The Bag & Kettle

The bag is amazing, the bag burger is one of a kind and the atmosphere can’t be duplicated. If you’re at sugarloaf looking for a great burger this is where you want to go.

It is the pub enthusiast (and everything that comes with it) in me that gives The Bag & Kettle five stars. This is a great pub.
What makes a great pub, you may ask? I’ll tell you…
A great pub makes you feel like a local no matter where you come from because it is THE gathering spot. The Bag & Kettle is the local watering hole, and you can tell from the moment you sit down. People know each other here and aren’t afraid to say hello. You feel comfortable enough to jump into the conversation or just sit back and enjoy your beer while you people-​watch. The owner mingles, the waitstaff lingers to chat and the cook comes out to see how you like your sandwich.
A great pub has equally great beer… on draft… preferably their own or local brew. The Bag & Kettle has a spread of eight «Mountain Brewed Ales from the Bag & Kettle Brewing Company,» and there are brew tanks on site. I tried the Bag Brown Ale — to complement my Bag Burger as the menu suggests — and it really was the perfect pub brew with my meal. Strong enough to stand up to the heartiest food, but light enough to leave some room for that food in your stomach.
A great pub has great food to even out all that drinking you’re going to do. The Bag Burger was in Skiing magazine’s top five worldwide grilled meat sandwiches in 2006, and don’t think that accolade has expired. I always say that when a restaurant serves a burger with the minimal, classic toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion and maybe cheese), it is a good indicator that the burger is something great. You have to have a great burger if you’re not putting anything on it to hide it. And that is the Bag Burger: juicy, flavorful, perfectly grilled, and served with the bare necessities. We had ordered the Southwest Chipotle/​Pesto Dip prior to our meal and had a little left over, so I smeared some on my burger bun, and it was amazing. The dip is the perfect blend of pesto and smoky chipotle with a little bite. The housemade chips are the perfect vehicle to get that dip into your mouth.
A great pub has a comfortable atmosphere where you can cozy up to a conversation about whatever piques your interest or relax to watch the game. The Bag & Kettle has your expected all-​wood interior of a ski resort locale, but the booths and chairs are comfy enough to stay for a while. The flow is good, and you don’t have to be subjected to a television if you don’t want to be, which is a good option to have.
If you’re at Sugarloaf, get yourself to The Bag for lunch or dinner. Try the Bag Burger with the Bag Brown Ale (if that’s your thing). You won’t regret it.

I will say. Crowded. If you can get past that-​better chill spot than gipettos. If not hit gipettos.
Beers flow like wine. Après nation population you.

The star is for the fantastic location not the food. I was told the bag has «the best cheeseburger ever.» So after having the nachos which were nothing to write home about… I tried the cheeseburger. Dry, overlooked, stale roll burger. Not good. Not even good if it was in a hospital cafeteria. The only good thing here… location. Food was a zero. Service was just ok.

My card was overcharged (not part of a big group). Spoke to the manager a few days later once I noticed the overcharge on my account and he refused to credit me the overcharge. Is this even legal?! He claimed every time someone uses a credit card or debit card it is charged a percentage at restaurants and convenience stores. I have never, ever heard of this in my life! Never have I been charged extra for using my card.
Direct quote from manager, «I am not going to credit you because then I lose out». He told me it happens all the time to him and told me to call my bank. Well. then. I hope you lose business for being rude to your costumers when it is your establishment that is consistently having these issues.
My family and friends will no longer go to your establishment which is mediocre at best anyways.
Goodluck.

To start, the Bag Burger is legendary… and with good reason. It is consistently great, juicy, has two pieces of cheese on it, great meat… and even the gluten free roll is really good. Their regular pizza is also great, with the pepperoni pizza awesome, and they have a Chicken Pizza that is also great though their GF pizza option is NOT very good. (Go to the Rack if you want GF pizza at Sugarloaf) Even their salads are good, particularly the Bag Monster… but remember this is Pub food… not the salad you would get in a high end restaurant, but it is good! Their apps are ok to good, and their drinks are reasonably priced.
Service is usually good, especially if you get a seat at the bar… but can suffer at the tables.
The main knock against the bag is that it is old and tired. People come because the food is good, but the place seriously needs a 100% renovation, more than the relatively minor painting and other recent updates. It is extremely old, tired and often does not smell great. A renovation that changes the layout, gets the bar so it faces the mountain and has some views and has better flow, but in general an appearance that makes it seem nothing has been replaced since 1969 is solely needed. The place is an institution, but one sorely in need of an overhaul.
One star is lost due to tiredness, but the food is a 5 and service a 4.5.
You have to eat here if you are at Sugarloaf!

quick, good, bar food place that will get you in and out and back to what you came to do– shred!

GET. THE. BAG. BURGER. Perfect sustenance after a long dark drive through the western Maine mountains or a day skiing Sugarloaf’s legendary moguls. Excellent beer selections.

The Bag is a pub at a remote and classic hard-​core, no-​fluff ski area. If you are looking for world class service and gourmet food, go to Aspen or someplace else. If you are looking for a friendly, classic pub atmosphere, with great pub food, it’s hard to beat The Bag. Ski Magazine rated the Bag Burger among the best in the country. Just keep it simple, and don’t expect too much. Yes it gets incredibly busy at lunch time. Yes, the servers are way too busy and the crowd makes it hard to serve with perfection. The Bag has an incredibly loyal following for good reasons, and despite its flaws, I will keep coming back.

I always make it a point to eat here (daily if I can) during extended stays at Sugarloaf. The staff have never been overly rude, they have actually been friendly. The Gucci is an amazing burger, I mean, how can one complain about pepperoni in their burger?! It has always been cooked to the requested temperature.
Another favorite that is a must try is their seafood chowder. I have never had anything so good! Perfect way to take a break, or finish your day from the slopes in this cozy atmosphere. They also serve free popcorn!

This place is amazing! Best burger, best Dixie chicken sandwich, and whatever the white sauce is that they give you with your meal is out-​of-​this-​world. Long wait to eat because it’s always so busy, but super friendly staff and delicious food make this a must-​visit every time we go to sugarloaf.

The Bag is what I would consider your typical pub food. They’re in my list of ‘ehhhh it’s alright…’. I wouldn’t wait in line for The Bag. But if Gepetto’s is overflowing and my friends are already there for a few beers, then yeh I may grab a seat and order a burger.
But all in all, The Bag is one of those places you can either take it or leave it.
BTW — if you’re thinking about Cheeseburger soup here, don’t. It’s just not the same as you know where…

Bag Burger. ‘Nuff said.

Stopped in here after a day of skiing for a beer and nachos.
The beer was cold and reasonably priced for a ski resort.
The service was friendly and we had our choice of tables.
The atmosphere is bar like.
The nachos are the reason for two stars. Cheap chips with a layer of squeeze cheese poured over the top, some salsa and sour cream also poured over top with a handful of jalapeños to top it off.
I’d only go back here for beer.

The bag is an essential part to sugarloafs identity. Not only do they serve one of the best burgers on the east coast but the atmosphere is perfect. The wait service (for the most part), is extremely Rude. I have had multiple instances where the waitress will complain About the fair tip as left, and also an instance where she assumed everyone wanted the burger And left before we could make the order we wanted.

Bag Burgers are a part of Sugarloaf legend that all meat-​eaters must experience. They are one of the few remaining restaurants that actually cooks a burger the way your order it, rather than charring everything. Perfectly marinated, juicy, and flavorful. I also strongly recommend using the house sauce, you won’t regret it.
I only get a Bag Burger maybe once or twice a year, but I spend the other 363 days dreaming about them.

There are only a handful of places to eat and drink at for apres ski, and The Bag & Kettle is probably your best choice. It’s a small cozy establishment, with the dining room on the left consisting of about 15 – 20 tables, and a small bar area on the right with several LCD TV’s playing sports games. When you walk in, don’t wait for a hostess to seat you as this is a seat yourself establishment.
During happy hour (around 3 – 4 PM), they serve you slightly less than a pint of microbrew draft beers for $ 2.50. The beers are not the best, somewhat muddled but will get the job done, plus you will get to taste some of Maine’s brews. I tried the Bag Brown Ale, one of the favorites, a traditional English style ale that is slightly malty and lightly hopped. And I mean lightly!
For starters, our party of 4 ordered the Super Nachos. I believe it is normally $ 10.95 but was charged $ 9.99, possibly because it was during happy hour. This dish was tiny in size, averaging about 20 round tortilla chips topped with spicy chili and red kidney beans. Complimented on the side were a container each of salsa, sour cream, and pickled jalapenos. We each only got to eat a few chips, before we realized it was gone. It could easily be eaten by 1 person or shared by 2 people. If you’re a nachos fan, don’t expect much, as it was a bit drab and boring without much going on. They didn’t even top it with nacho cheese, which I consider a must for nachos.
While looking through the menu, I saw that a lot of dishes had crispy pepperoni, so I figured that was one of their specialties that I had to try. For my entrée, I ordered the Gucci ($ 11.25) which is a cheeseburger with strips of crispy spicy pepperoni on both sides of the bun!!! Served on the side was lettuce, a slice of fresh tomato, raw onions, and a bed of curly fries. This burger was delicious, well-​marinaded and full of flavor. The bacon took it over the top, crispy and salty with a subtle spice. Mmmmm, it is definitely a burger worth getting and all of us agreed that it was quite juicy and tasty. The bed of curly fries were crispy and slightly potatoey inside, but they screamed for salt as they were unseasoned and bland alone.
Table service was somewhat kind of lackluster. When we had asked about the drinks, not all of us were able to hear the waitress, so we had to ask her to repeat it twice. She responded uncaringly and as if we were a bit slow and brutish. But overall, The Bag & Kettle definitely serves some delicious burgers and cheap drinks. The quality of their appetizers and fries were subpar and could use improvement though. I found this place to be a good go-​to stop for apres skiing. It’s cozy and relaxing, but I wouldn’t expect much beyond that.

My parents own a house on the mountain and without fail every time I visit we always go to The Bag. We will either for apres skiing or lunch time.
The burgers are amazing and I love how they brew there own beers.
Everyone at the bar is super friendly. One time I had damaged my knee (brought down my ski patrol) and immediately went to The Bag by myself after First Aid (against their suggestion). Made some great friends and never felt by myself. Such a friendly and sociable crowd.
I have never had a bad experience here. Great service, food and beer!

Best apres ski option at Sugarloaf. It is very cozy inside with plenty of room to relax with ski boots on.
They brew their own beer which I loved. The wood fire oven turns out some yummy pizza. The burgers, soups, chili are all great options as well. Overall a great place to grab a beer after a long day on the slopes.

I have been dining at the Bag & Kettle for 21 years (since I was 3 years old). I have spent many an afternoon there with my family and friends and I don’t think there is another restaurant on Earth that holds such an esteemed place in my heart.
The food is just wonderful. The menu is extensive with a variety of hearty pub fare which is a perfect warm-​up after a chilly morning on the slopes. When I was younger, I was a huge fan of their chicken burger. Now I’m a sucker for the classic Bag Burger. Their buns are baked daily and their curly fries are wonderful. They even have a delightful secret sauce. On Wednesdays and Sundays they feature Cheeseburger Soup which I am completely crazy about it (a superbowl and baguette will fill you right up). It’s such creamy goodness and I am salivating just thinking about it. Their pizzas are great too.
They also are a microbrewery and they offer a variety of tasty beers, but I usually go for a nice bottle of Ballentine Ale which features riddles on the caps.
On busy weekends it’s best to head in around 11 to avoid the lunch rush. It’s also a nice apres ski place for dinner or a few drinks at the bar.
Enjoy!