Thomaston Cafe

We go here a couple times a month for dinner. They have some gluten free options, great chicken wings and a great bar though it is very small, so we have had to sit at a table a couple of times. The dining area doesn't have great ambiance but the food and service has always been terrific.

Absolutely amazing food and service! Best fish and chips we've had with the biggest, perfectly cooked piece of fish ever! So good it was being eaten before we got a picture! Only downside is they were hopping busy so it was a bit loud but still an excellent experience!

What a special little place. It’s beautiful inside and our sever was upbeat and kind, and welcoming to our kids. My drink was tasty and quite strong! The food itself was a mix. Some dishes delicious and some a bit bland. Overall we enjoyed ourselves and would go again.

Nice atmosphere. The staff was lovely, helpful, accommodating, attentive, and polite. The food selection is just right. The portions were very generous. After a week's vacation in Maine we finally were pleasantly stuffed after a reeeally delicious dinner! Kudos to the chef!👏 My husband also enjoyed the local Allagash beer. If we weren't so full we would have definitely ordered dessert too. Best meal we fully savored.Thank you so much!😋

Delicious! I had the baked stuffed haddock with a side salad and the garlic mashed potatoes. Excellent 👌(picture shown after I put dressing on; it does come on the side). Will definitely be back 😁

Thomaston is such a cute little quaint town and the Thomaston Cafe is a wonderful addition. We went for lunch and the food was great and atmosphere even better! We really felt like a local and was treated like family. If you want the local feel the Cafe is a great spot.

Super great BLT and burger! Food took forever to get to our table however. Wait staff, super sweet, but over stretched. Didn't bring an item or two, just too overwhelmed, I guess.

Heading home after a stay in Bar Harbor, we were enjoying the Maine scenery along Route 1, and needed a dining option before we jumped on the interstates. Heading through Thomaston, I caught sight of the Cafe out of the corner of my eye and we pulled in. The Cafe is one of those places you wish you had in your hometown: Interesting menu; well thought out wine and beer list; warm and welcoming atmosphere; friendly and engaging staff. I had the fried haddock sandwich and a nice lager from Baxter Brewing and my lovely travelling companion had the caprese burger. Both delicious accompanied by equally tasty fries. I wish we lived nearby since this is the type of place I'd love to work though the menu. Worth the stop if you're nearby.

Good food and very nice people. Make a trip to the area every year and this is normally one of our stops.

staff was friendly. Noise not a problem. food was very good. the haddock reuben was fantastic

Service was not horrible but it wasn't good. The daughter that helps needs some training. Food was okay not great!

Delicious food. Great service and friendly staff. Sometimes crowded but we'll worth the wait.

They were a little short staffed but didn't have to wait long. My wife and I shared a Haddock Sandwich and we both like it. Great little small town and Cafe. Had Rhubarb pie for dessert

Nice place for simple fare. Had fried fish sandwich and Caesar salad. Enjoyed both occasions.

Great food and relaxing atmosphere. I would stop again anytime. Daily specials and and a full bar!

Passing through on way to the coast for the Gardens in the Watershed tour and found this great bistro. A quick Sunday morning breakfast. Service was friendly and prompt. Food was great. Coffee had great flavor. Just what we needed to start the day.

Service is great. I will assume it was just a miss on the burger. It just wasn't cared for at all. Cooked to brown all the way through. Odd taste. Fries were floppy. Wasn't really bad, but it was not a good burger and fries.

Best blueberry pancakes we had in our lives! We tried them multiple times on our trip to Bar Harbor and no where topped the Thomaston Cafe.

After driving past the Thomaston Cafe for the last 15 years, we decided to give it a try, upon discovering that it was under new ownership. Under the old old ownership, the menu was unexciting, and the food mediocre. We went on wing night, which features .70 cent wings, and a selection of 5-6 $2 beers. We split two different kinds of wings, which we found to be pretty solid. For mains we had the haddock tacos, which were nicely fried, crispy, and had a pleasant sauce and slaw. My father ordered a burger and fries, and he very much enjoyed his. We appreciated the handcut (rather than frozen) fries. For dessert we ordered banana foster and creme brûlée. We were the last people in the place, due to it closing for the night, and we were given a huge portion of banana foster, with three scoops of ice cream. The creme brûlée was even better! 10/10, would return! It was a pleasant surprise, and it helped us avoid going into Rockland, like we would normally. Highly recommend giving it a shot for a spot to enjoy a drink. Their beer selection was impressive.

The best crab cakes in mid- coast Maine. Love this spot.

Oh man! I really want to rate this quaint restaurant higher. The location is dynamite. The the decor is what one would expect in a small Maine town. The waitress attentive but not helicopter. The owner humble and gracious. All that said, the kitchen let them, and us down disappointingly. How can even the most novice of all cooks/chefs mess up tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, but regrettably, this cook/chef did, times Four! We all ordered the same thing, and each of us were sorely disappointed. Sorry, tomato soup has to be served hot, not at room temperature. Even my 5 year old grandson knows a grilled cheese sandwich is grilled with lots of cheese (and no tomato) in the middle and "smashed" on the griddle. We were so hopeful for a delicious, simple lunch, but sadly left wondering how they have managed to stay open. Obviously we ordered the wrong things! Going to be a while before we return, if ever. :-(

my wife, i and our friends had lunch there today. my friends wifesaid the haddock sandwich was fantastic. taking her word for it. i ordered without even looking at the menu. our friend was conservative in her praise! this was hands down the very best haddock fillet i have ever eaten.i only took a bitr of the bun, the fish and french fries were a full meal. unable to order dessert.

I don't think the Thomaston Cafe could be any cuter. I really don't. The cafe is the place to be on weekends for locals and tourists. They do lunch, and dinner on the weekends...but if you want to enjoy Thomaston Cafe the way it should be enjoyed, hit it up for brunch. I'm partial to their Belgian waffles. They also have fantastic fresh squeezed orange juice. (I would know. I've drank a lot of OJ in my life. I'm pretty much an expert.) Prices are a little steep, but with a location right on Route 1, that's not unusual. I'm lucky enough to have parents that live in Thomaston, which means that all my visits to the cafe are paid for by the Bank of Dad. And that's more than okay with me.

What the f*ck? In all seriousness, what is this place's deal? This is how my experience went down: My family and I went in here about 3 days ago for breakfast. If you look at their hours online, it says that they serve breakfast until 2 pm most every day. Unfortunately this is NOT TRUE. They stop serving breakfast at 11 or 12, so make sure that you get there friggin early. I didn't mean to imply that there was some doubt that you were going there, yes, you, but that when you go there, go early. If you don't go here, you don't deserve food privileges. I will revoke them upon learning that you have not been to the Thomaston Café. The service was abysmal, I mean come on, at least seat us within a reasonable amount of time. I constantly had to ask the waitresses for things. There was this one time when I asked her for water and she told me she would be right back with "that". After like 10 minutes, she came back and asked if we needed anything else and I asked for water. Only then was I given it. So yeah, they were a little short-staffed. Now on to the most important part. So we got there at 1 something, confident that we would be able to order breakfast. Luckily the kitchen was flexible enough so that they could cook me breakfast. I got the peach crumble pancakes and I ate them with sugar free maple syrup. NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. The pancakes were the utmost delicious thing that I have ever graced my tongue thing everything digestive. In a world, with overly generic stupid crappy food, one restaurant dares to blow everything out of the water with a pancake. Not just one, but TWO heavenly circles of ever-lasting bliss. I see that these were the ingredients: pancake stuff, brown sugar, peaches. I don't care if it was simple, it was HOLY FRIG. The brown sugar caramelized all over the pancakes with real and cooked to absolutely juiciness peaches. Every bite had caramelized brown sugar in it. I don't know. It was the best meal I've ever had. Go there. NOW. Cactus Gold Seal of Approval.

So we went in on Saturday 8/2/14 for brunch as advertised on the sandwich board outside. It was about 10am, fairly busy but there were free tables, clearly dirty but room for more people. After standing in doorway with no acknowledgement from the staff, we were finally told we could sit down at a dirty table. After sitting at the table for about 3-5mins we had to signal the other waitress to clean off the table, bring us coffee and menus. Sitting there we noticed others who seemed very impatient waiting for checks or other services. After what seemed like forever the waitress came over and took our order. Food came out in reasonable time though (perhaps kitchen staff should have helped in the dining room?). While eating the owner or cook told a waitress to lock the door and put up a closed sign, AT 1045 AM!?!? On a weekend!!?!? And said several times, "why are people still coming in!?" Are you kidding me? Never in my life I have I witness such a thing! Needless to say the whole seen repeated itself while we were there. Food was ok, nothing to rave about. As a visitor of the area several times a year over the past years and a frequent patron of this place before, this will be my last visit unfortunately.

We stopped here for Sunday brunch. It was not busy and we were immediately seated. The fresh squeezed OJ was good but the Wild Mushroom hash was too spicy and boring - all it is are mushrooms, some red pepper flakes and a very few potatoes (why serve this with even more potatoes in the home fries?). The b/f had the crabmeat quiche, which he found dry but crabby. Because I disliked my hash so much we ordered the Belgian waffle which saved the day - it was so awesome, we wished we could have started the meal over again! So I am not sure quite what went wrong today. So many people, my Mom especially, love this place! We just didnt see it with these choices.

I've eaten here twice now and was pleased. Once for lunch and last weekend for breakfast. I had the lobster omelet and it was excellent. Coffee was better than the usual swill served at most places. Service was attentive and efficient. Place was clean and inviting. Parking was easy. Recommended.

So glad we found this quaint place for lunch along Route 1! Terrific sandwiches and great service - highly recommend the pastrami Reuben and the cowboy burger.

Excellent food and great service! Will definitely be coming back next time we are in Thomaston! Curbside pick-up was quick, easy, and safe!!

My dad came here for lunch and got duck confit for a great value and the presentation and as well as the taste was amazing! He enjoyed it so much that he made me and my mom go there for dinner the same night. Not only is the food great, but all of it is local ingredients a lot of which is grown on the chief and owners farm. The food is an unexpected pleasure from a place that which the previous owner only served comfort food. The food is influenced greatly by European food specifically Vienna where the owner studied. I would recommend this restaurant to any one and everyone interested in having a great meal in a friendly atmosphere.

We had a great meal last weekend. The service was fantastic and very friendly. Will be back soon!!!!!

I am a summer resident in Thomaston Maine and I've been to the Café many times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Earlier this year (2014) the original owners retired and the business was sold. I have now been there for a dinner and an attempt at having lunch. The dinner food was so-so, which we attributed to opening week jitters. However, my experience at lunch was amazingly awful. A friend and I arrived at 12:30 and the place was packed. We asked to sit at the counter (which is really the bar). A waitress said OK and then the two waitresses managed to completely ignore us until I pointedly asked for a menu. The waitress gave us menus and later agreed to take our orders. We ordered a burger and a salad. We then proceeded to read almost the entire Bangor newspaper while waiting for food. We noted that others were getting impatient about getting food and/or their checks. Finally it was 1:15 and we paid for our cokes and left. The restaurant has no POS system so the checks are handwritten which sometimes caused confusion in the kitchen. It also means the checks are hand tallied using small calculators. Who knows how many errors this lack of system causes? Would I return? Probably not. The food is no longer unique and the service is horrible. Quite the combination!

I randomly stopped at this cafe on a whim for lunch one afternoon, and was increasingly charmed. They had a bookshelf full of used books for sale. Rather than the usual romances and mysteries, though, these were serious texts...you could pick up Sartre, Foucault, Baldwin, or Austen if you so desired. The music selection was deep and charming, and the service was speedy. Then the food, at least from a vegetarian standpoint, was both unique and delicious. Simple ingredients, done in ways I had not seen before, not least from a small cafe off route 1. A delightful surprise all around.

In a small town, this quaint kind of cafe is great for locals to come as a social spot and maybe a casual lunch. It has a coastal, country New England vibe. But I wouldn't recommend it for the food based on my experience. I live in San Francisco, where I'm spoiled by an abundance of amazing food options, but I wish this place was better. I was visiting a friend in Warren and we came here really hungry craving breakfast or brunch late morning on a Saturday. Unfortunately they only do brunch on Sundays, so no huge egg dishes or waffles were available. My friend and I both ordered one of the few vegetarian dishes offered. After waiting quite a while, the waitress (who was very friendly) said the cook made it that morning but "couldn't find it in the fridge." Ummm...OK. Could have told us earlier! Plus it's made in advance? Kinda didn't want to know that. Meanwhile, we're super hungry. I ordered a half BLT and a cup of fish chowder. The chowder was actually incredibly delicious, buttery and super fresh, but the cup was sooo small. The BLT was topped with a TINY piece of toast that barely contained the ingredients. It did not hold together well and was also not enough food for me at all. I left disappointed and still hungry after paying about $25 for lunch for 2. Cute spot - just wish the food was bit more solid.

Excellent!! Everything we had was great. The homemade tomato basil soup and creme brûlée are the best I've ever had. The owner/chef came over and talked with us. He was a delight. Friendly staff. Stop bye! It's totally worth it.

My boyfriend and I were up in the Rockport for a weekend visit, and since he grew up going there every summer he knew I would enjoy this place. Very cozy. Loved the understated decor and local, seasonal menu. While I opted out of a lobster dish, I did not regret the delicious baked haddock with crabmeat! The wine was great, and so was our rhubarb-strawberry pie (a favorite of mine). We had a great time and the wait staff was very friendly. A great place to eat if you're in the area.

Holy f***ing s*** this place is soooooo bad. If you want food poisoning come here. If you want your dog to get kicked, come here. If you want your only son to be taken and turned into chili and served to you, come here. This restaurant is pretty much why the suicide rate is so high in the U.S. This place makes me want to do drugs!!!!!! And to hit my animals. I hope everyone running this placed gets gassed just like the gas I got from the food. The pancakes weren't too bad..

We went for dinner on a Friday night. I think they are only open for dinner on the weekends. Each entree we got was delicious. Perfect portion sizes. A tad overpriced (a few bucks more per entree than I expected, but not enough to dissuade me from going back). Blueberry pie was awesome!

I really liked this place. Friendly people, trying hard to please, good food and generous portions. The decor and location are also excellent. If you want to support local independent businesses, this is your place.

I LOVE this place. The food is fresh, delicious and thoughtfully prepared. Service is excellent, friendly and efficient. The ambience is charming, in lovely Thomaston. A quintessential small town cafe-something out of a movie.

The food was very good and fresh. However, the service - my goodness, the two women working there were so unfriendly and I felt kind of rushed. I guess I would go back just because the food was good. If you can, eat at Lilly's in Rockland for some great food and friendly and welcoming service.

My family and I were happy to return here having had a wonderful dining experience food-wise last summer on vacation. We are serious foodies. :) I am very pleased to report that each of our meals was excellent, from the succulent steak with blue cheese, the haddock and lobster with a to-die-for light lemon and butter sauce, to the perfect pork chop and the best hamburger ever. Fabulously fresh food lovingly and perfectly prepared. Thomaston Cafe rivals Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore without the hype or prices and reminds me fondly of Martick's formerly in Baltimore where the chef /owner delighted patrons for years on his own special terms. Also, kudos to Lynne (wait person) whose charm added much to a fine time!

We used to frequent this restaurant when Herbert Peters owned it. We tried it recently for lunch and it was a disappointment. The batter on my husband's fish tasted strangely bitter. My carrot and ginger soup was ok but the accompanying grilled cheese and tomato sandwich was bland. I came looking forward to Herbert's delicious bread, wild mushroom hash and crab cakes so this was definitely a let down.

What a find! I first experienced their food in November of 2015. The place was packed. Thankfully, two of us, were seated at a table pretty quickly. The choices on the menu are somewhat limited but do cover all tastes. I had a shrimp dish that was superb. I returned over the 4th of July Holiday week bringing the whole family. Once again, the food was tremendous. My wife and I had their seared scallop meal, while my aunt had the pork chops. My daughter had a chicken dish and my son opted for a small pepperoni pizza. Great care is taken in the preparation and presentation. This is not your typical grab and go place to eat. If you want to enjoy a meal, let the flavors of the dish wash over your palette, then you must come here for dinner. I will warn - if your children have a limited list of foods they will eat, this may not be the place - though they do make personal size pizza's. I have been coming to this region of Maine for nearly twenty years. There are many adequate to good restaurants in the Camden, Rockland region, but the Thomaston Café (in Thomaston - just down the road from Rockland) is at the top of my list if I am looking for flavor, presentation and an absolutely delectable good time.

Excellent little breakfast or lunch spot. We stopped here for lunch on our way up to our vacation cottage "Downeast." The food was all homemade tasting. Quaint New England old time decor. Waitresses are very friendly and on-the-ball. We will go back on our way back down to NJ.

We love to go to Thomaston Cafe for Sunday breakfast with my grandparents. The kids enjoy the food and so do we. The service is great. We enjoy the treat!

This used to be one of our favorite places to go. Now they are trying to be something more upscale than they can truly pull off. Cold toast, flavorless food, and unwarranted prices. Not to mention that the waitress was curt, inattentive, and simply rude to our godson with Autism. We will not be returning.

My family and I have come up to Maine from Baltimore for the past 10 years and always try the local restaurants during our vacations. In the summer of 2014, we had one of the best meals we had ever had, easily in Maine, and rivaled the best meals we have had in Baltimore. Chef/Owner Ryan Jones uses fresh farm and local ingredients, along with meats and vegetables from his own farm nearby in Thomaston. The menu changes regularly but the skill, artistry, and cleverness inherent in every dish never diminishes. We came back this year with high expectations and they were surpassed! My ribeye steak's Demi-glace was great, not overpowering in the slightest and the oysters Rockefeller rivaled anything I had previously tasted before. My mom had the pan seared haddock and lobster with a champagne lemon sauce reduction that was simply delicious. My girlfriend had the pork tenderloin, which was cooked and seasoned to perfection, and then shared the blueberry crumble for dessert; phenomenal! Not only was it perfectly light but the pure blueberry flavor really stood out. My parents shared a flourless chocolate cake that was simply elegant and a great caper to a fantastic meal. This place is a hidden gem amongst the many tourist trap and overpriced c+ "4 and 5 star" restaurants in Camden and Rockland. A must stop for foodies, couples, or families looking for a great meal that is an amalgamation of old school elegance and contemporary techniques.

This gem of a restaurant has been a mid-coast Maine landmark since 1990 and our family, as seasonal visitors, now permanent residents, have dined there almost as long. Originally owned by German culinary arts teacher Herbert Peters, it was once featured in the Dining Section of the New York Times and some of Chef Peters recipes were featured in Gourmet magazine. Having enjoyed this small restaurant over so many years we were sad but hopeful when it changed hands last year. The new hands are those of Chef Ryan Jones whose cuisine is farm to table, focusing on local meats and produce, some of which he raises on his organic farm, and of course fresh local fish. We were among those who swarmed to opening night last year and we were not disappointed. I had the beef bourguignon which was the best I've ever eaten. The chef had raised the beef and knew how to prepare it. We have visited frequently ever since, and there was naturally a shakedown period. And this special place is right on Route One and some people stop by for a fast food meal and dislike waiting. This is a place for superb slow food. We try to treat ourselves to a Thomaston Café meal once a week and take guests there. The chowder is the best in the area. Daily soups are wonderful. Breads are freshly baked on the premises. This is a pleasant nook that serves outstanding food. I particularly like the Caesar salad with house made croutons to which I add chicken. The luncheon BLT is another favorite as along with the fresh tomatoes and greens, the bacon is apple wood smoked slab bacon. My husband always looks forward to the pan fried haddock sandwich and one of the chowders. There is a good selection of wines and beer, and desserts are delicious. Parking is on-street or in the lot behind Thomaston Grocery store.

We've visited this cafe on our way out of town for the past 4 years and have always left happy and full until this year. We stopped in at 9am on a Saturday and the place wasn't that busy, lots of open tables. We sat and waited for a about 10minutes before getting menus, ordered our food as soon as someone came back w our coffee and then we wait for 1 HOUR for our food! No one came back to refill coffee.At one point the chef was sitting at the bar opening mail and playing on a laptop. No one acknowledged how long we were waiting. At one point a fruit plate came into the window but after 10min no one even brought it over to our very hungry kids. At 10:20 we got up and left, no one even apologized. The guy/chef who was reading mail had the nerve to say they were slammed!! We were the only people left in the place!!Horrible service NEVER going back. Would give 0 stars if I could.

I don't inflate my ratings so the four stars I awarded this charming little pace on the Main drag of Thomaston, but don't take that ily lack of enthusiasm. The new chef Eric Anderson is a real prize. The beet borscht he made as an appetizer practically brought tears to my eyes. The quinoa salad as a side was terrific and the rack of lamb consistently outstanding. The cafe is an all-round great place. You will never be disappointed. In the unlikely event that you are, take your complaint to Eleanor who will fix it for you.

Just happened in here for dinner in July not knowing what to expect. We were extremely pleased with our choice. Limited menu but everything was sourced locally and very fresh and flavorful. Waitress could not have been nicer. Overall, it was one of those pleasant surprise dining experiences that sticks with you and makes you eager to return.

Service was prompt and very pleasant, food not so much. Seemed to have been pre-cooked and (inadaquately) re-heated. But even if it had been hot, it wouldn't have been good: chicken was tough, risotto was gummy rather than creamy. Very disappointed - didn't realize there was a new owners/chef, won't be back.

We sat for over an hour before we saw our sandwiches. After asking numerous times, we got our food and they were simple turkey sandwiches thrown together in under 5 minutes. Gross and I could've done better in a quarter of the time. Bland, soggy, and definitely not homemade at all. After all that time we still had to get lunch somewhere else. Never going here again.

Excellent place for lunch. Great atmosphere, great food. We had the haddock sandwich and the BLT. Both were delicious with hot house tomatoes. Garden salad was very fresh with roasted corn and great tomatoes. Terrific balsamic dressing. Wonderful bacon. Yum! The service was just okay.

Delicious breakfast-best pancakes in the area and great service!

After arriving in Maine late on Saturday afternoon and being very hungry, I am so thankful that I did not believe the Yelp info saying Thomaston Cafe was open only for breakfast and brunch. I went to their website and saw they were open for dinner Wednesday thru Saturday nights. We had the most amazing experience! The roasted beet soup was fantastic. The crab cakes and crab stuffed mushrooms were amazing! I had apple crumb pie for dessert and it was the perfect balance of apples and cinnamon! They are one of the few restaurants in the area that is open past mid-October. This farm to table restaurant is run by the farmer/chef. He is definitely talented! What a shame that he may be losing business and vacationers may be missing such a delightful experience because Yelp has not bothered to correct the information on the business hours of this fine establishment!! We will definitely be back soon.