Cuzzy's Restaurant

Cuzzy's is a Camden fixture that does casual American food and beer with equal conviction. You'll find locals and visitors at the bar, families in booths, and a younger crowd upstairs when the karaoke kicks in. The kitchen keeps things straightforward: solid pizza, fried appetizers that hold their own, and entrees that don't pretend to be anything fancier than they are.

• Crispy-outside, tender calamari with tangy dipping sauce
• Thin-crust pizza with good ingredients and proper crust
• Hand-cut Cuzzy fries that outshine standard frozen options
• Upstairs bar with football, karaoke, younger crowd vibe

Start with the calamari if you want proof of their fryer skills, or grab the beef quesadillas for something heavier. The pizza holds its own against any Maine tavern pie, so order a slice or a pie depending on hunger. Chicken tenders work surprisingly well grilled if you're after something lighter. Don't skip the Cuzzy fries, and if there's clam chowder available, it won't disappoint.

Warm and busy, with a worn-in tavern feel. Upstairs bar for quieter sipping and sports; downstairs gets lively, especially when karaoke starts on weekends. Staff are in the weeds but friendly.

This is the kind of place where calamari comes out tender and glistening, pizza arrives with a thin crust that actually cracks when you bite it, and the Cuzzy fries (hand-cut potato slices) show someone's thinking about the basics. Grilled chicken tenders taste like they've been smoked. It's not trying to reinvent anything, which is exactly why people keep coming back.

Regulars praise the calamari as genuinely good, the pizza as properly made, and the bartenders as genuinely nice. One recent visitor noted the bar stays "busy busy" on busy nights, but the crew keeps drinks coming. People come back because it's consistent and unpretentious.