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    Ralph's Cafe

    4.7 (43 reviews)
    Closed Closed

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    RALPH'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Very loud
    Good for kids

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    Pancakes - super thick and fluffy  Blue berries inside and topped with lemons curd is the best!!!
    Samantha S.

    This place is awesome!!! Food is amazing - pancakes are the best we've ever had (the thickest too!). Fresh Maine blue berries inside and homemade lemon curd - can't go wrong! Wait staff is incredibly friendly, owner is very sweet and definitely cares about his guests! Would come back in a heart beat

    Blueberry stuffed pancake
    Adam S.

    Thanks to our local Brooks guide, Sarah (my sister-in-law), we were able to experience a most wonderful breakfast at this friendly little spot. Brooks is a smaller town, and this is THE restaurant there. Luckily for folks who live here, as they shine bright with the pressure on. We drank a ton of standard diner coffee and took in the fun, eclectic atmosphere all around us. Sarah brought her own (real) maple syrup which was a vet move, because apparently they don't use the real stuff here. That's literally the only knock I have on this place! The stuffed blueberry pancake was so good that we should've ordered more of them. I thought it would be some over-the-top, IHOP promotion style artificial filler.. Nope, this was a big, fluffy pancake loaded with real, unsweetened blueberries. It was magical. The other star of the show were the potatoes. The pic I took makes them look like sweet potatoes, but these were just charred, flavored and crusted in a cast-iron skillet. Simply amazing, and the best breakfast potatoes I've had in years. It sounds like they *normally* do dinner, but a sign on the door said they are not doing it at this time. I don't have the intel to tell you if that'll change or not, but for now just plan on a breakfast here. This joint is about a 20 minute drive from Belfast, which also has good breakfast options, but I'd recommend taking the little adventure through the beautiful, hilly roads of rural Maine and trying it out.

    Dining Room
    Juna F.

    It's been so long since I've gone out for a meal and thought: "Wow, that meal was incredible." I saw an article a year ago that said this place was worth the drive from anywhere in the state. It's totally true! Even the ketchup was delicious. I am now going to hate the fact that I only make it up here once a year because it was so good (we live in Connecticut but are from Maine). It's worth the wait in line. My mom and hubby had the sausage and gravy. It was spectacular. Buttery, creamy, savory, flavorful. I had the half jack everything was spot on. The home fries were cooked and seasoned perfectly. The onion sage bread was to die for along with the strawberry jam. Literally thanksgiving in the form of toast. My daughter got the corned beef hash and it was amazing (yes I tried everyone's food haha) and filled with flavor. The service was top notch and so friendly. They gave us coffee while we wait. They gave us some cranberrry bread to sample as well. Yum! They were all so friendly. The restaurant itself was adorable. Don't mind the barefoot jest eating in the photo. He knows a good spot when he sees one.

    Buttermilk pancakes, one of the best in recent memories, comparable to Waterwheel Breakfast and Gift House in NH and JJ's Cafe MA.
    Fud S.

    Stayed at a nearby town in early October 2021 and had breakfast at Ralph's. It has one of the best buttermilk pancakes we had, comparable to Waterwheel Breakfast and Gift House in Randolph, NH (fluffy, thinner than many, but with flavors of eggs and milk) and JJ's Cafe in Brockton, MA (a little sturdier, smaller, but filled with flavors of eggs, milk, and a tiny bit of mysterious spices)! In addition to excellent pancakes, friendly staffs, cozy environment, respectful customers, the overall package is just excellent. So glad that we have found another place with excellent pancakes in New England!

    Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake and loaded nut pie ('nut crack' I think it was called!)
    Amanda H.

    This is the quaintest little cafe in beautiful Brooks! Hubby and I got some dessert to-go for our anniversary. They did NOT disappoint! Their cheesecake is one of the best we've had, and their loaded nut pie was out of this world! We will be making this a yearly stop when in town, and are looking forward to going back to have breakfast and lunch. Amazing! The town of Brooks is lucky to have this gem.

    Ralph's Cafe, Brooks ME
    Bill R.

    Just had one of the best breakfasts of my life. Ralph's is a great choice for food when in the Brooks, ME area. The food is amazing and portions are very generous. I had the Potatocake breakfast with bacon, scrambled eggs, homemade white toast and a side of sausage gravy. My previous favorite sausage gravy was at the Moab Diner over 20 years ago, Ralph's is hands down the best sausage gravy I have ever had. The gravy is rich and creamy and filled with a nice amount of locally sourced sausage. The Monkey Cakes are quite possibly the best pancakes on the Planet! Each pancake, you get two, is 8 inches wide and a full 1 inch thick, the cakes are filled with bananas and fresh Maine blueberry's and we all know that Maine has the best blueberry's in the world. The staff is very polite and efficient, Ralph's is a must stop for breakfast and lunch and on Friday's and Saturday's they do dinner, I know where I am dinning on Friday night. The dinner menu changes weekly and this week it has Moroccan dishes, yum.

    Sweet potato quinoa burger. This was amazing!
    Mary B.

    Other people have called this better than diner food, they are correct! To start the menu is way more elaborate than your regular diner menu. I got the sweet potato quinoa burger with homemade potato chips. It was so good. I wanted the recipe but knew I would never be able to replicate this divine burger. My niece got the bacon burger and she she really liked it. The decor was so cool to explore. Numerous movie poster from way back along with rotary phone and antique tins covered the wall. It was great to try to explain a rotary phone to my niece. The man behind the counter, my guess the owner was very nice and prompt in taking our order. He had just had a rush so he need to bus the table, but did so promptly. I've already told a bunch of family to check this place out. Cute little town and beautiful drive from which ever direction you come from.

    Garden area
    Cynthia T.

    My family and I went here three times in one weekend on a trip to the Belfast area. Absolutely delicious food, very kind staff, creative menu, beautiful garden setting at the outdoor tables. We had salads, sandwiches, pastries and breakfast and it was all homemade, fresh and fantastic. We've already recommended Ralph's to all of our friends and can't wait to come back next time we're in the neighborhood!

    Scott S.

    Wow, we are amazed at how delicious our breakfast was. I had jeavous Rancheros, and my wife had homemade waffles. Wouldn't have expected such a diverse menu in a small diner in Brooks Maine. We cannot wait to return. Well worth the 30 minute drive from Carmel

    Peruvian bowl

    This place never disappoints! Unique menu and made from scratch ingredients. You probably couldn't go wrong with anything on the menu. Worth the drive!

    The cutest dining area ever!!!!

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    The Lost Kitchen - Butter basted halibut on top of pomme purée, heirloom baby tomatoes, capers, nasturtiums and sweet corn.

    The Lost Kitchen

    4.7(78 reviews)
    8.7 mi
    $$$

    This out of the way eatery is a true gem. It was truly worth the trip. The food was unique and…read moretasteful.

    Specific Timing - Lunch at The Lost Kitchen (Tuesday, August 26, 2026)…read more Many have asked about how the "no reservations" walk-in lunches work at "The Little Lost Kitchen". So here's our recent experience, down to the minute! (Click on individual photos below for more details). We arrived at the parking lot at about 10:30AM on Tuesday August 26. I counted 30 folks on line ahead of us at 10:35. The first was positioned at the foot of the bridge on the parking lot side. At 11:00AM, I turned around and counted 50 folks behind us! An employee came out and started walking down the line, taking names and party sizes. At 11:10, they sent the "first wave" of 25 people over bridge. They explained they don't want folks waiting on the middle of the bridge, so they only send over as many as they can easily handle in the Ordering area. At 11:25, they sent over a "second wave" including my party. I got to the Ordering Counter and placed my order at 11:45AM. The food started coming out to our table shortly after. Salad right away, soup next, then the fried chicken basket. We finished our lunch right around 12:45, and as we went back across the bridge, I counted about 25 folks on line. So there were actually much fewer people at 12:45 then at 10:45. (Of course, all the dining tables were full, so people were likely being seated much slower that during the initial big opening). The entire experience and food was terrific as many others have posted! The stated "Open Hours" are Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00 to 2:30. I asked if they really went to 2:30PM, and a staffer said yes, but you probably would not want to show up too much later than say 1:30 to avoid being rushed or finding some items sold out. Someone else posted in this group that staffers have said 1 to 1:30 is a very good time to show up. As for dates, I've heard lunch service will run into October, but I don't know a specific date and that's been addressed in other posts (a search in this group for "October" will likely do the trick). Our Lunch: Heirloom Tomatoes - Fresh Burrata, Basil, Charred Lemon Vinaigrette, Flaky Salt   Carrot & Coriander Soup - Bread & Butter   Summer Caesar - Farm Fresh Romaine Head, Purple Basil, Pecorino, Toast Crumbles   Cornflake & Fennel Pollen Fried Chicken - Cabbage Slaw, Homemade Biscuit & Honey Butter   Blueberry & Peach Shortcake - Candied Ginger, Whipped Cream

    Photos
    The Lost Kitchen - Inside the store

    Inside the store

    The Lost Kitchen - Mini cinnamon and sugar donuts with "cream on top" whole milk.

    Mini cinnamon and sugar donuts with "cream on top" whole milk.

    The Lost Kitchen - Heading over the bridge!

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    Heading over the bridge!

    Ralph's Cafe - breakfast_brunch - Updated September 2026

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