Charlie McGee's 5

6 places
to eat
in Southern Maine

Oh my God, bud! That’s all I can say. I mean, I have to say more because I want you to know how good this stuff is, but words just ain’t gonna cut it. This place is the bomb!

They’ve got more flavor in the air than most places have in the food. I kid you not. From mouth watering bbq to the best smoked pastrami and swiss this side of Sebago Lake, they kill it with the menu. Every time I go there, I want to try the Ham Cubano, but I end up ordering whatever I see at someone else’s table because it looks and smells like the greatest thing ever. I swear, I could just eat a full meal, walk into this place, and immediately need to eat a rack of ribs covered in their sauce – whatever sauce they got there on the table, any bottle. Please, just hit me with it, please! That’s all I gotta say about this place. Oh, except it’s also a great place to take the whole family. Which you will need. Because they give you a lot of food.

If you like BBQ, and you want to stick with something tried and true, you can’t go wrong with Famous Dave’s in Scarborough, Maine. This is a great place to eat if you’re staying in the Scarborough area during your vacation in Maine. Plenty of menu choices. Plenty of seating. Super friendly Maine residents to serve you. The only reason I don’t go out to eat more, is because I’m not allowed to bring in my own giant fish I keep catching!

This place is a Maine staple. These guys were making beer before it was trendy and all those fancy beard guys were doing it out in “the other Portland.” Now with several locations around Maine, Sebago Brewing Company has some great food to go along with some of the best beer you’ll ever experience. The best part about this place is, when you’re done with dinner, you can take a couple of cases back to the hotel, and onto my boat the next day!

This place is a local treasure, I tell you. Casual dining with the finest, freshest ingredients. Get your “buttah” fix, your bisque bowl filled up, and your claw crackers cranking. You can get the classics, and you can get things like a “Cheesy Jonah Crabmeat and Maine shrimp enchilada with Spanish rice.” I mean, what more is there to say? Friendly people, fantastic food, fresh fish. It’s not quite as fresh as the one’s I can help you catch out on the lake behind them, but if you want that filet even faster than I can reel it in, this is the place. They have a great selection at great prices, and the friendliest people to help you find that right “hit the spot” dish.

Another “gotta go there if you’re in Maine” place is the Portland Pie Company. If you haven’t figured it out yet, that’s the name of one of the best pizza places around. There is another local gem in the Raymond, Maine area. But if you’re in the Portland area, and you’ve got a hankering for some pizza-carbs after a long day of fishing out on my boat, this place delivers the flavors slice after slice. They have a nice atmosphere, friendly staff, and some great pies.

Take in a Sunset in Maine

Adventure in the great outdoors of southern Maine on a prestine glass lake. Watch the sun go down, the fish come in, and the memories last forever with Bucks Bass and Beyond.

I know what you’re thinking – this is supposed to be a list of 5. But like I said above, there is another local gem in the Raymond, Maine area that I just have to give a shout out to. Pam and her Husband started this place decades after her mother’s bowling alley closed down. The Beacon Lanes bowling alley was a source of the Raymond, Maine community spirit. When it closed, Pam’s mother had the good sense to keep the pizza ovens, which finally fired back up when Pam and her husband decided to stop working hard for other people and start building a solid future for them and their kids. We lost a great member of the community when Pam’s mom passed, but she raised some great kids to fill her shoes.

The Beacon’s name is an homage to the old Beacon Lanes. Oh man, was the local area happy when the Beacon opened up. We’ve been missing that secret family pizza sauce recipe for years, I tell you. Now it’s back and it’s just the best bite of pizza anywhere near Sebago Lake. The place also serves some of the best subs and sandwiches, always with a smile and gratitude for your business. I love to see local families thrive. It is not hard to support a local business when they make food as good as this place. If the food and the friendly service ain’t enough, this place is perfect for all the surrounding campgrounds, hotels, and motels. Place an order, drive a couple of miles down the road, grab that grub and take it back to the family or your fishing buddies waiting to hit the spot with a warm slice of the Beacon and a cold Maine brewed beer. It’s just the best end to a great day in the woods and lakes of Maine.