The Butcher The Baker

The Butcher The Baker is a Bangor spot that takes American food and runs with it, mixing comfort-food instincts with unexpected flavor twists. You'll find locals at the bar and visitors lingering over cocktails with names like Butter my Biscuit and Hot Dirty Pickle. The kitchen swings between fried chicken and waffles, Korean wings, curry, and house-made pasta without losing the plot.

• Pork belly and fried chicken-and-waffles consistently praised.
• Cocktails like Butter my Biscuit are house-made spirits done right.
• Bartender Brian and staff make you feel known.
• Creative approaches to American food without going too far.

Start with the Korean Chicken wings or the mushroom appetizer. The pork belly is worth ordering twice. For mains, try the fried chicken and waffles, the New York strip with frites, or the Schnitzlenator. If the Spicy Peanut Chicken Pot pie is on the menu, grab it. Sweet Potato Cake with cinnamon buttercream for dessert, assuming they haven't run out.

Clean and cozy with a bustling bar. The room has genuine energy without feeling cramped, and conversations at the bar don't drown each other out.

The kitchen's reach is broad enough that you might get a red curry one night (though watch the salt) and pork belly the next. Service is attentive without hovering. They take dietary needs seriously, and they're not pretentious about it. It works for a solo dinner at the bar, a date, or a group splitting appetizers and mains.

Guests consistently note the care that goes into both food and drink. One recent visitor called the pork belly mind-blowing and praised the bartender's expertise on cocktails and appetizers. Another raved about the brown butter fat-washed old fashioned as one of the best drinks they'd had.