Otto’s on the River

  4.3 – 794 reviews   • New American restaurant

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At Otto’s on the River, we provide our guests with attentive service and outstanding food in an opulent & artsy atmosphere. We have pristine views of the Kennebec River from our Dining Room & Outdoor Deck! We specialize in Seafood, Pasta & Vegan Specialties, and cocktails while conversing with your friends. Book your next Business Meeting, Anniversary & Wedding Rehearsal Dinner here at Otto’s. We look forward to hosting you!

Waterside option for seafood, pasta & vegan dishes with a cocktail lounge & a patio.

✔️Breakfast ✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out Otto's on the River 04330

Address and Contact Information

Address: 287 Water St, Augusta, ME 04330

Phone: (207) 213-4757

Website: https://ottosontheriverme.com/

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Otto’s on the River

287 Water St Augusta, ME 04330 (207) 213-4757 Welcome to Otto’s on the River. Waterside option for seafood, pasta & vegan dishes with a cocktail lounge & a …

Food Menu – Otto’s on the River

Maine Seafood Scampi. $35.00. Jumbo shrimp, large scallops, haddock, lobster in a lobster sauce, served over angel hair pasta.

Otto’s on the River | Augusta ME – Facebook

We’re filling up fast for Thanksgiving Dinner. Call NOW to save a table. BUT, if you can’t get a table, you can always get it to go!! That’s right, you can get …

Reviews

Arianna Labertew
My dad and I went a few days ago and I thought it was great! We admittedly came pretty late and close to closing but the owner (I think that’s who he was?) had let us come in anyways so that was already very kind of him. Since it was late there weren’t many other people there so it was easy to get seated lol. The owner had been our server for the night as well and he was great, I’d say. He was nice and brought us everything we asked for and checked in to see if we liked everything. Everything tasted good in my opinion as well! We got complimentary bread at the start which was nice. We got frog legs as our appetizer and we liked them a lot! Then for the main course I got the fettuccine Alfredo and my father got the venison. I really liked mine and he said he liked his too. And for dessert we got the Amish lemon pie. We were also given a couple chocolate covered strawberries! Overall I was very happy. Would go again. Also the atmosphere and vibes were pretty nice in my opinion, quite elegant! Looked clean as well from what I could tell.
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Hannah Gardner
So, so wonderful. Everything was absolutely delicious. I’ve never had biscuits like the ones that were served tonight. Every course was a beautiful and scrumptious surprise. Atmosphere was comfortably elegant. And the owner was so kind. We hope to visit again soon.
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Maris
The Worst Dining Experience I Have Ever Had

I don’t usually leave negative reviews, but my experience at Otto’s on the River was so disappointing that I feel obligated to share. This restaurant is rated highly on TripAdvisor, which is why I chose to try it, but based on my visit, that ranking is completely undeserved.

We started with the crab dip, which was a disaster. It didn’t taste like crab at all — just an overwhelming amount of cheese with no real seafood flavor. The scallops wrapped in bacon were equally disappointing: the scallops had no flavor, and the bacon was overcooked, fatty, and unpleasant to eat.

For the main course, I ordered the seafood scampi and specifically asked to substitute fettuccine for angel hair pasta. When my plate arrived, it was still angel hair, which I do not like. The dish itself was even worse than the pasta mistake. It was served more like a bowl of watery soup than a scampi, and the amount of seafood was shockingly small. What little seafood there was had been chopped into tiny, unappetizing pieces, making the entire dish both unappealing and unsatisfying.

The service didn’t improve the situation either. My request for a simple pasta substitution was ignored, and there was no effort to correct the mistake. On top of that, the dining environment itself was unpleasant — there were flies inside the restaurant that actually landed on my hand and on my food. That is not only disgusting but completely unacceptable in any restaurant, let alone one that claims to be among the best in the area.

I travel extensively for work and have eaten at countless restaurants across the country, and I can honestly say this was the worst dining experience I’ve ever had. I left hungry, frustrated, and feeling like I had wasted both my time and money.

This restaurant should not be ranked as the number one restaurant on TripAdvisor. That is completely misleading, and I strongly urge anyone considering dining here to look elsewhere. Do not go to Otto’s on the River — you will regret it.
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Chri Lo
Arrived WITHOUT a reservation and were squeezed in no problem. Nice table with plenty of room. The appetizers, drinks and food arrived quickly. ALL tasted wonderful. Servings are large so you’re either stuffing yourself, bringing some home or leaving it behind. The dessert options, which were bountiful, sounded great. Too many wonderful choices. All in all, if waa a great experience there.
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Amanda Holden
Great atmosphere, everyone was very welcoming and kind. I had the haddock casserole and my husband had the mac n chz sandwich, both were tasty! Will go again!
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Steven Kanarian
I enjoyed my business lunch at Otto’s. I had the lobster stew and a lobster roll. The stew was very tasty and fresh. The lobster roll was a half of a lobster tail on a French roll. We were cheerfully served by Gretchen who had an amazing smile.
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Angela Courtemanche
Our appetizers weren’t that great, got lobster bisque and it came out in a desert size bowl luke warm with one piece of lobster for $18 meanwhile shrump cocktail was 5 large shrimp for $15. The entree food was delicious. And very well presented. Sangria was great too. Loved the flowers for finishing touches. We would prob go again just not get appetizers.
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Raymond Orff
Horrible valentines day experiance. First time eating there. I viewed there online menu and the dishes looked amazing so I reserved a week in advanced. When we got there our names wasn’t on the list but was accommodating and got us in. Sat at the table and the very limited menu was horrible absolutely nothing my wife would eat literally just prime rib a a few horrible seafood dishes and a mushroom pasta dish. No chicken no salad options absolutely amateur for a restaurant. We know we it was too late for anywhere else and it was already 8pm so we settled with the prime rib which was subpar at best for $49. I ate mine and wife took 2 bites and we called it the night. They were clearly focused on quantity instead of quality (push people in and out as fast as possible). Texas Road house would have been a better option. I won’t be back. A piece of advice update you social media and online pages and atleast warn people.
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Nik Peterson
Our experience at Otto’s tonight was a mixed bag to say the least. Firstly, when we arrived the dining room was closed for some kind of corporate event. Which is fine, glad to see small businesses getting booked and staying busy. But with no one attending the door, we had to walk around to the bar lounge before being greeted by the bartender. He was happy to seat us and was an excellent server. I believe his name was Joshua? There were many people bustling around the place- and it was hard to tell who worked there and who didn’t.

We set out for Ottos tonight because we had seen the good reviews regarding the food. The biscuits to start were delicious and our appetizer of duck wings were crispy and delectable. We were riding a high! We thought to ourselves “if only this place looked as good as the food tasted”, But the awful decor did not set the mood for a relaxing, romantic dinner. The vibes in Ottos are… chaotic to say the least. So when the appetizer came out and was as good as it was, we thought we had been proven wrong. Perhaps there is something to love about Ottos after all!

But, like the ol’ saying goes… best to trust your first instinct– because our hesitations about Ottos came back into focus when our entree’s were in our server’s hands and about 5 feet from our table. The stench. I had ordered seafood sauté with angel hair. Why on God’s green earth could I smell such a distinct fishy odor from 2 yards away? The lobster was chewy, the cream sauce was thick like porridge, the angel hair mushy. It was a disaster. Suddenly the multitude of top hats and gaudy pineapple chairs seemed less and less quirky and more and more gauche.

We quickly transitioned to dessert. I needed a coffee to wash the creamy-haddock-film from my throat. The chocolate cake was fine (the mouse on the Oreo was a fun touch?), and the creme Brulé was serviceable. At the end we spoke to the owner for a minute, he seemed very kind. I did not have the heart to tell him that his restaurant had the potential to be the premier fine dining spot in downtown Augusta. Cutting half the menu, introducing some kind of dress code, and buying a few buckets of paint would do wonders for this place.

In the end I would not dissuade anyone from attempting a visit to “Otto’s On The River”, especially if having a piece of toasted baguette next to your giant bowl of slop fit for a pig’s trough is your idea of “fine dining”. But if you would rather skip downtown parking the Olive Garden has a nice parking lot.
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Karina Roy
First time here today! Great food! The owner greeted us at the door! Service was awesome! Such a cool place! And we got a chocolate covered strawberry for free! Will def be back!
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