Nighthawk's Kitchen

Delicious Hot Sandwiches in Freeport

You know how there are times when you crave a certain food? After a morning of driving all over mid-coast Maine for property showings, I was really craving a cheeseburger. It had been months since I had last eaten one, and on that particular fall day, that was what I wanted. I could almost smell the sautéd onions that would top it. Unfortunately though, as I was driving around, I couldn’t find a place serving burgers that wasn’t limited to lengthy dine-in dining only or that was even open. A few of the diners and take-out shops that I had previously visited on past trips in the area had not survived the pandemic. I had just resigned myself to eating pizza for a quick lunch once I returned to my Freeport office, but then as I was exiting the ramp on Desert Road, I recalled seeing a food truck parked by Mast Landing Brewing Company at “Freeport Crossing”. I wasn’t sure if it was still there given that we were in autumn temperatures, and the menu was unknown. Happily Nighthawk’s Kitchen with its exciting menu choices was open for business and yes, there were several options for burgers. It was THE BEST BURGER I HAVE EVER HAD!!! Oh, and did I mention the crispy onion straws that topped my burger? They were, in a word, delicious.

Chef and owner Christian “Nighthawk” Noe brings a lengthy career of catering to big names of the food and entertainment industries to his namesake establishment. As of March 2022, the food truck is now gone, replaced with a true brick and mortar restaurant within the tasting facility of Mast Landing Brewing Company. Chef Noe recently celebrated the restaurant’s grand opening at the Brewery. Nighthawk’s Kitchen offers grab and go options, as well as a full dine-in and take out menu. Folks visiting the Mast Landing Brewing Company next door can order from the restaurant's menu and have the food delivered to them while enjoying a beer. As a culinary partner to the brewery, the kitchen’s recipes are meant to complement the all-star lineup of craft brews. Nighthawk’s Kitchen will also be catering events at the private 4000 sq ft event space on the second floor of the brewery.

Using fresh and locally sourced ingredients, the restaurant’s culinary focus and its mission is to provide an approachable take on American and International comfort food inspired by recipes we all crave, like the BEST BURGER EVER. One wall proudly displays framed copies of Christian’s grandmother’s tried-and-true recipes as a cool design feature and testament to that culinary mission. My newest favorite dish at the restaurant is the roast beef sandwich with caramelized onions, horseradish sauce, fig jam, and microgreens served on a Kummelweck roll (a hard kaiser type roll covered in coarse ground salt and caraway seeds) aka “Beef on Weck.” I am working my way through the menu and that will be MY culinary mission.

The front of the restaurant is a wall of windows that fills the interior with natural light and makes it seem more spacious. It is a great spot to meet up with friends and family or to grab a quick meal to go. On a recent trip, I met a family with 2 budding young artists that were enjoying their selections from the kid’s menu offering Bento Boxes. With Vegetarian options like the Jackfruit Reuben, braised in Mast Landing’s Stout and English Lager, Russian Dressing, Swiss and Sauerkraut on Grilled Rye, it makes a great place for my vegetarian daughter and I to dine. In an introductory press release from a year ago, Christian “Nighthawk” Noe, was quoted as saying “ I am excited to bring my classic crowd favorite recipes to Freeport. My collaboration with the Mast Landing team has been so enjoyable and we’re so excited to welcome all the fantastic food lovers out there!” For all those food lovers, myself included, we are excited to have Nighthawk’s Kitchen in Freeport.