Hi! 13 yo daughter and I will be in Biddeford soon staying at Lincoln hotel. Dinner recs? Willing to drive for great food. She is not a particularly adventurous eater.
Thanks!
Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea on Cape Elizabeth has a great setting and they make very decent burgers and lobster rolls. And excellent dishes for the more adventurous. Stroll down to the beach after dinner. About 30 minutes from Biddeford.
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Eventide in Portland. Great oysters and seafood for you, but they also have a great burger, tofu, chicken, and pastrami buns, house made fries. They also have a basic fish sandwich.
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The great options in Portland are nearly endless…
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Ask your innkeeper for Kennebunk & Kennebunkport recommendations. I make it a point to stop at Alisson’s but it’s more of the comfort food variety. The most upscale would be White Barn but I’ve never eaten there. I’d skip Portland. It’s not exactly around the corner from Biddeford.
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Magnus on Water looks appealing and I believe @tomatotomato may have actually eaten there (I have not). We love Biddeford but we usually go to a taproom so not suitable for your occasion.
Rover Bagels. Yum.
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You are just 25 minutes away from so many great restaurants in Portland - you could go to Duckfat, Central Provisions, Empire, Chaval etc
@sallyt, my husband and I stayed at the Lincoln in Biddeford shortly after it opened. Such an artful reuse of a mill building, though our room on the second floor proved to have intrusive background noise during the hours when the downstairs bar/lounge was open. That noise was like overhearing a lively party from the other side of a closed door. I don’t know if the hotel has since addressed the soundproofing situation for their second floor rooms. Something to keep in mind for your visit.
In Biddeford, you might check out the menus at Magnus on Water and Sacred Profane (that second one’s a well-regarded brewery with mostly communal seating). We enjoyed both, but those two might be misses for a less adventurous eater? Since my husband and I visited, a location of Batson River has opened inside the Lincoln Hotel itself. Also walking distance from your hotel is Banded Brewing which now serves food. We haven’t been to Banded since their kitchen opened, though.
@digga and I share a fondness for Rover Bagel, which is walking distance from the Lincoln. Rover bagels are distinctive: woodfired with a pleasant chew and some char. Walkup window only so my husband and I had their delicious bagel breakfast sandwiches and coffee back in our hotel room.
Your reports are always great, so I hope you’ll report back on what you and your daughter decide to do!
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so lovely, thank you! We just got invited to a friend’s home for dinner, so may have to do that - I have to check with my daughter. @tomatotomato thank you SO MUCH for the head’s up about the room noise - we plan to go to bed early so will be mindful of where we are placed when checking in. I will definitely check out Rover Bagel!
I appreciate the recs for Portland but we go there pretty frequently and I wanted to explore another area!
Thanks everyone! I will definitely report back, even if it’s not a super chowish trip -
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FWIW, in Biddeford most of the folks we got to chat with were from there or surrounding towns. People wanted to recommend things to do and generally engage. In Portland nowadays there seem to be so many more visitors than in years past—we being among them—that I miss the local vibe I’m after.
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Palace Diner in Biddeford is super good for breakfast or lunch, you and your daughter would enjoy the elevated dishes other diners dont compare (I probably misspelled Biddeford in that report). I reported on a visit I think 2 years ago. And of course cross the bridge to Saco and the whole scene changes. I dont have reccs there but the contrast between the milltown and where the proprietors likely lived is stunning.
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We found White Barn Inn a lovely setting for dinner but a bit stuffy. The food is ambitious but isn’t always able to deliver on the ambition.
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Fish and Whistle is the spot for great fish in Biddeford
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If you both like barbecue, there is Ore Nell’s. They recently opened in Biddeford. Their original in Kittery is very good and kid-friendly as well
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belated report! We did end up at a friend’s house for dinner which was totally fantastic and very special. The Lincoln Hotel was so, so wonderful - I paid $5 extra for the room in exchange for a $25 credit at the coffee bar, Spinning Jenny’s, which was so worth it for the ease of getting breakfast and good coffee. We loved our room and we were on the 4th floor which was very quiet - thanks @tomatotomato for the tip to watch out for noise. I tried going to Rover Bagel in the am but they were sold out! Next time!
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Sounds like a good deal. The coffee bar wasn’t fully up and running when we went shortly after the Lincoln opened.
Also very glad to hear that your 4th floor room at the was quiet, just as it should be.
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I loved the hotel - I’ve stayed in so many Portland hotels which were more $ and this was by far the nicest. If you have any Maine hotel recs, would love to know!
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@sallyt, agree that Portland hotel rooms have gotten so pricey, even in the depths of January. So in addition to the Lincoln in Biddeford (except that dang second floor), here are two others we’ve liked for different reasons:
Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth. Crazy prices in-season, but off-season rates drop, especially with deals that involve making a donation to Habitat to Humanity. Also close enough to Portland that you can drive there for dinner. Walk over to Crescent Beach, even in winter, with proper footwear. Also a great spot if you need to travel with a dog, as we sometimes do. Credit belongs to @MaxEntropy, whose tip led us here.
The Federal Hotel in Brunswick, a convenient drive to the charms of Harpswell. We’ve stayed there twice and liked it as a base for weekend day trips, though not itself really atmospheric. The first time our room was on the highway side of the new building, which we avoided the second time due to traffic noise. (We don’t stay in the older inn part because we get plenty of old house vibe at home.) No breakfast service in the restaurant, but free morning coffee stations on each floor. Walking to Frosty’s for doughnuts is possible. Two words: apple fritter. 
Should add that we’re not especially fans of the in-house restaurants at either of the above properties, though a meal and a beverage at their bars can make for a pleasant, low-key evening.
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Awesome thank you!
I stayed at the Federal Hotel in March and thought it was overpriced for what it was ($300) - kind of like a Marriott? I also stayed in the new wing, and was annoyed that there wasn’t coffee in my room - not unique to them by any means, but still annoying.
Will definitely check out Inn by the Sea! For reference, in Portland, I’ve stayed at Canopy Hotel (probably my #1 pick), Longfellow Hotel (wonky HVAC which they blamed on a new building? Overrated), Press Hotel (nice, worth the $?), Portland Harbor Hotel (fine), Blind Tiger (fine).
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Agree, agree. We watch prices closely and look for deals. It’s wild how much pricing can fluctuate in those Maine hotels.
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