Great dining experience overall ? seafood chowder in bread bowl is superb. Best fried calamari by far! Enjoyed this in the covered back patio! Highly recommend!
Best chowder on the coast. Great lobster rolls
Our first time in Portland. We chose to stay on Fore St which is right near a bunch of restaurants. We stopped at Gilbert's for lunch. The wait staff was very friendly and attentive. We got the clam chowder, Lobster roll, and fried shrimp. Everything was OK. I was hoping for a little more Lobster in the roll. It looks like alot in photo, but there's some lettuce on the bottom. I did like that they give you the option of mayo or butter on the Lobster roll, but you have to ask. If you don't ask, it comes with mayo.
The place was great! The staff super friendly and the food delish!
Easy to get in- other places had long wait times! Food was average. We had whole belly clams- tasted good. Clam chowder in a bread bowl- chowder was okay- not spectacular but still good. Portions were good. Staff was friendly.
Previous reviews on this site led us to have lunch here and it did not disappoint! We both had the smallest sized clam chowder which was still a very good amount. The chowder was thick and delicious and very filling as it was loaded with clams and potatoes. My husband had a lobster roll and I had the fried haddock sandwich. My fish was juicy and delicious . The lobster roll was also loaded with lobster and was very good. Prices were reasonable and we were able to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful day. DO NOT miss this restaurant.
We’ve visited Portland 5 times in the past 15 years. We love the city and it’s wonderful foodie experiences. We fly all the way from Northern California just to enjoy the scrumptious lobster and oyster meals. We just discovered another culinary gem: Gilbert’s on Commercial. The very second you walk in you are greeted by the warm and welcoming staff. The Jack & Cokes were quite warming also. It was a sunny but very windy spring afternoon. We chose to sit inside, although they do have harbor side seating. The Super seafood chowder was absolutely phenomenal! Understand, we live on the ocean in California. We get the best of seafoods. This chowder was superb. Our sandwich choices were the lobster BLT and a lobster grilled cheese. Both were tasty and delicious. They were served with chips and a pickle and that’s all that was necessary. Our waitress had worked there for 21 years. We loved her. Plus she mixes wonderful drinks. Needless to say, we will be back on our next visit. You must give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!
We decided to try Gilberts as it was very close to our hotel.... very very casual place...it was seat yourself....by the time we left, it was totally full and people were waiting...My husband and I both had fish (Haddock) and chips and lobster stew.... which is not stew...it was creamy but not thick, base with lg chunks of Lobster meat! The Lobster stew was Worth the trip itself! They also had clam, fish and seafood chowders....fried and steamed seafood...nothing pretentious but the fish and chips looked to be hand breaded, nice thick pieces of Haddock! For those who think lobster and seafood, For that matter is very inexpensive in Maine, definitely not the case, at least in spring! Maybe at Lobster pounds which were still closed! But don’t hesitate going in spring...the temps were great....no crowds, nice hotels very affordable!
Really Awesome Chowder! This was our second time …. It’s ridiculously delicious:) The bread bowl with the extra seafood is huge and seafood packed. The lobster stew is worth the drive from Connecticut.
Wicked good chowda! Only better chowda is mine at Foxboro Stadium Pats tailgate party ?? . Gilbert’s has great food, unique atmosphere and very friendly and fast waitstaff ???….