If you want a night out on the town, you might go to a nice restaurant. But when you want comfort food in a setting that feels family and friends in quintessential Maine, you go to a diner. Lucky for you, Maine has some of the best. Here are 5 diners in Maine, in no particular order, that you need to put on your bucket list to visit. 

 

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Percy and Bertha Moody opened Moody's Diner in 1927 along with several cabins to give people travelling up Route 1 a place to rest and eat in Waldaboro. It started small, but now is a Maine landmark at the top of the hill after you pass Waldaboro's little Route 1 shopping district. How big? Just take a look at the size of the parking lot now for the diner, gift shop and motel.

We recommend: Their famous whoopie pies, but have them for dessert after the hot turkey sandwich.

 

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Becky's Diner has been around since 1991 on Commercial Street in Portland, and quickly has become the go-to Portland landmark. Right on the waterfront in Maine's largest city, it's what people from out-of-state think of when they think of a Maine diner. It's gotten a lot of TV coverage, visits from celebrities and whenever a famous politician is in town, they end up at Becky's for a nice PR appearance.

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The food's good too, especially breakfast which they start serving at 4AM for all the fisherman as they start their day.

We Recommend: The homemade hash. Ask for it specifically, not the side. Also try the Commercial Street Sandwich.

 

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The Miss Portland Diner has been in three different locations in Portland since it opened in 1949 as one of many similar looking diners that were manufactured by the Worcester Lunch Car Company. It was originally on Forest Avenue and moved to Marginal Way in 1964 and again further down on Marginal in 2008 after it was saved from demolition.

Since the 2008 move, the restaurant has been expanded and modernized beyond the original lunch car, but if you still want that 1950's and 60's feel, sit in the original building.

We recommend: The classic bacon cheeseburger with house-made chips and a pickle. Throw in a malted milk shake. If you're going to go for the retro feel, that's the way to do it.

 

Google says the China Dine-ah is a Chinese restaurant. Silly Google. It's in South China, Maine "A stones throw from 202." You don't get any more quintessential Maine than the China Dine-ah.

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The China Dine-ah is more a family restaurant than a traditional "dine-ah" because their menu is huge. You can have everything from chicken fingers to prime rib and they don't skimp on the portions. You're gonna need a box.

We recommend: The shepard's pie. Just look at that!

 

Just off I-95 and a little south of Bangor in Hermon is an iconic truck stop that has become famous nationwide. Dysart's is a major stop for truckers and travelers alike on I-95. The food is so good that many locals visit Dysart's on at least a weekly basis.

John and Sonja Palmer are Dysart's regulars, and you might remember the blooper video from a Dysart's commercial that went viral back in 2012. John was talking about the chicken pot pie and he couldn't get the words out that it was 'baked in a buttery flaky crust.'

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We recommend: The chicken pot pie of course. It really is delicious and it's baked in a buttery crispy crust.......no flavored....flaky!

These are just our five choices for must-visit diners in Maine. Did we miss your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.

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