DiMillo's On the Water

DiMillo's On the Water is a landmark floating restaurant in Portland, Maine, United States. The business operates from a former New York car ferry that is permanently moored at Portland's Long Wharf. The vessel is approximately 206 feet long, 65 feet wide, and weighs about 700 tons, giving the restaurant an unusually large and distinctive setting for a Maine seafood establishment. The DiMillo family also owns the marina surrounding the vessel, linking the restaurant to waterfront property and marine-service operations. The restaurant was established in 1982 by Tony DiMillo, who reused the name of an earlier family business, DiMillo's Lobster House. That predecessor opened across Commercial Street in 1965 and helped establish the DiMillo name in Portland's lobster-restaurant trade. The floating restaurant retained the earlier business's seafood identity and its well-known slogan, "The clams you eat here today slept last night in Casco Bay," a phrase emphasizing local waters and the freshness of its shellfish. The vessel's history predates its restaurant role. It formerly operated as a New York car ferry, first serving a route between Norfolk and Hampton, Virginia, and later operating between Newport and Jamestown, Rhode Island. In 1994, Bath Iron Works built a new outer hull for the restaurant, to which the existing ship was attached. This major structural intervention allowed the floating dining venue to continue operating as a permanent Portland waterfront destination while preserving the vessel-based character central to the brand. DiMillo's offers a large-scale dining experience centered on Maine seafood and lobster-related dishes. Its historical menus document shore dinners, lobster rolls, and simpler items such as spaghetti. The restaurant has seating for approximately 550 guests. Melissa Bouchard has served as head chef and began working in the DiMillo's kitchen in 1998, indicating long-term continuity in the culinary operation. The business is managed by members of the DiMillo family, including Steve DiMillo and siblings Dan DiMillo, Johnny DiMillo, and Stephanie Quattrucci. Tony DiMillo's widow, Arlene DiMillo, served as company president until retiring in 2015. Chris DiMillo manages the associated yacht-sales operation. The site has undergone continuing maintenance and adaptation. During a 2015 renovation, restaurant tables were made in Millinocket from reclaimed river logs, adding a locally grounded material element to the dining environment. In January 2024, flooding in Portland damaged pilings, broke hinges, and flooded pier buildings associated with the property. These events illustrate the operational exposure of a business located directly on the waterfront. Despite that disruption, the restaurant remains identified with Portland's commercial waterfront, Maine seafood, family management, and the unusual experience of dining aboard a permanently berthed ferry.

The DiMillo name entered Portland's restaurant trade through DiMillo's Lobster House, which opened in 1965 on the opposite side of Commercial Street from the later floating restaurant. In 1982, Tony DiMillo established DiMillo's On the Water and reused the earlier business's name. The new venue occupied a former New York car ferry, giving the brand a highly recognizable physical identity and making it one of Portland's most distinctive waterfront dining businesses. The ferry had previously served as a vehicle carrier between Norfolk and Hampton, Virginia, and later between Newport and Jamestown, Rhode Island. The restaurant's culinary identity was rooted in Maine seafood and lobster. It retained the family business's slogan, "The clams you eat here today slept last night in Casco Bay," which connected the restaurant's offering to local waters and shellfish freshness. Historical menus from 1982 and 1989 are held in a Portland Public Library collection. The 1982 menu documented a complete shore dinner, lobster roll, and basic pasta dish, providing a snapshot of the restaurant's early combination of traditional Maine seafood and broader casual dining options. The floating structure underwent a substantial technical transformation in 1994. Bath Iron Works constructed a new outer hull, and the existing ship was attached to it. This work helped maintain the vessel as a long-term restaurant platform rather than a conventional shore-based building. The business's setting also expanded beyond dining: the DiMillo family owns the marina surrounding the vessel, while the wider operation includes a yacht-sales activity managed by Chris DiMillo. Family participation has remained central to the management structure. Tony DiMillo founded the restaurant and died in 1999. His widow, Arlene DiMillo, served as company president until retiring in 2015. Restaurant management has been shared among Steve DiMillo and three siblings, Dan DiMillo, Johnny DiMillo, and Stephanie Quattrucci. Melissa Bouchard, who began working in the kitchen in 1998, became head chef. The restaurant's reported seating capacity is approximately 550, making it a substantial hospitality operation as well as a tourist and local dining landmark. A renovation in 2015 included tables made in Millinocket from reclaimed river logs. The project illustrates the business's continuing adaptation of the vessel interior while retaining a regional and maritime character. The waterfront location also creates exposure to weather and flooding. In January 2024, Portland flooding damaged pilings, broke hinges, and flooded pier buildings. The incident became a notable recent event in the site's history because the restaurant, marina, and supporting pier infrastructure are directly tied to the harbor environment. DiMillo's On the Water is therefore defined by several overlapping histories: the DiMillo family's Portland restaurant tradition, the reused ferry's transportation past, the engineering work that converted and sustained the vessel, and the restaurant's continuing role as a Maine seafood destination. Its identity is less a packaged consumer product than a place-based hospitality brand whose architecture, waterfront setting, family management, and lobster-oriented menu are inseparable from the customer experience.

• 2024

  Portland flood damages waterfront facilities

  [1]DiMillo's On the Wateren.wikipedia.org

  The January flood damages pilings, breaks hinges, and floods pier buildings associated with the restaurant's waterfront site.

• 2015

  Renovation uses reclaimed river-log tables

  [1]DiMillo's On the Wateren.wikipedia.org

  A renovation includes tables manufactured in Millinocket from reclaimed river logs. Arlene DiMillo also retires as company president during this period.

• 1994

  New outer hull is constructed

  [1]DiMillo's On the Wateren.wikipedia.org

  Bath Iron Works builds a new outer hull and attaches the existing ship to it as part of the restaurant's long-term floating structure.

• 1982

  Floating restaurant is established

  [1]DiMillo's On the Wateren.wikipedia.org

  Tony DiMillo establishes DiMillo's On the Water aboard a former New York car ferry permanently berthed at Portland's Long Wharf.

• 1965

  DiMillo's Lobster House opens

  [1]DiMillo's On the Wateren.wikipedia.org

  Tony DiMillo's earlier lobster restaurant opens across Commercial Street from the future floating restaurant and establishes the family name in Portland dining.

A family-operated Maine seafood destination distinguished by its large floating restaurant, Portland waterfront location, local shellfish identity, and connection to the surrounding marina.

• Restaurant dining · 1982

  Maine seafood menu

  The restaurant's core offering is a broad Maine seafood menu served aboard the permanently berthed ferry. Its documented identity includes lobster, clams, shellfish, and traditional shore-dinner formats, supported by the brand's long-standing emphasis on Casco Bay and local coastal culture.

• Seafood dish · 1982

  Lobster roll

  The lobster roll is one of the restaurant's historically documented signature-style offerings. It appeared on the 1982 menu and represents the accessible, casual side of the DiMillo's seafood proposition alongside larger shore dinners and plated lobster meals.

• Maine seafood meal · 1982

  Shore dinner

  The complete shore dinner is a traditional Maine-oriented meal documented on the restaurant's early menu. It expresses the brand's positioning around regional coastal food and a substantial seafood dining occasion rather than a narrowly focused single-item concept.

• Marine services

  Marina and yacht-sales operations

  Beyond the restaurant, the DiMillo family owns the marina surrounding the vessel and operates a yacht-sales activity managed by Chris DiMillo. These activities extend the brand's waterfront presence into marine property and boating services.

• 2015

  Waterfront dining renovationOther

  Background

  The restaurant updated its interior while retaining its maritime and regional identity.

  Action taken

  The renovation introduced tables made in Millinocket from reclaimed river logs.

  Aftermath

  The dining room received locally sourced reclaimed-wood furnishings.

  Source

• 1994

  Reinforcement of the floating restaurant structureStrategy

  Background

  The restaurant operated aboard a former car ferry, making the vessel and its long-term structural viability central to the business.

  Action taken

  Bath Iron Works constructed a new outer hull and attached the existing ship to it.

  Aftermath

  The work supported continued operation of the restaurant as a permanently berthed floating venue.

  Source

1. 1DiMillo's On the Wateren.wikipedia.org