Crown Jewel

  4.5 – 105 reviews   • Restaurant

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✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in Crown Jewel 04109

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Crown Jewel

A small tropical-styled bistro on Great Diamond Island near Portland, Maine, Crown Jewel’s menu features seafood dishes like mussels escabeche, …

Crown Jewel Portland (@crownjewelportland) – Instagram

12K followers · 835 posts · Celebrating summer on an unbridged island. Ferry, water taxi, private boat access. Closed for ’25. Reopening 5.22.26.

Crown Jewel Restaurant on Island in Maine: What It’s Like

Crown Jewel is a seasonal hot spot in Maine. Located on Great Diamond Island, the restaurant is only open from late May to mid-September, when …

Reviews

Kyra Williams
A Must-Visit Island Gem**

We had the pleasure of visiting Crown Jewel, and the journey alone was worth it. Taking the ferry to a small island offered a refreshing escape, with beautiful views of the city from a different perspective. Once there, we were greeted by an absolutely adorable, vibrant spot that feels like a tropical getaway in the heart of New England.

What surprised us the most was that, unlike many “instagrammable” places, the food here is just as good as the atmosphere. Every dish was well-prepared, and the drinks were fantastic—perfect for the tropical vibe they’ve created. Whether you’re looking to relax or celebrate, Crown Jewel delivers.

One tip: make sure to book a reservation in advance and enjoy this island experience to the fullest. Highly recommended!
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Devin Cygnar
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5/5 stars)

*A honeymoon finale with charm and a few shortcomings*

My husband and I chose The Crown Jewel for our last night of honeymoon celebrations, and what an adventure it turned out to be. Tucked away on Diamond Cove, this restaurant is only accessible by ferry, water taxi, or private boat—a unique selling point that immediately caught our attention when a former colleague recommended it.

The Experience

The journey itself is part of the charm, though it comes with a price tag to match. Taking the water taxi to reach the restaurant adds an element of romance and exclusivity that you simply can’t find at mainland establishments. The restaurant itself is quaint and cozy, with 90s R&B creating a nostalgic throwback atmosphere that perfectly complemented the intimate setting.

The Drinks (and the Disappointment)

Unfortunately, our visit coincided with their bartender’s vacation, which significantly limited the cocktail menu. This was particularly disappointing given The Crown Jewel’s reputation for inventive mixology. We made do with their house punches, which were genuinely delicious and helped salvage the beverage experience.

The Food

The culinary offerings were consistently good, though nothing reached the level of exceptional. The standout dish was undoubtedly the coquettas—imagine clam chowder transformed into something you can hold and crunch into. It’s soul-warming comfort food that defies easy description and comes highly recommended.

The deviled eggs with n’duja were perfectly adequate but forgettable—the kind of dish that fills a spot on the plate without creating lasting memories. Similarly, the lobster tail was tasty but lacked the memorable quality you’d hope for at a destination restaurant.

Surprisingly, the burger and fries stole the show. While not the obvious choice at a place like this, it was exceptional enough that it would top our order list on any return visit.

Service

The staff demonstrated thoughtfulness that elevated the entire experience, surprising us with complimentary glasses of sparkling rosé to celebrate our wedding. These personal touches make a significant difference and showed genuine care for their guests.

Bottom Line

The Crown Jewel offers a unique experience that’s part adventure, part dining. The remote location, boat access, and intimate atmosphere create something special, even if the food doesn’t always match the setting’s ambition. It’s expensive when you factor in transportation costs, and the limited bar service during our visit was frustrating.

If you’re seeking a memorable experience and can accept the logistical challenges and premium pricing for what amounts to solid but not spectacular food, The Crown Jewel deserves a spot on your list. However, given Portland’s incredible dining scene, we’ll likely explore other options before making the journey back to Diamond Cove.
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Liz A
Great Visit

We had a perfect night dining at the Crown Jewel. The atmosphere was lively and comfortable, setting the tone for great conversation while drinking and dining with friends. Fun decor

The staff was welcoming and passionate. Chef Jef and his team put together a well-thought-out and exciting menu. The presentation was beautiful. Our group decided to share plates. We tried the mussels, the lobster arancini, the pork belly, the scallops, the deviled eggs, and the burger. We immediately knew from our first bites that we were in for more wow moments, with repeated oohs and ahhs.

….and there’s a chef’s table if you want to watch the action.

If you’re looking for entertainment, you might want to grab a seat at the bar. I can only describe the Beverage Director, Jordan, like a mad scientist with an intense passion for his craft. He’s also a fun guy to chat with. We appreciated how he intently described the cocktail we ordered, then showed us his infused vodka with lime leaf and coconut. The drink was lovely. Wine and beer lovers will not be disappointed with the menu.

All in all, we had a great night. Our group will be back to try round two!
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Lizzy Martson
RUN TO THIS PLACE! It is so delicious ! Everything about it is 10/10. Take the ferry from Portland to diamond cove. It’s a quick walk with beautiful views! The staff are great, super friendly and the food is to die for ! We got the scallops, burger, and delicious dessert! The inside of this restaurant is so cute, I love the flamingos
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Drew Landry
Decent enough experience but you get the vibe that this is a locals only spot. I ordered the tuna poke which had amazingly fresh ingredients, but was a little lacking in sauce for my personal liking. Drinks were decent, but perhaps a little too weak for the prices. Interior decor/food and drink presentation is top notch.
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Hana Ali
Absolutely amazing. 20/10
Atmosphere, food, service—it was all phenomenal. Our party of 6 was talking days after about how great the experience was. We tried almost everything on the menu and it was all phenomenal. Drinks were top notch too. We took a water taxi there and back, but you can ferry if you time it right. We had a 2 year old with us and didn’t want to chance waiting on the last ferry back. Absolute must.
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Brittany Wright
Went with a group of five for the first time. Our server was wonderful and made sure to ask when we wanted to leave to catch the ferry back. The food was good, but the timing was awful. We ordered a bunch of shared plates (as recommended) and all 10-12 plates were delivered within 10 min of each other. It was so overwhelming and felt rushed. Recommend if you are on a time crunch and need to get back that would be ideal but we felt rushed out and it put a damper on the experience.
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Grace Rechel
So fun! Such a great experience! We tried 4 different plates and they were all unique, fresh and delicious. Fun adventure to take the ferry over and enjoy dinner and drinks!
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Jane Donnabella
This was the highlight of my family’s trip to Portland. It was easy to navigate to via the ferry, and the lobster yakitori, pickled mango, crab fried rice, and garlic shrimp (pictured) were incredible. Their seafood is really fresh and unique, all little shareable plates, and the experience was totally unforgettable. The music inside is a tad loud for my taste, but overall it’s a really fun and hip joint that’s majorly worth the trek.
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S J
For our Maine trip, we decided to make a reservation at Crown Jewel after planning to take a mailboat ferry there since the restaurant is located on an island that is only accessible via ferry. Upon arriving at the ferry terminal in the morning to get our tickets, we learned that the mailboat ferry is a 2.5-3 hour tour that you stay on for the entire time. I then reached out to the restaurant to cancel, but I was hit with a $50 cancellation fee. I tried reaching out several times to the restaurant to explain the situation, but I heard nothing back from them. Eventually, after returning from my trip, I received a nasty response accusing me of basically lying – the restaurant quoted the marketing blurb of the mail ferry and stated that it runs every day, including holidays. I responded back that this was not what I had said – and that the mail ferry is a tour that stops only briefly at the islands and that we were tourists who were trying to navigate the situation and had canceled when we realized we were not able to make it to the island to dine. I would not recommend this restaurant based upon the horrible customer service and the difficulty of trying to figure out how to get there to dine. As another reviewer said, it seems like they cater mostly to locals, looking down on tourists. Other than this restaurant, many of the restaurants in Maine were friendly and welcoming to tourists. Try those instead!
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