I've always driven or walked by this place on the way to Perkins Cove and chosen not to try it. Â I know it is an alternative lifestyle establishment, although that doesn't scare me away and their is live piano music on the second floor for fun. Â I just didn't view it as a fine dining establishment.
So, on encouragement of our friends, some straight and some gay, we decided to go and I'm glad we did. Â It was packed and we had to wait 40 minutes for a table but in the lounge upstairs the atmosphere was fantastic, loud but fun with people belting out tunes as the pianist played show tunes. Â The drinks were a bit strong for our liking, I know, I bet you don't hear that everyday and the wine selection was subpar at best. Â
Dinner on the other hand was unbelievable. Â Our waiter, Ken offered that we try the Mac n Cheese as it is known to be the best around. Â It is not the type of food we went there for but decided to order an appetizer of it anyway. Â I will say, it was the best we've all ever had and there was four of us. Â I won't give away their secret but you must try it and it doesn't involve lobster. Â I had the AHI Tuna special and my wife had the Lobster risotto and they were both great.
After dinner, we joined other friends of ours upstairs for some singing and just plain ole fun. Â We ended up closing the place down. Â A great time and highly recommended. Â If you are a homo-phobe, you will be uncomfortable here, just a word of warning, other than that, awesome place!!
After several trips to the Ogunquit and many utterances of "Oh, we still haven't been to the Front Porch!" I finally made it! Headed here on the Saturday night of July 4th weekend for drinks and to experience the upstairs piano bar in all of its musical glory. At about 10:15pm, there was already a wait to be let up, so my friend and I popped in to the bar downstairs to grab a drink and kill some time. It was busy but we were able to receive service quickly. About 15 or so minutes later we were summoned upstairs by the "bouncer" (I hesitate to call her that because of the image it conjures, and she was a lovely lady dressed quite nicely!). The upstairs felt like a different (and much more spacious) world! The ACs were on full blast to keep all of the patrons comfortable and singing along to showtunes, The Beatles, and many songs I didn't recognize but seemed to be crowd favorites. I loved the tophat and bowler hat light fixtures over the piano, and it was fun to watch the variety of patrons who were signing along and just enjoying themselves. Ages ranged from those in their mid 20s to much older and, with the exception of a few people who had come straight from the beach (tank tops and board shorts), most were well-dressed and well-behaved. The friendly waiters with adorable piano key bowties were attentive and provided service with a smile. A fun place to visit and a real piece of the Ogunquit night scene.
Review Source:We ate here on 4th of July. Â Our server was fantastic - as were the drinks - so I can't quite recall her name! Â We didn't have to wait to be seated since we quickly found a table in the bar. Â Our waitress was prompt and had great suggestions for us. Â The rum punch packs a punch (pun intended!) and definitely hit the spot after a day on the beach in 90+ degree heat! Â
Our appetizers came out quickly - hot lobster and fresh shrimp cocktail - and both were delicious! Â The shrimp are $4 each and we ordered 6 to share - well worth the price! Â
The only reason I am not giving this restaurant 5 stars is that my fiance ordered the baked haddock and was severely sick the next day. Â The restaurant is clean and we are not presuming that anything was necessarily wrong with the preparation, instead we are assuming it was perhaps just a combination of a super hot day and a hot kitchen? Â Overall the visit was great - it just wasn't in our plans to be housebound the next day! Â (FWIW, I was completely fine and we ate identically that day so we are attributing the sickness to the haddock!).
This is by far the best restaurant in Ogunquit. The service and food quality are always consistent. Â We have always been treated very well whether it was for dinner, drinks or enjoying the bar upstairs. Â Although not necessarily a restaurant for kids, they go above and beyond for them. Â
The Haddock fish and chips are very good. Light, not heavy breading or greasy. The Lobster Risotto is by far my favorite. Not just a few bits of lobster meat, but the whole lobster and fresh peas. Â Our other favorite is the chicken under a brick.
I used to go here years ago for drinks in the piano bar - over a decade later, I'm finding myself hanging in the OGT again on the occasional weekend and The Front Porch is too convenient to pass up.
Kelsey our server was fab - serving us with just the right relaxed banter and being very efficient and attentive. Â The food was great, the drinks are exceptional and its all in all a good time.
Went to The Front Porch for "Cloud 9" night. Â We all ordered different dinners and everyone enjoyed their meals and desserts. Â Service was excellent. Â My only complaint is that the noise level is over and above. Â I like a quieter atmosphere when dining. Â But.......on the other hand, I guess everyone is just having a good time.
Review Source:We came here on a whim for dinner during December 2012. Â It's the off-season for this area, and this place is closed for the season Jan-March each year. Â We were lucky to catch it just before it closed it's doors and I'm glad we did. Â It's a quirky place in that it's an old house that's been chopped-up to be a restaurant. Â You walk into what looks like the vestibule before you walk upstairs but the restaurant is on your left. Â Well, you enter left, into a crowded bar. Â Around the corner on the right is the restaurant and it's decorated very quaint-ly and has a fire going on the fireplace. Â We got a table by the window and ordered wine and dinner. Â They sell half-bottles of wine which is great. Â
The food was PERFECT. Â That rack of lamb was AMAZING. Â Perfectly cooked and very tasty! Â I loved that. Â My friend got a steak and it was excellent too. Â We LOVED the food.
After dinner, we took our wine and walked upstairs. Â Upstairs is this goofy piano-bar kind of place which is fun to sit and watch everyone or sing along if you want. Â The piano itself is in the corner and is set up as though the piano itself is a bar, with people sitting around it singing along to whoever is playing. Â When we got there, they were playing unknown showtunes and belting them out like it was the Opea. Â After a few of those, they played well-known songs like those from Grease or other well-known songs.
What was annoying was one of the "regulars" grabbed the tip glass from the piano and started pestering everyone in the room for money for the piano player. Â That was aggrivating. Â We just want to sit and watch, not be begged at for money.
-
Fun quirky weird place. Â I'd go back for the food in a minute!!!
I don't like to write poor reviews, but this is one I have to write. Â First of all, Ogunquit is adorable. Â It was our first time there and we were so looking forward to a great meal in Maine. Â The Front Porch looked like a fun place .. and from what I read in the reviews here, perhaps we should have gone straight upstairs as that seems like it would have been fun. Â
The food and the server, issues with both. Â My husband ordered the steak and it was fine, nothing great. Â But I ordered the risotta with lobster. Â I asked how it was prepared, and if they could lay the lobster on top instead of mixing it in to the dish, and they did bring the lobster meat in a separate bowl....cold. Â I also had asked for some drawn butter to dip the lobster in, and the server seemed confused, but eventually brought it. Â The risotto was good and seemed to be as represented on the menu. Â However, the first bite I took of the lobster ... i chewed ... and chewed ... and chewed... OMG. Â It was SO rubbery and chewy that I couldn't even swallow it. Â I literally had to discreetly spit it out of my mouth into a napkin. Â I tried a smaller piece ... same. Â I know that sometimes lobster has a bit more rubbery consistency....but it's really not supposed to. Â This was was inedible. Â I suspect they buy pulled lobster meat in big bulk amounts - this was clearly not from a tail or freshly from the shell. Â Â When i told the server, he just looked at me with the stunned look again, and took it away. Â No, "I'm sorry, can I get you something else?" ... nothing. Â I was amazed ... and for the rest of the meal, I was debating as to whether to ask for the manager. Â I didn't want to call attention to myself, and it was a very intimate setting so I didn't want other diners to be disturbed. Â Eventually when the server (finally) came over later in the meal to ask if we needed anything else, I told him that I wanted to speak to the manager. Â He said, "Well, Â she's already taken it off the bill - do you still want to talk to her?" Â I don't think he understood that it was not just the quality of the lobster, but also his lack of attention to the situation that was distubing....so I told him in a very soft, as-kind-as-I-could way, that he really should have said he was sorry, asked if he could get me anything else, come back and told me that the manager had taken it off the bill. Â Also, the fact that the manager never came over to my table told us that this was a top-down type of situation. Â If the manager didn't find it important to come apologize and let us know that she was taking care of it, then why would the server feel the need to acknowledge it? Â
Could have been a really nice dinner - but this was just amazingly bad to me. Â And I am still grossed out thinking about that lobster.
Skip it - there are a lot of other cute restaurants in Ogunquit. Â Or just head on upstairs.
What a gem The Front Porch is! Â That is where I will start!
I just started visiting Ogunquit for the first time this Summer. Â This place is great!
First, the downstairs is a full restaurant with a bar, and a great menu. Â The entrees are a little expensive - I had baked haddock for $22; but the service is great, the selection is good, and the drinks are nice too. Â Even though its fancy, they had no problem with the four of us in our bathing suits and sandals (shirts required though).
Upstairs is where the piano is, and its full of showtunes! Â Its seat yourself, but with full service servers. Â So it can be crowded, and if its just 2 of you (like the 1st time u went), you just have to make friends and sit with strangers. Â Which is fine!
The FLAT BREAD PIZZA IS AMAZING! Â It really is. I had it twice and you really can't go wrong, $11. Â The drinks are made well; I had some diet and malibu's, as well as some drinks off of their drink menu. Â Whether you sit up close or far in the back, its a great little place.
The servers are hit and miss. Â Most were very friendly, one sort of disappeared and we needed a manager to seek him out. Â But they were all friendly. Â
If you're up in Ogunquit, I highly recommend this place!
The crowd and the man playing the piano were wonderful. Unfortunately, another patron stole my phone and it took management over an hour to retrieve it. They obviously judged me (and therefore didn't believe me) based on the fact that I was younger than 40 years old. Can't say I will be returning anytime soon. Thanks, but no thanks.
Review Source:I made 3 visits there over 4th of July weekend and it was great each time. We sat in the downstairs bar and two of the bartenders, Mark and Matthew, gave us red carpet service with their hospitality and made quality drinks. The food was excellent and you can get a pricier steak or a simple flat bread pizza. It has become my favorite place in Ogunquit to eat.
Review Source:Always welcoming, friendly staff and great service. They have a wide variety of interesting apps, flatbreads, salads, and burgers, as well as full meals. The food is always tasty and well presented. The wine selection is good and priced fairly for the area where they are located. Have eaten there many times and have never been disappointed.
Review Source:Went there for dinner this past Saturday night. We couldn't get a reservation but we did call ahead. It was busy! The dining room is warm and inviting with a fireplace and wide windows to look out at the street, which resembled a movie set. The menu is limited but creative. I got the fish tacos and they were delicious. I also had their special martini - white cranberry cosmo. It was great! I also tried their pumpkin martini and that was delicious too, but strong!
We also went upstairs to the piano bar which was full of people signing along. Would be a fun party spot.
The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The restaurant was clean and roomy. Â I would definitely recommend this place for a date or a small group.
I go to the Front Porch for their food. The biggest surprise to me was how good their fish tacos were. I prefer grilled; however, they have such a light batter to them that I don't feel guilty (or gross) after eating them. I have strayed just to try out other items on the menu and they have all been good but I typically go back to the fish taco. Ill even call in a take out order from time to time.
I have visited the Front Porch a few times with friends for some adult beverages. It is one of the better places to go in Ogt. Â The bartenders are good and can make decent drinks. It gets busy but the atmosphere is light and everyone is looking to have fun. Its right in the center of town so it gets a lot of attention. I prefer downstairs at the bar. It's a great place to sit by the window, have some cocktails and people watch.
Overall, I am definitely a fan.
Wanted to like the Front Porch, but it just wouldn't let me! Â We are serious about our dining experience, so this may be a tough review - but it is very accurate. Â
Dining room was not busy, but  our waiter appeared to be "in the weeds".  Started with Blt salad and crab cake - Blt salad a 5 (out of 10) - butter lettuce and panchetta were good, but overdressed with a wishbone like blue cheese dressing - a good quality crumbled blue and a fresh vinaigrette would fix it!  Crab cake lite on crab, heavy on cake, topped with arugula - overall zero flavor -  a 5 - tossing greens in a lemon vinaigrette would added flavor - so would some course salt.
No report on the bread - waiter forgot it,..also never came around to offer new round of drinks or clear app plates ( until much too late).
Main course - wife orders halibut special, salmon for me, grilled chicken for 4 yr old. Â WELL DONE - all of it cooked to death! Â I can see the potential in the salmon dish - napa Cabbage and shitakes were flavorful, but the salmon was severly overcooked - 5. Â Halibut was a great looking piece of fish, but again cooked to death and had no flavor- same with Yukon potato and asparagus - $29 should by some flavor - right? - 3. Daughters chicken died on the grill - dry, charcoal, stringy and flavorless - 0. Â The fries were really good and were the only seasoned thing we ordered.
It's too bad, I really wanted to like this place, but it was really a turn and burn experience - the menu has the potential to be something special, Â but what fell apart in the back of the house was served by an equally poor performing front of the house :(
This place is fine, but is really only a standout in town because there are so few directly comparable options. To me it seems like they are just phoning it in. While they're not really doing anything wrong, they're not really trying either. With a great location and not a lot of serious competition in the immediate area, I guess they only have to try so hard.
Review Source:This place is pretty bumping along at night. Upstairs has a piano man playing, but it got super crowded, so on the two nights we came here we chose to avoid it. ( Though more like had to since there were way too many people to really enjoy it!) However, I would have loved to stay upstairs since it seemed like so much fun.
Anyway, we were seated downstairs, where they have a bar area and a dining area. Both time we were seated by the bar. Their bar menu is pretty good in my opinion and they have interesting drinks. My Hot & Dirty drink was pretty good, though it did mostly taste like olive water with some spicy kick to it. It was interesting.( And my waitress was willing to give me extra olives so I was pretty content.) Â My friend's Chocolate Martini had much more liquor to it, so I was a bit jealous...
Their flat breads are really tasty, as well as their crab cake sandwich. The waiter said they just premiered a lot of their sandwiches on their bar menu - well worth it to try!
This was recommended by my hotel owner. I was a bit skeptical considering a gay music lounge bar upstairs.
We met a friend at the ground floor bar and we immediately became friends with the 2 very  friendly bartenders. They made us good drinks and we eventually moved into the dining room at a nice booth.
We all decided to share 3 entrees. No disappointments. We had an excellent Prime Rib and a perfectly cooked Risotto, very tasty. I don't recall the other dish we shared.
I would definitely return here on my next trip to Oqunquit.
This review is based on our 2nd visit.
Excellent service and incredibly fresh seafood. Seems always packed with a fun atmosphere.
For food, the crab meatballs with a rich pink sauce and linguini were very good, although a unique combination. The lobster spring rolls were at bit of a disappointment, even though they were highly recommended by the server (couldn't taste the lobster).
Have not visited the piano bar upstairs, but it sounds raucous.
Happy to return anytime.
I never had a good time here - it's always too crowded, the drinks way overpriced, and the music selections I've heard too many times before - one of the pianists is hysterical, though. Â There was this French Canadian couple that purchased the sheet music for Don McLean's "American Pie" and he was like, "what am I supposed to do with this? Â It's about twenty minutes long." Â And they were like, "Last year you said you didn't have it, so we picked it up for you and we want to hear it." Â And he was a good sport, played a few verses, and was like, "that's enough of that!" Â Aside from that, as I bitch about this place, I will find myself here again next year for the obligitory drink, freeze my balls off, and then I will be beating a path for the stairs.
Review Source:My wife and I have been here for dinner twice now, and both times we had an excellent experience. Â The service was very good and the food was delicious.
We usually start with one of the flat breads as an appetizer. Â Yummy :)
I recommend the 'Chicken Under a Brick' - I never order chicken out, it's usually nothing special, but this variant is tender, juicy and moist in the extreme. Â The truffled mushroom potato croquets were tasty and unusual as well.
The prices here are definitely not bargain basement fare, but then again the food quality is very good, so for us anyway it's worth it for an occasional splurge.
Also, the piano bar upstairs plays show tunes, which makes my wife happy :)
We've eaten here 3 times in the last year and each time was great. Â
FOOD: Â Everything I've had has been excellent. Â
Starters: Â The chopped salad is great, and better value (and dressing) than a similar salad I tried recently at MC Perkins Cove. Â The shrimp tempura starter is yum. Â
Mains: Â The flatbread pizzas are pretty good. Â I had a pulled pork sandwich that I was so happy with, I didn't even mind the sauce all over my fingers (and face). Â Great fries. Â The mac'n'cheese specials are good, somewhat off the beaten path without overstepping, and very filling. Â My husband has ordered steak and seafood mains, which are good but come with some dubious sides. Â They seem to favor cream sauces which can overshadow the veg. Â
Dessert: Â Desserts are great and not skimpy. Â The coffee is excellent.
Drinks/Wine: Â I haven't been able to enjoy the drinks the last 2 times, but the first time we had a great red wine. Â Martinis are also good, according to my husband (who's not afraid to order girly drinks).
Service: Â The servers are friendly & knowledgeable enough about the menu. Â The service is quick, no long waits for food and no cold plates.
Ambience: Â We generally only go to Ogunquit in the off season, but this place is still packed with locals. Â The decor is nice and hip (don't be put off by the bright yellow awning). Â We haven't been upstairs to enjoy the sing-alongs, but one time the piano was downstairs and we enjoyed (sometimes endured) the show tunes sung by the group who packed around it.
I'm giving 4 stars for overall experience, but I am stretching upward from 3.5 in a spate of generosity. We started downstairs in the dining room and I made the mistake of mentioning to the hostess that I needed to visit the restroom. She not only led me to it, but sat me in front of it, arrgh!
However when I realized there were empty booths they cheerfully relocated us, and I must say the food was great.
I had the lobster roll, served with homemade chips, the meat was tasty, and while served on a hamburger style bun, but it was none the less filling and delicious. The chips were a bit "soggy" but still good. I initially panicked at the amount of lettuce, but when scraped away to revel the meat my pulse returned. Cartilage count=0 quite  a feat.
My special friend had designer mac and cheese, a creamy cheesy delight. We paired our entrees with a dynamite Merlot, named by coincidence dynamite, a dry buttery Merlot. We plan to order more for our home.
We then headed upstairs to catch a comedy show, which was a:free and b: somewhat hilarious. the audience was a mix of gays and straights and a good time was had by all. We plan a return visit.
Me and my friend had reservations and were sat at the smallest, crappiest table in the joint, right under and air conditioning duct. Â It was freezing cold. Â I asked the waiter to either move us or turn down the a/c... he replied that there were no other tables available (there were several open that were eventually also seated with parties of two) and that the a/c couldn't be turned down because of the comfort of the rest of the diners. Â I glanced around the room and noticed several others sitting with there hands between their legs, trying desperately to keep the blood flowing. Â Then a man had to run back to his hotel to get his wife a sweater. Â The back of the house had their act together, the food was quite good. Â The waitstaff clearly have no concern for the comfort of the patrons.
Review Source:We had a great time at the Front Porch. Â First of all, the dining area is really nice - it reminded us of our living room and we had a great seat in a leather booth. Â My meal was splendid, starting with the Field Green salad, followed by the Salmon with wild rice. Â It was great. Service was spectacular.
My girl's meal was less than - her pork was completely dried out, and that's just unacceptable. Â She didn't like it at all.
Then we went upstairs for some piano bar action. Â I was worried it would be all showtunes, but it was a wide variety of recognizable sing along songs. Â Great stuff. Â And then we caught the Khris Francis ribald action. Â He was hilarious. Â
All in all, we had a great date. Â This is probably a place that gets old after you've gone once or twice - it's probably always the same shtick, but we had a great time nonetheless.
The frozen cosmos served here were a favorite of all of my friends who had one (just about everyone)
The scene is pretty laid back- it is Maine after all. it is just about the only place to get drinks and listen to music late (open 'till 1 am)
but not a bad choice even if it's virtually the only one.
While in Maine, some friends took me to the gay mecca of Ogunquit. Â Well, "mecca" might be stretching it, but I was certainly surprised by the number of gay bars, and the size of the gay community in such a small town in (what seemed to me) the middle of Nowheresville.
Our first stop was The Front Porch, which had its plusses & minuses. Â
Plusses:
*Tasty drinks
*A downstairs for those strictly dining & an upstairs with more of a bar atmosphere
*A sweetheart of a bouncer (Dennis), who is a lovely kisser and quite the romantic (he's kept in touch months & months later)
*Yummy food (the flatbread pizzas & the sweet potato fries were delicious)
Minuses:
*The prices (a $14 frozen cosmo?!?!)
*The servers seemed slightly overworked & rushed (although always pleasant)
*The upstairs bar, while sorta fun, was a pinao bar where people were singing showtunes non-stop
*The crowd was a bit...older (not that I mind older, but I do prefer a bit more a mix)
Overall the experience evened out to be just fine. Â Not good, not bad, and it was a perfectly pleasant way to spend the first few hours of our evening. Â My friend is a business associate of the owner, so we didn't end up paying as much as we should have (which was good). Â And a friend of a friend got a little outta hand, to the point where Dennis the Bouncer had to give us a verbal warning. Â The warning was handled very discreetly, and kindly, which was nice (I was sorta hoping Dennis would toss our "friend" out on his ass, but he was very nice about the whole debacle).
Anyway - The Front Porch was just fine. Â Nothing all that major to report one way or the other.
Yes, the piano bar is as gay as tank tops and pomegranate martinis. Â It's also a lot of fun. Â The night we were there we heard a cheesy impersonation of Pavarotti, a nondescript woman with an absolutely gorgeous voice and two barbeque blondes who sang with such gusto that no one cared that they were totally wasted. Â This is Drunk Karaoke at its finest.
If you're looking for great voices singing show tunes, visit The Front Porch during the off-season. Â That's when the really talented locals come out (pun intended).
This is a review of the Front Porch Piano Bar which is upstairs over the restaurant.
This place SUCKS. I have been dragged here with friends for drinks after a day at the beach for years. When you get inside the place is FREEZING as all the AC"s are blowing snow.
Inside all the old gay men are screaming (opps I meant singing) old show tunes over a electronic piano. Its so loud in there I nearly have a freak out. They used to smoke in there which made the torture far worse.
The decor? OMG it has not been redecorated in like 50 years.
I always manage to escape to the Main St Bar across the street for some salvation.
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