Beer cheese and pretzels are great, great beers. My husband drank enough beer to hang his mug in the rafters !!

Stopped in for a quick dinner. Very cool pub inside, 2 different sides, 1 bar and the other restaurant. Ordered the special Mozzarella Moons. They were good, but really tasted like seafood. They definitely use the same fryer for both which is disappointing. I ordered plain wings, French Onion Soup, and a piece of Fish. The FOS was actually really good, although had a peppery taste which I have never had before. The wings were good, 8 come per order. The side of fish was also good. The server was very nice, it just took a long time for our food to come out. It was hot & fresh, but took too long. read more

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A large group of coworkers made a stop at the Liberal Cup while in the area for work. I haven't been to the Cup in many years, but since I live near their Run of the Mill location, I knew it would be a good choice. Our server did a great job with a large group - kept everyone's orders straight and made good suggestions. The food is not fancy - just really good pub-style offerings. The Cup is an institution in the Hallowell/Augusta area and works hard to keep their reputation intact. Our group was really happy with our visit to the Cup, especially the beer drinkers! read more

The Liberal Cup - Drunken pot roast! - American Near Me - Hallowell, Maine

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Kim was the best server we have had in a long time! The atmosphere at the Liberal Cup was magical. We came in off of Main Street which was something out of Norman Rockwell. It was quaint and romantic the way that the brick buildings are lit up. We had Thanksgiving together in October! It was just a touch nippy out and the warm Thanksgiving plate was incredibly good! A huge portion of shredded dark and white turkey. Yummy stuffing tucked under it. This included butternut squash, and mashed red skin potatoes I will be dreaming about that plate for months to come. read more

The Liberal Cup - American Near Me - Hallowell, Maine

You're greeted by attentive staff waiters in an environment full of laughter. Every meal I have eaten reminded me of my childhood. Entrees like the Turkey Dinner, Shepard's Pie, and Roast Beef Dinner. Try their homemade desserts. Delicious!! read more

Lobster Roll was really bad. Rest of the food was subpar. I think this place is best for a group to gather for beers.

Hometown community feel indoor outdoor seating, consistent food quality and staff are friendly and experienced.

This Is a wonderful place to eat! The food is amazing! The appetizers are sufficient size to be a meal. The mussels were my favorite and i literally licked the shells they were so good! And they give you bread to get all the sauce off the plate! The server was amazing and took care to fill our drinks and food came out within reasonable time for how busy they were. The building is full of charm and nice nooks and wonderful decor that reflects the local culture. I wanted to go back today before I left Maine. I will definitely have it on my list to re visit when I come back! read more

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Truly a place where everyone knows your name ... if you can endure the mug club process #IYKYK, great food specials, lots of local favorites. The food and the drinks are secondary to the friendships & the great local music read more

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First stop of Day 4 on our New England Beer tour, and we found plenty of goodness here. Given the gorgeous August weather, we were happy to sit on the patio, as the inside is a tad heavy (low ceiling) and dark. Well hurrah - not only does Liberal Cup offer several styles of beer, but they execute all of them well. I don't love hop-forward IPA, and I really liked all of the IPAs here. The Tarbox Cream Stout was smooth and not bitter or over-roasted like most of the stouts I've had in Maine, and the cask ale was smooth and welcoming. Good stuff all around. Didn't try the food, but with a kid at college in the area, we have an excuse to go back and try it another time. read more

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Great service, good quality and consistently great food. Never disappointed here. Mussels and calamari are always a good choice. Swordfish was sold out tonight but it must have been worth it to sell out by 7ish. Old school atmosphere at its best.. locals hangout after service.. always my go to backup plan!! read more

The Liberal Cup - Mussels - American Near Me - Hallowell, Maine

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I was in town for a work trip and decided to try the Liberal Cup. Ordered the full size fish and chips and the Bug Lager beer and was not disappointed. Food was amazing, staff were friendly, service was fast. Nothing to complain about here! read more

Disappointed. I brought my daughter and granddaughters there for a nice meal, but it was lousy. The beer soup was bitter. The curried roasted butternut soup was barely warm, the French fries were cold and WAY too salty, the cheeseburger was thin, dry & tasteless. The chicken tenders were tasty. The waiter didn't introduce herself. The young man who sat us down and bussed our table was friendly and thoughtful. read more

We love it here! It's a friendly, local place. The bar is full of energy, or you can opt for a seat in the dining rooms--or outside!-- for a cozier experience. Food is good; drinks are very good. read more

Absolutely love this place! Atmosphere and dining experience is always so great! Waitress was amazing and attentive. The mussels in the cream sauce are something to order!!! read more

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Update 2024 The Liberal Cup in Hallowell, Maine is a hidden jewel! Service was excellent and the food was fabulous. The $21.95 Lobster Roll special was outstanding - fresh and nicely portioned! read more

The Liberal Cup - Lobster Roll Special! - American Near Me - Hallowell, Maine

Great place, good food, it would do better with some more options, service is amazing, and the atmosphere is great, except a little to loud, and could play some better songs overall 4 stars read more

We had dinner here one evening - our first evening in the Manchester/Augusta area. I ordered the Chef's Salad and my friend ordered the Onion Rings - which turns out is close to being a meal by itself! Huge Onion Rings and lots of them! Plus a number of beers! Ambiance is that of an old pub - our server was awesome! She answered all of our questions. There were lots of other things on the menu that I want to come back and try during the next visit to the area! #TheLiberalCup read more

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Never disappoints! The shepherds pie and the fish and chips are our go-to favorites! The bangers and mash are always good too. The service is good, we love the food, it's always consistent, and all my family members like it here, so it's an easy pick. It's always a good deal! read more

The Liberal Cup - Full Monty Fish & Chips - American Near Me - Hallowell, Maine

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Stopped by for a beer with brother-in-law and nephews. They all had the Summer Ale while I had the really good (true to style) Alewife Ale! Good service and great beers! Comfortable English pub style atmosphere! Enjoy! read more

Great food and great beer. Place is a little tight when it's busy and they have live music.

We got burgers and they were excellent. The service was slow, but the food was delicious.

Great beer selection and food. A regular stop when in town. Plenty of seating and fair prices. Local hangout with great options. Servers are attentive. read more

We've been in Maine for a week now, eating out every meal, and I guess we saved the best for last. The Liberal Cup was fantastic. Don't expect fancy, this is a pub mind you, but do expect that whatever they do, they do well. My husband and I started with a bowl of fish chowder. It was a HUGE bowl of creamy goodness. Potatoes, celery and haddock cut up just right in a perfectly seasoned cream base. This could definitely have been a meal. We then shared the "full Monty" sized fish and chips. Once again, this was HUGE. The crispy piece of fried haddock was moist and flaky and larger than the plate. It was served with fresh hand cut fries and a side of crunchy slaw. To be honest, even shared, the chowder and fish and chips was too much food for a meal - we were stuffed. Our friend had bangers and mash. Three sausages were served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and lightly covered in a brown gravy. It was also served with a scoop of mashed sweet potatoes that she said were sweet like candy. She thoroughly enjoyed every bite and still brought over half home. As we were leaving, the diners at the next table over were served the soup of the day - mushroom soup. It looked so good that if we weren't already rolling ourselves out of the restaurant, we'd be hard pressed to not order a bowl for ourselves. I'd be totally remiss if I failed to mention that The Liberal Cup is a microbrewery. They offer seven rotating beers, each described in detail on the back of the menu. My husband was disappointed that there were no dark ales but we all did enjoy the beers that we chose. You have a lot of choices on Water Street. If you are in the mood for simple, hearty, delicious food, do not pass up The Liberal House. read more

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Just left from having lunch here. Their "butcher cut" of the day was steak tips $20. On the special it came with some Spanish sauce and rice pilaf and veggie. Due to diet restrictions, I can't have the sauce and I hate rice pilaf. I asked the server if I could have the dinner option which was "butcher cut" and garlic mashed w veggies and she said no. I explained that I can't eat the sauce on the special. I asked if the meatloaf (dinner menu that comes with garlic mashed and veg) was being served and she said yes. So I explained my diet restriction, and asked if I could just have the mashed/veg. Same price and they already have it in the menu. I was served 4 tiny steak tips and a side of orange mush. I think it was sweet potato but was honestly not good. So I paid $20 for 4 steak tips. Joke we don't be back. Sometimes in hospitality we need to have understanding and make it happen - saying no bc you just don't feet like it is unacceptable. read more

The Liberal Cup - Joke - American Near Me - Hallowell, Maine

We discovered The Libéral Cup after recently moving to the area. Several locals recommended it and they were spot on! When we have friends visit, we always take them here. The turkey dinner, Haddock Napoleon, and frankly, everything we've tried has been delicious and fresh. Service is always great as well. read more

inhaled this sandwich a la dyson vacuum cleaner. pie was delightful. super cheesy, super cakey. highly recommend getting dessert here and also in general. treat yourself read more

The Liberal Cup - Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie - American Near Me - Hallowell, Maine

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Food was amazing!!! Great service and pricing!! Can't wait to stop in again the next time I'm in town.

Friendly staff, classic delicious pub food, and an amazing drink list! Definitely recommend this place if you are in the hallowell area.

Good enough for what it is. Service was a little slow, but they mentioned that their kitchen is short-staffed. Is what it is. The clam chowder is real good, though not the creamiest, if that's what you want. Very flavorful. The lobster roll (a special) was good, but it needed more acid. It was missing something. The roll and lettuce were good, so overall a good choice. I've just had better. read more

Saturday evening- where to eat? A few people recommended Liberal Cup and we took their advice and came here- Place was hopping and the line was huge but we parked at the bar and the bar tenders were great. Good dirty martinis and good scotch selection. Chowder was very tasty and the special beer battered clams were full bellied with hand cut fries. My wife had the fish tacos and said they were worth the calories. Very good and filling dinner in a fun and hopping atmosphere equals a venue to visit if in the Augusta area. Recommended by us MA/NH residents who know good Ipswich clams and chowder. Next day returned for their Reuben sandwich which again, did not disappoint. Fries are hand cut daily. read more

The Liberal Cup - Liberal cup inside - American Near Me - Hallowell, Maine

I'm not sure if this was downtown Augusta. We got hungry, and found this place had pretty good reviews on yelp. Parking was kinda difficult to find on a Tuesday on the streets. When we first got there, it was fairly crowded but there was no one at the front to bring us to our tables. It took a few minutes for a hostess to show up and put us in the back corner. We ended up getting the pot roast and Shepard pie. Also got a cream ale to wash everything down. The Shepard pie was the better choice out if the two entrées. The mashed potato that came with the pot roast was lukewarm... They needed to do a better job heating up the food. The Shepard pie on the other hand, was really hot.. I'm assuming they had to cook the mashed potato on top of the beef in the oven. read more

The Liberal Cup - Pot roast - American Near Me - Hallowell, Maine

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Liberal Cup will never have a bad meal every time I have come here their food is amazing. My most favorite thing is their fries, you can't beat them! read more

We were seated quickly for a Friday night. We ordered a vodka and tequila mixed drink that came out quickly. We got poutine for our appetizer that didn't have the cheese curds listed on the menu. I ordered a Cajun blue cheese wrap and my husband ordered a cheeseburger. My Cajun wrap had zero seasoning or Cajun flavoring on it at all. My husbands burger was a dry hockey puck. We loved sitting outside and people watching but were disappointed with the food. read more

The Liberal Cup - American Near Me - Hallowell, Maine

Really nice beer (made there) selection if you drink beer. The food is pub fare elevated a few notches. Lots of tasty food and there's always a vegetarian option or two for entrees. My favorite place, by far, in Hallowell. read more

When there's live music it's awesome. Service is acceptable. Nice atmosphere on the right night.

Beer great but limited selection this time. Food: inconsistent. We used to come for the Reuben but the last time, it was sad. Down right awful, actually. May have to give the LC a break. read more

Stopped by for lunch and was pleasantly surprised. Cute little place for a nice bite to eat. Wasn't sure about the beer cheese soup, but I figured I'd try it from other reviews. It was surprisingly very good!!! Definitely recommend it. read more

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We love the liberal cup. It is a local favorite for a reason. The atmosphere is warm and cozy. Beer is awesome and the food a nice compliment to the beer. read more

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The food and drinks are delicious, the service is great and this place has ambience to spare, highly recommend