L & H Burgers: The Best Burgers in Rockland, Maine and Possibly the World

Just around the corner from the Maine Lighthouse Museum
you'll find the best burgers you may ever eat anywhere at L & H Burgers

Knowing we were in for the third snowy Sunday in a row this February, my husband and I decided to catch a little break from our routines this past Saturday to take Blae out to nose around Maine.  This is the time of year us Mainers are starting to dream of spring, about a month away according to the calendar, but maybe longer according to our weather. It’s also the time of year we enjoy poking around our coastal communities, before the tourists arrive, to see what pleasures and treasures are in store for the coming Maine summer. Saturday, we hit the jackpot in Rockland.

L & H Burgers

We had meandered down coastal US Route 1 from Bangor and arrived in Rockland just in time to be hungry for lunch. Dan had heard of a really terrific new place to get a sandwich or burger on Main Street. So, we turned left at the light and headed for Main Street, and there it was. Just as if we were meant to be there, a parking spot availed itself on the heavily traveled street right in front of L & H Burgers’ doorway. 

Upon entering the charming little eatery we found it decorated simply with unframed art and a smattering of antiques.  We took the two last available seats, Blae had to wait this one out in the car.  Others were following us through the doors, so we had lucked out again. But I didn’t really realize how fortunate we were to be there until my order arrived and I took my first bite.

I had ordered the house made veggie burger served with Coleslaw, and everything about it was perfect. I have never had a veggie burger of such quality and taste. After eating it, I can probably never eat a veggie burger anywhere else again. Yes, it was that good. The slaw was the freshest I have ever been served in any restaurant as well, and I have dined throughout the entire United States, Canada, Aruba, Guam, and Lithuania.

Sister Restaurant on Main Street, Rockland
Rustica Cucina Italiana

As I was savoring every bite, I looked across the table at Dan who had ordered a regular, or classic, burger with Swiss cheese and onion served with hand cut fries. He announced, “This is the best burger I have eaten anywhere.” That was amazing coming from the pickiest eater I’ve ever met. He has been looking for a “great” burger for years, actually searching for one every time we travel or eat in a different town.

Yes, we had hit the jackpot at L & H Burgers, 313 Main Street in Rockland, Maine. You can bet we’ll eat there again and again.  Their menu is loaded with many interesting starters, burgers, Panini’s, salads, and desserts. They even offer gluten free buns. Another nice option, especially during the busy summer months, is a take out line, 207-593-7996.

L & H Burgers pleased us so much we now want to try their sister restaurant, Rustica, located right next door. It has carried the area's title of “The Best of the Best” for Italian cuisine since it opened in 2006. It is so highly recommended we're told you should make a reservation or be prepared to wait and hope you’ll eventually get in.

Did I mention we hit the jackpot for lunch? Well, we did, but poor Blae didn’t. We usually remember to save him a bite or two when we eat out during a nosing around outing.  This time our burgers were so fantastic we consumed them completely without saving him a blessed crumb. He, of course, made us feel guilty and we had to stop further down Route 1 in Thomaston to buy him a treat.

A menu feature at
L & H Burgers, Rockland, Maine

Most of all, I’m delighted to find in our fast food world, a place you can appreciate fresh wholesome ingredients and real food made from scratch.  L & H Burgers is a five star lunch in my book.  Next time I visit Rockland I’m going to try their Picasso and I’ll try to save a taste for Blae. No promises.

Check out their links:

L & H Burgers

Rustica Cucina Italiana

© Copyright 2013 Gail J. VanWart  All Rights Reserved

Gail J. VanWart is a regular contributor to theSCENE:
a publication of Courier Publications LLC in Rockland, Maine with distribution in Waldo 

and Lincoln Counties

Look for contributions by Gail J. VanWart in Washington County, too: 

County Wide News

County Wide is a journal of fact and opinion published since 1977 by 

County Wide Communications,Inc. at 25 Main Street, P.O. Box 497, Machias, Maine 04654.

Phone (207) 255-NEWS for a free online subscription to County Wide News or E-mail countywideonline@hotmail.com

Rockland on Dwellable

Maine’s Fourth Annual Lighthouse Day

Sometimes referred to as North America’s castles, our lighthouses in the United States have, over the years, provided us with more than signals warning of impending danger along our coastlines. Each lighthouse serves as a little beacon of history and projects insights from the experiences of past “keepers” and their families we can learn from today. Much of our coastal history could have long been forgotten if it had not been recorded in a lighthouse keeper’s log.

In Maine alone, more than sixty unique beacons of history dot the rocky Atlantic coastline, both on and off shore. Wherever you happen to be along the Maine coast, there will be a lighthouse somewhere nearby. If you want to take a closer look at one, inside and out, mark September 15th on your calendar. More than 15,000 people visited Maine’s twenty-four open light stations during their 2011 open lighthouse event, which proved to be the largest effort of its kind in the nation with 4,100 people climbing up into the towers to experience first hand a lighthouse keeper’s view. I’m very happy to say, in spite of my fear of heights,  I was one of them.

My light of choice last year was Owl's Head, land based and southeast of Rockland (and pictured in this post). I’ve always enjoyed the pleasant walk in to the light and I adore the legends surrounding this station, especially tales of “Spot the Lighthouse Dog” whose final resting place is on the lighthouse grounds near the fog bell which brought him fame. And, I can’t help but love its legendary, and probably, downright, fibs. They, too, are charming in their own way and may contain a speck or two of truth. The biggest of such "fibs" I’ve heard is the tale of lighthouse keeper William Masters and his heroic rescue of Richard Ingraham and Lydia Dyerin in December of 1850. Both Ingraham and Dyerin were reportedly frozen alive into blocks of ice on the deck of their vessel during in a winter storm. Masters supposedly took them ashore and thawed them back to life in his kitchen. (If you believe that, I have a lighthouse for sale in Baxter State Park you can make an offer on.)

The Owl’s Head light tower, itself, is an easy climb as it is only 30 feet tall. However, it stands on top of a rock formation nearly 70 feet in height that provides a 100-foot focal plane for the tower’s Fresnel lens. You’ll find interesting historic facts and trivia on display in a kiosk, thanks to former lighthouse keeper, David Bennett, who generously constructed it for the entrance to the grounds. You’ll also be pleased with the beautiful picnic area and ample parking.

Many other Maine mid-coast light stations will be participating in the Open Lighthouse event and I myself, plan to take in several for a full day of lighthouse activity.

For more detailed information, maps, and tour guides for Maine’s Lighthouses and Open Lighthouse Day visit these links:

September 2012 Issue of theSCENE

Visit Maine on Open Lighthouse Day

Maine Lighthouse Museum

The U.S. Coast Guard, the State of Maine and the American Lighthouse Foundation will present the fourth annual Maine Open Lighthouse Day, September 15, 2012, rain or shine. Most of the lighthouses participating will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Blae hopes you'll pay your respects to Spot
while visiting Owl's Head Light.

One story on display in the kiosk is how
Owl's Head got its name. 

Gail J. VanWart is a regular contributor to 

theSCENE, a publication of Courier Publications LLC in Rockland, Maine  https://www.facebook.com/theSCENE1

© Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart   All Rights Reserved

Rockland on Dwellable