Baker’s Way

I went in and got a donut and a coffee. The coffee was below average. But the donuts were 5-​star donuts. Amazing. Perfect. Wonderful. So effing good. If you want an extraordinary donut, go here (I got honeydipped).

I can’t speak to the pastries but they did look fantastic. We came for the phở and were sadly disappointed. We may be spoiled having had great phở elsewhere, but this definitely did not live up to our expectations.

Well… two stars. Remember folks, this is a donut shop, that also happens to serve Vietnamese food because the owners are… Vietnamese. Let’s just say I had high hopes.
I’ve ordered carry out from here twice this week because it is so easy, and they have their own parking (you know parking can be a big issue in BBH)… oh, and I’ve been lazy. The first night we got Phở, Spring Rolls, Ginger Shrimp Stir Fry. It was pretty good. But twice in one week… no. The Phở was average. Tender beef. Broth is good, but no condiments/​cilantro/​bean sprouts on the side. Spring rolls are good, but so large they’re almost unmanageable. Dumplings were decent, but must’ve been microwaved because the dough was almost stiff where it was crimped. But still… as I said, I was feeling lazy and was tired of lobster.
Enter visit number two. Now it becomes apparent that the microwave plays a bigger part in dinner prep than we’d originally thought. Entrees were coming out of the microwave as we arrived for pick up and there were still incredible hot spots even after we’d driven home and dished it up. My husband asked for «extra garlic» on his Garlic Stir Fry (aka Garlic Microwave), and it seems what that means is extra sauce, not actually extra garlic.
The broccoli was tasty and perfectly cooked, whether it was stir fried or not, it was the star of the meal, if you want to call it that.
Will I go back? Yeah, probably. Someday when I don’t feel like cooking and don’t want to fight for a parking spot to pick up carry out on the main drag. Or maybe I’ll try a donut next time. Or not. I’m talking myself out of it.

Spring rolls… excellent
Vermicelli soup with squid… average
Phở soup w/​beef… average & salty
Counter service… poor on courtesy
Nice bakery.

The less that people are made aware of what true authentic Vietnamese cuisine and friendly Vietnamese mannerisms are like, the more likely they will accept what is not true and think that to be the norm. Please don’t accept that until you compare a real Vietnamese restaurant to this place.
My wife and I love to eat Vietnamese food. We live in the San Francisco bay area where the Vietnamese culture abounds. Their cuisine is served in many places. Vietnamese servers in restaurants where we are from are so kind and always serve you with a smile. My wife and I noticed that our waitress/​owner seemed so disgusted and didn’t reply to my asking her if they had Phở Tai (rice noodle soup with rare steak). When she brought me my soup, it didn’t come with basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime, jalapeño or anything on the side. I asked if she could bring me those items and she just ignored me and walked away.
The broth was a red color, too spicy and the steak pieces were not cut thin or rare.
Folks, this was not a well made broth that is usually cooked slowly for hours.
The owners of this place are Vietnamese. So you’d think they could produce a more authentic phở. I feel duped for my money and will never set foot in this place again.

So, this is basically diner food with ethnic flair.
My husband loves phở, and has had the privilege of having many delicious bowls at multiple locations in the Los Angeles area, so he was disappointed that this one didn’t come with cilantro, sprouts, lime or jalapeño or, in fact, anything on the side — even after he asked. (She said, «I added it for you,» but he reported that he couldn’t taste any.) The broth was also slicked over with visible grease and was fairly bland.
I had been given a recommendation for, and ordered an omelette, which tasted fine, but the cheese was obviously completely processed «fake» cheese. When a bit fell on the ground, our scraps-​loving dog wouldn’t even eat it, so that has to tell you something.
The saddest thing about it is that the owners are actually Vietnamese (she had such a thick accent I could barely understand her), so you’d think they could produce a more authentic phở.

We just stopped in for a coffee, but decided to also get an order of fresh spring rolls. HUGE and DELICIOUS. Hidden gem of Boothbay if you are looking for friendly service and Vietnamese dishes.

A delightful surprise in Boothbay Harbor! The food is delicious the Vietnamese dishes are authentic and made fresh to order. While the food comes quick do not expect fast food here. Everything is made to order, fresh. the portions are more than generous. Their bread and pastries are made fresh daily and they are fantastic. Great place for both breakfast and lunch. Their coffee is Green Mountain, brewed fresh all day long.
Get the apple fritter, period it is to die for, fresh, huge and OMG good!

Great breakfast and prices that won’t rob your wallet. I love there Vietnamese food. It the best. You have to go to China Town in Boston Mass. for the same good food.

Veterans of the West Coast donut scene totally won’t be surprised to find the Second Best Apple Fritters in New England in a tiny Vietnamese restaurant that calls itself a bakery and serves cheeseburgers and tuna melts alongside its phở, but you’ve got to admit that it’s a wacky thing to stumble upon in a twee little Maine tourist town.
Their raised donuts are quite good when fresh, but only a delusional wingnut would order anything other than their beaver-​sized apple fritter.
Aside from being a little on the dry side, they’re everything you’d dream of in a proper West Coast fritter. The crispy, craggy, dough is larded with so many apple chunks that a high percentage of them get directly exposed to the oil and glaze, and thus transcendantly carmelized. And speaking of the glaze, they’re not shy with it. They dunk the whole damn fritter, meaning that the tooth-​buckling sweetness hides in every nook and bunghole, and that even the bottom is hella glazed. Too many fritters get the top-​only treatment, and I couldn’t be more overjoyed that these fine Mainers go all the way and give those suckers the full Brazilian.

Very good donuts and apple fritters. Nice change from manufactured Dunkin’s products. The coffee however was a bit week or they would have gotten 4 stars.

Of all places to find an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. Decent phở, but great bun tuoi, fried dumplings, and fresh rolls. The place also makes homemade French-​style baking, reminiscent of colonial era Vietnam. Fresh French croissants, plain and chocolate, in the morning, followed by phở with strong coffee in the afternoon… in this little town well off the beaten path and certainly well away from the ethnic eatery centers of New England.