The Thistle Inn

The Thistle Inn anchors the Oak Street dining scene in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, offering a dependable menu of locally caught seafood and American comfort dishes in a setting that captures the convivial spirit of a New England harbor town. The inn and restaurant have served Boothbay Harbor for generations, and the dining room retains genuine warmth — wood paneling, low lighting, and a bar that functions as a gathering point for both visitors and year-round locals. The menu reflects the ingredients that Boothbay Harbor's working waterfront provides: lobster rolls built with fresh-picked Maine lobster, haddock fish and chips with hand-cut fries, steaming clam chowder, and a celebrated Maine blueberry pie for dessert. Craft cocktails are mixed at the bar, and the beer selection spans local Maine breweries alongside broader American craft options. The setting is seasonal — open from May through October — and the restaurant is most animated on summer weekday evenings when the harbor is busy with sailing excursions and whale-watching boats returning to the dock. Reservations are recommended in summer, though the bar area is always available for walk-ins. The inn provides accommodation above the restaurant, making it a convenient base for exploring the Boothbay Harbor region.