The Maine Diner

Reviews 5

WA

Warwick Varney

Living in Maine, the vast majority of businesses in the hospitality industry rely heavily on the summer tourist season for the majority of their business. Maine Diner definitely falls into this category. Its small, cute and typically New England, so obviously draws tourists aplenty to try authentic "clam chowda and lobsta rolls". If you want a quick meal dont even try coming here on a weekend in the spring/summer, unless its first thing in the morning while the tourists are still asleep. Rather come here on a weekday afternoon or evening, out of season, when its quieter. You can order off the breakfast menu any time of day, and there are plenty of tasty options to choose from, however, its in the typical diner type meals that the Maine Diner excels. Theres a lot to choose from on the dinner menu. Sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads, seafood, comfort food (meatloaf, chili and so on) and bakes; its very extensive without seeming overwhelming. I dont know how else to describe the food, besides good, honest, wholesome and tasty diner food. Nothing has the flair that youd expect in a Michelin starred restaurant, where presentation is as important as flavor, but everything looks hearty and tasty. There are no delicate flavors that subtly play off of each other with each bite, but neither is anything over seasoned or spiced to the point where one flavor dominates. Its just good food. Food aside, there is one thing that REALLY impresses me. The phrase "a place is made by its people" doesnt usually apply to restaurants, but in the case of Maine Diner, it is really true. The wait staff are among the best Ive ever dealt with. Everyone knows what they need to do, where everything is, what everything on the menu is made from, and how its prepared. Sometimes we think of wait staff as people who ended up doing that job because they just "ended up there", or theyre students. Maine Diners staff are there because they WANT to be there. They like what they do, they do it well, and it shows in their service. There is a good mix of younger less experienced wait staff, and older career women who are ruthlessly efficient in what they do. I love sitting at the counter of Maine Diner and watching how everything operates. Every item has its exact place behind the counter, from the creamed butter, to the mugs, plates and silverware. Nobody ever has to search for anything, and everything is kept in good supply by the bus staff. You know that cup of chowder is going to be served exactly the same way with its bag of oyster crackers 100 times over, just as the delicious crab cakes I had will consistently come out of the kitchen perfectly cooked and seasoned time after time. Thats what differentiates a good place from a great place. Consistency. You know its ALWAYS going to be good, youre ALWAYS going to get wonderful service, and youre ALWAYS going to leave feeling satisfied.

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A Private User

Having been vacationing to Maine now for roughly two years now, twice a year for a short family trip, we always make a point of going to the Maine Diner. My family and I all love diners, from the atmosphere to the food, we went there at least twice during our short trips, because of the food and the real diner prices. We loved it...but this time really left a bland taste in our mouths. In the dishes the flavors dont pop like they used too. I religiously get the South of the Border omelet with toast and home fries. The chili had very little meat in it, you could barely taste the cheese. The home fries were on the cold side. But again, the portion was massive, so we all decided it was just a fluke. We went back the same night for my birthday dinner and the experience was still not up to their expectations. The Chili Potato was two potatoes sliced in half, covered in still set--little-known chili, tasteless cheese, and smothered in red onions. I enjoy red onions but this was just too much. Another family member got the Chili Bowl - Panaras bread bowls are twice the size. Although it was hot, it left too much room to fill in the stomach and left our wallets very empty. In all honesty, we will question going back to the Maine Diner. Great service, but a real let down that might just cause this family to find a new place to bring our business.

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Sean Hackbarth

Popped in for a decidedly late lunch/early dinner on a Sunday around 3:30 PM. The place was packed with people and the line to wait for a booth was well out the door. I took this as a sign that this was a reputable establishment and people were eager to cite down here. Thankfully, there was open counter space and my party of 2 adults and 1 child were seated immediately. The service was quick to get us our sins and efficient at providing our orders to us promptly and with minimal fuss. Our server, Jessica, answered it questions and provided great recommendations: lobster rolls were well-portioned and the almond-battered Texas-style French Toast was a touch of home here in Maine. The childrens menu is fairly priced with the typical offerings (for us, the options for either a grilled cheese sandwich or mac and cheese were greatly appreciated!). Childrens-sized drinks also were available. For dessert, the chocolate chip cookie pie (served warm with ice cream on the side) was a sweet conclusion to this meal! For a more local experience, the eyes drooled for the Maine blueberry pie as slice after slice left the counter. Affordable pricing, quick turnaround, friendly service, and diner food done right, here at the Maine Diner!

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A Private User

Dont expect Maine Diner to make any deviations in their advertised menu for paying customers--you get whats printed; like it or not. There was a pretty timely gap between our drink and dinner order--apparently the conversation amongst the staff behind the counter was more important than customers. When she did finally come to take our order, I asked to have a half sandwich with a side of Mac & Cheese--the waitress informed me that they only serve a half sandwich with a cup of soup. I told her I didnt want the soup (allergies) and woukd rather just have the half sandwich with the cup of Mac & Cheese. "We dont sell it like that," she remarked. "The half sandwich comes with the cup of soup. I can sell you the sandwich and not bring you the soup, but youre going to have to pay for it still." Really? You cant walk over to the calculator, figure out the difference between a bowl of soup and mac & cheese and up-charge me instead of charging me for food I dont even want? Nope. Not at the Maine Diner. We paid for our beers (which we didnt even have a chance to drink), cancelled our order and left. It must be nice to be a business like the Maine Diner that does so well it can afford to not give a sh** about customer service.

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Eric Poulin

My family and I have been coming to Wells Beach for years now. When Father owned the business things were great. Food was good and original and they made you feel welcomed. Last year on August 7th we were meeting a friend who has a amputated leg and his wife. The seating is very tight there and not handicap friendly. We had a table that worked. We had been there for five minutes and order coffee for wife and I and son wanted water. We told waitress that were waiting for friend that were minutes away. The new owner and son of the previous had been staring at us and pulled our waitress aside five minutes later. She then came over and asked us to leave our table and get in line again until they get here. I asked to talk to the manager and that man came over and told me that this is a business that is making money and he is the one to instruct her to tell us to leave and not to worry about the coffee. As he was talking to us our friends came in and we were so embarrassed that we did not want to be there. We went to bull and claw across the street for 10 dollar buffet and was welcomed through the door and treated very much like they wanted us to be there.

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