Colonel's Restaurant & Bakery, Northeast Harbor in Mount Desert, Maine

Colonel's is the kind of place you stumble into after driving the Park Loop Road and don't regret it. They're doing straightforward American food, local beers, and a bakery case that moves fast. The seafood pizza keeps people talking, but it's really the chowder and homemade pastries that feel like the real draw. Families, hikers, and tourists cycle through all day.

• Seafood pizza loaded with scallops, lobster, shrimp, thin crust.
• Clam chowder that regulars from the Pacific Northwest praise.
• Chocolate cake donuts and fresh pastries baked daily.
• Large portions shareable between two, good for groups.

Start with a cup of clam chowder. Get the seafood pizza, large size, loaded with scallops and lobster. The onion rings are huge and crispy. If you're taking it to go, grab a to-go sandwich on house-made rye bread. Before you leave, hit the bakery case for chocolate cake donuts and whatever pastries are left.

Casual diner with Maine maps on tables and a working bakery. It fills up during tourist season, especially midday, but service moves fast.

The kitchen sources fresh seafood and bakes pastries in-house daily. Portions run big, so shared plates make sense. Go early if you want first pick of the pastries, because by afternoon the blueberry and chocolate items are gone. It's the kind of place where you can eat in, or grab a wrapped sandwich and picnic down at the marina.

Guests rave about the seafood pizza and especially the clam chowder. One recent visitor from the Pacific Northwest said it ranked among the best they'd ever had. People note the huge portions, friendly service, and the bonus of the on-site bakery. A few mention that while quality is high, sandwich fillings sometimes feel standard.