Anyone that’s ever worked in the restaurant industry knows how hard it is to keep going, even if everything falls your way. Which makes it all the more amazing to know that there are some restaurants here in Maine that are going strong more than eight decades after they first opened — and in some cases, for more than a century.
Here are eight of the oldest restaurants in Maine, all of which have been around for more than 80 years. Do you know of some other restaurants in Maine that have stood the test of time? Email us at [email protected], or leave a comment below.
Boone’s Fish House & Oyster Room, Portland
People have been coming to Maine to eat the world’s best seafood for as long as anyone can remember, which is probably why Boone’s Fish House on Portland’s waterfront has been around for so long. It first opened in 1898, by Alexander Boone, who claims to have invented the recipe for baked stuffed lobster. Harding Lee Smith reopened it in 2013. You can still watch Portland’s working waterfront do its thing from Boone’s two outdoor decks, which remain a popular summertime destination more than a century later.
WaCo Diner, Eastport
This Down East institution celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. A full century in business is no mean feat for any restaurant — let alone what is the easternmost restaurant in the U.S. For one hundred years you’ve been able to sidle up to the WaCo counter for a classic diner breakfast, Maine seafood and lunch and dinner fare. Though it’s been through a long list of proprietors over the years, it’s weathered economic highs and lows and has been a mainstay for the community for generations. The building was built around the original lunch wagon, bought by founders Nelson Watts and Ralph Colwell in 1923 and opened in its current location in Eastport in 1924.
Palace Diner, Biddeford
Coming in at number two in the oldest diner in Maine category is another classic lunch spot on the other side of the state — the Palace Diner in Biddeford, which ten years ago was transformed by a pair of acclaimed chefs into one of the hottest lunch spots in the state. It even garnered a James Beard Award nomination in 2020. It originally opened in 1927, and is one of two remaining diner cars built by the Pollard Company in Lowell, Massachusetts. The tuna melts, flapjacks and corned beef hash here are legendary.
Moody’s Diner, Waldoboro
Tied at number two for the oldest diner, there’s another classic on Route 1 in Waldoboro in Moody’s Diner, which also opened in 1927 and which has served up Maine fare like blueberry pie, lobster rolls, baked beans and boiled dinner, alongside more traditional diner fare. It also does a brisk business in iconic Moody’s Dinner T-shirts and other merchandise as well.
Deluxe Diner, Rumford
This western Maine restaurant proudly calls itself a “greasy spoon,” with just 16 seats at its counter and a menu of classic diner treats. It’s catered to millworkers and their families since 1929, quietly outlasting countless other restaurants throughout the state with hardly a single change in the offerings in that entire span of time.
Pat’s Pizza, Orono
The original Pat’s Pizza started as Pat’s Cafe in 1931, where founder Pat Farnsworth sold ice cream and other sweet treats, eventually turning it into a full service restaurant. In 1953, he got the idea to start making this new-fangled food craze called pizza, which was an immediate hit with college students at the nearby University of Maine. There are 12 other Pat’s locations across the state now, but it all started in the classic Orono eatery, which still boasts cozy wooden booths, the ever-popular downstairs tap room, and the same dough and sauce recipe from over 70 years ago.
Red’s Eats, Wiscasset
When this iconic Maine lobster shack was opened in 1938 by founder Allan “Red” Gagnon, it was originally located in Boothbay. It moved to its present location in Wiscasset in 1954, just as the post-war boom of traveling by car was truly hitting Maine. Its primo spot right next to busy Route 1 meant it almost immediately became a star attraction for throngs of tourists looking for a bite of Maine lobster. More than eight decades later, it’s still going strong.
Appalachian Trail Cafe, Millinocket
Not long after the Appalachian Trail was finished in 1937, someone opened a cafe in Millinocket catering to thru-hikers finishing their epic journey from Maine to Georgia, as well as to visitors to nearby Baxter State Park. Though it’s had many different names and owners over the years, a restaurant has existed in that spot for more than 80 years, filling up hungry outdoors-lovers with freshly made doughnuts, giant breakfasts and heaping helpings of ice cream. The stories from thru-hikers are nearly as good as the food.
