All across the state of Maine are neighborhood restaurants and bars that people would refer to as "dives". Sometimes that tag creates the illusion that they're not a place you'd want to go...but we think the exact opposite. Dives are places where the food often tastes just right, the drinks are often cheap or made stiff and there's always conversation that you can jump into. So here are a few dives in Lewiston/Auburn that we think you should check out...


 

BLUE GOOSE TAVERN

Simply known as "The Goose" by locals, this dive might as well have been the first building ever built in Lewiston since its been there so long. It fits all the criteria of a dive, small, often times dimly lit, with music blaring and people crowding the bar. But don't let that scare you away, there's something oddly charming about the Goose and that charm is why it continues to be a destination for college kids and townsfolk. PS. If you're hungry, hop next door to Luigi's and grab a "fergie", you won't regret it!


 

THE CAGE

French-Canadian portions of Lewiston will still refer to this as "Le Cage" but you get the point. The Cage is located right in downtown Lewiston, and is another dive that has stood the test of time. They offer up pool, darts, games and if they like you, really stiff cocktails. Not only that, The Cage remains one of the few venues in Maine that promotes heavy metal music consistently.


 

LITTLE JOE'S

Little Joe's has been a Sabattus street stop for locals for a decade now. Often times it's dimly lit, serving up pizza (they have red hot pizza for you Maine traditionalists) and slinging drinks just in time for people to crank out some old school karaoke hits. If that doesn't completely fit the description of a dive, we don't know what does.

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THE FIRE HOUSE GRILLE

As you can probably piece together, an old firehouse is now a bar and grille. Located right across from the Rollerdrome, people gather here to devour burgers and some Andy's Baked Beans. There's live entertainment in a lot of different forms and stiff drinks to boot! By the way, common theme amongst these places is stiff drinks!


 

SCHEMENGEE'S

Isn't a stretch to say it's the oddest name establishment in the twin cities, but it does have it's charm. Schemengee's size doesn't necessarily fit the dive model, but stiff drinks, pool tables and dart boards bring it right back to where it's supposed to be. Strong community ties have made a Schemengee's a hit in Lewiston/Auburn for years and that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.


 

Lewiston and Auburn have many more dives and restaurants to offer than just the ones here we've listed but that's for you to discover. For now, use this roadmap if you're dive hopping or blaze your own trail. One thing we should all agree on in the end though: CALL A CAB!

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