Tavern open nightly from 4pm · Lakeside in the Maine highlands (207) 555-0182
The Tavern · Nightly from 4pm

The fire’s lit. The taps are local.

A blackened-steel bar, a hearth in the middle of the room, and eighteen Maine drafts. The kind of tavern a town drives an hour for — locals all week, music on the weekends, and a stool by the fire with your name on it.

Brass tap handles and blackened-steel fittings on the dark bar
Brass & blackened steel

A bar built to be in.

Low pendant light, leather stools worn smooth, and bottles glowing amber behind the bar. Order a pint, pull a chair to the hearth, and stay a while. No televisions over the bar, no rush to turn the table — just a good room, a good pour, and a fire.

  • 18 rotating Maine taps
  • Central hearth fire
  • Wood-fired small plates
  • No-rush, all-night
A taste of the list

From the tap & the hearth.

The taps rotate constantly — here’s a sample of a recent night. Ask the bar what just got tapped.

On Tap18 Maine drafts · rotating

Allagash White8Portland · Belgian-style wheat, orange & coriander
Maine Beer Co. “Lunch”9Freeport · the IPA everyone drives for
Bissell Brothers Substance9Portland · hazy, soft, citrus-forward
Oxbow Farmhouse Pale8Newcastle · dry, rustic, ridiculously drinkable
Highland Lake Amber7Our house lager, brewed down the road
Mast Landing Gunner’s Stout8Westbrook · dark, smooth, a little sweet

Cocktailsdark spirits & woodsmoke

The Blackpine15Rye, maple, black walnut bitters, smoked over pine
Woodsmoke Old Fashioned16Bourbon, demerara, smoked & stirred tableside
Spruce Tip Gimlet14Gin, lime, house spruce-tip cordial
Hot Buttered Rum13Dark rum, brown butter, the cold-night cure
Cellar Negroni15Barrel-aged in the cellar, served on one big rock

Small Platesfrom the wood fire

Hearth Bread & Cultured Butter9Wood-oven loaf, smoked sea salt
Smoked Trout Dip14Highland lake trout, crackers, pickles
Charred Maine Oysters18Six, over the coals, brown-butter mignonette
Venison Meatballs16Local venison, juniper, lingonberry
Tavern Burger19Smashed, aged cheddar, ember onions, fries

Pours & Bottleswine & spirits

Red, by the glass11–16A short, dark, char-friendly list
White & sparkling10–15Crisp things for the dock
Maine spirits flight18Three pours from Maine distillers
Whiskey libraryaskSixty-odd bottles. The bar will guide you.

Menu is illustrative for this preview — taps and plates rotate with the season and what’s good that week.

A live-music night in the tavern, warm and full
Friday & Saturday

Live music by the fire.

Weekend nights, a corner of the tavern becomes a stage — Maine songwriters, the occasional bluegrass trio, a slow piano on the quiet ones. No cover, no fuss. Just turn up, find a stool, and let the room fill in around you.

  • ♪Fridays — songwriters & folk, 8pm
  • ♪Saturdays — bluegrass & trios, 8:30pm
  • ♪Sunday sessions — quiet piano by the hearth, 6pm
Pull up a stool

Stay the night, skip the drive.

The best seat in the tavern comes with a room upstairs. Book a stay and the fire’s already yours.

Book a staySee the dining room