Seven High in Kennebunk, Maine

Seven High straddles two worlds: daytime deli counter slinging tuna melts and chicken salad on house-made bread, nighttime full restaurant with pork schnitzel, baked haddock, and a bartender named Kacey who makes drinks you'll order twice. It's casual enough for a highway pit stop, elegant enough that locals keep coming back. The owners built something that actually feels like it was designed with care.

• Tuna melt and California club with portions that actually impress.
• Pork schnitzel and haddock done with real skill and care.
• Bar scene feels genuine, not forced. You'll meet people.
• Homemade bread, pastries, and desserts made in-house daily.

Start with the California club on focaccia if you're stopping by the deli. Dinner, get the pork schnitzel or baked haddock. The calamari and pork flautas are regulars' moves. Don't skip the bread basket, especially with oil. For dessert, the brownie skillet with cinnamon ice cream or apple crisp are both worth ordering. Try whatever Kacey suggests for a drink.

The dining room feels upscale and open without being fussy. There's a real bar where people linger and talk. Daytime leans casual, evening shifts more intimate, but never stuffy.

It's become the kind of place where locals have their standing orders and staff remembers them by name. The menu shifts with seasons and specials, but the fundamentals stay solid. Prices track reasonable even when the food doesn't, which matters in Kennebunk.

Locals call it their official go-to, citing the owners' vision and thoughtful staff alongside genuinely good food. One regular mentioned the owners will accommodate any request without making it weird. The consistency matters: one guest had visited five times for dinner since opening and wasn't disappointed once. As one recent visitor put it, "it's worth the drive you'd normally make to Portland."