Billboard Hot 100 and has become a staple of classic rock radio; it also reached number one on the Canadian Singles Chart.

[3] He said, "Again, that's going back to the 'Night Moves' situation where I was writing about my high school years in Ann Arbor and what it was like — the discovery, the total naivete and fresh–faced openness that I went through.

"[5]Ultimate Classic Rock critic Jed Gottlieb cites "Mainstreet" as an example of Seger's love for "beautiful losers".

[6] He notes that Seger sings about a "dancer in a downtown dive" rather than the waitresses, prom queens, or college girls who would be the subject of other singers' songs.

[6] Billboard felt that the imagery used by the singer to remember his love for the bar dancer was reminiscent of Van Morrison.

[7] Cash Box compared it to "Night Moves" saying that "this haunting ballad hits home with the same emotive chording, expressive vocalization and dramatic close.

[11] Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section Cash Box called the song a "haunting ballad" that "hits home with the same emotive chording, expressive vocalization and dramatic close" as "Night Moves".

[12] VH1's Mike McPadden selected "Mainstreet" as one of Seger's 10 most essential songs, describing it as "sad, sweet, soulful, and even spooky" for how it evokes the emotions of a hopeful but frustrated young man watching a woman he is too scared to approach.