Lil's Café

I will drive to the earth’s end to have this cruller ANY DAY. The maple or original glaze are amazing. It’s so light and fluffy but flavorful and quite literally the best donut I’ve ever had. You’ll never forget your first bite. The bagels are incredibly light and flavorful too!! Best ever.

Updated Jan 11, 2026 : I’m so happy to share that Lil’s is officially back to its usual, exceptional standards. My recent visit confirmed that the quality I once feared lost has been fully restored. The croissants are once again a masterclass in texture and flavor—boasting a perfectly golden, flaky exterior, a moist interior, and that superb buttery taste I have always loved. It is clear that the owners listened to feedback and took deliberate steps to perfect their technique. Though I arrived before 8:00 AM and had to wait for the butter croissants to finish baking, the result was well worth the delay. There is no substitute for perfection, and I am happy to say that Lil’s has reclaimed its rightful place at the pinnacle of Maine’s artisanal baking. Original review : Lil’s has long been my gold standard for croissants in New England. Since discovering this gem three years ago, I have found that their pastries consistently outperform the high-profile French chains in culinary hubs like NYC, Boston, and Los Angeles. While I haven’t yet visited France myself, well-traveled friends have noted that Lil’s even surpasses the boulangeries of Paris. It has become a personal tradition of mine to share these pastries with visiting family as a proud representation of Maine’s culinary excellence. However, I feel compelled to deduct two stars this time due to my most recent experiences in December. Over my last two orders, I have noticed a disappointing shift in quality; the croissants have lacked that signature fragrant, buttery aroma and have felt uncharacteristically dry. Furthermore, the bake was inconsistent, missing that quintessential delicate flakiness I’ve come to expect. I sincerely hope Lil’s will return to its usual standards, as it would be a shame to lose the quality that made this bakery so special.

Amazing crullers. Heard this place was known for having the best crullers in Maine, so we made a small detour to check it out. The café was packed when we showed up on a Sunday around noon, but the pastry case was still fully stocked. We picked up the maple, cinnamon, and classic crullers, plus a huge jelly donut. I’ve only recently started getting into crullers, but these were the closest I’ve had to my all-time favorites from Daily Provisions. Crisp exterior, soft and custardy inside, almost like a cannelé. The crunch wasn’t quite as tight as DP’s, but still really good. Our favorites were the cinnamon and the classic. The only thing we didn’t like was the jelly donut, which was dense and a bit dry, but overall the stop was absolutely worth the detour.

We visited Lil’s cafe for a light breakfast. The pumpkin spice cruller was nice and light while not being overly sweet. We highly recommend the pistachio cruffin, which was airy and had a nice creamy filling that was overall again not too sweet. We also ordered the avocado toast, which was good but not my favorite. It comes completely covered in different types of seeds, which we enjoyed, but we found that the olive oil on top was too overpowering/too much added (I think the toast would have been better with some acidity personally). They do make this fresh in front of you, which I really appreciate. Overall, this cafe is perfect to have a bite, maybe read a book, or chat with a friend.

Cool spot with plenty of space. Lots of vintage Maine-themed decor. I enjoyed the crullers! I tried a blueberry and a maple dipped. Iced latte was pretty good. They have lots of house made syrups.