Restaurants in Saco

At The Falmouth Sea Grill, chefs lavish seafood with inventive seasonings as patrons drink in sweeping views of Casco Bay and Handy Boat marina. Culinary artisans layer truffle oil and walnut-pesto mayonnaise on a variety of fishy fare, from ichthyoids such as flounder to crustaceans such as Maine lobster. Generously portioned entrees including kaiser and sourdough sandwiches team up with wilted chard and hand-cut fries to please patient bellies.

The Falmouth Sea Grill's patio seating and outdoor fire pit let the breeze tickle open-air diners, and the recently renovated multilevel interior dining area massages the senses with sapphire walls, blonde wood, and photographs of ships that escaped their native bottles. A reviewer for MaineToday.com praises the upstairs dining room’s “cozy fireplace” and “beautifully crafted wooden bar,” where tipplers can sip foam from draft brews crafted by local Mainer moose, postprandial ports, and cordials.

More than 10 colorful tap pulls unfurl rivulets of amber brews behind a mirror-inlaid bar, whose glossy panes reflect expert barkeeps as they shake, stir, and slide cocktails down the wood-topped counter. Each libation complements bites from Rivalries Sports Pub and Grill's menu of upscale bar fare, such as its signature sweet-chili buffalo chicken wings and burgers topped with caramelized or crispy fried onions. The screens of 34 televisions, each flickering with sports, dapple the walls between black and white posters of iconic moments in sports, from fateful tip-offs to Muhammad Ali punching a butterfly. Upstairs, an atrium-centered party room sprawls beneath a wood-beam ceiling, where Rivalries stocks celebrations with abundant party platters and buffets.

Large front windows cast natural light on the dining room's red and green walls, whose saturated pigments echo the rich colors of the spices that permeate each dish. Before pieces of tender chicken line up on skewers, they marinate in yogurt, cook over red-hot charcoal in the tandoor, and get passed under the trunk of the resident elephant statue for inspection. Fresh-baked naan breads transport hints of garlic and honey to scoopable stews, speckled with cubes of house-made paneer or infused with cinnamon and saffron.

Mediterranean Grill’s authentic kebabs, fresh hummus, and overflowing pitas have earned it not just one but six Best Middle Eastern awards from Creative Loafing—including those for 2012, 2010, and 2009—as well as a gushing news profile by CBS Atlanta. The eatery’s chefs earned these laudations by charbroiling tender cubes of sirloin and chicken, frying falafel patties to the perfect crisp, and layering phyllo dough with a blend of spinach, feta, and ricotta for spanakopita triangles that precisely illustrate the Pythagorean theorem. Guests can sit down to eat their wraps and kebab plates at the intimate dining room’s two-person tables and booths or call ahead to place orders for pickup, delivery, or catering.