I went with the Irish eggs Benedict, which came served over corned beef hash on an English muffin--definitely a tasty twist. The hollandaise was rich and creamy, with a good balance of tang and butteriness. The poached eggs were just right--runny yolks but not too loose. I also got a Bloody Mary which was delicious and strong (worth it) Service was friendly and the atmosphere wasn't too loud, which made it easy to catch up and enjoy the meal. read more

Pilots Cove Cafe - Bloody Mary and Eggs Irish Benedict - Cafes Near Me - Sanford, Maine

The last time I was here was in 2021 and I said never again. The original Cockpit Cafe was great. Well we went here last night, a second chance, Nope! Please! Close this business! There was literally 2 tables and it took forever for food. Drinks? Nope, they don't know what they are doing. The old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" Cockpit Cafe was Always packed because it was great. If you're thinking of going here, Don't! Go to McDonald's 100 percent better read more

A little hesitant at first with the low reviews, and now after eating there I'm not sure what brought those on. First, atmosphere was great. Definitely a smaller establishment, and that may be because of the winter closing down all of the outdoor seating, but has a great feel with a good view of the planes coming and going. Second, the menu was great, not too many things but a lot of things craved at breakfast and lunch. And third but not least, the food was great. Steak and cheese panini?! Yes, I will eat that. Rueben? Best I've had in some time, with amazing fresh cut fries and sweet potato fries that were crispy and delicious. My only complaint, and that may because how things are with the economy these days, is the price. It was a bit high for lunch but not too high to turn me away. read more

Skip this place! Service is minimal at best, and the food is very inconsistent. The best part is watching the planes. Seems like a local drunk bar hang out where patrons don't know how to handle being around a good looking woman! read more

I've had breakfast here a few times in the past and it wasn't bad, decided one night we woukd give it a go first dinner, they we're out if most beers that I wanted no big deal I guess but then we got to the food and it was weird tasting and food was just not seasoned and just overall under par, the places prices were a little high which usally I don't care if the food is good but this was just not good and the plated were chipped, for the prices they sell there food for they should at least dial in taste and the presentation of the food, shame the waitresses were super nice and were working long hours but they don't have the food to back it up unfortunate. read more

We've been here number of times every time it's excellent. Today was one of the best we've ever had in the Portland area!! Great spot recommend it to everybody awesome atmosphere great service everything about this place is super fun and super great read more

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It's the little things that make a difference.. tried Pilots Cove for a quick dinner tonight on the way to an event. Atmosphere, food, and drinks all exceeded our expectations. We asked about a fried oreo dessert, the waitress explained they came 3 to an order and the two of us said we'd share.. she brought out 4 to make sharing easier. A little thing.. and an example of great service, and we will be back soon. Thank you. read more

Stop for lunch with hubby. Sat by the window to watch the planes. Lunch was service quickly and just the way we ordered it. Food was excellent especially their fries. read more

I ate here this morning. I haven't been since it was the "Cockpit Cafe" years ago. I was quite disappointed unfortunately. I come in, service was very friendly! The service or cleanliness wasn't the problem. The food and prices (which is mostly the important things for dining out) wasn't very good at all. All of the menu items were around $15+ dollars. I ordered the biscuits and gravy; I assumed since it was so expensive it would be large portions--wrong. The biscuits were the size of a super small sausage patty, the gravy was extremely obvious it was powdered with onions tossed in with tiny links cut into coins--mind you it was all rather lukewarm and not even hot and it was paired with home fries that were NOT warm or even lukewarm and were very frugal given the $15 price. My grandmother got avocado toast, its her favorite. And she picked it apart and didn't even really like it. It oddly came with canned spinach and canned tomato on it with unseasoned eggs on the top and I'm not even sure what kind of bread it was. They have the option for beans as a side for all breakfast meals, and I assumed since it was $15 that the beans would at LEAST be homemade. I asked the waitress, I appreciate her honesty, she said "They are canned but doctored up." was very disappointing to hear. The plate I had was chipped--for $15 a plate of "food". I feel like they slightly updated their look and made portions smaller and less homemade and think they are exclusive now where they need to charge $15 for a very mediocre breakfast.This isn't a restaurant that Sanford needs. This is a tourist trap for somewhere by the beach. Although Third Alarm Diner is very congested, it has MUCH better food and prices and larger portions. I felt bad she wanted to go out and this is the experience we had. I will not go back for breakfast--that's for sure. read more

We decided to try a place we've never been to, so I look my wife here. The atmosphere was comfortable and clean. We both decided to get burgers and fries. Our burgers were very good. There was one minor mishap. I found a small piece of plastic which was probably from the burger wrapper. Bringing it to the attention of our waitress ( who was very nice) took the issue to the owner. I was not expecting what happened next. The waitress came back apologizing for the plastic and the owner told her to comp the burger and thanked me for bringing it to their attention. We will go back. read more

Bad food for a perfect location. Steak tips unseasoned and marinade tasted old and bland. No salt whatsoever. Tips weren't even grilled. Marinade was super thin so they probably steamed in the liquid when cooked. Overpriced for the quality also. read more

Stopped in for lunch today we were a party of 6! The food is absolutely amazing! House nachos (homemade chips) and pilot fries (hand cut fries) were so delicious. Carly our server was wonderful! The best part is watching all the airplanes coming & going! Will definitely go back next time we are in town! read more

Great food and great service nice location Ignore the bad comments come try it for yourself

Seemed like a cute place. Ordered Biscuits and Sausage gravy. It was terrible, Which is sad - as it's so easy to make. The biscuits had a post-microwaved hardness to them, and the gravy appeared to be more oil than anything else. The sausage was just sliced up Jimmy Dean type breakfast sausage. Hard pass. Update: I got sick. You can't do this. read more

Recently we had breakfast at Pilots Cove. The restaurant was clean, the food we delicious and the staff was busy! I would definitely recommend this restaurant. But what I did observe was the support staff was not very helpful, which means the waitstaff ( two hard working woman and the cooks) and cooks were overwhelmed. If you own a restaurant you need to be there early and actually help out. Clean tables, sit patrons and support your staff. The owner and busboy were not very helpful. It made me angry to see these ladies making money for them. The owner stood near the front door, at peak hours, placing silverware into napkins. It was hard to watch. It seemed like his first day at his own restaurant. Figure it out!!! People are watching. Especially the 15 that were waiting at the door for 25 minutes when there were open tables. If you helped they would have sat sooner. read more

We have been here a few times before the pandemic. The food was good, the atmosphere was good. you can eat inside or outside and watch the planes take off. It's a rotating door. A little pricey. We decided to go there again last week. We sat outside this time. A mistake on our part, as it was very hot and the fumes from the planes didn't help. This time we were not happy! We waited close to an hr. before we got served our food. We were going to give it 5 min and then leave. Our water with the ice in it had become warm and no one offered us more. When we did finally get our food, it was very good. We watched other customers leave because it was taking too long to get their food. We will probably not be back, because it was just too long to wait for our food. read more

Food was ok. They served us French fries as homefries which was odd. Not a single employee was wearing a mask. Not good service. Do yourself a favor and keep driving until you get to Mel's read more

This is a cool place to go for some great food. Owners try very hard to create a great atmosphere along with great food, and an awesome staff. They offer a little music certain times of the week. There is outside seating to watch the planes. Or a big screen T.V to watch the game. Mimosas or Bloody Mary's, coffee, soda, beer, or common cocktails, what ever your pleasure, you'll enjoy it there, read more

Debated between 3 & 4 stars but going with 3: my husband and I stopped in for lunch and what we had was really good! He had the cheesesteak panini which was amazing and I had a grilled chicken sandwich which was exactly what i expected! The hand cut fries were perfect. However, they were out of a lot of items. No cherry coke. No chowder. No chili - well the man sitting behind me ordered chili after I did and got a bowl which looked delicious but I was told they were out. Accidentally received another tables plates at first, one of them was the poboy - my husband is originally from Houston and we've had many a good shrimp poboy down south but this looked kinda sad! 3 shrimp with the tails still on? (We loved the poboy from eaux in Portland) Anyway we'll be back because what we did have was fresh and good and it's not far from our house! She said they're working on the menu so hopefully they'll make some adjustments and be able to be more consistent! read more

Living locally we've been to every restaurant in town. Our absolute favorite? Pilots Cove/The Runaway. Do yourself a favor and visit this hidden gem. Not only is the food mouth watering, but the service... that's why we keep coming back!! Kim in particular is extremely attentive and does everything with a smile! She is what keeps us coming back... the amazing food is just a bonus! I cannot recommend these guys enough! Service is what truly can make or break a company and you guys have Kim and her crew to keep you thriving! I tell all my clients, and anyone in town that asks about amazing places to eat and get top notch service, they have to go to Pilots cove. read more

The food is bland, the restaurant is perpetually understaffed, the drinks are barely tolerable, and overall extremely overpriced. Only reason we ever eat here is it is open when a lot of other places are closed in town read more

Thought we would take a chance with place. Beautiful view and love sitting outside for breakfast and watching all the planes take off and land.... BUT! The food was so bad I can't ever come back. We ordered 3 meals and all where terrible. Toast was stale, coffee was burnt, pancakes where undercooked and we all left feeling sick. Side of home fries was $3 and was actually only 7 home fries on a small dish. The pancakes where so soggy and undercooked . Maybe you'll have a better experience but that was the biggest waste of money I've ever spent. Go to McDonald's for a better breakfast than this!!! read more

I hardly ever post on yelp but I feel I have to. Flew in for dinner. Have been here before in the past and it is good for breakfast, ok for lunch and terrible for dinner. The salmon I got was tasteless and you could tell it was a low quality previously frozen piece of fish. The wings were also obviously previously frozen and tough. My girlfriend got the steak tips (cut up sirloin steak vs the steak tips of the Boston area) and she got sick. My girlfriend ordered drinks and they forgot to put the alcohol in it. Would go elsewhere. read more

Seize the Deal had a new Restaurant available and as usual we said, "Let's give it a try!" First you walk in and are greeted by Dan, the owner and my wife is still talking about him. Lori Voornas from Q97.9 described him as very handsome and we will leave it at that as this is a Food and service review. We went for dinner and the drinks were well crafted as was the food we ordered. Dan waited on us and was very attentive. I had the baked Haddock and it was prepared perfect. My wife ordered the chicken Marsala and it was good just needed a little more Marsala, but tasty. The blueberry cheese cake and peanut butter pie topped off the dinner perfect. We look forward to returning for breakfast or dinner again. read more

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been here an hour still no food. awful place will never be back. food was gross when I did finally get it. the service sucked here.

Yesterday I ordered the lobster mac and cheese, the pirate fries, a dozen buffalo wings, the meatloaf, and a chocolate cake. This was ordered using food delivery services. Packaging on the food was good, the food was stable, warm, and all there. The lobster mac was very greasy, the cheese was melted but not very good. The pasta was okay, kind of over cooked and soggy, and the lobster was rather chewy and lacked lobster flavor. The fries were very soggy, understandable considering it was delivered but the flavor was atrocious...and I LOVE parm. The Buffalo wings were spicy. Flavor was okay but the wings must have been with a "house" sauce because it was MUCH more spicy than normal buffalo wings. No crisp on the wings, but cooked throughout. The meatloaf was okay, kind of bland but wasn't bad. I asked my fiancé her thoughts and her opinion was that the gravy was the best out of the whole meal. The cake was good though, but how can you go wrong with cake? Wondering if they make all the food from frozen or they just aren't the greatest cooks. Wouldn't recommend. Edit: carrots with the meatloaf were hard and still had all the raw crunch to them. They were not cooked at all. read more

Great food but long wait. My family and I came here at around 11:25 looking for a quick breakfast. It took about 5 minutes to get seated, and about 15 minutes to even get our drink orders in. We ordered at about 11:45 and did not receive our food until 12:45. After finally receiving our food, we devoured it. It was great food, but the wait was too long. We sat outside, which was a cool experience, and got to see a few planes take off. Although the noise was loud at some times, we did enjoy the experience. I just wish the wait times were shorter. read more

Food was delicious!! I am full and happy!! Such friendly staff and great atmosphere. The cheesesteak panini is now my favorite - pilot fries are a must! Can't wait to go back and experience the night life at the Runaway for the late night menu too. read more

Breakfast is good but we came here for lunch with our kids and were told that entrees were unavailable until 3pm. Chose the Po Boy sandwich. It's incorrectly named. It should be the Coleslaw Sandwich. It had 3 shrimp of good size but they were on a massive hoagie roll that was stuffed with coleslaw. It was such a disappointment. While all of the components were good, the sizing was so off that it was a big waste. read more

Three stars only because our son LOVES planes and really enjoyed seeing them take off. Otherwise the food was very ok. Fries were cold and soggy. We ordered chicken tenders for our son, and they were so tough he couldn't bite through them. The menu is overpriced and subpar. read more

We stopped in for a beer and sandwiches. We got our beer but the waitress never came back to take our order. After twenty minutes and our beers gone we got up and left. True only one waitress and a bartender, but it wasn't that busy and she could have taken our order very easily. Strange attitude if you want to keep customers. Last time trying there! read more

Excellent new menu and fresh look. Stopped in for lunch. I had the turkey griddle sandwich with coleslaw on the side. Both were excellent. The sandwich was a cut above the usual greasy "Reuben", and the home-made dressing was just right. Coleslaw was some of the best I've had lately. Overall the food was a big improvement over the usual greasy airport diner fare. Will definitely be back. read more

Was my first time coming here Sunday for breakfast waited 15 mins to be seated one other party in front of us patio was very nice however only 2 servers we ordered our food took 45 mins to receive our breakfast had to ask server for coffee the creamer packet was totally rotten hard curd and full of mold definitely would not recommend this place and Wii not be returning read more

This place has so much potential to be good, but it falls short. The location is great. Outdoor seating is great, inside is cute. But the food was oh so disappointing. I too had the Po Boy that was a huge piece of bread, tons of lettuce and coleslaw and 3 pieces of (delicious) shrimp. I love Po Boys so this made me rather sad. I also had to ask the waitress for water 3 times, but I never actually got it. I also would have had a second Bloody Mary had I been asked... Left thirsty and hungry. Ugh. read more

Place has a great view with a fantastic interior and tables. The food I had on the other hand was not very good. Eggs were to greasy and there raisen cinnamon bread was coated in sugar making it way to sweet. Only 3 waitresses on a Saturday made waiting times pretty long. read more