The Most Historic, Scrumptious Fast Food Place From Each New England State
Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions, or personal experiences.
From burgers to hot dogs, fries, lobster rolls, and sandwiches, we know fast, delicious food doesn't always mean a chain drive-through. So here you go if you want historic, delicious, and fast around New England, with six of the most historic serving up their well-known fast food for decades and beyond.
Maine
An hour northeast of Portland, Maine, sits the tiny town of Wiscasset and its tiny food shack called Red's Eats.
With the lobster roll being Maine's signature fast food, you better believe that according to the website LoveFood, Red's most succulent lobster roll is about as good as you can get, having been around since 1938. It's a cute roadside stand that specializes in soft buns piled gloriously with fresh lobster meat with a side of Maine butter, according to LoveFood. You can also find juicy hamburgers, fried scallops, and ice cream among the some 70 items that this food shack cooks up.
Massachusetts
It's been around since 1890, so you can bet that as one of the oldest diners in the entire country, Casey's Diner in Natick, Massachusetts, made this list, according to Love Food.
It started as a mobile horse-cart with four stools where people could belly up for food and drink. It does have a lunch cart in Worcester that started in 1922. Meanwhile, the fourth generation of the original owner’s family still runs Casey's, known for that fabulous part of the fast food realm: hot dogs and burgers.
New Hampshire
Moe’s Italian Sandwiches in the Seacoast's adorable Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was born in 1959. According to LoveFood, a cheese salesman named Phil Pagano decided he'd rather run a restaurant that served just one sandwich: a salami and provolone with peppers, onions, dill pickles, olives, tomatoes, and olive oil on a roll. Here we are today, with a bigger menu and multiple locations. Moe's is now a favorite among Seacoast locals and visitors, and the original sandwich that started it all still remains the most popular.
Connecticut
I'm sure you've heard of Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, right? After all, they're the reason the world has hamburgers.
According to LoveFood, Louis' Lunch was established in 1895 and is recognized by the Library of Congress as the birthplace of the hamburger. So yes, those old-fashioned burgers with five cuts of meat on slices of white sandwich bread are still the main, delicious draw.
Rhode Island
It's called Olneyville New York System in Providence, Rhode Island, and according to LoveFood, it all started with a Greek family from New York City who relocated in the 1930s to Providence's Olneyville Square. They eventually moved one more time within Providence in 1953.
The unique name moved with them, since their signature hot wieners topped with a Coney-style sauce is a mouthwatering favorite in Rhode Island.
Vermont
It's called Al’s French Frys, first opening as a rural French fry stand in the late '40s. Since then, it's become a thriving restaurant with the most loyal of following, according to LoveFood.
This South Burlington, Vermont, must-eat is famous for the having the absolute best, most delicious French fries you'll ever put in your mouth. And with those fries, you can enjoy burgers, dogs, chicken sandwiches, clam strips, as well as salads and wraps.