Georges Pond
Franklin, Maine
Places
to
Eat
on
the
Way and Once You're Here
(and New Brunswick and PEI gems at the
bottom)
updated 8/14/2017 and still under review
but not all links checked yet so Caveat Emptor
Please send any reviews or updates to me
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Here's your chance to tout your favorite restaurant or watering hole. Short reviews welcome. Provide a link if you have one. There are a lot of restaurants in the area and I haven’t been to them all – yet – especially in Bar Harbor so please provide input. Also, if you need a first class meal on your way up, see Robinhood Free Meetinghouse and Primo’s below.
General info on Maine
red
hot
dogs 
On the way up you might consider
stopping at (in no particular geographical order):
Portland - (will be entering more eventually)
Here's a
list of possibilities with a few personal recommendations. Send me any
that you might have.
Duck
Fat
- 43 Middle Street (207)
774-8080 Finally got there this February 2010 and I kick myself
for not going sooner! FANTASTIC french fries and great paninis. Fries
can be ordered with dipping sauces - I got the Duck Fat Gravy but I
would stick with one of the other ones next time: not that it wasn't
good but it wasn't anything that unique. We went on a Saturday for
lunch (it's a very tiny place) and had a 25 minute wait (put your name
on the list). It's a madhouse in there at lunch - we walked by at
dinner time and it was much saner. A must stop at least once! Beers and
wine available. This is a fun place, don't bother going if you are
stuck up! Monday thru Saturday 11AM - 9PM, Sunday 11 AM - 8PM
Becky's Diner - 390 Commercial
Street, Portland 207-773-7070 (Lat 43° 39' 03" , Long 70° 15'
26") - 4 AM-9 PM every day except Christmas and Thanksgiving. Featured on Diners, Dives. A
great local place to eat on the southern end of Commercial
Street. Always have some good specials and just plain old good food and
atmosphere. Just do NOT park in the No
Parking areas of local businesses, usually plenty of parking across the
street if nothing else available. You can park behind patrons in their
small lot but just let the front desk know you are blocking.
Flatbread Pizza
Company 72 Commercial Street,
Portland
(207)-772-8777. Call
ahead seating available - not a reservation but you can get your name
on the list with a time estimate. On
street parking can be an issue on Commercial Street but the Flatbread
is next to a municipal parking garage with reasonable rates and the
pizza and ambiance is worth it. Great place for a family. Wood-fired
pizzas but look for the specials which are very tasty and creative.
Full bar and good beers. A fun place for sure.
South and
north of Portland:
Bob's Clam Hut in
Kittery - for all us
folks from away, you can't beat Bob's Clam Hut in Kittery. My motto -
eat fried
clams, eat fried clams often - so you can start right away as soon as
you get
to Maine. All tips at the counter go to local groups! Great rings,
shrimp, everything. Right next door to Kittery
Trading
Post, a ruggedized LL Beans, and worth a visit. Like Cindy's (see
below), also
featured (scroll down) at WeLoveClams
website.
Bob's Clam Hut in Kittery
and Kittery Trading Post
Check out Bob's website
for all kinds of deals and info including Family Night and Kid's meals
and his recipe for Clam Chowder. Get a frequent eater's card - free and
don't expire.
Flo's Hot Dogs in
Cape Neddick (about 50
miles south of Portland on Rt 1) - it's the secret sauce! Flo's Steamed
Hot
Dogs Review by Phantom Gourmet
Flo’s Hot
Dogs
in York,
Maine ranks among the best roadside wieneries, serving delectable dogs
that can
be downed in three bites. Modest mortals order a minimum of three or
four of
the modest doggies, but Phantom throws back a dozen at a time. This
tight-spaced eatery seats only six and serves nothing but steamed hot
dogs on
silky, steamed buns. At Flo’s the star topping is hot sauce, a
spicy-sweet
onion relish that pairs best with mayo or mustard. (I
haven't eaten there
and got the review from the Boston Globe's Phamtom Gourmet. Flo's won
for Best
Relish. Let me know if you eat there and what you think.) Open year round 11-3 every day
except
Wednesday. 1359 Rt 1, Cape Neddick. Click
here for
another review from 2004.
Rapid Ray's Hot Dogs 189
Main St next to Pepperell Sq,
Saco. OK, so Lily Moon is closed but right next to it, if not
gastronomically, is Rapid Ray's Hot Dogs. Go for it!
Henry and Marty - what a great restaurant at 61 Maine St, Brunswick (yes, there is an "e" in Maine). They buy and serve local, many vegetarian dishes, and gluten-free ones. Worth the slight diversion to get there. Open for dinner from 5-9, I would suggest you call for a reservation. Attentive staff. Very creative menu and desserts. Beer and wine. Probably not a place to take a finicky kid. I loved the Korean Tacos! Across the street from a nice natural food store with great looking breads. Spring hours are 5-9 Tuesday thru Sunday - check back on website for summer hours and spring/summer menus, wine list, etc. Reservations strongly suggested 207-721-9141
Fat
Boy's
Drive-in on
Rt 24S in Brunswick (111 Bath Rd) is definitely worth a slight
detour. Not sure when it open for
2010 season so give them a call at 207-729-9431. Old
fashioned,
lights on for service, car hops, great food, great prices. You can get
off going north at Rt 295 at Exit 28 (Brunswick) and get back on at
Exit 31B (Topsham) (or vice versa going south) with little effort. Cash
or Traveler's Checks only, no credit cards. Check
the
map. Try the shakes! 3
grease
stains
at Holly Eats!
Primo’s in Rockland - Five stars!!! Plan waaay ahead (at least 2 weeks on reservations) or be prepared to beg. If you are in a position to request seating, ask for the upstairs. Seafood is right out of the ocean, bread right out of the oven. Everything is fresh, fresh, fresh!!!! 2 South Main St. (207) 596-0770 July 1st to September 1st Open 7 Days
Red's
Eats on
Rt 1 in Wiscasset (corner of Water and Main Streets) just before you go
over the bridge: a "whole lobster
on
a roll" batter-dipped onion rings, try a Sturdley or a Puff Dog. Red's
is
a landmark and I ate there April 24. Yep, the whole lobster was in that
bun =
served with either melted butter or mayo. Parking and traffic are a
problem in
Wiscasset in the summer so I chose to go in the off-season. Might be
summer/early fall, not sure. 207-882-6128 And 5 Grease Stains at Holly
Eats
Day's Crabmeat & Lobster
at Exit 17,
Yarmouth - As reviewed in the Boston Globe, a "whole lobster on a
roll", Day's
is open until 5 Mon-Sat. Go north on Rt 1 after taking Exit 17 from Rt
95.
Day's is about a mile up just before the Muddy Rudder Restaurant.
207-846-3436 But they don't have onion rings!
I think they closed in 2016 will check this year: Cindy's 174
Yarmouth Road (Rt. 1), Yarmouth (get off at Exit 17 and head north
especially if you are visiting Delorme Maps) - check
this
out: WeLoveClams
features
Cindy's same exit as Day's but keep going north a couple of miles -
it's
just before the Bike & Ski store. As reviewed in the Boston Globe:
"... has the perfect look of a Maine roadside stand. Improvised like
the
best jazz, it has lots of funny signs, picnic tables...and a Downeast
lobsterman atop the driveway sign. A vintage house trailer anchors the
scene.
The lobster roll was tasty, a generous portion of small pieces and
shredded
meat." OK, I finally made it to Cindy's this
summer
(2004). You gotta go! Bob Pottles, the co-owner with his wife, is worth
the
trip by himself. Both times I went he gave everyone a sample of the
corn
chowder and, maybe it because we were there both times near closing, we
got
free desserts, too. Excellent homemade banana pudding and kermits!
Tasty
battered onion rings. Open 11-7 except Saturday when they are closed
(really).
We got there both nights about 7 and even with the closed sign up he
wouldn't
turn anyone away. Talked with a lot of the customers and many were very
loyal.
Crab cakes reputed to be excellent - I'll try them next time.
207-865-1635
Ignore the closed sign in the picture - taken
after they were closed for the night...
A-1 Diner
– in Gardiner; You can't miss the A-1 Diner in
Gardiner,
Maine -
it's the place on Bridge Street looking for all the world like a 1946
Wooster
dining car. And the A-1 is probably the only place where you can savor
a
fabulous chicken pot pie or meatloaf dinner while your dining partner
tucks
into a steaming bowl of Vietnamese Bouillabaise. Leave room for dessert
- the
Hazelnut Freddo is divine. They even have a wine list.
Take either Exit 49 or 51 off Rt 95 - after eating continue on and
cross the bridge and take a left to get to Augusta. 3 Bridge
St., Gardiner 207-582-4804
Augusta -
Whipper’s Pizza
just
after the second rotary going east
in Augusta. Their signature sandwich is a killer – do NOT plan to
drive
and eat
at the same time and that’s for the half sandwich –
I’d be afraid to
order the
whole one! Takes a few minutes to have them make it but it is a life
experience!
East of
Augusta -
Olde Mill Diner on Rt 3 (143 Belfast/Augusta Road, Searsmont )in Searsmont is a great place. Very homey, interesting specials menu, delicious food. Great onion rings. And the creme horns are as good as the old Larry's Bakery in Ellsworth. Definitely worth a stop. Very busy Friday and Saturday evenings. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sun-Th 7-7 Fri-Saturday 7am -8pm (207) 342-2999 Here is a sample specials menu. Check out some reviews
The Landing at the head of China Lake in China. A little bit of a detour off Rt 3 east of Augusta at the corners of Causeway Street and Rts 202 and 9. Fried seafood takeout and picnic tables overlooking the lake. Visit the Lakeside Country Store while there.
Belfast (nice little waterfront,
shops, and restaurants) - check
out
these
reviews
We spent a few days in Belfast in July 2009 with our camp neighbors
at a B&B and thoroughly enjoyed Belfast especially with the Friday
night art gallery walk (and free food/drink to boot). Lots of artisans,
great natural foods store from grains to meats, lots of other stores
(book, toy), the old fishing bridge, Reny's outside of town, and all an
easy (hilly, tho) walk around downtown. Even a street band when we got
there Thursday night but we just missed it. Haven't checked out the
movie house (Colonial
Theater) yet but hope to as we hope to be back in 2012. And a return to 3
Tides is definitely in order.
3 Tides - 2 Pinchy Lane, Belfast (stumble around until you find it down near Marshal Wharf Brewery or check their website) Tuesday - Saturday 4pm - closing, Sunday 4-9, Closed Monday 207-338-1707 We had a great time at the bar and restaurant which features Marshal Wharf craft brews from next door. On the water so bring a jacket. Very festive and good food. Oyster bar downstairs. Hightly recommended and also that you get a reservation. This is a must stop for brewies!
Wasse’s Hot Dog Stand
at the plaza where
Rt 3 meets Rt 1 in Belfast. Only open weekdays and Saturday, I believe.
And
there is a Reny’s in the same plaza!
Darby's Restaurant & Pub
at 155 High Street, Belfast near the Colonial Movie Theatre Had a nice dinner in a lively setting in
2009. Definitely worth going.
Dockside
Family
Restaurant 30 Main Street, Belfast, ME
04915,
Bucksport-
Crosby's in Bucksport
just off Rt 1&3
on Rt 46 - crab roll and fries and onion rings plus everything else.
It's
not a trip to camp without one of their crab rolls. Call ahead
and have it waiting. (207)
469-3640 Great reviews on Tripadvisor.
Carrier's - just off Rts 1 & 3 on Rt 46 about 1/4 mile before Crosby's. Lobster, seafood, burgers, etc. Great reviews on Tripadvisor.
Franklin Trading Post (at the CITGO station for those of you looking for a FTP sign ;-) ) in Franklin – Great bread and muffins. Great strawberry pancakes but only order one unless you are a lumberjack! Everything you need and more. Tremendous customers! Great waitresses, too. And I love their pizza: for pick up at the Trading Post on Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 4:30 PM. Prices vary with ingredients. Call 565-3314 to order. Just don't diss those Black Bears when Becky is working . 565-3314
Finelli's Pizza is by far the best pizza around, maybe in all of New England, maybe in all the world. The Pesto and Tomato is incredible. Thin crust. Tremendous selection of brews, too. Not much seating so large groups might want to think twice. Usually playing pretty cool music. Desserts and breads. Eat in or take out. We call ahead from camp and it's usually coming out of the oven when we arrive. Kind of across from Rite-aid on Rt 1. 11-8 Mon-Thur; 11-9 Fri & Sat. Now with Sunday hours. 207-664-0230 Finelli 2011 Menu
Maple Knoll Pizza has been sold and is now 182 Pizza in Franklin (about 1/2 mile on left going north on 182 past the Vets club) (565-8822) also makes pizzas and grinders. Open Tuesday - Sunday 2 - 8 PM, to 9 PM on Fri and Sat Need to check on hours and if it is still open!
Lunch on the Wharf in Corea
- this is a great place, food, staff, view, dining on the dock! They
even have hot dogs (red or regular) on the grill for the kids. It's a
fairly short ride once you've done the Schoodic Point ride and there
are a couple stops along the way (Chapter Two Gallery in Corea, and the Corea Heath Preserve
wildlife area (two separate hikes, one very short but interesting).
Lobster, lobster rolls, crab rolls (hopefully), sausage grinder,
excellent haddock chowder, small selection of ice cream, small art
gallery. I take all our visitors.
Chester Pike's Galley
(the link is for their Facebook page) 2336 Route 1, Sullivan just past
Rt 1N and Rt 186 for the best breakfast and lunch
around. Breakfast and lunch only 6 - 2. And don't forget Pizza Thursday for lunch. Sunday
morning they have a great hash for breakfast - just don't take the last
portion
just in case I am coming down late.
Free donut holes - ask if they forget, they are busy. Smart people
order their donuts to go as soon as they get there. Great desserts - get
one to go if you are too stuffed. Real nice folks. They do not take reservations and you have to wait
outside so consider the weather and bugs! Also have some outdoor
seating now and extra parking above the restuarant. Get a drink while you are waiting. (207) 422-8200
Finn's Irish Pub
- 156 Main Street, Ellsworth. One of our favorite places to go. A
little noisy (sit at the high tables rather than the dining room) and
sometimes too warm. Good beer selection and a long narrow bar (an old
Air Force joke), bangers and mash, Scotch eggs, homemade chips, music
some nights. No reservations but you can do a call ahead about 30 minutes before.
86 This! - you
want a wrap or burrito in Ellsworth? Look no further. 125 Main Street
near the Grand Theater. More than I could eat, I'll share next time!
Good veggie offerings as well.
Ellsworth Farmers
Market -
if you are cooking your own! Hancock Oil parking lot across from The
Grand on Main Street. Saturday 9:30 - 12:30. And starting June 13 also
at Maine Community Foundation, Washington Jct. Road, Monday and
Thursday 2- 5:30. For more info call 207-565-3598
Yu Takeout - featuring Korean, burgers, seafood, Gifford's ice cream and more takeout across from Shirley's on
Rt 1. Food is good but picnic tables need cleaning and painting, need a smile from the counter person. Check it out.
Governor's - located
at the old Friendly's at the intersection of Rt 1 and Rt 3, 253 High
Street, Ellsworth. This is the same Governor's you'll find up near
Bangor and a few other places.
Maine Grind - at 192 Main St, Ellsworth is a nice neighborhood cafe and free wifi hotspot. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 - 5:30
Bangkok Restaurant -
for your Thai food cravings especially those fresh spring rolls. One of
my favorites. Personality. Now located on Rt 1 (moved from Rt 3 in 2008) at 78
Downeast Highway (Rt 1) near Sears. 667-1324
Jasper's closed in 2017 replaced by an Italian restaurant. Review to come.
Fisherman's Galley - Winter
Harbor. Transitioned from a nice sit-down to more of a snack bar with
booths but with all the seafood and more you want in 2016. I'll bet
it's still good. And the hot dog cart our front is great for a quick
bite. Free popcorn! And beer (not free). I'll have more to say
once I check it out. The owner does contribute the lobster stew for the
Schoodic Scramble!!! Very nice people. Can't wait to try it. (844) 331-5238
Ironbound - haven't eaten there but it gets great reviews on Yelp.
Parking lot always full. Have to get there soon and it sounds like you
should, too. : 207-422-3395 | info@ironboundmaine.com |
Address: 1513 US Route 1, Hancock Village, Maine 04640
Closed for 2017 season as of May 1: Jordan's.
Drive-in (family reasons has caused Jordans to close for the time being) in
Ellsworth on Rt 1 heading north – for fried
seafood,
onion rings, ice cream, and chicken salad, of course! I can't eat there
enough. If we call it in
on those busy
summer days, it
seems to
just be coming out when we get there. 667-2174 They have old car cruise-in and music nights
in the summer on Wednesdays. And about the only place this summer 2013 to find Gifford's Maine Black Bear ice cream.
Ruth and Wimpy's in Hancock– for lobster and fried seafood and great desserts especially the pies. Lunch and dinner. Always a good feast! You can get the lunch portion even at dinner on some items. See Wilbur the giant lobster! (Just don't tell Wilbur about the lobster in Shediac, New Brunswick!) On Rt 1 just past Rt 182 Open from about March 1 - December 1 Reservations suggested. Closed Sundays. 207-422-3723 Info on the giant lobster!
The Galley by the Bridge-
on the Sullivan side of the
Sullivan-Hancock bridge, 1715 Rt 1, Sullivan. We've eaten there a
number of times and it was quite tasty and very reasonably
priced. A family run place so sometimes the service is hit or miss but
will go
again. When my daughter and son-in-law wanted 2 pound plus-size
lobsters they went down to the dock and came back with a couple holding
them up to the window for inspection! They have pickled wrinkles. Also
sell live or cooked lobster by
the pound.
Get a window seat and
watch the tide go one way or the other and look for the whitecaps at
Tidal Falls in the distance. 207-812-5373 Opening sometime after
July 1 2017 so call first.
Salt Box - upscale dining
breakfast lunch and dinner. Reservations for dinner a must. Very
creative but pricey. Moved to Winter Harbor in 2017 so give them a
call at 207.422.3369. You need to check their website as things
change there all the time. Usually open for dinner Thursday and Friday.
But check their website. They are now doing a Dos de Month, a play on
Cinco de Mayo, with Mexican food and appetizers the second of every
month. And here is their Facebook page. Lots of raves from everyone.
Molasses Pond Grill in Eastbrook - at the head of the pond next to the Molasses Pond House....all kinds of good things to eat, and ice cream, too. Check it out! Open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call Steve Zadravecz, 565-2926. (P.S. Georges Pond-ites should know that Macomber Mill Road is very driveable all the way from Georges Pond Road up to Sugar Hill Road here in Eastbrook. Only a couple of minor potholes! So the Grill is geographically pretty close to you. So says Kathleen Molatch who also sent in the suggestion for the Grill - haven't verified this myself for 2008 btw)
The
Fishnet in Blue
Hill, 162 Main Street - my favorite
place for fried clams. Everything
is great there. Just don't get killed
leaving
the parking lot! Check out the Trip Advisor review. 207-374-5240 Closed Tuesdays I think.
Fisherman's Friend in Stonington - good, plenty, and friendly. The place to eat in Stonington. Now down by the docks. Ask a local. 207-367-2442
Vazquez Mexican - up the coast in Milbridge off Rt 1 at 28 High Street. Getting good reviews. Takeout and outdoor tables. 207-546-7922El El Frijoles (get it?) at 41 Caterpillar Hill Road, Sargentville (between Blue Hill and the Deer Isle Bridge) is a local fav for Mexican food, all home made. And you only be a mile or so from the overlook at Caterpillar Hill, not to be missed. Maybe take your food up there. 207-359-2486 11am-8pm, Wednesday to Sunday
Riverside Cafe on 151 Main St next to The Grand in Ellsworth – great place for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But check their website for hours as every day is a little different. Freshly squeezed juices – get the apple juice! 667-7220
Union River Lobster Pot 8 South St in Ellsworth just across the Main St bridge. Opening for the season June 2010. Recently got this review from a frequent diner: Union River is an excellent place to eat. Great food, nice view and excellent waitstaff. Prices are not out of sight either. Try the lobster roll or the fish chowder. 667-5077
Jordan’s Restaurant at 80 Cottage St in Bar Harbor - for breakfast and lunch only. Family business, great food. 288-3586
Ellsworth Giant Sub - can't beat it for a grinder/sub/hoagie 667-5585
Pat's Pizza - good pizza, friendly and it's sane compared to Pizza Hut. Plus they have satellite TV in the bar so you can watch those sports we don't get on the local channels out to camp! Check out the new 2007 expansion. On Route 3 about 1/2 mile past McDonald's. 667-6011
Burning Tree on Rt 3
between Bar Harbor
& Otter Creek, 69 Otter Creek Drive - upscale, great food based on
local fare, excellent,
reservations a must 288-9331 another
review
The Mex at
185 Main St in Ellsworth – usually crowded, the usual Mexican
fare,
good nachos
and drinks, fun place. I do miss the Dirty Mexican, a casualty of the
PC
wars. 667-4494
Bar Harbor and vicinity - http://www.acadiamagic.com/dining.html
OK, here are a couple of New Brunswick and PEI places
from our recon trip in July 2008. Don't laugh but there is an
A&W on Rt 1 heading out of St. Stephen and another on the Blue
Heron trail road into Charlottetown, PEI. We ate at the PEI one and the
burger was very good and the root beer as cold and good as I remember!
But not a carhop type of place anymore. North of the Shediac Bridge
north of Shediac is Chez Leo which had great fried clams, small and
sweet! Can't wait to go back! And in Bouctouche, NB, there is the
Pirates de la Mer across from the information center (Canada has great
info centers with nice bathrooms and free internet access in just about
every town on major roads!) where the lobster rolls are incredibly
cheap and good. Also in Bouctouche, across from the Irving Station
(where were you during the Big Blackout on Canada Day 2008? That's
where we were and the manager was great (Bruce, I think his name was
and we bumped into him at supper at Chez Leo - small world!) there is a
no-name sub shop that nobody in their right mind would take their wife
to but it was very good and inexpensive and very local with all kinds
of people coming in to pick up their boiled lobster - much cheaper than
in Maine.
Send your favorites and reviews to
me: 