Order up, Castine: Dennett’s at the Dock opens

Kip and Judy Oberting have partnered with chef Dudley Irwin to bring ‘really good’ summer fare to waterfront

May 26, 2026

By Steele Hays

Dennett's at the Dock opened in Castine on May 22 with chef Dudley Irwin at the helm. Photo courtesy of Dennett's at the Dock.

CASTINE—Dennett’s at the Dock, a new offshoot of Castine’s popular waterfront restaurant, Dennett’s at the Wharf, opened on the town dock on May 22. Owners Kip and Judy Oberting have partnered with Dudley Irwin, an experienced Maine-based chef, to serve up classic summer staples–like lobster rolls, red snapper hot dogs, fish and chips and onion rings– and unexpected options, like falafel burgers.

The Obertings had been in discussions with Irwin earlier this year about hiring him to be the chef at Dennett’s at the Wharf. A Cumberland native, Irwin has worked at a number of critically acclaimed Maine restaurants, including Fore Street, Primo and Portland Lobster Company. 

But after learning the Wharf building would require more extensive repairs than expected and would not reopen this summer, the Obertings had to adjust their plans.

Three nearly back-to-back storms in January and March 2024 caused extensive damage to the restaurant—the waterside deck was lost completely and the interior of the building flooded with three feet of seawater. The Obeterings managed to open for business during the summers of 2024 and 2025, but they’ve had to undertake an extensive restoration project in order to fully restore the restaurant. They’ve made progress, but the work is not done yet.

When the town put out a request for proposals for a new vendor at the dock in February, they saw an opportunity. After winning the lease to operate the café on the dock, the Obertings called Irwin to see if he would be interested in taking it on. 

“He drove up and he just fell in love with the town and said he’d love to do it,” Judy Oberting said. “We plan to start off simple with typical lobster shack-style food and then add more things over time. Dudley is the operator and creative mind. He has come up with a plan and we’re excited about it.” 

“We were very busy right off the bat,” Irwin said of the shack’s opening. “Then over the weekend, we had a pipe burst, but the town jumped right on it to fix it.” 

“I want to listen to what the community is looking for,” he said in terms of the menu. “We are making as much as possible in house like our salad dressings, falafel and tzatziki sauce.

Much of the produce Irwin uses is sourced from Castine’s Tilth and Timber Farm, and he prioritizes local ingredients–like Lubec’s famous Raye's Mustard–whenever he can. A soft serve ice cream machine has been ordered and the shack will soon offer soft serve cones and sundaes.

“Many of our staff worked previously at Dennett’s at the Wharf,” Iwrin said. “So we’ve got a similar vibe to the big restaurant.”

The gazebo that formerly sat on the town dock and was destroyed by the same storms that damaged Dennett’s is now being rebuilt. In the meantime, the town has placed a number of picnic tables on the dock for visitors and the Obertings have added outdoor tables around the café as well. 

“We are hoping to serve all of Castine and provide a place where people can stop by for an affordable meal that’s just really good,” Judy Oberting said.