Palace Diner

"Start your day with a stack of the world’s greatest flapjacks at Palace Diner." - Travel + Leisure Editors

"If you decide to break up your road trip into two days of driving, Palace Diner in Biddeford should be the stop you make on the second day. Go early, since there are only 15 seats available at the train car counter. (If you’re the type of person that sets eight alarms and still runs late, you can always place a to-go order and eat in the nearby outdoor courtyard.) The dine-in and takeout menus vary slightly, but either way, you should try their fluffy buttermilk flapjacks and the deluxe breakfast sandwich that comes with a thick square slab of eggs, cheddar, jalapeños, mayo, and your choice of bacon or sausage on a toasted english muffin. " - anne cruz

"What’s old is new again at Palace Diner. When Chad Conley and Greg Mitchell reopened this restaurant as its sixth owners in 2014 in a 1927 Pollard train car, they captivated critics and catapulted Biddeford, Maine — a former mill town 20 miles south of Portland — into the national dining spotlight. At a glance, the setting and menu read like any other cozy slice of Americana across the country. But you don’t need the fog of nostalgia to fall hopelessly in love with Palace’s tuna melt, layered with an inch of crunchy iceberg lettuce on grilled challah, or its pancakes, unbelievably buttery and light. These days, you can even order takeout online, which is great news since this diner only seats 15. — Adam H. Callaghan" - Eater Staff

"Start your trip at Palace Diner, the 15-seat brunch spot that helped put Biddeford on the map as a food destination and earned a place on Eater’s list of the best 38 restaurants in America in 2018. Co-founders Greg Mitchell and Chad Conley resurrected a decades-old restaurant in a historic train dining car, striking a balance between nostalgia and modern magic. Fill up on a Lumberjack breakfast of lemon-buttermilk flapjacks, over-easy eggs, bacon, and smashed potatoes, or tackle a towering tuna melt stacked with crispy iceberg lettuce and zesty pickles on griddled challah. While the setting is part of the appeal, seats can be hard to come by; thankfully, the food also makes good takeout for Mechanics Park, which overlooks the nearby river." - Stasia Brewczynski

"Almost 100 years ago, the Palace Diner would have moved. It would have parked outside one of the then-functioning textile mills in Biddeford, Maine, when each shift let out. The barrel-roofed, stainless-steel car would have bulged with row after row of exhausted workers eager to stifle the day’s hunger. They would have lined up behind one another as each finished their toast, eggs, and bacon on one of the diner’s 15 stools. Today, the mill is a converted workspace, but people still line up to eat at the same diner every day. The Pollard Company car, known as the Palace Diner, was built in 1927. It’s now not only one of two Pollards left in existence, it’s also Maine’s oldest diner. It’s maintained its original mint-green floor tiles, steel backsplashes, and worn countertop. “Ladies Invited” is still painted onto the exterior, harkening back to days when dining cars were primarily patronized by men. Ownership has changed hands six times since the last Roaring Twenties. Its most recent exchange may have been its most pivotal.  Current owners Greg Mitchell and Chad Conley have earned this locally celebrated and quietly historical diner national acclaim. With stints in both high-end kitchens and highly regarded farms, the pair have applied their culinary prowess to the humble world of diner food. In other words, the brisket and short rib that go into the corned beef hash are brined for days and braised overnight; the breakfast potatoes are blanched, smashed, then fried to attain a perfect crispy exterior and creamy interior; and their legendary tuna melt is served on thick, griddled challah bread with house-made bread-and-butter pickles." - ATLAS_OBSCURA