The Rack BBQ

Not impressed. I ordered barbecue chicken — half of which was over done, while the inside was barely done. The sauce, billed as spicy, was mild. I did like the nostalgic ski atmosphere and I can see how successful it might be in winter.

Do not order the fish!
Being good Friday, I ordered the fried haddock sandwich and it tasted like ammonia! It was horrible. Just don’t do it!
Otherwise they have a great beer selection.
–Paul

Sorry No. I try. I really do. Periodically I go and well… NO. The nachos were embarrassing. The food is hit or miss. Too often a miss. And the manager is SO… I’m trying to find a grown up word for snotty! Now to be fair. It is a party spot for booze, booze, booze and live bands (they are who I’m giving the stars to). And you can brush with some fame with the owner Seth Wescott, olympic gold medalist. He does his best to socialize and be present to make the place approachable. If you can get into there clique you will probably enjoy it. They’re very choosy though so good luck! I will say they have a great outdoor fire pit, but there are a lot of drunks around; so it does detract from the ambience. I will give it my annual try because I keep believing the manager will get put in his place and the cooking will become consistently good… I’ll let ya know…

Good food… great staff… fun place for live music and you can’t beat the beer selection.

We had a great meal here on a Saturday night. You’ll likely have a wait but the bar has a great vibe. The food was all around good good from the smoked seafood sampler to the grilled chicken sandwich.

Always good when your review starts with «I wish I could give less than one star»
Off season so it was not crowded at all. We were seated outside and didn’t see our waiter for over 10 minutes. We were one of 5 tables outside but had a different waiter than all the other tables. He took our drink order and returned soon with our drinks and took our food order. Again he returned in a fair amount of time with our food. It was hot and pretty good. Now comes the «but»
He set our food down and realized we didn’t have plates or silverware. (We ordered pizza so plates and napkins were needed) he told us he would be right back with them. After waiting 5 minutes we were hungry so we started eating figuring he would be back anytime. Nope he never returned with the plates/​napkins or to check on our meal. My water and drink were both empty as well.
I am a patient person but it was starting to get ridiculous. After 30 minutes I became very frustrated. I went up to the bar and told the bar tender we hadn’t seen out waiter in 30 minutes and we were never given plates or napkins. She sad oh I’m sorry and walked off, returning with plates and napkins. I said we have been out there for 30 minutes we are done I just want to bill so I can leave. «Oh sorry» was her response.
I went back outside and shortly after our waiter walks out and says and I quote «oh you guys are still out here» He was too stupid to yell at because he clearly wouldn’t understand. He gave us 20% off our bill. I really hope that wasn’t to save his tip because for the first time in my life I didn’t leave one.
I really feel you have to try to be that terrible. I was waiting for the hidden cameras to come out, but they never did.

For openers, if you think the best barbecue is usually found in the worse part of town, in a place with bars on the windows and just enough grease on the table to write your initials, then this isn’t it.
If you think that good ‘cue can be found in the shadow of Sugarloaf mountain, unfortunately this isn’t it either.
What it is, is The Rack. A neat lodge like place with a neat slogan: «Serving questionable locals and those soon to be. They are likely right about tthat, but way off base when it comes to the boasts about what they call barbecue.
Actually, as someone who has spent a lifetime in pursuit of the perfect barbecue (read more than 75 reviews of barbecue joints literally across the country), I should have known disappointment was fast approaching when there was no scent of smoke in the air.
The second clue should have been a massive menu that relegated barbecue to a couple, albeit boastful, inches in the lower right hand corner. After lobster and salmoon, after French onion soup and some foo-​foo salads, after pasta and smoked gouda, after prime rib and steaks — then «babecue» pork, brisket and ribs.
Not exactly top billing.
French onion soup, smoked gouda and a duck appetizer at a barbecue restaurant? Big John Robinson in Peoria, Arthur Bryant in Kansas City and Big Daddy down in Tuscaloosa must be spinning in their graves.
Their ribs (reported as dry in a couple other reviews) sold for $ 18.99 for a half rack and $ 23.99 for a full; more at a cheaper per bone price, doesn’t make them better.
The brisket, to be as kind as possible, was more like a beef pot roast that had been cooked and then cooked some more… not sliced as is most barbecue brisket; not chopped as is all the other barbecue brisket. No trace of a subtle smoke flavor.
Turns out (spoiler alert) that the folks at The Rack don’t smoke their barbecue, which is generally what the definition of barbecue is. They rub it with their selection of spices, and then slow roast it in ovens overnight.
Why? Because, as the waiter explained, they have too much business to go through the slow, arduous process of smoking their «barebecue» over a low, wood fed fire. Instant gratification, for The Rack, likely would not come quickly enough.
Why two stars instead of one then?
Because the manager, noting a nearly full plate being returned, took it off the bill and because most others eating everything but barbecue, seemed to be enjoying their meals. Other Unilocal reviews reflect that.
The Rack is a unique fun spot; games on the front lawn and in a downstairs arcade — a better than average singer. The service was good, and the prices fair… unless, of course, you ordered barbecue… Barbecue at The Rack is really not good at any price. Most everything else likely is.

Okay soooo, everywhere I went during my visit to Maine the people have been incredibly nice and warm, then we go to the Rack. Meh, cool gimmicky place to go but I’ll tell ya the people were almost out of place compared to the rest of the people we met, they were so rude. Even asking where the bathroom was became a joke, there were patrons close to us have a farting contest and one older bald man poorly dressed and quite homely looking was blocking the exit for my sisters as if forcing a bully moment. Anyway, doubt I’ll go back when I’m up visiting my sister in Kingfield.

Great bar! We went for dinner with kids. Really cool place with excellent service. Tables were cleared as plates became empty and drinks were re-​filled as needed. Nachos were awesome; we had the beef brisket nachos which were top notch! The chipotle burger was in my top 5 burgers of all time! It really was cooked perfectly, great flavors, awesome sauce… just amazing! The lobster bisque although flavorful, lacked lobster. There should be some chunks of lobster in there; it had none. Good beer list. We had a good waiter and the staff overall was pretty attentive. We’ll be back!

With a modest amount of offerings within Sugarloaf area, this turned out to be good. Nothing exceptional — but certainly no complaints either. I imagine this place gets quite crowded during busy times at the mountain — we were there on a quiet weeknight so my review is skewed accordingly. Good selection of local beers on tap; good variety on the menu, so all tastes should be able to find something. Our party had the duck tenders to start — a little heavy on the breading, but they were very tasty. Meals included assorted beef/​steaks and they were generous and cooked nicely, same was true for the salmon. Expect a loud and raucous atmosphere on weekends.

For The Rack, it all depends on what you are looking for… I have spent a good deal of time at the rack, and enjoy the place… but it varies depending on what you want…
If you want entertainment, I give it a 5 star, as the have good bands most nights. It seems whoever plays, they are good.
If you want drinks, they have a great selection on tap (including Downeast cider) at reasonable prices. The service for drinks at the bar is good, ok if you are on the dance floor.
If you want service, it is really mixed… a 1 – 4 star rating. I have generally had decent to great service for drinks at the bar, but there are sometimes arbitrary and inconsistent rules for service in the bar area… and the place often gets slammed at Après ski time… but that is expected. I have had the bartender sit on takeout food so it was bone cold by the time I got it (the bar was not busy), and have had service issues at other times.
They DO have some problems with the food, which is bad to decent, maybe a 3 star rating.
The Good: They have great Nachos. They have a very good GF pizza crust and decent pizza.
The OK: They have bearable GF rolls, but not as good as you can get at The Bag. Their BBQ is «good/​ok» but don’t expect it to be awesome. If you are expecting are a BBQ foodie, you will not be impressed.
The Bad: I had the worse burger in recent memory last visit. I ordered a regular Rack Burger Medium and it was practically unedible. Overcooked… in fact blackened… and just unappealing. The fries with it were only slightly better. Somehow, my wife’s non-​GF burger also ordered medium looked fine, though she gave it an «ok» rating. A friend ordered (strangely) the veggie burger, which he said was a big mistake and was uneatable. In the past, I mistakenly ordered a salad and found it not very good… so it may not be a haven for vegetarianism.
So, things are mixed. Of you want to hang out, have some drinks and great apps, maybe some pizza or ok BBQ and hang out, this is one of the best place on the mountain. If you are looking for awesome food and exceptional service you should probably go elsewhere…

Disappointed. Expected some real smoked meats given the name of the place and the menu offerings and all, you know some rubbed spice and smoked for hours kinda meats. Brisket was beef slow cooked in what tasted like B&M baked bean sauce. In a real BBQ place, you would get it sliced and have sauce on the side. I had salad with steak tips and a side of brisket. The salad was good. The steak part was inedible. I had to spit it out after chewing. I had chicken wings with brushed on BBQ sauce. I think 4 wings equal one small order. They were ok, but not anything to rave about. The service was sub-​standard. We had a party of 8. With parties of 6 or more they add 18% gratuity automatically. The waitress was young and seemed overwhelmed. No one at the table was happy and no one completely finished their meal. Before the meal, we had a drink and the service there was just awesome and the drinks were very good. There is a game room down stairs with arcade like games. Upstairs there is a pool table and more of a 20 something kind of area. The lower dining room has a ping pong table and a foosball table. You might find a ping pong ball in your plate if you’re not careful. This might be considered fun for people with smaller kids. Overall, if there is a good band and you want to drink — go there. If you want to eat some good BBQ — THIS IS NOT THE PLACE. The burgers and pizza are probably a best bet. No one in our party had that, but Im hoping that they at least got this right. I will not be back for BBQ.

I have always had a really good time at night here with friends. They have excellent local beers on tap and there is usually some good entertainment on the weekends/​holidays. They have an arcade in the basement too.
I never ate here until a few weeks ago and I must say that I was very impressed. My prime rib was cooked to a perfect medium/​medium rare and the horseradish dipping sauce was pretty killer. My potatoes were bangin’ and had just the right amount of garlic and salt & pepper. … and my dinner roll was surprisingly soft and fresh. I will not be eating at The Widowmaker on my next trip up to Sugarloaf.

Cheap drinks but no food except chips after 9… Waitresses are RUDE but bartenders nice, $ 5.39 for stale chips and salsa! The owner got served Donner at 1030 but noone else was allowed. Coming to Loaf for years but this was the first and last time at this hole!

Never eaten here, but as far as divey ski bars go it’s pretty great. Decent beer selection, plenty of local flavor, fun live music, friendly staff. It can get pretty crazy on busy weekends, but that’s why you came to Sugarloaf right???

Went here when we were unable to locate 45 North. Glad we couldn’t find it. Our hotel recommended it as the place to get the local «vibe»
This is clearly the local «Cheers». Regulars have their own mugs and there’s a visible list of people who need to clean up their tabs dating to last month.
There appear to be live events (music/​trivia/​etc.) every night but check the calendar on the website. It was open mic night and we heard two decent acoustic guitarists.
Food was solid. I had the maple steak. Decent, but not sure if I’d order it again. Lady had the brisket sammich. Good stuff. Don’t leave without trying the sweet potato fries.
We will be back.

I went to The Rack with a large group of friends to watch the Pats playoff game last Saturday. Even though they don’t take reservations, they were able to get us in pretty quickly. They had a huge projection TV set up in the back room where we were sitting, so it was a great location to watch the game. They also had ping pong tables set up in the area to play while waiting for your food.
I had the pulled chicken sandwich for dinner. I added cheddar cheese to the sandwich. The chicken was very tasty. My only complaint is that the BBQ sauce was a little too sweet for me. The sweet potato fries were just ok, and the coleslaw was the best I have ever had.

With limited options around Sugarloaf, and most closing fairly early, there is one place you can go to grab a semi-​late dinner. The Rack’s kitchen closes at 10 PM, but I’d advise coming earlier as they might turn you away if you come a few minutes before 10 PM. After 10 PM, it turns into a quasi nightclub with live band, cheap drinks and a good time. There is a $ 5 cover charge to enter as well. That was exactly what happened to us when we came at 9:55 PM on a Saturday night, which we decided to return the following night.
Our party of 4 came on a Sunday night around 6 PM and were fortunate enough to be seated promptly near the bar area as there was a live band playing there. If you have larger parties, I’d advise coming around this time, as 7 PM seemed to be the time where a wait for to be seated in the dining area began. The décor is very rustic, with wood trimmings, giving you the impression that you are in a barn or countryside ambiance. There is also a basement area with arcade systems and a foosball table. Bathrooms are also located downstairs but be warned that they can get very dirty. The two men’s urinals were filled with everyone’s urine and would not flush.
We heard good things about the wings, so to start we ordered Wings (5 for $ 7.99) with the Sweet Pow Pow Sauce, touted as a sweet and spicy sauce. We were told they were running out of wings and said only orders of 5 were available, so we ordered that just so that we can try it. But luckily that we did, because I was somewhat disappointed in the wings. They didn’t have that crispy skin, erring on the ever so slightly slimy side. And the flavor were only on the skin of the chicken, which my guess was that it wasn’t marinaded long enough. Subtlety sweet and spicy on the outside with a juicy inside, but I still only found them to be average run-​of-​the-​mill wings that I wouldn’t think twice about.
For dinner, I ordered the Beef Brisket Sandwich ($ 9.95) made in the same Sweet Pow Pow BBQ Sauce. A average serving of brisket was served on the bun, along with sweet potato fries, 4 thin pickle slices, and a small container of slaw. The brisket was tender and moist, and the sweet and spicy flavors were a lot more pronounced, making for one tasty sandwich. It wasn’t very filling, but it was just the right amount that I didn’t find myself full.
But of course I had to try other people’s dishes, which I also tried the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($ 8.95) also made in the Sweet Pow Pow BBQ Sauce. It was just as tender and tasty as the Beef Brisket Sandwich, and I could just as well say that either are good choices with none edging over the other.
I also tried The Rack’s Ribs, their signature dish, slow roasted in-​house with spiced rub. The meat pulled off cleanly from the bone, but it didn’t have the moist and juicy texture that one should come to expect when eating ribs. It bordered on slightly dry. The spice rub was very tasty, but it didn’t result in a very enjoyable rib.
After we finished our meal, we headed to bar area so we could listen to the live band, which played country-​like music. Everyone was having a good time, dancing and drinking. A few other random people came up to us in their jovial attitudes to say hello and give us a cheers. It’s a great place to have a drink and listen to the music. And if you’re not into country music, there is a large screen above the stage where a sports game is being aired. We also found the same drinks that we ordered at the dining room to be cheaper. Three drafts and a bottle of apple cider was only $ 15.
Although the website says it closes at 12 AM, we were told they stay open until around 3 AM. The Rack definitely serves up some decent food that we all enjoyed. Add that to a live band and cheap drinks at the bar area, and one might have a darn good time. It’s one place I actually look forward to returning to when looking for a place to eat at in the Sugarloaf ski area. If coming in the warmer months, there is also an outdoor area in the front of the restaurant that I imagine could be quite fun as well.

I typically come here for late night bands. Always a fun time and the beer is cheap and gets the job done!
As for food — it is not bad. I get the pulled pork and has satified my post-​skiing hungers.
Bands are always live and fun! Everyone loves to dance.

Good times! Great happy hour with many great beers and full bar. Food is pretty good.:-) Great patio with a beautiful view. Great place stop after a mountain bike ride or a hike (and a day of skiing, duh!) Opens at 4pm daily. Live music on the weekends.