About this vendor
Lobster Bakes & Outdoor Grilling Menus!
Our service style is professional and attentive, yet we still maintain that somewhat casual feel our clients have so much enjoyed. We're knowledgeable, friendly, and easy to get along with. Please contact us to tell us about your event. Thanks for looking!
Important! Please visit our website to see our popular menu options and other info you seek and then answer a few questions from our contact page. coastalcrittersclambakes.com/contact Our website is loaded with menus and info about our services. Your next step would be to tell me some specifics about your event; the date, location, number of guests, and type of menu, along with any budget guidelines you may have. (Please note: I cannot give priority time from my busy schedule to respond to generic, non-personalized inquiries that simply ask me to "Please send more information" when the info that's usually sought is just a click away on our website. Thanks for understanding.)
*For serious inquiries please also reply using your personal email address with a subject line that includes the Event Date, general Location, and # of Guests.
Your inquiries are more accessible for me to keep track of that way.
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Cuisine
- American
- Fusion
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4.6
out of 5.029 reviews
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Coastal Critters received glowing reviews for their catering services at weddings, with multiple reviewers praising James and his staff for their kindness, professionalism, and delicious food. Guests were impressed with the surf & turf buffet, exceptional service, and the team's willingness to go above and beyond to fulfill unexpected requests. The crew's flexibility, positive energy, and attention to detail were highlighted, making them a highly recommended choice for wedding celebrations.- Top reviews
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The food was absolutely INCREDIBLE and James and his staff were very kind. The event went seamlessly and our guests are still raving about the experience! We'd recommend this to anybody, you will not regret it in the slightest!
We hired the Coastal Critters team to cater our May 2024 wedding and would do so again a million times over. James was extremely communicative and helpful as we worked through the menu and logistics, which I was grateful for as we planned from across the country. The day of the wedding he and his staff were remarkably kind, up-beat and attentive. Even small details such as putting out cake plates for the cake cutting never went unnoticed by his team. The food was absolutely delicious and many of our guests commented on the dinner menu and great staff.
The staff were friendly and professional. Our guests absolutely raved about the food from Coastal Critters! We served the surf & turf buffet and could smell the amazing food just approaching the buffet. Our guests ate so well, and it surely enhanced their energy-levels for a night full of dancing :)
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The Coastal Critters crew was amazing for our wedding celebration in Bar Harbor yesterday! All pre planning was timely and efficient, and the service on the day of the event was spectacular. They even offered to drive offsite to pick up a new tap for us when our keg wouldn't work (not part of the catered menu). Truly above and beyond. And the food was excellent! Thank you so much! Sara and Nicole
Although this day had a few hiccups and life happens, I wish I could give this crew more than 5 stars!! We had a few shifts and changes very last minute and Costal Critters & Clambakes worked with us, went with the flow, and we’re absolutely amazing! On a day that is to be full of fun and laughter, they met the energy of the group and also had fun! Oh and by the way, the food, 20/10 amazing!!! We had some leftover at the end of the evening and they helped us pack it up so that we could enjoy it the next day. The food was amazing and the service was phenomenal. They helped me navigate the menu and determine what would be the appropriate items to have day of and what would be too much or what might not go with the rest of the menu. On time! Great energy! Phenomenal food! Honest and hard working! They were the perfect fit for us and I would recommend this team without hesitation!
James and his team catered our rehearsal dinner and it was fantastic! My in-laws wanted to create an authentic Maine experience for my family traveling from away and James helped us do exactly that. The food was delicious and his team was kind and friendly. We would very much recommend him!
James and his crew catered our Farm wedding in Scarborough and did a fantastic job. James was very easy to work with - helpful and responsive during the planning and made a stressful project much easier. His pricing was reasonable for our grilled buffet and all food was cooked to perfection - nothing but compliments from our guests. The service was efficient, friendly and fun, and I would hire them again in a minute.
James and his crew catered the rehearsal dinner for our wedding and did an amazing job! Leading up to the event, James was very easy to get ahold of by email and responded quickly to all my questions - he was so kind, flexible and accommodating and made the entire process easy. Day-of, his team showed up on time, were so pleasant to work with and provided fantastic food! Our guests absolutely raved about the quality of the lobster and especially loved the blueberry cake that was served for dessert. I would absolutely work with Coastal Critters for other events in the future and whole-heartedly recommend them to anyone looking for a fantastic lobster bake caterer. Thanks again, James!
We hired Coastal Critters for our wedding and were very impressed with the food and service! James and his team are great. From our initial inquiry, James was super responsive and very helpful with planning. The Coastal Critters team did appetizers and a lobster bake for our 150 person wedding and the food was great! All our guests were very impressed. It's also worth noting that our wedding was on a local island a couple hours from James's home base. He coordinated this more challenging wedding location seamlessly. Thank you James and Coastal Critters!
Our food was so good. They went out of their way to make it so I could eat it without worrying as I had several food allergies. At one point we had some communication issues but I was very impressed with how they handled our concerns. They came dressed professionally and even impressed my husband the foodie!
We hired James and his crew to cater our 9/12 wedding and let me just say he was FANTASTIC!!! We contracted with him roughly 1.5 years before our wedding date, and he just completely went with the flow and caught every curveball we threw at him throughout the planning period.
Then COVID hit, and we had to weigh all of our options. After figuring out that it would not be possible for us to postpone for a number of reasons, James was more than happy to rework our entire plan AGAIN! Every time we called, he answered. Every struggle or problem we came across, James was there to help and make suggestions. Our venue became increasing difficult to deal with as COVID pressed on, and James just kept chugging along and working with our ever-changing plans in a very professional manner.
James and his crew showed up the day of the wedding looking great and with great attitudes. I am not kidding when I say that ALL of our guests LOVED our food and everything went off without a hitch. The servers even put some of the appetizers aside for the bride and groom, as they knew we were not able to grab any at the cocktail hour. They went above and beyond and we could not be happier with how it all turned out!
We highly recommend Coastal Critters Clambakes to anyone planning a wedding or event in the area. It was an amazing ‘Maine’ experience for us and for our out of town guests. The catering experience that Coastal Critters Clambakes provided helped to make our wedding the absolute BEST day of our lives and everyone had nothing but great things to say about them!
I want to give a special Thank you to James; Coastal Critters was my caterer for our Wedding in Maine and it was absolutely Sublime, James is Great but everything he made was delicious between the clam chowder and cheese platers for starter and the lobster plate with the clams it was 100% perfect. I received very good feedback from my guests too. + it was very easy to communicate with James, You are very talented and thank you again.
James and his crew did an amazing job on our 140 person wedding in September. He offers options for all different types of budgets, ranging from the white glove surf and turf on rented china to your bare bones lobster bake on plastic plates. We opted to land somewhere in the middle, kicking off happy hour with a clam chowder bar and cold apps. Dinner included buffet choices of lobster tail, steak, and vegetable kabobs, along with corn and salad. We rented china to dress it up a bit and James brought a few more people to account for washing and repacking. Planning this with him was so easy and people raved about the food. Highly recommended.
The food was outstanding and everyone had a wonderful time at our rehearsal dinner! It was everything we hope for and more!
Coastal Critters exceeded our expectations in every way. The lobster was delicious, the beef was tender, and all of the veggies were fresh and tasty. The staff was professional, helpful, and kind. Skip the fancy (and overpriced) Portland restaurants and go with Coastal Critters. You will not be disappointed.
James and his staff are wonderful! They catered my wedding and I could not have asked for a better experience. I actually had guests request cards from them. The food was absolutely fantastic (I am still hearing about it) and the service could not have been better!! James was incredibly responsive and a pleasure to work with (including last minute requests and adjustments). I cannot recommend Coastal Critters Clambakes & Grilling enough. Thank you so much for making my day special.
James was a pleasure to work with and he was super helpful in planning out which food to order and listening to our specific requests. Despite being very busy this summer he was very responsive and extremely accommodating with issues like food allergies. Most importantly the food was DELICIOUS! Even my brother, a veritable NYC foodie, said the food was excellent. It was priceless to see our family and friends coming in from around the country feasting on lobster with their bibs on. But even the non-lobster food was delicious- the chicken and salmon were perfectly cooked, and the hors d'oeuvres were delicious. If you are running on a very tight schedule then make sure to let James know when dinner must start and he will accommodate. We had a buffet-style meal where folks requested their entree ahead of time. If you do this, make sure to order extra entrees and sides and to tell James to have his servers ask your guests to wait for other tables to get food before grabbing seconds or additional entrees because if they are like our family they will want to eat as much delicious food as possible. Other than that, if you're planning an event with simple and perfectly cooked lobster and other foods look no further.
James catered our rehearsal dinner on June 24th, 2016, and it was wonderful! Our guests raved about the fresh food, as a lobster/clam bake is fairly foreign to the Michigan/Colorado folk! The quality of the food and service was amazing and we were so pleased with the experience. Thanks James!
I can't begin to express how grateful I was to have Coastal Critters do our wedding. Don't be fooled by the name, this is not just lobster and clambakes! We wanted a simple menu and it was important for me to use a caterer who uses local foods. Our guests had the option of steak or chicken, red potatoes and green beans. We chose the assorted cold appetizers and everything was absolutely amazing. The food was tasty, presented well and there was plenty of it. I had several guests tell me it was the best wedding food they'd ever had. I particularly loved that they cooked the food on site with their own grills. They also made sure to be out of the way so we could keep the outdoor wedding ambiance! James was extremely helpful for me in choosing the best menu and in a price range that was comfortable for my husband and I. Great staff, reasonable prices and amazing food. I would highly recommend Coastal Critters to any bride!
James and his staff are absolutely AMAZING! James was extremely easy to work with and extremely responsive to questions. On our wedding day his staff knew exactly what to do! They were always making sure to keep in touch with our bartender and DJ. The food was out of this world delicious! We offered our guests a choice of steak, chicken, or salmon. I had the salmon for my dinner and it was incredible! All of our guests were raving about the food and asking who our caterer was.
James's staff even packed up leftovers and left it in the fridge at our reception site. I wasn't expecting this at all - it was a great surprise! I had family visiting from out of town so we brought leftovers over for dinner on Sunday night. The leftovers were just a good - everyone was still commenting on how good the food was :)
I'd highly recommend James and his staff! They are downright amazing!
The food was great on our wedding day! And the staff were wonderful as well! Guests and the wedding party were all very pleased with the grilling buffet, and we DEFINITELY recommend them!!!
On the positive, all of my interactions with James were excellent. He was very prompt with his e-mail responses (our primary mode of communication). He helped me plan the menu and was very flexible with our food schedule for our less than traditional wedding/reception. The food was AMAZING. James is a spectacular chef. I really cannot stress how delicious the food was (I would have rated more than 5 stars for quality if possible), and I was very pleased that there was more than enough food for our guests. I am so happy with my interactions with James and the food he served that I wish I could just stop writing this review so that I would be giving him a review as wonderful as his food.
However, there was an interaction between my mother, who was my designated liaison with the caterer while I got dressed for the wedding, and the assistant that really upsets me. Basically, it was a very hot day, and when my mother saw the raw scallops sitting in the sun, she asked the assistant if they were going to sit there long. I do not want to list everything that was said to my mother, or the tactics employed by the assistant to undermine or embarrass my mother, but the assistant used unprofessional language and developed an attitude toward my mother for simply asking that question. It was all very petty and unprofessional, especially since my parents paid for the catering. Thankfully, I was not informed of any of these details at the reception, although I could tell that my parents were concerned by something that had occurred.
It really upsets me that I had to write a somewhat negative review of this company. I would like to think that the heat of the day got the better of his assistant and that she is normally very pleasant to the mother of the bride. Unfortunately, James’s wonderful cooking and great service have been overshadowed by the poor customer service of his assistant.
Response from the Vendor on 10/02/2013
Thank you for your kind words. I'm happy to hear how much you all enjoyed the food that my assistant and I cooked for your wedding. But to give proper credit where credit is due, it was my "assistant" who was responsible for those delicious fla...
vors and delicate textures, not me. You see, that person is not just my assistant, she's my chef.
Although your mom was very pleasant and obviously cared a great deal about her role in helping to make your event as wonderful as possible, she was not simply "asking a question", she was continually micro-managing many aspects of our catering duties for a considerable time. Things like supervising me as I unpacked the van, setting up our equipment, etc, etc... I am sorry if my chef finally lost patience and asked to be left alone to do her work. What's that saying about too many cooks? Colleen, they are both adult women in the same age group that had a private conversation. I don't understand why you felt the need to create gossip here in your review. This is not the place for that. You'll be happy to know, however, that they did make up before the day was over while helping each other pack up the leftovers for your late-night snacks.
Also fyi: the scallops were not "sitting in the hot sun", they had just been unpacked from an ice chest and were coming to room temperature for a few minutes before placing them on the grill. Scallops are a delicate meat and that is what's required for them to cook "just right". Chefs can be touchy at times and I'm sorry if mine was not as careful with her words as she was with cooking your food. I do hope your mom will take things with a grain of salt under the circumstances. Thank you again for your endorsement. We do strive to serve a quality product at a fair price. We're glad you liked it. James
Coastal Critters was an affordable option, and as my husband and I were planning a wedding from afar, we based our choice on some early reviews and quotes from caterers - hence our choice to go with Coastal Critters.
The food was great - nothing that would merit poetry, but tasty, well-made seafood and land food. But everything else was a disaster.
The primary problem: Coastal Critters ran out of food. And not just a little, but by a lot. There were at least 3 tables of guests that had to wait an hour extra for their food -this after the food was delivered over 1 hour late in the first place!!
The caterer had the nerve to blame the guests for eating too much (when his staff offered everyone multiple entrees). On top of this, it was evident that he and the staff were poorly prepared for a large (150 persons) formal event. They at first refused to serve water to us, until I insisted, and until my urging and the conflict over the running out of food, he wasn't even going to cut the cake for us.
Basically, you get LESS than what you pay for here. The attitude was ridiculous, and the service was worse. We found out along the way (after our deposit) that Coastal Critters does NOT provide anything but disposable dishware, decorate anything (even their own buffet tables), own their own coffee urn, cut the cake... or even, apparently, prepare enough food. The food tasted ok, so I imagine they're great for a tiny, informal plated event. For everything else... pay even a little bit more, and at least know that you won't be crying on your wedding day.
Response from the Vendor on 09/07/2012
We are in this business because we like to please people. That's why I'm terribly sorry if there was anything at all that you thought we didn't do soon enough that caused you even the least bit of concern at your wedding reception.
It should b...
e noted, however, that you had "bride & groom" signs which directed my entire staff to the ceremony site instead of the reception site, which is no where near there. That wasted considerable time for every single staff member, myself included. Also: assigning your own last-minute chores to my staff took time away from their normal duties. I see no legitimate reason to complain about meal-service timing when you were the ones taking up our usual prep time.
We cooked your meal fresh, from scratch, right there in the parking lot outside of the dining room. We set up a make-shift kitchen using only portable grills, burners, etc. Precision timing is not always an exact science under those circumstances, especially for larger groups like yours. I'm sorry if dinner was a little behind schedule. At least your meal was served as fresh as fresh can be and your guests got to enjoy each other's company for another 30 minutes or so during cocktail time.
I'm sorry too that those last few tables had to wait longer for their main dish, but we certainly did NOT "run out of food". Although it was not quite ready yet when it was their turn at the buffet, we most certainly did prepared more chicken and steak for them. I made sure to personally speak with each and every one of those guests to inform them of the temporary delay. I offered them some appetizer clams and a green salad to enjoy in the meantime. In the end, they preferred to compliment me on the flavors of the food rather than complain about the short delay. I'd like to thank them for their cordial understanding.
Dianna, I think some of the hoopla began when an excitable member of the family misunderstood what was going on and started a panic scenario of sorts among the key family members. That same person, however, later thanked me at the end of the night for ultimately coming through for everyone. It's possible that you and a few others never got the whole behind-the-scenes story. I'm sorry for any confusion that may have caused. I hope this information at least eases your mind a bit and gives you a better understanding of the actual events of the evening.
All in all, I sincerely hope your wedding is all you had hoped for and that you are enjoying life as newlyweds.
If anyone out there has any concerns regarding this review or my response, please feel free to contact me directly. Thank you. James
DO NOT EVER HIRE THIS COMPANY! The only reason they are getting 1 star is this site does not allow zero as a rating.
My husband and I decided to have the ideal Maine wedding.. on an Island off the coast of Bar Harbor. Picture perfect afternoon, a light breeze in the air, sunny but not too hot and of course, the ocean and Acadia Park mountain range as a backdrop. What could possibly go wrong?
How about the catering company you hired and paid handsomely to come make your island wedding everything you have ever dreamed about being over an hour late, thus missing the water taxi you hired specifically for them and all of their gear to ensure they were able to make it on time (ironically enough) all of which paid for by you.
As if that weren't enough, now picture the hired professionals forgetting a lighter to ignite the grill (which again, you had to provide) and a potato masher for the mashed potatoes you ordered.
Oh wait, lets not forget professionalism... no sooner do they arrive (finally), they are cracking open bottles of beer out of your coolers and smoking whilst preparing you and your guests' food.
It is now time to eat (over 2.5 hours later than planned). The food is so/so, the service is, well, no existent, and the guests are famished and completely intoxicated after waiting as patiently as possible for their dinner.
BUT, the fun doesn't end there! Now its time for the reception to officially begin (at 8:30pm... the ceremony ended at 2:30pm). What comes next? Dessert? The cutting of your cake? Not as far as these "professionals" are concerned. For them, its time to celebrate a job well done... by cracking open a few more of your beverages and lighting up another round of cigarettes. Why would the "caterers" be expected to clear the buffet style dinner trays, pack-up and place the left over food in a refrigerator (as you have specifically, contractually pre-arranged) or place the dessert trays your mother and new mother-in-law have already laid out? That is clearly YOUR responsibility, or at least it was in Coastal Critters' eyes.
If you are hoping to have the wedding of your dreams, truly the best day of your lives.. DO NOT, and I cannot stress this enough, DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER COASTAL CRITTERS.
P.S. it is currently 7/27/12, I have still not received a refund or even been offered a formal apology from the owner of this company.
Response from the Vendor on 11/02/2012
I know this review was originally written by the groom and not the bride. Even so, It was very nice of the groom's parents to plan and host this island reception for you two. I'm sure his parents will miss his pleasant disposition once the two...
of you move out of their house now that you're married. It was also very nice of the groom's dad to offer my two 50-yr old staff members a couple of beers along with the rest of his guests. I'm sorry if you weren't aware of that or didn't approve.
It's clear that you are also unaware of all the side work the server performed throughout the evening, which included tending to the buffet, helping the family pack up leftovers, and many other things.
There were certain island logistics that did take longer for my crew to navigate through than anyone anticipated.(If you hired a boat for us, it needed to be there for us when we arrived, not the other way around - so why was there no boat?) The staff experienced a few other set-backs along the way and dinner was served later than planned. I'm sorry if anyone grew impatient.
I do hope you and your guests were still able to enjoy this ideal Maine wedding.. on an Island off the coast of Bar Harbor on a picture perfect afternoon, with a light breeze in the air, sunny but not too hot and of course, the ocean and Acadia Park mountain range as a backdrop. Best of luck to you both in your new lives together.
If anyone out there has any concerns about this review or my response, please contact me directly. Thank you. James
I just had Coastal Critters and Clam Bakes cater my outdoor garden wedding in Maine last weekend. I'm not sure why they received a few bad reviews, but James and his staff were excellent!
We wanted our wedding to be a casual yet elegant family oriented celebration and that is exactly what we got. James worked with me on the menu and the budget. He steamed almost 30 lobsters and grilled over 30 steaks for our event. He also provided steamer clams and corn on the cob. We had family members bring other side dishes for a potluck feel.
Everyone raved about how delicious the food was. They were on time and extremely professional. James and his staff also helped pick up dishes from the tables when they didn't have to.
We also can't thank James enough for running out to the ceremony with umbrellas when it started pouring down rain! My father-in-law and I didn't get to eat so they packed up two plates for us and put them in the refridgerator. They went out of their way to take care of every detail!
If you are looking for a snooty caterer, James and his staff are not for you...but if you are looking for delicious food cooked by down home staff, they are the right choice!
Our guests remarked that these were the best clams they'd ever had! The lobster was soft shell and delicious, and all non-lobster options received good reviews from our guests as well. The catering staff was very friendly, however, our event site coordinator complained that the kitchen was not cleaned thoroughly after use. Overall, delicious food, reasonable prices and friendly staff!
Response from the Vendor on 09/14/2011
Thank you for your kind words. We're happy you all enjoyed everything. In all fairness, however, it should be noted that it was your own family who rented the kitchen space specifically to save money on catering services by preparing their own ...
appetizers and desserts for your event. It was certainly not our responsibility to go behind them and clean up their mess under these circumstances. Sorry, but you can't have it both ways. We are self sufficient and did not need any kitchen facilities at all.
The food was delicious and plenty of it! It was a great accent to our backyard wedding.
Coastal Critters was very accommodating in the planning process. While there were a few things that did not go as planned, they were more than happy to remedy the situation. Overall, I would recommend Coastal Critters.
We hired Coastal Critters for our wedding, and everything is perfect. We had salmon, and chicken on the menu, and both were excellent. I love salmon, but it had to be cooked perfectly, and gosh it was good!
The veggies were very fresh, salads were good, etc. They can adapt to anything you want, even for people with allergies (gluten, dairy, fish, etc.)
The staff was nice, and helpful. I did not have to ask anything!!
Plus, from all the quotes I got, they were by FAR the cheapest. No added costs, gratuity was included (less hassle!), and they didn't try to push anything (which I love).
I would definitely hire them again. :)
Response from the Vendor on 08/17/2010
Although I'm still recouping from an exceptionally busy weekend, I'm also still plugging away at this weeks duties.With that in mind, I have to tell you that your response has elevated my energy level and brought a big smile to my "time-to-do-...
chores-again" face. You made my day!Thank you so much for your kind words. I'll pass your comments along to my family and co-workers and hope they don't ask for too big of a raise. :) Best to you and yours.James
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Serving All Of Maine (and nearby out-of-state locations)
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James w/daughter, Tmana.
Owner
We are a small, family-owned and operated business. First established in 1978, my family and I acquired ownership in 2007 and have been serving wonderful people like you ever since. Prior to our 18 yrs experience as Maine caterers, we've been in the food service industry most all of our lives. I've worked in many capacities in all kinds of places like resort hotels, banquet halls, fine-dining restaurants as well as casual food service establishments. All members of my family also have their own extensive food service experiences of their own. We love what we do & we're good at it too!
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James w/daughter, Tmana.
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