Millinocket
Millinocket or Magic City to the locals, is Maine’s gateway to the North Maine Woods, Baxter State Park and The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. While some in town are still mourning the loss of the local paper mill, what is emerging is a new version of Millinocket, including a collection of amazing places to eat!
Breakfast – The Appalachian Train Cafe
210 Penobscot Ave, Millinocket, ME
While there are a few places a person can pick up a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich or a slice of pizza, there is only one restaurant in Millinocket serving a sit down breakfast. When you are craving a real diner breakfast, head into town and check out the Appalachian Trail Cafe, or AT Cafe for short.
Famous from Springer Mountain to Katahdin for “chopped tots” with onion, homemade doughnuts and all of the pancakes, omelets and french toast a person could ever ask for, but the AT Cafe isn’t just serving up the normal every day breakfast. Check out some of the amazing specials, like the Raspberry Fluff Stuffed French Toast if you have a sweet tooth.
If you are not into sweets, perhaps they can interest you in a special called “The Cure”, which consists of shaves steak, onion, chopped tots, cheddar cheese, eggs and their homemade hollandaise sauce.
Note, the AT Cafe is an experience that should not be rushed. Take a hint from the locals and slow down, take your time and enjoy a little conversation with your coffee and breakfast.
Lunch – The North Woods Trading Post
1605 Baxter State Park Road
Call 207-723-4326 to place an order, link to their Menu
If you are headed toward Baxter State Park , or out the Golden Road to search of a glimpse of a moose or to the Penobscot River in search of Salmon, you are headed right past the North Woods Trading Post. The North Woods Trading Post is by far, my favorite stop for lunch.
Tom and Sandy, the owners of the North Woods Trading Post have taken great care in creating something special on the Shores of Millinocket Lake. Tom grew up in the Katahdin Region, guide rafts on the Penobscot, worked at Sugarloaf USA in the winters and even spent time working as the Chimney Pond Ranger in Baxter State Park. He’s a great source of information if you can catch him.
As for the food, I don’t care what you order, it’s all amazing and it’s probably two meals worth of food. They do get really busy at lunch time because even the locals will drive all the way out from town to order lunch here. I strongly suggest calling to place an order for pick up.
Dinner
There are two incredible restaurants serving dinner in the Katahdin Region, and they are only minutes apart. During the summer, both of these locations can be very busy. I highly recommend calling ahead and making reservations.
Both locations are casual dining. There are no dress codes, nobody cares if you are dressed to impress or right off the river.
River Driver Restaurant at New England Outdoor Center
Reservations and To Go Orders Call 207-723-8475
The River Driver is situated on the shores of Millinocket Lake with amazing sunset views of Katahdin across the lake. It’s a truly stunning location offering indoor and patio dining. Highlighting their commitment to local, seasonal products, much of the wood found inside the River Driver, was reclaimed from the bottom of Quackish Lake.
The bar at the River Driver, offers cold beer, including many local microbrew options, tasty drinks like a Blueberry Ledges and the most extensive wine list in the area. You can be sure that when I’m early for my reservation, I’m headed to the bar to order a beverage help entertain myself while I wait for a table.
Featuring fresh local ingredients, the River Driver serves decadent appetizers like their rich and creamy lobster mac and cheese or soups like their rich lobster bisque. They offer hand held sandwiches and burgers as well as fish and steak entrees. One of our favorite nights to visit the River Driver, is all you can eat Haddock night.
Fredericka’s Restaurant and The Loose Moose Bar and Grill at The Big Moose Inn
Loose Moose Bar and Grill Menu
Fredericka’s Loose Moose Bar and Grill, also situated directly in the middle of Millinocket and Ambejejus Lakes is like walking into a Bugaboo Creak, if all the decorations were authentic. Stuffed animals, old tools and antique furnishings decorate interior, along with an assortment of local Maine Guides, often be found enjoying a cold beverage and a fine meal. The Loose Moose often offers live music as well as a roof top bar area.
Every day the bakers at Frederic’s prepare dozens of dinner rolls, but these are not basic dinner rolls, these are the finest kind. Warm, fresh and filled with a cinnamon center. Add some butter and these are as good as eating desert first.
One of the nicer, but rarely noticed things about Frederica’s is, there are so many nooks and crannies. There is the porch, the pub, the main dining room, the roof top bar, and many of these spaces allow you to feel as if you are having a smaller, more private, intimate experience than many other locations.
PIZZA
There are only two places I will buy Pizza in the Millinocket area.
We have already discussed the North Woods Trading Post, and their fantastic menu, which includes several specialty pizzas, my personal favorite is the Knife’s Edge made with caramelized onions, green peppers, mushrooms and steak with pepperjack and chipotle mayo. And yes, if you are a celiac, they have a gluten free crust worth trying.
Knife’s Edge Brewing Company
200 Katahdin View Drive, Millinocket, ME
You can start with this pubs view, but it won’t take you long to get to the pizza, cooked in Millinocket’s only wood fired pizza oven south of Big Eddy, and first class beer brewed right on the premises. Try a specialty pizza like the Butternut Crave, built with roasted butternut squash, sliced onions, herbs, ricotta, cranberries, honey and mozzarella.
If you need to access pizza in the winter, it’s the best pizza in Magic City with sled to the door access.
When you visit the North Maine Woods, enjoy the hiking, fishing, hunting sledding and great scenery, but take some time to enjoy some great food as well.
