104 Main Public House — Restaurant in Topsham

Based on the menu I viewed online, I expected a much different place. In reality, it looks like a VFW, kind of, which is fine. I just wouldn't have normally eaten at a VFW.

I saw this place on Find Me Gluten Free, saying they have a dedicated gluten free fryer. That's a rare treat for people with celiac disease, so I tried it out. I'm not sure if they actually followed my warning that "this entire meal HAS to be prepared gluten free" because I got sick.**

It was the middle of a very NOT busy day, so perhaps they didn't feel it was worth it, to fire up a whole fryer for one small order? Or maybe there is cross contamination in some point in the preparation, prior to the fryer? Or perhaps it was in the fact that my order had several items, and nothing was written down. I know that isn't always indicative of a problem in service, but I was very clear.

The service was perfectly fine. The ladies were friendly, and hopefully my tip reflected that.

The onion rings weren't great. Luckily, I just love onions, so I happily scooped up flimsy piles of onion with the crumbled breading falling off. They were not crunchy or crispy at all. The Crispy Wings were VERY TASTY, but not crispy either. The skin was rubbery, but the sauce was more than enough to compensate. I wonder if the sauce was gluten free?

I definitely recommend their house burger!! It's so darn delicious, I could have eaten ten of them! The sashimi is top shelf, as well! My husband has sashimi every chance he gets, and this was the best he's had in a long time!

I only rated this so low, because of my gluten reaction. I didn't think this place necessarily intended harm, but I also know there are a lot of customers who make a big deal about not WANTING gluten for vanity's sake. It really ruins things for celiac customers who can't risk ANY cross contamination... It can happen in storage, it can happen during the seasoning process, it can happen during preparation, it can happen just by TOUCHING, it can happen by cooking on a surface that has previously hosted gluten containing foods. Gluten is also hidden in a lot of whole foods, condiments, seasonings, broths, sauces, and mixes.

**A celiac reaction to gluten doesn't happen automatically, like an allergic reaction. The symptoms appear later, and last much longer... Sometimes up to a week. But they are very painful and intense, and ruin your plans. When I eat somewhere new, I make sure not to try anything new for a week, to ensure I know what is affecting me. I would have liked this place to be an addition to my short list of safe places to eat, but I...

Good news and bad news. Good news: food was wonderful, and the waitstaff were friendly and efficient. My pizza was the best in town! My husband had the pork cubano sandwich which was a good size. Bad news: I did not realize it was trivia night, which is on me. So if you are looking to eat out and not partake in trivia I would not recommend going on Tuesday nights. Its loud plus it may have been the reason the service was so slow. We were seated quickly, however no one came to our table for over 10 minutes. Then we asked for water, and because it was so busy we had to wait another 10 minutes for glasses because they ran out of clean ones. We placed our order for irish nachos, and the kitchen never made them. Our waitress checked and she did enter it into the system because she did take it off our bill, since they never came, bummer! So that was on the kitchen, not her. Our main courses took forever to come out. And when they did, my ceaser salad was missing. I am not sure if the waitress or the kitchen forgot that, but it did eventually come out. I do not hold anything against the waitstaff. However I would expect all other employees, such as the manager, to be taking steps to support waitstaff. Bringing water to every table automatically is a tiny detail that would make a big difference for waitstaff and customers. Even water in smaller cocktail glasses would have been fine if there were not enough tall glasses. Going to each table and apologizing for the slowness of the kitchen would have been appreciated. We were seated in the far left corner of the restaurant which was fine, but I felt as though we had been forgotten about. It felt as though trivia was more of a priority in the front of the restaurant. Again, food was great when we got it. But not getting our appetizer was a let down and not having a simple check in by a manager was disappointing. It was clearly busy, anyone could see that so hopfully no one was waiting for the busy waitstaff to ask for support. I will avoid Tuesday trivia nights, and will definitely take advantage of takeout. Many wishes of success to...

Sept. 8, 2020 . . . Dinner plans changed last minute, so my wife and I tried the newest neighborhood pub/restaurant in Topsham, Maine, and we liked our culinary experience at 104 Main PH ! Easy to find, across the street ( rt. 201) from the Topsham Post Office .

The old Kobe Japanese restaurant transformed into a more modern looking pub restaurant, still with the curved "green house" glass side in place, facing main street. The new owner(s) added some modern looking high top tables inside, and parking lot picnic tables outside to expand summer time seating in the Covid-19 era.

The service is good ( thank you Chantel) and the food rates well for pub. The food menu is straightforward . . . I enjoyed the crispy bone-in chicken wings with 3 choices of sauce ( Maine blueberry sriracha, hot Frank's buffalo, and BBQ sauce . . . I'd add at least one sweet sauce maybe Thai sweet chili sauce). My wife complimented the freshness of her Salmon tacos ( she did mention abit more of the "main" ingredient would be preferred). Since I like testing pizza if the restaurant server gives high praise . . . I ordered up their 12 inch Margherita pizza with pepperoni and onions. We asked the server to hold off on our entrees, until we finished our appetizer . . . I guess in this Covid era the restaurant wants to "turn the table over" as quickly as possible. . . So my pizza sat for 5 minutes while I finished my wings. Oh well, I suffered through it ( joking, it's fine).

My pizza was very good! Thin crust, cooked quickly, fresh ingredients, classic presentation of mozzarella cheese, basil, olive oil, little drizzle of balsamic dressing.

Too full for dessert, maybe next time. Across from our table was a bar area. Several younger folks at the bar, a tv showing an empty baseball stadium, ah the new normal. All the staff was wearing masks. We stayed 10 feet from the bar area, didn't feel comfortable . . . Good that the tables were spread apart at least 6 feet. As it gets colder, bring your coats for...