A whole lobster sits on top of corn, red potatoes, and whole clams. In the background, lobster dip is shown along with a lobster roll and housemade chips.

Four patrons are smiling while seated outside with food in front of an ocean view at the Buoy Shack. They are offering cheers with their beverages.

Discover Maine's Best

Enjoy fresh fish caught by boats that sail from our working waterfront and fresh — never frozen — lobster from York, Maine. Savor Gundalow oysters from Durham, New Hampshire, raised in the Piscataqua River. For meat lovers, our ground beef is all locally sourced from Maine Family Farms.

Explore Our Menu

Popular Starters and Entrées

Our authentic Maine menu has something for everyone. Eat here, and enjoy the view, or take your order to-go.

Buoy Shack offers a fully stocked bar with several local craft beers and wines. Try one of our signature cocktails like the Love Shack Punch or a Sparkling Blueberry Lemonade.

Fried Fish Sandwich

Our “Catch of the Day”, locally caught white fish. Lightly breaded (gluten-free) and fried. Served on a brioche or gluten-free bun with tartar sauce and greens.

Bouy Shack lobster roll atop a toasted bun with housemade chips.

Lobster Roll (3 oz.)

3 oz. of fresh, local claw and knuckle meat packed into a toasted brioche roll. Served lightly dressed with our lemon mayo or a side of warm drawn butter.

Buoy Salad

Mixed greens, grilled asparagus, red pepper, carrot ribbons, roasted corn, pickled onions, pumpkin seeds, house lemon, tarragon vinaigrette on the side.

New England Street Corn

Pineland Farms cheddar cheese, North County bacon, and maple mayo.

Mussels

Fresh mussels sautéed with garlic and shallots in a Maine beer broth. Served with locally made sourdough bread.

Chilled Lobster Dip

Lobster meat mixed into our signature cool and creamy dip. Served with our housemade chips.

Customer Testimonials

Our customers love us, but don't take our word from it. Let them tell you themselves.

Excellent lobster roll and very good beer selection, with great views of the river. Absolutely perfect

Rich Eklund December 2, 2022

For a tiny place it made a big impact. Great to be right on the water and have attentive wait staff. It's basically outside, so be prepared for the weather (they did provide blankets and had overhead heaters). Had outside movie screen and axe throwing the day we were there

Cara Wallo November 22, 2022

The best view of Portsmouth. Super fresh lobster rolls, very tasty fries, and good beer selection. Excellent service. We were excited to check out the new little restaurant in town and it did not disappoint. Some of the reviews commented on the smallness of the beer list. This place is really optimal for watching the river and the town with a bunch of friends. No black tie needed :)

Rachel Lyubovitzky November 21, 2022

We loved the food. We loved the laid-back atmosphere. We loved the view. My sister had the lobster roll, and I had the burger (sorry, no seafood for me.) the brews were cold and on point.

Megan Smit October 29, 2022

Fantastic location with super nice people working. We had a some great lobster rolls with nice homemade chips.

Jesse Daino October 24, 2022

Atmosphere can not be beat! The lobster roll and drinks... just average though. Obviously paying for the location.

Lisa Ash October 23, 2022

If you ever visit Portsmouth, do yourself a favor and take a short stroll across the Memorial Bridge and stop by this place. Literally right on the other side of the Piscataqua river. The atmosphere and service are great. Clearly this place is managed well. I got to meet the GM (Joel), and he's a class act. We had a few things on the menu (try the Lobster Empanada's...ridiculous), and everything was delicious. Fun Place!

Bob Myers October 12, 2022

Tolle Lage, schöne Aussicht, super Service, fantastisches Essen. Wir kommen gerne wieder.

K. WePunkt October 9, 2022

The best lobster roll I've ever had! This was the most enjoyable thing I ate all weekend visiting Maine! This picture did not do the bread justice, it's grilled and delicious.

Ashley Ott October 4, 2022

Lobster roll was awesome so was the clam chowder definitely worth the trip back very nice atmosphere over looking the ocean

Edgar Poirier September 6, 2022

This place was awesome! I am an out-of-towner but all of the lobster dishes were amazing. The tap beer selection was also small but very good (got to sample some beers I'd never heard of). The location is beautiful too!

Cory Heuschkel September 1, 2022

New favorite spot in Portsmouth! Amazing location, food, drinks, and service!

Emily Penaskovic August 29, 2022

Savor the Seacoast

Experience Maine lobster at Maine's southernmost point. Buoy Shack combines fresh and great-tasting seafood with an unbeatable ocean view of coastal New Hampshire and Maine.

Dine-in or take-out. Come visit Buoy Shack

1 (207) 703-2374 Order Online