Visit
East Bay has three seasons. Not Four. Summer, Fall, and Winter. Spring is a myth.
If you come here, don’t come with any expectations. We’re happy to have you, and appreciate the business.
Places to Stay:
Harbor Light Bed & Breakfast
Run by Diane and Walt Presley out of their 1887 Victorian on Cobb Street, the Harbor Light has four rooms, each named after a different kind of fish. Breakfast is served at 8am sharp. Walt makes the pancakes. You’ll want the pancakes.
The Saltbox Inn
A converted sea captain’s house at the edge of the north cove. Six rooms, some with water views depending on how you lean. Owners Carol and Pete Hatch have been running it for twenty-two years and know everyone in town. Ask Carol about the ghost. She’ll say there isn’t one. Doors say otherwise.
The Connelly House (Airbnb)
The Connelly family rents the summer house out through Airbnb. Three bedrooms, a full kitchen, and a backyard with a fire pit. The canoes in the garage are available for guest use. Tom Connelly asks that you not use the kayaks.
Tidewater Motor Inn
Clean rooms, reliable wifi, and a vending machine that has worked continuously since 2003. Located on Route 1 at the edge of town. It’s not fancy. It doesn’t try to be. Twelve rooms. Pets allowed. Don’t ask about the sign. The ‘M’ has been on order since last April.
East Bay Hostel
Eight bunks, one common kitchen, and the kind of people you end up talking to until 2am. Located above the old harbormaster’s office on Pier Road. Run by a guy named Marcus who moved here from Portland six years ago and keeps saying he’s going to leave. He’s still here. Oh, and they’re Lutheran, if that matters to you.
Places to Eat:
Mel’s Over Easy
Best diner in EB. actually the only one, and it’s mine. Breakfast starts before dawn, diner closes whenever Mel says so. no exceptions (You hear that Mr. Oswald?). Mel has been running this counter since 1991 and the menu hasn’t changed much since then. That’s not a complaint. Today. The eggs benedict is why people come back to East Bay a second time next to the chowder. Cash preferred. The card reader works about half the time. Bring Cash.
Joe’s Pizza
No tables. No chairs. No dine-in, ever. Joe makes the pizza, you take it home or his boys deliver it. That’s the whole thing. Delivery radius is technically three miles but Joe uses his own judgment. Call ahead. Don’t show up and expect a slice. It doesn’t work that way. Best pepperoni in Midcoast Maine, and Joe secret sauce is why everyone keeps ordering (or they’re to tired to cook).
The Cove Kitchen
Seafood and sandwiches in a converted bait shop on the waterfront. The lobster roll is the real reason you’re here. Order it cold with mayo. Don’t order it hot with butter. You can, but you shouldn’t. Screams “tourist” if you do. Outdoor seating available May through September, weather depending.
Harborside Grille
East Bay’s closest thing to a sit-down dinner restaurant. Open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Reservations recommended on weekends in the summer, mandatory during Lobster Festival, and completely unnecessary in February. Good chowder. Excellent pie. The wine list is short but they’re honest about it.
The Blue Anchor Pub
Food until 10pm, drinks until closing. The burger is better than it has any right to be. Trivia on Thursdays. Live music some Fridays, depending on who’s available. The bar has been there since 1962 and it shows, in a good way.
East Bay Bakery
Opens at 6am. Sells out of most things by 10. Come early or accept what’s left. The blueberry scones are made with wild Maine blueberries and the people of East Bay will not let you forget that distinction. Coffee is strong. Seating for eight.
The Lunch Pail
A lunch counter attached to the back of the hardware store on Main Street. This started as something just for the staff and expanded gradually. Soups, sandwiches, daily specials on a chalkboard. Closes at 1:30. Regulars get their orders started when they walk in the door.
Pier Street Tacos
Seasonal. Open Memorial Day through Labor Day, Thursday through Sunday. A converted trailer run by the Reyes family. The fish tacos use whatever came in that morning. Lines get long on Saturdays. It’s worth it. They don’t have a website. They don’t need one.
Things to Do:
East Bay Maritime Museum
Right on the docks, inside the old net warehouse, used to smell like fish, now it just smells like varnish and the same fish, slightly older. Three floors of real boats, ship models built by men (and women) with more patience than I’ve ever had with a customer, and a brass propeller the size of a dinner table that every visitor touches despite the sign asking them not to. There’s a balcony level if you want to look down on the whole operation, which is more satisfying than it has any right to be. Worth the hour. Worth two if you read the placards, which nobody does, but you should.
Open daily, hours shift by season. Check before you stop by. Gift shop has freeze-dried space ice cream. I love space ice cream.