Duffy's Tavern & Grill in Kennebunk, Maine

Duffy's Tavern & Grill sits right along the Kennebunk River in a brick-walled room that feels both casual and bright. You'll find pub standards alongside more adventurous plates: grilled salmon, lobster rolls, butternut squash pizza with goat cheese. It's the kind of place that works for a quick beer and wings or a full dinner, and they take care of gluten-free and vegetarian diners without making a fuss.

• Fresh grilled salmon, haddock, and lobster rolls done right.
• House-made pizzas with real toppings like hot honey pepperoni.
• Solid draft beer selection and knowledgeable bartenders.
• Strong gluten-free and vegetarian options, blueberry bread pudding.

Start with wings if you want bar bites, or skip ahead to the grilled salmon with mashed potatoes. The lobster roll comes properly stuffed on a good-sized bun. Try the butternut squash, goat cheese, and caramelized onion pizza or the hot honey pepperoni if you're gluten-free. The eggplant parm over pasta and fish tacos are solid, and the blueberry bread pudding is worth leaving room for.

Airy brick-walled room with river views. Lively when full, especially on weekends, but easy to find a quieter corner at the bar.

This is casual-restaurant food executed well: fresh ingredients, pizza that doesn't cut corners, seafood that tastes like it was actually caught. Come here when you want something better than average bar food but don't need white tablecloths. The menu stays simple and honest.

Guests rave about the freshness of the seafood and the kitchen's ability to balance flavors on pizza and pasta alike. One recent visitor called the hot honey pepperoni pizza 'the best-tasting' they'd had. Service gets consistent praise, though the kitchen can get backed up during peak times.