Academe

Service was fantastic. I loved the wait-​staff here. Everyone was truly wonderful. We also felt like we were amidst a ton of locals which was fun. Drinks were also great (double points for the awesome Martini). That said, the $ 33 Lobster Pizza that everyone talks/​writes about is definitely underwhelming. Safe your money. Trust me. It’s just not that great.
All the other food was good. Salt was a MAJOR missing component in all of our dishes but that’s an easy fix. Although, at a place like this — you shouldn’t have to salt your food. Our group had the Rigatoni Bolognese (great…just needed salt), meatloaf (great…just needed salt), and the veggie tart (salt…salt…).
Bottom line is — come here for a good meal with locals. The service is wonderful and the atmosphere is really quaint, quiet and cozy (and a little romantic too).

To start off, this establishment is not its own restaurant, it’s a bed and breakfast type of place with a restaurant inside. We came
here because it was rated 4 ½ stars but this place really doesn’t deserve this rating. I may be a bit upset because of the price of my dish and my disappointment in what I ordered. They had a very large sign outside advertising the lobster pot pie, it was even mentioned on the food network. I have to admit this dish was bad no wait, HORRIBLE and even left not one but two other people feeling a bit nauseous afterwords. The only complement I can give this dish was that it was really pretty looking but that is it. To begin this was not really a pot pie at all, it was more of a fluffy croissant type of bread that sat on top of a bowl of a lobster type of soup. The bread was flaky and tasty but it was no pie. Now the soupy part was a bit watery, I was expecting a better consistency. It had about 2 bits of potatoes in it accompanied with a few peas. There was lobster in it, about 2 decent sized chunks but that was it. The flavor of the soup was really salty and buttery, it literally tasted like whipped butter in a heavy whipping cream, I almost wanted to gag a little every-​time I put a spoonful in my mouth. The only reason I ate it is because I was $ 22 into the hole after ordering it. The worse part was that it left a lingering flavor in my mouth after I left the restaurant and also really upset my stomach afterwords. This was my first time visiting Maine and I was hoping to taste a really good lobster dish, this literally ruined my day and experience in Maine. Not only did I not like the food but it also ruined my appetite for the rest of the day and I felt like it was a waste. The service was nothing special, the waiter looked as if he hated life. My girlfriend left a decent tip just because she felt bad for the guy. Overall I hated the lobster pot pie I wouldn’t buy it for a dollar. I may be a bit harsh but first impressions are a big deal and their main dish highly disappointed.

This Unilocal find was one for the books.
This restaurant is housed in a hotel of sorts. The establishment smells so bad it was hard to order and stay for drinks and apps. We didn’t have a reservation for dinner in town until 9 so we decided to stay and check this place out. The seats are covered in a fabric from the 90’s. Old, ripped, and stained. The carpet is so gross and dirty looking it makes you wonder what the kitchen is like.
After ordering some simple cocktails, and 3 sides/​apps. We settled in. The restaraunt side was empty, and the staff was appearing to us as intoxicated. One server for the food section and then our bartender. The party behind us was screaming about receiving a butter knife with his steak, but that’s not our review just a note.
We ordered the green beans, tater tots, and academic salad. The salad was served in a cup of soup bowl. Tiny! The tots had about 8 – 10 pieces. Enough to feed a small child for a snack. The green beans were flashed boiled or steamed and thrown on a side plate. Frozen not fresh, and not even salt or pepper to taste. Inedible.
We observed a lot of half drunk locals hanging out at the bar, so maybe that’s where the 5 stars reviews came from?

Comment — Very good food! A bit spooky when you are left alone but is historical
Food — Good quality ingredients, good portion size, flavorful dishes
Service — Great service, fast/​friendly, super nice
Cleanliness — Clean operation
Recommendations: Lobster pot pie!!!
Suggestions: More restrooms?

The food is spectacular. Right in Downtown Kennebunk.
What a Gem. The food was Amazing.

although the lobster pie is rated as A must by food network we actually thought the Cavatelli pasta chicken was special. In any case all the food was excellent and if you’re in the area stop in.

We got two of the famous lobster pot pies as takeout. Although they had large chucks of lobster meat, overall we weren’t impressed. Wish we had ordered something else, since the restaurant has received wonderful reviews.

Okay so my review is mixed but I will give it 4 stars
So of course I got the lobster pot pie. now let me say I review based on price and taste.
I think that if you have to pay $ 22 for a dish it should be the best dish for $ 22. This dish was good and I think for $ 22 it isn’t worth it. It taste like chicken pot mini pie, with lobster added instead of chicken. My girlfriend makes potpie and it is a lot better than what I got here, so me personally I would give it 3.5÷5
They had a seafood special soup and that was ⁵⁄₅
and their crab salad was ⁴⁄₅

Great lobster pot pie: very rich cream, small, one lobster claw in it. Fabulous beer batter fried green beans appetizer! Fresh homemade rolls, too. Wonderful meal! Excellent service!

Love this place! Especially early in the evening when there aren’t many people in yet. You can enjoy a drink — must try «Sage Against the Machine» and listen to local conversation. The food is always excellent and the service is too! My initial visit last March was for the Lobster Pot Pie, but luckily, I’ve been able to return several times. The nightly specials are equally worth the trip. This time, I had Duck Cassoulet, broccoli and apple slaw and a duck pastrami slider on a homemade pretzel bun with pickled vegetables. Mercy!

Went here on our weekend trip to Kennebunkport. A historical landmark, the inn was rather packed and bristling with travelers on a cold October night.
The food was good, a mixture of Americana and lobster creative dishes. My lobster lo mein was a savory and refreshing. The cocktails were creative.
Overall a good variety on the menu in an energetic, sometimes loud due to the proximity of the bar, small town new england restaurant with good innovative food.

Fantastic food for the value! Situated in downtown Kennebunk-​perfect for an occasion that’s casually elegant. You will always feel welcome and never feel out of place-​but you will feel like you’re celebrating a special occasion!
Service was friendly and helpful-​try the fresh peanut butter ice cream on a lava cake-​filled with peanut butter!

Academe has become one of my favorite regular dining places. The bar area is cozy and quaint, and it is always easy to strike up a conversation with one of the locals.
One of the main reasons I keep going back to Academe, aside from the amazing food, is Adrian the bartender. This gent loves his craft and it shows! Check out some of his unique cocktail creations, such as the award-​winning «Sage Against the Machine» or «Put the Lime in the Coconut», which is actually garnished with 2 scoops of coconut sorbet! Last night, Adrian made me an Old Cuban (basically a mojito topped with prosecco), but upon my request, muddled a few strawberries in the cocktail. I actually had to share my drink with the woman next to me because it was so good I wanted to share the experience. And if you are not sure what to drink, ask him to pair a glass of wine, beer, or cocktail with your food — he always has the perfect suggestion.
Now for the food — the menu is always spot-​on with local flavors of the season. I always look forward to the remarkable and crearive talents of renowned Chefs/​Owners Brian and Shanna O’Hea.
Last night I started with a cup of gazpacho, which was simple, fresh, and delicious. For my entrée, i ordered the Caribbean Pork Osso Buco, which was served with creamy banana polenta and 2 generous pieces of crispy pork belly. The pork was so tender, i didn’t even need to use my knife, and the toasted cashews were the perfect garnish to compliment the Caribbean jerk and banana flavors in this dish. The ONLY downside was perhaps the presentation… it could have been a little more colorful. Even just adding a few micro greens or pea shoots would have done the trick. But I would definitely recommend this dish.
Overall, I give Academe 4 stars for the food/​cocktails, ambiance, great service, and friendly staff. I would give it 5 stars, except i will never give a restaurant that allows children 5 stars. I really hate children. Cheers!

We had such a great lunch here! We ordered the lobster pot pie, haddock chowder, & the Kennebunk Inn salad, all to share. First off the chowder was amazing, light and creamy. The salad was also great, I changed the goat cheese out for crumbly blue and it was delicious! Now the lobster pot pie. It was great! Lots of lobster, chunks of potato, and veggies. We were stuffed and can’t wait to go back!

Academe almost has it all. Excellent service, great food, pretty good drinks. The only thing it’s missing is ambiance. Take out the old, ugly carpet, paint the walls a less elementary school bathroomy color, put in some classy artwork and Academe would be over the top fantastic. As is, you can still get an awesome meal served up by a friendly, professional waitstaff.
Of course you have to get the lobster pot pie. It filled me up even though it’s listed as an appetizer. And yeah, it’s pricey for what you get. But it’s damn good. The lobster pot pie is obviously rich, but not so heavy that you’re immobilized or anything. We got a veggie pie appetizer that was thoroughly boring though. So stick with lobster.

Heard about this place from food network and had to try it based on the lobster pot pie.
Turns out, the lobster pot pie was good, but they also had notable heavy hitters besides.
First, we had the sampler: 2 burger sliders, 2 pulled pork sliders and a ‘mini’ lobster roll, that actually wasn’t that mini. Wow, those pulled pork sliders were phenomenal! Juicy, tender and the bread was lightly toasted and a little sweet. The burgers were a bit overcooked. I asked if they could be made medium rare but was told no (weird. But whatever). So I thought by this time I would be sick of lobster rolls… But NOPE! Very tasty lobster roll for sure (had 4 lobster rolls on vacation these past 2 day).
Then we had the lobster pizza… So meaty and great quality cheese. Had amazing little sundried tomatoes and the crust was perfectly crispy and tasty.
The lobster pot pie itself was pretty much exactly what I thought it would taste like. I was kind of full at at the time I ate it so I don’t want to judge it. I just feel that the execution of the concept was a little annoying to eat being that the lobster pot pie was basically a bowl of a creamy lobster chowder with a flaky pastry bread on top. Very tasty, just hard to eat.
Nonetheless, I would come back here and order the exact same things!

Just left there and felt robbed. Ordered the «famous» lobster pot pie ($ 21.50!) and got about a cup of soup and one claw with a puff pastry on top. Which was actually tasty but not for that price. Also my girlfriend ordered the burger and I quote «the worst burger I ever had» the burger was dryyy and the bun stale and soggy. Bad first impression.

Academe… a true hole in the wall. If it wasn’t for Unilocal,you could drive by this place every single day and never notice it here… and that’s why Unilocal is so awesome!
It has a very home-​like vibe here… bed and breakfast style setup almost. Service was friendly, and the food came out fast, although we were the first ones here!
Came here for the Lobster Pot Pie and the Truffle Lobster Pizza… but they don’t serve the pizza on the LUNCH menu! Never fret, we asked, and they said they would deliver anyways! *Internet high five!
Lobster White Pizza ($ 27): Lobster, Spinach, Roasted Tomatoes, Herb Infused Cream and Havarti, Drizzled with Truffle Oil. THIS was the reason we came here… and THIS is the reason we would be back! The combination sounded weird to me at first, but Lobster + Truffle + Pizza is outstanding! I know they are known for the Pot Pie, but this blows it outta the water!
Lobster Pot Pie ($ 21.50): Poached Lobster, Peas, Corn, Potatoes and Shanna’s hand rolled Puff Pastry. This was delicious! They have tail, knuckle and claw meat hiding inside, with a fair amount of goodies making a tasty soup combination. The pastry is super soft and flaky… yum!
We didn’t get dessert since we were having Lunch #2 at Clam Shack LOL… foodie problems I tell ya: P
Check out the pics:

I first heard about Academe from Food Network’s «Best Thing I Ever Ate» around the time I was doing my New England itinerary months ago. Chef Cat Cora loves their Lobster Pot Pie so it was a no-​brainer to include this place onto my list.
Located in the cute and quiet town of Kennebunkport. As soon as you enter Kennebunk Inn, go to your left and Academe is right there. You’ll be greeted by a lovely lady who also assists guests at the inn. Aside from the Lobster Pot Pie, I also wanted to try the Lobster White Pizza but it was on their dinner menu and our reservation was at 11:30am. The lovely lady I just mentioned talked to the chefs for us so we can try the lobster pizza and they gladly obliged. We were the first diners of the day and we got to sit anywhere we liked and sat by the window.
Lobster Pot Pie:
Lobster meat, corn, peas, potatoes and puff pastry. The puff pastry was hot and flaky. I dipped it in the bowl of chowder. Think how good a bowl of clam chowder is but with lobster instead of clams… yum! ⁴⁄₅
Lobster White Pizza:
Chunks of lobster with spinach, havarti, roasted tomatoes, herb-​infused cream and
drizzled with truffle oil. The crust was thin and crisp and I was using it to clean off the truffle oil from the plate. You’d think that cheese and seafood combo would be weird but it worked. Consume immediately! ⁵⁄₅
Excellent food and definitely even more excellent service!

My wife and I had lunch on Friday the 9^th, and dinner on Saturday the 11^th.
The food was amazing. Chef Shanna and Brian really know how to infuse flavor into the food.
If you are in Kennebunk or nearby, I heartily recommend stopping in for lunch or dinner.