Buster's Sanford — Restaurant in Sanford

We arrived late on a Thursday, after 9pm. There aren’t many places still serving food that late on a weeknight in Sanford, so Buster’s immediately earns points for that.

The place was kind of quiet when we walked in, with just a few people at the bar. It’s dark inside, worn-in and full of character, with fairy lights hanging from the ceiling and Guinness banners that give it a slightly old-world European pub feel. The music was what you’d expect for a late-night spot.

They have an impressive list of European beers on tap, plus even more available by the bottle and can. We went with the BRLO German IPA (7% ABV) which was crisp and hoppy with a piney aroma, citrus notes, and a clean, slightly bitter finish that paired perfectly with the food. They also have cocktails and rotating limited-edition drafts.

From the late-night menu, I ordered the BBQ Pork Sandwich, made with house-smoked pork and topped with crispy fried onions on a brioche bun. The pork was tender, juicy, and lean, with a sweet and tangy sauce. The fries are the best fries in town: thick-cut, crisp on the outside, creamy inside, and clearly made from real potatoes. I upgraded to truffle frites which isn’t necessary because they’re great on their own, but the addition of aioli and grated Parmesan made them even more indulgent.

My wife ordered a grilled cheese, which is listed as an add-on to the tomato bisque. She skipped the soup but enjoyed the sandwich. She mentioned it would have been even better with a different cheese choice or a few pickle slices in the sandwich for contrast, though that’s a personal preference.

We sat at the bar, and the bartender was friendly and attentive. Overall, this is exactly the kind of place you want for a laid-back late-night bite....

BUSTERS BRUNCH REVIEW Always my honest evaluation on here, whether good or bad. So there’s a lot good to say about Busters - nice, comfortable atmosphere, good location with lots of parking and friendly staff. They have a good selection of beer as well! The negative experience for me on this day was the “brunch” menu that’s available until 1:00 pm on Saturday. No other food menu items were available when I sat down at noon - I wish I’d taken a picture…sorry. There were sandwiches, as you would assume some were breakfast-y and some lunch-y. I ordered a salmon on brioche for $13 which was basically two 4” halves of a baguette with shredded 😱 cooked salmon covered with pickled onions and a few capers. No tomato, no cream cheese, lettuce - what you would think is standard for a “lox bagel” type brunch sandwich. And again, the salmon was not smoked, but cooked and shredded. It was very dry and flavorless…my friend ordered a ham and cheese “Croque Monsieur” for $10, which was a couple of slices of ham and Swiss served open faced on two slices of hearty white bread, covered with a white mornay or bechamel sauce. Nothing special. For $10. I want to try this place again, but I don’t think I’ll be ordering from the brunch menu. I wish they had offered the full menu as well - I even told the server that the brunch menu didn’t really look appealing but we were already drinking and ready to eat. Bottom line - I would recommend this place to hang out and have a drink - I will follow up with another review when I have the opportunity to try the full menu, in the hopes of a better experience. I can’t recommend going there for the...

Feels like the only thing holding this place together is the excellent selection of Belgian/Belgian style beers. It's a shame, because with a little care and attention to detail on the food and service, this place would be cute as hell. Food has definitely gone downhill with the change in ownership.

The biggest pet peeve is their insistence that their fries are their specialty, because those are the saddest fries I may have ever had. They're supposed to be double dropped and that means those suckers better be dropped the second time TO ORDER. Every single time I've gotten the fries, they're the same - soggy, greasy and cold. Obviously been sitting around and most definitely not dropped a second time to order. Pure laziness from the kitchen. Other food items are really nothing to write home about. It's like they're not even trying.

Drinks wise, the cocktails lack balance as they're all on the sweet side with no balancing elements like acidity. Ordered a vodka soda with the flattest soda water ever. Might as well have been tap water. Husband ordered a Le Chouffe and was brought something on draft (they don't offer Le Chouffe on draft) that tasted like an IPA. Sent it back and insisted on the bottle.

Despite being nearly empty, multiple bar tenders lolly gagging around, taking way too long to sling drinks, with above mistakes.

This place needs a management overhaul. On the bright side, our server, Ian,...