Location: Skowhegan
Top Restaurants in Skowhegan
Skowhegan Food Guide: 10 Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Skowhegan
Skowhegan /skaʊˈhiːɡən/ is the county seat of Somerset County, Maine, United States. Skowhegan was originally inhabited by the indigenous Abenaki people who named the area Skowhegan, meaning "watching place [for fish]." The native population was massacred or driven from the area during the 4th Anglo-Abenaki War. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 8,589. Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture is an internationally known residency program for artists, though it is technically located in neighboring East Madison. Every August, Skowhegan hosts the annual Skowhegan State Fair, the oldest continuous state fair in the United States.
Things to do in Skowhegan
1. Ken's Family Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 181 reviews
Reviewed By Elaine W - Winthrop, Maine
Wait time was minimal. Food delicious and hot. Definitely worth the stop. Chicken was nicely seasoned, tender and juicy. Crispy too. Onion rings brought back pleasant memories!Thank you !! Same chicken and onion rings for all these years !!! So happy you came by!
2. The Bankery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 60 reviews
The Bankery, located in the old 1864 bank building on Water Street in Skowhegan, ME, is a traditional, from-scratch bakery. We use only high quality, all natural ingredients and specialize in wedding cakes, occasion cakes, and fine baked goods including breads, pies, and pastries. The owners preserved the personality of the original bank, restoring the vaults and displaying antique advertisements, safety deposit boxes, photos, and other nostalgic memorabilia. When visiting Historic Downtown Skowhegan, we invite you to stop by and see what The Bankery has to offer
Reviewed By MadisonTravelerLEH - Madison
This is the second time I've reviewed The Bankery, but I only recently discovered the vegetable lasagna! This is a great last-minute meal when you don't have time to cook. The small is perfect for the 2 of us. It's frozen, and pops right into the oven. Make a salad and in an hour, it's dinner! Lots of cheese and good veggies. The pasta is tender and the sauce is delicious, too. Highly recommended. (And get some cookies for dessert!)
3. Somerset Coffee and Tea Co
Overall Ratings
5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Julie J
Visited here with family. What a great selection with great staff to help you choose. Great prices - will definitely be coming back
4. The Kel-Mat Cafe
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 54 reviews
The Kel-Mat Café offers unique deli-style sandwiches, wraps and salads. Gluten free and vegetarian sandwiches are available as well. Our location is easy to find at 147 Madison Avenue in Skowhegan, Maine. There is plenty of parking and our entrance is handicapped accessible.
Reviewed By kdpbball - Clifton Park
The hours are 11-3 during the week. We 3 had the Mexican wrap, Turkey wrap and avocado wrap. All were excellent. Each came with a pickle spear. Chips and baked goods available for purchase. Comfy place, tables in individual rooms. Service was quick. Crowded, obviously a fav of the locals. Cash payment is preferred but does accept plastic.
5. Gifford's Famous Ice Cream
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 49 reviews
Reviewed By Rod L - Salem, New Hampshire
The trouble with Gifford's Ice Cream is that they pretty much dominate the state. Unless you go to a Dairy Queen or some similar "ice milk" establishment for your ice cream needs, Gifford's is the only game in town for old-fashioned "hard" ice cream. They pretty up their establishments and usually add miniature golf attractions (in both Waterville and Skowhegan), but their ice cream is just blah. Not great, not horrible, just mediocre. When I was a youngster and lived in Waterville, we always went to either Rummel's or Smiley's in Winslow. Great ice cream experiences, and I often hearken back to those hazy, crazy days when there was true variety available to the consumer. But like a slowly moving glacier, Gifford's has swallowed up a lot of those mom and pop enterprises, and out goes the uniqueness, the flavor, the moderate prices, and servings that are reasonable. Do I recommend Gifford's? I suppose. But it's a half-hearted recommendation, issued without any enthusiasm whatsoever. This chain is decidedly AVERAGE in every way.
6. Dunkin' Donuts
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By Michelle C - Skowhegan, Maine
There are now 3 DD's in Skowhegan. This one is large with plenty of seating. It is friendly, clean and they encourage customers to linger over coffee and read the morning newspaper.
7. Heritage House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 94 reviews
Reviewed By April D
This is hands down my favorite place to eat in the world. It's like coming home. Always friendly staff and always delicious food. It's the kind of food that you pine for when you're away from it!
If you're looking for an event venue for a shower, birthday celebration, etc then this is your place. Their catering prices are super reasonable and the in house accommodation works great for most group sizes. You will not be disappointed.
Their buffet lunch is the BEST VALUE anywhere you can go! I think it's still $8 for the highest quality buffet you'll ever see and you can add dessert for $3. The variety is great and the taste is even better! Highly recommend for business lunches in Skowhegan as it is a much quieter environment with high quality.
The stuffed mushrooms are always my favorite!
8. Gifford's Famous Ice Cream
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By MadisonTravelerLEH - Madison
We love this place! The ice cream quality is the best and as much as I love ice cream, I don't really care for other brands anymore. The French Vanilla frozen yogurt, Deer Tracks, Butter Crunch and Butter Pecan are our favorites. And the have the thickest milkshakes I've ever had. It's always busy, but the service is fast and friendly.
9. Old Mill Pub
Overall Ratings
4 based on 167 reviews
Reviewed By Lindsay S - Abbot Village
I don’t typically write negative reviews anywhere but I am just beyond upset ! My mother myself and a few good friends went out to have a few drinks and have dinner. I don’t mind paying a 20% tip for good food and good service! However when you wanna charge me 20% acting like a 5 star place with 2 star service it’s a bit much ! Apparently asking questions about the 20% wasn’t the right thing to do either ... I was informed that the waitress was the owner! I’m still shocked at this because all I asked was about the tip because the bottom of the receipt said the tip should be different then what was in my check! Her great customer service skills replied with either pay it or I’m calling the police which I never said I wasn’t going to pay it . Would you like to pay with cash or credit ! I still am appalled I won’t be back here terrible service waited over 30 minutes to get food when there was no one there , couldn’t keep your drinks full and had to waive her down to get your service the food was over priced and not good I’m all set ! I hope she sees this just so you know Julie Money isn’t the problem the service is ! Save yourself the trouble and stop in at kens ... or even Burger King has better customer service skills then the owner of this place !
On top of everything else they posted my receipt online for the world to see breaching my information and lying about how the night really went !
10. Island Dairy Treat
Overall Ratings
4 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By outofbutter
I rode in to an empty parking lot. I had to think and reaffirm that I did indeed see an open sign out front. Walking, I reached the half way point. At one moment, mid-stride, I was about fifteen feet from my car behind me, and the order/pickup window ahead. At that moment I noticed a figure in the dimly lit interior. Maybe it was just hard to see because of the intense hour of the sunlight.
We are not in a time where we expect excellence, or perfection. The nondescript, dated facade did not make me think in advance about how genuinely perfect my under $5 soft serve cone order would be handled.
I almost perished this summer due to an angry eighteen inches of damaged colon. Because of this, I know how badly we need good social interactions. After all, ice cream is as social as swimming pools. After all, we're still social primates.
I sat back in my little car, crumpled by rapid nausea-induced weight loss. I needed a little miracle because I felt so weak, and I had lost me appetite months ago(before the first surgery). I bit, nibbled, licked, and crunched the essence of America.
The lowering angle of the sun made the best ice cream joint that I've ever been to disappear like Shangri-la in the rearview mirror. I cleaned up my sticky chin when I got home.
