Eagles Nest Restaurant — Restaurant in Brewer

TLDR: A local hidden gem, fantastic seafood, always busy, and the original, no-frills homestyle version of Pepper’s Landing. It should be noted that Maine does bland food well. That doesn’t mean that the food is bad. We Maniacs aren’t exactly the gourmet types.

The Eagle’s Nest is a cozy, family-owned seafood joint located approximately 23.5 feet away from the Route 9 fog line. If it weren’t for the mass collection of vehicles along the side of the road at most times, you might miss it and mistake it for a house. The dining room has 8 tables, and the walls are almost close enough to touch at the same time. Local spots like this are few and far between, and you need a local to point it out to you. That’s how you know it’s worth a little extra drive. The staff often have a classic diner “vibe,” where they’re helpful, but they aren’t running around with fake customer service smiles.

I’ve never eaten at the Old Town competitor (Pepper’s Landing), but I’ve heard stories, read reviews, and compared menus. It would be unfair of me to attempt a true comparison. However, if you’re after a no-frills, homestyle, and casual dining experience in the pursuit of good local seafood, the Nest is the place to go. Apples to apples, most dinners/meals/platters on the menus are the same thing, but Eagle’s Nest is slightly less expensive, even for a seafood platter. I’m uncertain on the upscale competitor, but the food at EN comes out in under ten minutes piping hot from the fryer.

We often visit for the fried seafood platter, which has haddock, clams, scallops, shrimp, the BEST french fries in the area, and multiple sides. While they offer more than just seafood, this isn’t the place to get creative and get special burgers or veal cutlets with high hopes. They have the basics, and they do them extremely well, so stick to those. The all-you-can-eat fried haddock is a bargain, and you can’t go wrong with a homemade slice of cake or pie on the way out. Kids will enjoy chicken fingers and fries. If you're a flatlander, definitely try a lobster roll.

From getting the platter more than a dozen times within the last few years, we’ve found that it can vary from time to time. The scallops can vary in size, depending on the time of year, sometimes you get extra shrimp compared to clams, and the number of fries can vary, but it’s all generally the same. They don’t weigh every portion out back. The fries are usually served on the bottom of the giant pile of fried goodies, so quickly sort and dish things out to keep the fries uncovered and crispy. I can’t explain them, but they’re amazing. The fries have a super crispy outside, but they crush extremely easily with a very soft, fluffy center. I would compare them to original KFC fries, but better. The platter could easily feed 3-4 people, or 2 with leftovers. If the photo is able to be viewed, we were about 40-50% done with the platter at the time of the photo.

Overall, the Eagle’s Nest is the best seafood diner in the area. It’s not glamorous, it’s not upscale, but the food comes out hot and fast, you can’t leave empty, and you can’t go wrong if you want good, basic seafood. It’s simply worth it, and the view over the river is fantastic. We’ve never had a legitimate problem there. Thank you for consistently good meals and memories. Keep up the great work!

Best...

I'm happy as a clam! This is such a phenomenal little gem. The restaurant is a tiny little building with only nine tables and a few bar stools facing into the kitchen. When we walked in all the customers were locals and the staff seemed to know everyone. The server and other customers made us feel right at home and told us the ins and outs of the menu. We got a lobster roll. I'm no expert of lobster rolls since I'm from a land locked state, but it's the best one I've ever had. There was just so much sweet lobster! We also got lobster stew and haddock stew. The broths were creamy and buttery and full of lobster and fish. We also split the seafood platter. The platter is insane! So much seafood and fries and slaw! I took a picture with my fiance's hand in it for scale. And to finish it off we got a "slice" of Boston cream pie. Slice is a understatement. It was huge and, like everything else, delicious. I think the only complaint was from one of the women in our party who thought there was too much butter (personally, I didn't agree). But we all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and appreciated how homey it felt. The server chatted with us and told us a little history of the place and gave us some local tips. I cannot recommend this place enough. Oh! And prices were so low! I've never had seafood this good for so little! UPDATE: We just went for breakfast. Got the lobster omelette. So. Freaking. Good. We can't wait to be back in the area and...

We had an excellent lunch last week at The Eagles Nest Restaurant. We were driving from Bar Harbor to Moosehead Lake and saw a big group of cars parked next to an unassuming and cozy-looking restaurant, perched over the Penobscot River. The Trip Advisor reviews were all positive so we pulled in and were not disappointed. In fact, we had the best lobster rolls of the 4 places we dined at in New England. We loved the fish and chips too and the salad. The portions are big and filling! The seafood chowder was delicious and so were the French Fries and cole slaw.I had the BLT Lobster Roll and our daughter had a traditional LR with butter. Huge amount of lobster and just delicious! The staff is friendly and professional and locals and regulars come in constantly. Everyone I saw left happy, satisfied and exchanging pleasantries with the staff! It’s the best down home cooking experience we’ve had in a long time and we’d go back in a second if we had the chance! In fact, I’m committing to going back to Maine just so we can eat here again…….and see more Moose, light houses, shop at LL Bean, and hike more in Acadia National Park. Thank you Eagles Nest for a wonderful meal and enjoyable lunch experience! The Clark’s of...