Lil's Cafe — Restaurant in Kittery

Approaching by vélo, one weaves through a landscape built for cars, not cyclists. The joy only begins at the tiny Kittery Foreside village, a hidden gem alive with small shops and, of note, a humble garage bike service. It is a known stop of ex-pros like Ted King, and the local sportifs.

No bike rack, no secure placement. One must keep a watchful eye while queueing. Free water is mercifully offered, though the bathrooms (downstairs, rough, utilitarian) lack true civilisation. Service is quick enough, but the line is long, and seats indoors or out are a competitive sport. For practical aid, the bike shop around back is a better ally than the café itself.

Bustling, crowded, a mélange of locals and tourists. Cyclists are not singled out, nor particularly embraced. This is no peloton social hub — you are simply one body among many.

Café is bien, not great. An espresso to accompany, but never to inspire. Fuel, not romance.

The raison d’être: the cruller. A buttery ring of décadence that overshadows all else, drawing both cyclists and civilians alike. The pastry is the main character; everything else plays supporting role.

Lil’s is a stop that feels more like a box ticked than a soul stirred. Yes, one must try the cruller, once, perhaps twice — but the cyclist in search of respite may find greater liberté at the Islander in New Castle.

Ratings Café: 3/5 Pâtisserie:...

As a Kittery local, I love that we have our own adorable coffee shop in Foreside. I really want to love this place. However, I’ve finally realized that as great as Lil’s could be, it’s just not. The coffee and pastries are wonderful, but you have to plan for at minimum of a half hour to get through the line and get your order.

I’ve been in the service industry for a long time and have worked in my fair share of coffee shops, so I know it doesn’t have to be this way. The staff is SO SLOW. It’s almost painful watching them move at a glacial pace as the line curves around the entire inside of the shop and out the door. There seems to be no awareness from many of the employees behind the counter that the cafe is as busy as it is. With the line as long and slow moving as it is, it also makes it difficult to enjoy sitting inside because it feels so crowded. I also don’t feel very welcome by the staff whenever I go, even when it’s not super busy.

I know that Lil’s could be so great if the staff was more efficient, at least on crowded weekend mornings. I also just paid $35 for two oat milk lattes and two small pastries. There are so many great cafe options in this area, I’ll probably skip Lil’s...

Everyone raves about Lil's and indeed the maple cruelers are stellar, but I have to say that the breakfast sandwich is a pretty poorly executed take on a tried and true simple concept--the egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich. The choice of a biscuit is curious at best, and it's not a good one. The key to a great sandwich is the bread. It's make or break and unfortunately a biscuit just isn't up to the task. It crumbles. It's dry. It doesn't deliver the savory goodness of the delicious bacon, egg omelette and cheesy deliciousness. It's perplexing to me why they don't take one of their amazingly buttery croissants or, heaven forbid, the aforementioned divinely tasty maple crueler, and serve their breakfast sandwich on those. Either would be an eminently better choice. I hope someone in management will realize the error of their ways...the breakfast sandwich on a biscuit leaves a lot to be desired. It's just not good. At least offer a choice from the excellent bagels and croissants if ownership is going to insist on keeping the breakfast sandwich...