McLoon’s Lobster Shack In Maine
If you take a moment and Google search bucket lists of things to do when you visit Maine, you’ll see McLoon’s Lobster Shack appear on quite a few of them. You might wonder why a simple lobster shack might appear on a bucket list. It’s Maine, and Maine is certainly known for their lobster, but why not just go to pretty much any local lobster spot in Maine? While I definitely recommend trying multiple local places, McLoon’s just has to be one of them, and here’s why.
The Location
McLoon’s Lobster Shack is located on South Thomaston Island and to get here, you have to drive a bit. In my opinion, this is always a great benefit of a place like this. Along your drive, you will get to see just a small portion of the beauty that the great state of Maine has to offer. The shack is located in the middle of a heavy lobster fishing area in Maine (granted, most of the coast of Maine is heavy with lobster fishing). Your view when you arrive at McLoon’s is phenomenal. The shack is on the shore where many, many lobster boats live. It’s a stunning scene to experience while enjoying your meal.
The “Vibe”
McLoon’s properly named the building in which they serve their food. It truly is a shack. And the fog, which is something else that is very common on the coast of Maine, was very prevalent on the day that Bailey and I went to McLoon’s. This added to the appeal. Even if you were to go on a clear day with lots of sun and no fog, you would still be looking out at the ocean, with the boats resting and waiting for their next journey, and all kinds of lobster fishing equipment. McLoon’s has done an excellent job of using retired lobster fishing equipment to decorate and use as furniture.
The Food
This is probably the section that majority of you care most about, the food itself. We spent three weeks in Maine and had lobster rolls on a few separate occasions, I even bought some locally caught lobster meat and made my own. I can tell you that I’ve always been a huge fan of lobster and crab, but I’ve never had anything quite as incredible as the Lobster Roll and Crab Cakes of McLoon’s.
One thing I learned during my time in Maine is that the state is known for growing blueberries. Being a leading producer of blueberries, the state became pretty excellent at making blueberry pie. McLoon’s was no different. The blueberry pie was outstanding.
As you can see, McLoon’s isn’t just any old restaurant that you go in, eat, and leave with no real experience. The day we went, it was foggy (like I mentioned before) and it even transitioned into a really amazing thunderstorm. McLoon’s is all outdoor seating, so some may see this as a problem, but they do have a covered seating section to dine in. The storm provided the longest thunder strike I’ve ever heard, it lasted a solid 30–45 seconds (we all thought it was fake and couldn’t help but just stare around in awe).
My point is, McLoon’s is so much more than just incredible food. And although the food alone is enough to make the journey, it’s an experience. This is something that I believe you must do while in Maine. If you’re staying on the coast, whether it be Ellsworth, Bar Harbor, and Acadia or Portland, McLoon’s is definitely accessible. It’s near the middle of the larger settlements in Maine.
One thing to note is that this shack is all outdoor seating, so it may closed for the winter season. So now my only question is, when are you going to visit?
When you do, let me know what you thought of the experience.
