CITY GUIDES | NORTHEAST
Winona’s Turns a Tiny Camden Dining Room Into One of Maine’s Best Meals
★★★★★
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By Maria Rodriguez | March 9, 2026
Camden has no shortage of places to eat with a harbor nearby and a decent story about local ingredients. What it usually does not have is a little restaurant with 20-something seats, a menu that changes every few weeks, and a kitchen confident enough to make dinner feel like an argument for paying closer attention. That is Winona’s.
Chef Devin Dearden opened the place with Hannah Adams after the two made their names at The Alna Store, and the setup here is even tighter. Dinner is by reservation, there are only 22 tables, and the menu is short enough that every dish has to earn its spot.
That tends to produce food with a little nerve. A halibut crudo has shown up with coconut milk, porcini, and charred shallot. Mojo pork shoulder has come over Johnny cakes with snap peas and jalapeño sauce. Another menu ran from cod en papillote with tomato butter and daikon to roasted beets and apples with smoked cheddar vinaigrette and pistachios.
That is what I like about Winona’s. It is not trying to impersonate some grand fine-dining room. It is a small Camden restaurant making a very specific case for itself, one plate at a time, and at the moment that case is pretty convincing.
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