Bob's Clam Hut

Sept 2013 OK, but expensive. Been there, done that.

My wife, daughter and I stopped by Bob's on the way to Vermont from Canada. The clams were delicious and so was the lobster roll. But for $75 for the three of us, it would have been nice to have some cole slaw or a few more fries. The food was awesome, glad we stopped but will not stop again - too pricy for what you get.

Went to Bob's clam house with 16 people. Staff very accomodating. Had everything from lobster rolls to fish & chips to clams & calamari. Decent size portions, but seasoning very, very bland. Not to mention expensive. This was one of those "been there done that places".

We visited Bobs while in Maine the end of July. It was as good as Guy said on the show. We had the mixed clam basket - outstanding. We will go back every time we go to Maine.

Made a detour from Philadelphia to Montreal to go eat clams and lobster from Maine. Bob's Clam Hut was desapointing. Fried clams were OK at at best and the lobster roll was very good nut it was VERY expensive for what we got.

I’ve made a few bad decisions in life and eating at Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery Maine was one of them.

I’m from northern New Jersey and planned my family’s trip to Boothbay Harbor, Maine on August 29, 2012 for a wedding via Kittery, Maine because I had watched Guy Fieri’s Diner’s Drive-ins and Dives segment on Bob’s Clam Hut and wanted to stop there for lunch before heading to Boothbay. I guess I would consider this place under the category of “Dive”, it was pretty bad as far as my family was concerned. My wife and I were looking forward to eating the fried whole belly clams which we’ve had before in Connecticut and other places in Bar Harbor, Maine. This is not the place to go for that. They weren’t the least bit crispy or tasty and almost looked as though they were clam strips cause they were so small. My wife ordered the Whole Clam basket and I got the medium Whole Clam side order which was definitely the wrong choice at $27.95, while my daughter ordered the Calamari basket. Nothing was crispy or crunchy at all. Sorry, there was one thing that was crunchy, it was the Oyster crackers before putting them into the medium Clam Chowder and medium Lobster Stew that we also ordered. Again it was the wrong thing to get, both were terrible especially the Lobster Stew which tasted like the Lobster had been cooked to death and sitting there for a while. My daughter loves Clam Chowder and said this was the worst she’s ever had (she said canned chowder tasted better). She always finishes her chowder wherever she orders it but this time left about 90% of it. The same was true for my wife’s Lobster stew. We ordered everything that Guy Fieri had on his program. I guess they must have made his order special for TV or his taste buds weren’t working that day.

I guess the only real food critic can only be yourself, you can’t rely on internet reviews and you certainly can’t rely on what you see and hear on TV. This place really sucked to put it mildly, and now regret wasting our time going there. And did I tell you that this experience cost me around $90.00, that’s without any drinks (we had our own in a cooler) or tip (wasn’t required). Absolutely not a place for any budget minded family looking for good food at a reasonable price.

I should have drove directly to Boothbay Harbor where you can get pretty much the same selections only a whole lot better, and definitely a whole lot cheaper. I found a place called Kaler’s in Boothbay Harbor where we had dinner, which we thought was excellent. We had a twin 1 ¼ lb. lobster dinner, an enormous Fisherman’s platter that was fried to perfection (came with whole belly clams, haddock, Maine shrimp, calamari and scallops), 1 ½ lbs. of Native steamed clams, onion rings, Buffalo chicken dinner, a bowl of New England clam chowder and sodas, all at a cost of only $78.00 including tip. We went back the next day for lunch with 6 other people and they all loved it, we all pretty much ordered the same things again with the addition of 2 Lobster rolls which were overflowing with tender morsels of lobster and mayo on a lettuce leaf on a toasted roll, and it was excellent again.

If not for Guy Fieri’s review, I could have had lunch at Kaler’s that day also instead of the over priced terrible meal at Bob’s Clam Hut.

And don’t let the crowd at Bob’s fool you, most people who were there probably got suckered into going because of Guy Fieri’s review on this “Dive” of a joint.

If you have the time, go to Kaler’s in Boothbay Harbor, Maine which is about 2 hours northeast of Bob’s Clam Hut. I guarantee you won’t regret the trip. The cost savings will probably even pay for your fuel cost. If Kaler’s was closer to northern New Jersey, I’d probably be there weekly, this place is great.

KL of Northern New Jersey

Dissatisfied customer of Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery, Maine and Guy Fieri’s review of the joint

Totally Satisfied customer of Kaler’s in Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Just finished watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. We travel to Maine every year and are looking forward to stopping at Bob's Clam Hut.

This place is the bomb!

Best clams I have ever tasted. I can remember going to Bob's when I was a kid (45 years ago) with my parents. We vacationed in York and this was the first place we would stop. It was just a small shack then. Then only thing that has changed is the size. still the best Clams ever. I just sent a friend there and he could not believe how good they were. Just writing this is making me hungry for them.  Hey Bob… see you soon.

This was our first stop in ME and we were not disappointed! Wonderful seafood; clams, scollops, fish. Convenient to get to. A must stop.

I have gone to this place since i was a kid. My parents always stopped at the kittery trading post on the way to old orchard beach and we would stop in at bobs. I hadnt been in years and when I was younger I wasnt keen on seafood so I jumped on the chance to stop with my fiance. We got the clam chowder and a seafood special. They were great!! The clam chowder was packed with flavor and very soft fresh clams. The seafood special had clam strips, shrimp, and haddock over a bed of fries. The strips were packed with flavor and super fresh. The haddock was very light and melted in your mouth. The fries were great, traditional and homemade. It was great to go back and visit an old favorite. I can't wait to bring my kids there as they grow!!

The first stop we made in Maine and it was worth the stop. Clams, scollops, fish all amazing!

For Traip Academy Class of 1966

Stopped here on vacation.  Had the "clams two ways" which was labeled with "Don't let Guy decide, chose your own favorite".  They came out with a label for each type -- I think it was Bob's and Lillian's?  Anyway, although the clams were really good, we couldn't tell the difference between the two.  Lobster roll was really good as well.  Nice place with outdoor seating.  Thanks DDD!