I have eaten there once now and drank soda there twice. Their soda and food was horrible, and I don't recommend this place at all.

Was a generally good tavern vibe in small town Houlton. We were just visiting and walked here from our Airbnb to get some dinner and a drink. Had a 22 oz local IPA on draft, which was good and refreshing, and the BLT. It was all done well enough for tavern food. We're not expecting Michelin stars here, right? Definitely worth stopping in, if you find yourself here. It was all fresh and tasty. Wait staff were friendly. Plenty of TVs to watch a variety of games if you're into watching sports. read more

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Downtown Houlton has limited choices. This restaurant needs to step it up. The sandwiches were not hot for paninis and the cheese wasn't melted. It's not bad.. it's just not great. The service was good and the place is clean. Turn up the panini machine. read more

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As a sports bar this place is great. Lots of televisions to watch the game, fairly good tap selection and a full bar. There is lots of windows facing the square and street but little ambiance within the tavern. As a restaurant, I wouldn't bother going unless you want a panini style sandwich with potato chips. Based on the menu the only thing I can figure is that there is no actual kitchen with a grill and fryer. No burgers on the menu or fries. There seems only to be a panini press and a toaster or electric pizza oven in the kitchen. I ordered the Ruben and my wife ordered the caprese sandwich, both were panini pressed to cook and both were cold in the middle with the cheese not melted. I want so much to support our local businesses and I will visit here after work for a beer or on the weekend to watch the games but I will just enjoy the free popcorn because the sandwiches are poorly cooked and there are very few hot menu items. I will add that although the sandwiches were poorly cooked, the meat and vegetables were top quality but I question the need to add 50 cents extra because I wanted raw onion on my sandwich. read more

Great new local sports pub. Went to Houlton, ME for the grand opening. The proprietors are friends. So you can say this is biased. But the staff and the friendly small town hospitality was outstanding. Kudos to Emily and her son, Logan in making this a family friendly environment that is much needed in this part of Maine. They were slam packed the two nights I was there, and the staff handled it like old pros. The food was fresh and tasty, as were the drinks. Plus plenty of TVs to focus on your fav team. Good luck! read more

Visiting with family before the holidays and came here for lunch. Recommended highly we were looking foreword to check this new place out. No big signage on the outside of the building just a sign in the entrance door. Tall ceilings with plenty of natural light and exposed brick for decor. Choice of tall top tables or regular to sit at as well as bar seating. We chose a tall top by the window. Waitress greeted us a few minutes after we sat down. A round of drinks ordered so we could look at the menu. Menu is small and simple with great options. A second sheet was provided for the newest menu additions; quesadillas! Drinks were delivered and after 10 minutes or so we ordered our food. I ordered a coffee brandy and milk and it came in a super small glass! It was a joke really how small it was, but when we got our bill it was only $2.75! Should have ordered a few! Second round of drinks ordered and still no food but we requested some popcorn which is free but must be given by staff. We finished the popcorn and still no food, it took approximately 25 minutes for our food to arrive! Thankfully we were not in a rush but our toddler was running out of patience. I ordered the Rubin which I noticed immediately that there was an orangy color to the corned beef, I guess they use spices to enhance the flavor? Didn't notice any additional benefits of doing so. Everything was very good. This place is still on the newer aide and looks like it is heading for greatness! Awesome addition to the town! read more

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Food and services were outstanding. Good place for a drink and food. Clean bathrooms and great staff

The bartender was awesome and the food was just what we expected for the surroundings...

We enjoy the food at Bastions. We've spent six weeks this summer in Houlton. It's been fun to get to know the community and have a truly great meal. The tavern has been closed for the past week (really more like the last three weeks) and we were happy to go there tonight. The reason it was closed was because of Covid .... our guess that one of the employees tested positive. We were told it was because a nursing home in Houlton had a positive case. I doubt that. The waiter, a very lovely guy, explained to us that he was not vaccinated nor did he have health insurance because of his fear of what he read on the internet about the vaccine. For this business to stay open in the long term, it's important to take the customers into consideration. Masks would be great ... none here. Health considerations of the customers would be great. NONE. Take care of your people and customers. Require masks....AND require vaccinations. It's better safe than sorry. Maybe up until now you have been safe. Don't be sorry. You have a corner on the market. Be smart. Get the vaccine. Wear masks. We won't be back . I gave a one star because I had to rate it. I would give a five if my health and the health of others was taken into consideration. read more