Good eats in Bangor, ME?

[danisar]

Hi there,
Does anyone have any recommendations for some good food in the Bangor, ME, area? We're not picky about the type of food as long as it's good! Thanks!

[rockblogsterbdn]

Fiddlehead on Hammond St is lovely; small menu that changes every few months, intimate atmosphere, fabulous drinks. Sangria all summer. We had savory stilton waffles last night that were phenomenal. Mel does wonderful things with pork.

Luna is pretty good too; more gastropubby fare, lots of small plates. Very busy bar business most nights of the week. I get the grilled romaine salad and the fish tacos regularly. Half priced bottles of wine on Thursdays until 10 p.m. and they have a long, excellent wine list.

Bennett's Market and Unbridled Bistro on Main Street now do a la carte menu items, in addition to the prix fixe. Hearty French country food. They do a nice job with escargot.

Oh, and don't forget Bahaar Pakistani, if they're open. Best lamb in town. I have no idea when they open, but if you see the sign on as you walk/drive by, you definitely want to check it out.

-----
Main Street Cafe
888 Main St, Westbrook, ME 04092

Bahaar Restaurant
23 Hammond St, Bangor, ME 04401

[Passadumkeg]

A new French bistro has opened on Main St. A big article in yesterday's Bangor Daily News. The same family tat used to own the award winning Le Domaine in Hancock. Very interesting.
Keg

[willspear]

just to agree with an above poster Friars Bakehouse is easily among the best places to grab a bite to eat in all of Bangor.

Also right smack in the middle of town on central street

[ajinblue]

other good places would be bagel central, No1 chinese on the corner of state street and maple street good prices... happy china on stillwater ave

[ajinblue]

have you tried franks bakery on state street across the street from miller drug store??? have you tried a sandwhich from the Coffee Pot.... the coffee pot does not sell coffee but has the best sandwhiches made daily monday-friday get there early as in when he opens the line could be very long

[anonymouse]

Try Valerie Jean's American Bistro in Milo. A bit of a drive, but excellent food.

[irwin]

I heard this Milo restaurant is very very good, but in the boonies. She should be closer to Bangor.

[Ultrastamper]

Don't forget the "coffee pot" for Italian sandwiches...been there since the 30s. Line begins before they open

[Demalo]

I am sad to report that as of Dec 31st 2009 the Coffee Pot is now closed for business. Owner Skip decided it was finally time to retire. I hear that Jimmy V's on Hammond St. has made a pretty good replica of the sandwhich called the Tea Pot.

[pieguy]

New to Bangor is a pizza take- out shop called Finelli Pizza Pronto. It's related to the renowned Finelli Pizzeria in Ellsworth. They sell slices too. Try a slice, then order a whole pie. Very fast service,as the name suggests "Pronto". I think they deliver also. As a native New Yorker, I have finally found great pizza in Bangor!

[Peter B Wolf]

FRIARS' BAKEHOUSE
21 CENTRAL ST
BANGOR, ME 04401
[phone]
Not exactly for " Dining ", but a Sandwich there will beat any other location. Make sure you buy some of their bread to take home. Excellent !!.
And, these guys baking are " FRIARS " !! in Monk's Garb (a tunic)

[Passadumkeg]

Absolutely, correct; they are even featured in a beautiful bread cookbook. Also 3 doors down is a bagel shop with a real Ruben and knishes.

[David28]

A place worth checking out is the Market Cafe in Stillwater (Old Town). Good Greek food and pizzas.

[Keithel]

Hum! I don't recall this when I was in school.. Has it been there long?
Course, when I was in school, Pat's Pizza was the hangout (and still is I think)..
Pizza dome was also decent for College call-in food...
Personally I actually liked their burger -- they would cook it in the pizza oven :)
But gourmet or super-tasty it's not.. I think somehow the tastebuds get left home when people (myself included) go to college..

[Harp00n]

In the case of Pat's Pizza, it must be a statewide psychosis. I think I like English muffin pizzas better!

[Passadumkeg]

Poonster my dear man, to understand the Mainer's prediiction for Pat's Pizza, one must not refer to it as a psychosis of abnormal psychology, but for a group weaned on convenience store pizza, Pat's is merely one of the developmental periods in Erikson's Seven Stages of Man. If ever in Ellsworth or now Bangor, try Finelli's NY (not as in NY Yankees) style pizza to reach the 7th stage!

[Harp00n]

I will have to try Finelli's at some point. Many trusty Hounds have given big thumbs up on Finelli's. Of course, that includes your most Augustness in other OP's.

[Keithel]

Don't get me wrong - it probably isn't very good, and I'm sure I could tell now, but back in College I thought it was pretty good.

[Passadumkeg]

Please do not take my response personally. I just having fun with the HarpUUn dude. We are now starting college w/ our 5th child (one went to UMO) and understand the connection between food and place. I play ice hockey in the cardiac league at Alfond on Sundays and have spent many a Sunday evening down stairs at Pat's w/ pitchers of beer, pizza and TV hockey games.

Bangor has a couple of fine restaurants, Thistles and New Moon, but not much for chowhounders on a limited budget, we visit the Market Cafe and enjoy what they have, but why can't they get real Gyro meat instead of that frozen junk?

[aynne35]

I went to Husson in Bangor, many a drunken weekend at Pat's..... Good times!

[irwin]

A few other Bangor decent joints are as follows:
Coach House--Brewer
Airline Diner--Brewer
Dysart's but very expensive
Leadbetter's outer Hammond St for lunch. Jimmy V is cooken!
Captain Nicks
Panda Garden for the best chinese

[Harp00n]

Either that Keithel or, "It ain't love, but it'll do!", eh?

[Keithel]

LOL yep.
better than spray cheese on ritz + pepperoni. :)

[Ultrastamper]

We stopped at Pat's had a a great Pizza....just like years ago as U of M students

[jjello]

Yes, sad to say but Bangor is a bit of a culinary wasteland. I don't get it - there are plenty of people living there - where do they eat???

There is a decent place up the hill from the Grasshopper Shoppe downtown - I can't remember the name of it but the view from the street is of a very nice wine and cheese shop. In back (and through a little passageway) is a rather nice little restaurant. Anyone remember the name?

A confession - when we go to Bangor to get the things that you can only get in Bangor, we sometimes go to the Texas Roadhouse over by the mall. It's a chain restaurant and is usually packed (guess that's where everyone eats), but they have excellent steaks at very reasonable prices.

[Harp00n]

No confessions are requires jjello, Texas Roadhouse is good in and of itself. The majority of the Hound reviews, I've seen, are very positive on this chain resto and, IMO, rightfully so..

[Passadumkeg]

All the good food is along the coast or as folks call I 95, south of the Volvo line, where the money is.. Sorry Poonster but chain restaurants hurt my teeth and discourage local culinary development. To pun Dylan, You don't need to be a Weather Vane to know when and where the food blows.
But JMJ, why can't one even find in Bangor a decent chile dog instead of these red cancer sticks ?
H.L. Menken: No one has ever gone broke underestimating the bad taste of an American.

[Passadumkeg]

I put out the request a couple of months ago and got little hope and I live in the Area! A sad comment when someone suggests Dysart's Truck Stop. The New Moon is pricey, but is the best bet. Around Main St there is good(ok?) Indian and Pakistani (we prefer the Latter) and a good Jewish deli, Bagel something or other. No good Italian and give the Thai a pass. OK japanese off Union St.. There is a catering business one block N. of Maine that has good food with a limited menu, but it is good and BYOB.

[Harp00n]

Hey, I LIKE Dysart's you FOODIE! :-))

[Passadumkeg]

Yeah and I like George's Coney Island Dogs in Worcester, but Georges is not the symbol of Worcester's culinary excellence as Dysarts may be for the Queen City. Funny how Maine's 2nd largest city and its capitol are largely culinary wastelands. Must be the Pilgrim affect.
Oh yes, this foodie is taking MRE's on today's 3 day kayak tour. No use lugging all that cookware in a small boat. Funny though how there is always room for a bottle of Jameson's and a good book for the evening. Look out food stalls at the Blues Festival this weekend!

[Keithel]

Yeah, points north of Portland are a bit of a wasteland for food in maine -- there may be a small gem here and there, but there's just not as many people that way that care too much about the quality/flavor of their food -- probably because they haven't tasted the good stuff :)

I've got several different groups of friends up that way, and they all seem to consider Friendlies to have good food.. *sigh*

[aynne35]

Jeez, my parents live in Bangor and trying to find a place to dine for an "occasion" meal is terrible. What the heck is up with that? They finally realized that it is worth the drive to come and eat out with us in Camden/Rockland.
My dad is so NOT a foodie and I took the to Francine for mother's day for the first time and it was like he had found the holy land! Now the next time is The Edge, he may want to move back here!

[aynne35]

Oops, have to disagree huge on that one Keithel. Rockland and Camden are crazy with culinary excitement. Let's see, Francine Bistro, Natalie's, Taverne on the Falls, In Good Company, the Edge, Suzuki's and of course Primo all in a 10 mile radious? That doesn't even include all the smaller but equally gourment places like Prism, Ephemere, Atlantica, on and on. You should copme here for a weekend and see, mid-coast maine is a foodie's paradise...

[Keithel]

Ok, so I'll have to revise.. :)
I suppose most of those places close up for winter tho, no?

[aynne35]

No, most of them might close for a short bit, but the majority are open year round. It's much a year round place here than say Bar Harbor. If you come up, let me know, I'll give you some unsolicited tips!
Do you think HUgo's is better than Cinque Terre? I have only been to Hugo's and wanted a Portlander's view. Thanks!

[Keithel]

Actually, I'm not sure - haven't been to either of those :)
I'm actually a Massachusetts native who went to school at UMO.. my mother also lives in Southern ME, so I'm relatively familiar with that area..

[ggping]

I must say - was in Millinocket and had some GREAT breakfast baked goods at the Appalachian Trail Cafe - a home made pumpkin donut and some really astonishing home baked bread!!

[David28]

For Thai try Thai Orchid in Orono.
For Mex try Margarita's in Orono or Pepinos in Bangor.

[mjp81]

Margarita's is a horrific, mexican chain restaurant that should be avoided.

[irwin]

Thistles
Its the best Bangor has to offer