The Frog & Turtle also has live music - if you can go on a night when the Tone Kings are playing, you'll be very happy! Â It's always good to make reservations at least a couple of days ahead of time. Â My only knock-down to a four-star is that they usually don't sit you at your reservation time. Â We try to make reservations for 8:00pm each time we go so that we can enjoy the music, but it seems as though they have a little bit of trouble moving their guests through tables. Â This past weekend we didn't get seated until close to 8:30pm. Â The food is worth it, though!
Enjoy!
Little caveat - I've never sat in the dining room, only every at the bar (except of the couches).
Another little caveat - I'm a mug club member.
Okay, now onto the seemingly biased review. I go to this place about one a week for a few after work beverages with some friends, and sometimes just by myself to get out of the house. The bartender Jesse is top-notch - there isn't anyone of his class or ability in Westbrook and quite possibly in Portland. He makes a basil and gin based cocktail called the Soothsayer that's amazing.
The bar sits about 12 people and he serves food and drinks to them as well as drinks for the usually packed dining room - and still we get our drinks in a quick fashion.
Food is fantastic, but it is a gastro pub so be prepared for some unique tastes - this isn't your mom and pop's standard betty crocker shit they're cooking. I enjoy unique and interesting tastes, so the food is pretty good. The prices don't bother me, but I guess living in Boston for quite a while their prices are really not much higher than a sports pub.
Long story short, if you like to sit and socialize at a bar rather than the dining room(because I've never sat at a table), this is a great place. A bit pricey, but the drinks and the bartender are top-notch.
For a $90 dinner, I had hoped for better food...service was great!! I got the pinapple mojito drink special for $10. I couldn't taste a drop of booze. So then I asked for Jameson on the rocks because at that point, you know exactly what you are getting...although my friend I went to dinner with got the strawberry lemonade special with gin and her drink tasted quite strong...wtf! I got the chicken entree which was delicious! I wish the asparagus it had come with hadnt been cut into microscopic pieces and then drowned in the chicken sauce...which made it really difficult to get on my fork and into my face. It also came with little tiny pasta peices which I HOPE were homemade...for the $21 it cost. The reason why I am rating this place so low is because:
1. The drinks were not strong/inconsistent and way pricey for what it was.
2. The food took a long time to get to our table.
3. There was an incredibly loud band playing the night we went, which is fine, unless you are paying for a $90 dinner and have to shout at the people across the table from you.
Because of the band, and the "pub" menu and the "dinner" menu...it just seems like the Frog and Turtle really cant make up its mind as to whether it wants to be a Pub or a fine dining restaurant....so please for the love of god pick which one you want to be!!
Not so good.... Really unpleasant waitstaff and mediocre food, though the donuts were good.  Hostess was not friendly and waitress couldnt manage to refill the coffee, thankfully its sitting right out in the middle of the dining room so you might as well do it yourself if you want any.  45 minutes after the order was placed we were informed that they didnt have one of the menu items  ... seriously? its 10am, you ran out of something after being open an hour for brunch?  you could have at least known to mention that when we were ordering. evenso, place was not even half full and they take 50 minutes to fry eggs? this place gets a big fat "meh, so what".  2 stars for the donuts. 0 stars for the staff
Review Source:My husband and I recently made 11:30 reservations for a Sunday brunch with my in-laws. Needless to say, we didn't get our food until 12:50. We immediately ordered doughnuts right when we sat down, but didn't receive those until 12:20ish. Our server, the hostess, and busser came over to our table offering water and coffee refills at least a total of 10 times (too many) as we waited and no one acknowledged that our food was taking forever. When we finally spoke up, or server was nice enough about it but really didn't do anything to speed up the process. We actually got up from the table and put on our jackets after waiting for the "seven minutes" the kitchen said our food was going to be plated and sent out. The icing on the cake was when our server told us she took off our four coffees, doughnuts, and one breakfast (the cheapest one on the menu). As a restaurant owner, this really irked me. I would have comped the entire meal (breakfast doesn't have THAT high of a food cost) if we didn't get out in a timely manner. AND when we asked to speak with the manager our server said it was her! I will never go back there and I will be sure to tell my friends about this experience. There are far better brunch spots in Portland that would accommodate patrons with much better service and understanding then here. One star cause I have to.
Review Source:Noticed someone else wrote a bad tip today too! Food is always good, but service has been getting progressively worse every time we eat brunch. We arrived at 11am and didn't get our food until noon!! No apologies, no explanations. They forgot our coffee and my daughter's juice and took 15 minutes once we were seated to even ask us if we wanted a beverage. We won't be coming back unless we feel like eating at the bar where it looks like things are faster.
Review Source:This is by far my favorite restaurant in Westbrook. Â The staff is always very friendly and accommodating, the atmosphere is always delightful, and the food is always amazing. Â They change their menu seasonally to mix it up and the have off the menu specials every night. Â The prices are reasonable and the portion sizes are excellent - I always come home with left overs! Â I highly recommend stopping by for drinks and appetizers and then enjoy a great meal!
Review Source:I really wish I could give this place 10 stars. I really really wish I could.
We took my Mom here for her 65th (!) birthday this past weekend. They got us in last-minute, and to be honest we were a little worried when they were empty and still took 10 minutes to get a table ready.
All that was blown away (heh) by the service and the food. Our waitress was so friendly and funny!
We got the Poutine - do your inner fatty a favor and get it. I'm salivating as I think about it. Salads and Seafood chowder were also had and I was told they were delicious.
For dinner, the pumpkin-apple ravioli was aboslutely to DIE for. The shepard's pie crepe looked and smelled amazing, and the specials that night (a duck casserole and some sort of seafood soup dish) disappeared pretty quickly.
The creme brulee? Took me about 2 minutes to inhale. They dressed mom's up in happy birthday chocolate sauce with a shot glass of dry ice rather than a candle - so cool!
The mixed drinks were ... well, let's just say that they had some sort of autumn martini special that was rum and apple cider and I could have taken a bath it in.
To top it off, our waitress gave my mom a $10 birthday gift card to come see them again. As if they needed a reason!
Their food is all locally bought, which is very evident in the quality. Go. Do it.
Westbrook's finest dining experience by a long shot. You can grab some drinks or a nicely prepared dinner. The only issue I have is that dinner stops at 9:00 - I would like to see this more like 10:00. Their specials are very interesting and unique. I suggest getting there early if you want to check these out as they often sell out of the specials.
Review Source:My wife likes this place more than me but it's slowly winning me over. Â Parked in back and came in through the back door - on the way to the hostess stand, proceeded to trip over the stage. Â Not much room to negotiate. Â
Didn't have a reservation but were happy sitting at the bar. Â Very friendly bar tender. Â He made a very nice Manhattan for me. Â It was odd in that there were many bourbon choice but only one rye? Â I occasionally have bourbon but I'm more of a Manhattan traditionalist.
I had the fish chowder which was very good, very hot, maybe too big of a bowl - I don't think there was a "cup" option on the menu - next time I'll ask. Â The bowl also came out a little too fast as I wasn't even close to finishing my Manhattan. Â Sip of soup, sip of Manhattan, sip of soup, etc. - not ideal.
I thought the burger was great. Â Had a version with bacon, blue cheese etc. Â Perfectly cooked med rare. Â I liked the bun a lot.
Wife had a vege flatbread which was very good as well as an app (I can't remember what it was) which she enjoyed.
Music started around 8:30 - a real nice addition to the scene.
Overall, I think it's really nice food in a casual atmosphere with live music and good service. Â Nice combo.
Wow! Braised pork shank with jus. Mac & cheese and wilted watercress. My wife had the Buff Jimmy flat bread and salad. Basically a cheese burger pizza with pickles and everything. Dessert was coconut ice-cream with choc chips for Heidi and I had apple fritters with maple syrup, whipped cream and ice-cream. Everything was homemade. Not bad. Had some wine and a big tankard of Murphy's stout!
Review Source:Walked in and was asked "Do you have reservations?" we said "No". Waiter walked off and no one else ever greeted us. We waited for 5 minutes while 4 different  employees passed us by without greeting us. We felt very awkward. It is too bad because this establishment is only 1 mile from my house...but apparently they don't need our business, nor will they ever get it.
I was really let down because the only things I have heard about this restaurant is positive stuff. We will not be back though. We felt very awkward and totally unwelcome.
Their weekend brunch is the best in the area. Â Start with some of their one of a kind homemade doughnuts. Â These will sell out so make sure you get in early. Â Your meal will not be complete without one! Â I always enjoyed one of their "benedict" specials. Â They are delicious takes on the classic eggs benedict. Â They also make wonderful one of a kind cocktails. Â
I have also been many times for dinner. Â As with brunch, everything is homemade so your order will take some time. Â I have never been displeased with their steak offerings. Â
The Frog & Turtle has a wonderful close-nit atmosphere which makes you feel like a regular. Â I would recommend reservations for brunch and possibly for dinner.
Good service and good atmosphere equal two stars. The food was pretty lackluster for a self-proclaimed "gastro-pub."
The positives: great local music. Chipper and friendly waitstaff.
The negatives: Food. I could rip this place a new one if I wanted to. I'll just say the hamburger buns (house made, but why?) are reminiscent of Burger King. The house specialty drink (the swamp) is served with dry ice. It looks really cool, but tastes like bubble gum. Now, you may say, well I like bubble gum, but trust me, you wouldn't like this bubble gum.
Gastro-pub? If you're going to apply a snooty title to your establishment, you'd better back it up with some good grub.
Friends suggested the F&T to meet out at and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Â Arriving early the bartender greeted me with a warm smile and introduction. Â After we sat down our party size grew and the waitress moved us over right over to another table. Â Service was great, the chef was even out on the dinning room floor checking to insure everyone was enjoying. Â
Food: Â I'm heading back soon. Â The fish special I had was out of this world. Â A shrimp dish with pan fried noodles and seasoned with just the right spices. Â Delicious. Â I hear the chicken crepes are a cult favorite.
Bottom Line: Â This is a quiet jewel that will draw you back again! Enjoy.
We've been to the Frog & Turtle twice for dinner now, and it's becoming one of our new go-to spots. Â It's good food in an unpretentious atmosphere. (They're the same people behind the French Press Eatery around the corner, their casual breakfast/lunch place)
Our first visit started off somewhat dubiously -- a table smack in the middle of traffic that was wobblier than a baby learning to walk. Fortunately, as we started to mutter a bit, our server noticed, swooped in and fixed it -- typical of the very attentive staff.
Food has been great. I've had the cheese plate appetizer both times, and I haven't been disappointed - and I'm a cheese nut. Â My husband had the poutine the first time, and it was good, too. My husband had a bouillabaisse that was to die for on our second visit.
Service, as mentioned before, is great... attentive, but you feel you're allowed to linger. Â We'll be back often. Â We've heard raves about their brunch.
Great! Coming from San Francisco to Portland for my girlfriend's parents' 50th anniversary get together, I assumed that I'd be at best mildly disappointed by something calling itself a gastro-anything, let alone pub. We had ~20 people for early dinner and they provided a perfect array of starters. We particularly liked the crackers they had made out of their own wheat bread. Our waiter, Ian was superb both in attentiveness and his knowledge and interest in what he was offering us. The chocolate cake they made for the occasion got rave reviews; just sweet enough - which pleased everyone. F&T Â was unpretentious so I think all our folks there for a fairly casual event felt quite comfortable. All in all, really nice place with good people. I'd go back, and certainly need to try the donuts.
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