With summer fast approaching, Old Orchard Beach is an obvious beach destination for many in Greater Portland. However, the club-thumping, pier-rocking dance-party festivities of many of the bars in OOB are not always what you have in mind.
Rest assured, a mecca has been found.
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On Old Orchard Street (not to be confused with Old Orchard Road), also known as the “Main Drag,” sits The Strike Zone. Unlike some of its neighbors, The Strike Zone is not a bar about beach bodies and shots. It certainly has both, but this is a much more laid-back place, an indoor Fenway Park complete with Green Monster seating, burgers and franks, and televisions everywhere (tuned to ESPN, Cartoon Network and some cable show while I was there).
You’ll find the bar area immediately on your right if you enter from the back lot. On Saturday mornings, bartender Kristin MacWhinnie greets her regular customers with an exuberant “hi!” and a toe touch if she is excited to see you. This kind of fun and service seems to be the norm.
The tall wooden bar seats about a dozen patrons, and the top features old baseball cards floating in a resin surface. If you’d rather sit at a table or booth, there are plenty right behind the bar along the windows looking out on the street traffic. Or there are the patio tables for when the weather is nice.
Like any good pub, beer is the drink of choice at The Strike Zone, with eight choices on tap ($2.75 to $4.50 for both 16 and 20 ounces) and almost two dozen by the bottle ($2.75 to $3.50). There is also a substantial assortment of Twisted Teas, Hard Lemonades and Smirnoff Ice for those looking to drink something a little lighter. In the summer, you can get a 32-ounce Bud or Bud Light draft for only $4 during any Red Sox game.
The wine selection is mostly house options of chardonnay, pinot, riesling, merlot and cabernet ($4.75 to $5.75), with Kendall Jackson the top-shelf bottle.
There are also drink specials every night after 3 p.m., including Friday night wine specials (Sutter Home, $4) and Thursday night Dos Equis drafts for $3. You can also check out happy hour from 3 to 6:30 p.m., with $1.75 domestic drafts and $2.75 well drinks.
The bartenders will make any mixed drink from the fully stocked bar. Each bartender usually has a specialty or her own twist on a classic, so make sure to ask what her favorites are. If you are looking for something fun that you might not find at many other bars, try the popular Cherries in 151 ($2 each), a little burst of fruit and liquor in your mouth.
The food menu is what you would find in most any sports bar or pub with burgers, pizza and wings.
If you are interested in making a day of it in Old Orchard Beach, start with a breakfast special. For less than $8, you can get a full plate. Pair your meal with a bloody Mary pitcher, and you have yourself a pretty good beginning to the day.
Elisa Doucette is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.
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