The Great Lost Bear

October 21st @ around 7pm

Initial Notes: This place is a super hipster hang out and I love it. The walls are covered in cool and interesting things. There are funny road signs, posters, old pictures of Maine and people from Maine. It is a very quirky, weird, and interesting place to get a bite to eat. They also have a bajillion beers on tap, so Zack was quite happy. The menu itself is also quite quirky. Their nachos are piled high and delicious, they have a burger with a fried egg on it (so freaking good), and just everything is awesome.

Reaction: The Great Lost Bear is not the first thing you think of when you’re told to find awesome site in Maine, but I believe it is a notable site visit. It is a quirky restaurant that is friendly to the Portland hipsters, the middle class working man, families with small children, and every other type of Mainer that may happen to wander in. Wander in is exactly what Zack and I did and it turned out to be an awesome place with equally awesome food (I suggest the cheeseburger with a fried egg on it and their award winning Snicker’s pie for dessert).

The Great Lost Bear opened in 1979 and has been a go to spot for anyone and everyone living in Maine and visiting Maine ever since. The atmosphere is really unlike any other restaurant I have ever been to and it’s a place where you have to go and experience it firsthand. The staff there are really chill and super awesome (plus our waiter had a Breaking Bad shirt on which instantly meant he was going to get a good tip). The walls are plastered with all kinds of really cool stuff, mostly Maine related. It is like a cool, hipster museum of Maine artifacts and you get to eat and drink while checking it all out.

Interesting fact time! There is a mystery writer, John Connolly. He is best known for his series starring Detective Charlie Parker who works out of Scarborough, Maine and is often found walking around the streets of Portland. Connolly’s character even ends up becoming a bartender at The Great Lost Bear in the novels! Many of the characters Parker works with in the series are not made up and are actual people who work at The Great Lost Bear. I think that is pretty freaking cool.

So, while this may not be the most contemporary site visit for this project, I think The Great Lost Bear is an important part of Portland, Maine. It is a gathering spot for everyone in Portland. People who do Reddit meet ups for this area always choose The Great Lost Bear. It is just a really cool, interesting place to meet that is unlike any other. Kind of like how Maine is unlike any other state to visit. The Great Lost Bear is incredibly unique and was a site visit I’ve now gone to a ton. I think this is an important site visit because it has become a staple for everyone who lives in the area and for people who visit Maine. They even have a part on their website where they take time to show off where people have come from to eat and drink at their establishment. Some people have traveled from way up Maine just to visit their restaurant.