The Brunswick Diner
101 Pleasant St., Brunswick
721.1134
Greater Portland’s thriving restaurant scene makes it easy to find new breakfast and brunch spots to try. We’re lucky to have a legion of inspired, creative chefs pushing the culinary envelope in exciting ways. But sometimes what I really want is basic, unpretentious diner fare. Eggs. Bacon. Toast. Potatoes. Pancakes. Fresh, cheap coffee in a mug covered in local advertising. A jukebox filled with oldies. A waitress named Flo or Alice doesn’t hurt, either.
There are a number of diner options in Portland —Marcy’s, Becky’s and Miss Portland all have their devotees. Until recently, my go-to diner had been Steve and Renee’s, on Washington Avenue. Renee recently retired and turned the diner over to the proprietors of Hella Good Tacos, who’ve added some South of the Border dishes to the breakfast menu, but only serve the meal on weekends. So, on a recent Wednesday morning, my 10-year-old daughter and I searched elsewhere.
We ended up driving 20 minutes north to the Brunswick Diner, on Route 1 (Pleasant Street) in Brunswick. This place has been serving up thick slices of Americana since World War II. Stepping inside the classic Worcester diner car feels like taking a trip back in time.
When we arrived, around 7:30 a.m., the diner was about half full of locals and L.L.Bean manufacturing employees either about to start, or having just finished, their shifts. We grabbed an empty booth and read the menu while I stirred half-and-half into my mug of fresh, workmanlike coffee.
My daughter ordered the Chubby Checker ($7.49): two eggs, bacon, homefries and pancakes. The bacon was thin-sliced, crisp and salty; the homefries soft, greasy and plain; the pancakes fluffy and nicely browned. (Predictably, real maple syrup came with a $1.99 upcharge. I’ve resigned myself to this over the years, but it doesn’t mean I like it.) The eggs weren’t quite as firm as she likes — her standard order is “fried so hard there’s no life left in them” — but otherwise this generous breakfast was exactly what we wanted and expected.
I opted for the Billie Holliday ($5.99), a veggie-and-potato hash topped with two perfect over-easy eggs that needed nothing more than a hefty shake of salt and pepper to make me happy. Breakfast is available anytime at this friendly diner, which also serves classic lunch and dinner items, lobster rolls and daily specials, as well as beer and booze.
There are certainly better breakfasts out there, and as I noted earlier this summer, it doesn’t cost much more for a brunch of locally laid organic eggs and brûléed French toast at one of Portland’s fine establishments. But if you’re looking for a simpler meal, the kind your daddy and granddaddy enjoyed, you won’t be disappointed at Brunswick Diner.
— Dan Zarin
The Brunswick Diner is open Sunday through Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and around-the-clock Thursday through Saturday.
