The Bull Moose Café is one of Sugarloaf’s best-kept secret lunch locations, pairing majestic mountain views with fresh fare, from homemade soups and stews to gourmet salads, sandwiches, cookies, and an assortment of other baked goods.
Located in the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center Lodge, the Bull Moose Café serves a rotating menu of casual dining options alongside scenic sights of the Bigelows, the Moose Bog, and Sugarloaf Mountain—and, since last summer, beer is included among their offerings! Make your choice from a freezer fully stocked with a selection of locally-sourced boozy beverages, from drinks by the Portland-based Lone Pine Brewing Company to Wild Maine hard seltzer, proudly produced out of Orono.
The Café is currently open Friday through Sunday from 11:00am to 4:00pm, providing a place for visitors of the Outdoor Center to fuel up after a morning of fly fishing or biking on the nearby network of trails. Guests can look forward to enjoying a meal on the Lodge’s spacious patio, where they’ll find ample opportunities for birdwatching as well as other wildlife observation. As the Outdoor Center lies slightly off the beaten path (Route 27), it’s an incredibly peaceful place to spend an hour or two.
I went on assignment and took myself out to lunch at the Outdoor Center last Friday afternoon while en route to the mountain to do photography at our second Summer Après Series concert; when I arrived, I ordered the Café’s berry chef salad ($14), a colorful and delicious, not to mention highly-nutritious, combination of cheese, fruit (apples, blackberries, blueberries, tomatoes), turkey, and veggies (lettuce, red and yellow peppers) served with a side of sweet Zinfandel vinaigrette dressing.
I took my plate piled high with a sensational salad outside, read a few poems from an anthology of Maine poets, and watched the rain roll in—and while poetry isn’t enjoyable for everybody, the Bull Moose Café certainly is!
Other options offered that day include chicken salad ($12), a savory ham and swiss melt ($12), and a turkey bacon wrap ($12); pair your salad or sandwich with a side of Deep River chips or a freshly-baked brownie.
The bottom line is, if you haven’t been by the Bull Moose Café this summer, add it to your August bucket list!