Eagles Nest - Brewer, ME

Posted By Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle on April 15, 2008 3:16 PM

We've traveled in Maine many times, but rarely have we ventured more than a few miles from the awe-inspiring coast. A visit to the Bangor State Fair brought us further inland in Maine than we've ever been, and lucky we were, as our search for dinner in the area turned up a gem in the nearby town of Brewer. Located on the banks of the Penobscot River, well out of town down Route 9, the Eagles Nest serves Maine down-home cooking to a mostly local crowd.

The restaurant is not large, and is casual in a comfortable sort of way. Our table next to the back window afforded a stunning view of the river beyond. We saw a fair number of customers chowing down on terrific looking burgers, but we took the lobster route, and were not sorry. The massive lobster roll (made from [hold your ears purists] bagged lobster) was one of the best lobster salad rolls we've had anywhere. We don't know if there are different grades of packaged lobster, or perhaps it's in the way it's handled once purchased, but we do know that this lobster salad was freshly prepared when we ordered it, and it contained huge chunks, almost whole claws, of lobster meat with good flavor. The sandwich is almost like a Downeast version of a New York City deli sandwich.

The lobster stew was similarly loaded with large pieces of lobster, and was a soothing and lobstery bowl of comfort. And perhaps best of all was the extraordinary strawberry shortcake. Freshly prepared when we ordered it, as is so much of the food here, we heard the clickety-clack of beater against bowl as the cream was whipped while we waited. Served on a terrific homemade biscuit, drenched in sweetened berries, and piled with fresh whipped cream, this was as gorgeous to look at as it was satisfying to eat. In fact, the staff was oohing and ahhing as our waitress (the owner) brought her production number to our table.

The menu covers most of the home-cooking basics, with a definite Downeast slant. The food on other tables looked terrific, and we hope to get back to give some of it a try.

Overall Rating

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Posted By roy mustang on October 27, 2011 12:05 AM

We were coming back from Arcadia, and this came up on Google, and we decided to give it a shot and we were not disappointed.

We ordered the seafood platter, the lobster roll, and the lobster stew, all of which were amazing. The seafood platter was a bit greasy, since all of it was fried stuff, but it was really awesome with the tartar sauce. The lobster roll is on a whole other level altogether: it is a whole lobster scooped out of its shell.

And, the location is awesome. We had the table near the window and we could see the river. The name of this place is quite apt.

Overall Rating

Lobster Roll

Lobster Stew

Seafood Platter

Onion Rings

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Posted By David Kendall on September 13, 2011 4:26 PM

I have passed by this small nook in the scenery many times since living in Maine but have never stopped... mostly due to their parking lot always being jam-packed. Today, however, we stopped, and ate, and I now know why they are always so jam-packed. The food was EXCELLENT. The service was EXCELLENT. Everything was EXCELLENT.

They give you so much food. I rarely find a place that gives me enough food, or sends me home with a doggy bag, but I met my match with the Eagles Nest restaurant!

Overall Rating

Strawberry Shortcake

Unsweetened Iced Tea

Seafood Platter

Fish Chowder

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Posted By Susan Schoneweis on August 24, 2010 10:37 PM

We ended up at Sam's Club in Bangor for gas and I asked the attendant if she knew of any good local, "hole in the wall" type places for lobster rolls. She sent us to The Eagles Nest. It was the first day of our venture down the coast of Maine and we hadn't yet reached water, but were hungry. Thank goodness we stopped at Sam's Club!

The lobster rolls and stew were huge and by far the largest pile of lobster we saw in our week on the coast.

The flavor was nice, not as lobstery as some we had, but still very, good. We kept wishing we were closer so we could return each day. Every other lobster roll was compared to The Eagles Nest's and none compared. It was our first experience with Maine-style (New England-style?) hotdog buns and were amused later when we bought a package and the home office was in Kansas City.

Service was great, we got there just before the noon rush to our fortune because we didn't have to sit outside and wait.

Overall Rating

Lobster Roll

Lobster Stew

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