ELLSWORTH, Maine — The city is getting a couple of new eateries this month but also has lost two in recent weeks.
Last weekend, a barbecue joint named Mainely Meat BBQ became the newest addition to Ellsworth’s Main Street restaurant scene. The restaurant, which is located in a building near the post office, officially opened on Sunday and serves lunch and dinner seven days a week.
A family-run business, Mainely Meat BBQ operates seasonally in two other locations: a stand-alone restaurant and an eatery at Atlantic Brewing Co., both in Bar Harbor. Laura Vandiver owns the new Ellsworth restaurant as well as the stand-alone restaurant on Route 3.
Vandiver said adding the location in Ellsworth will enable family members and other Mainely Meat employees to work through the winter months.
“We wanted someplace year-round,” Vandiver said when asked why the family chose to open in Ellsworth.
Mainely Meat joins at least eight other small, independent restaurants, cafes or other eateries located on lower Main and adjacent streets.
On High Street, meanwhile, work crews are busy converting the former Friendly’s restaurant into a Governor’s Restaurant and Bakery. Randy Wadleigh, COO and president of the Old Town-based chain, said Monday that they hope to open on Monday, April 23. The Friendly’s closed down in October last year.
Two other eateries in Ellsworth have closed down recently.
Hillfire Grill, which occupied a prominent location on Route 3 near Walmart, Darling’s Auto and the now closed Lowe’s store, abruptly closed about a week ago, apparently because of slow economic conditions. The sign outside the 3-year-old restaurant thanked customers for their patronage and ended with the statement, “Closed Forever.”
Karen’s Cafe, which shared space in Maine Coast Mall alongside Mr. Paperback, closed early last month after Mr. Paperback’s owners announced they were shuttering all 10 bookstores around Maine.
Great for jobs, but Governor’s Restaurant food is not good. Bland, greasy, salty, and unhealthy come to mind…
Then don’t eat there?
Love Governors food! Welcome to town Randy! You will do well in Ellsworth!
I hope this is good news for some past Friendly’s employees who may get a job. Good luck to them.
now all Elsworth needs is a golden coral. That is the best place out of any restrant
sigh… where are all the healthy dining options?
In your fridge, likely.
LOL… you got that right!
Like what?
I’d like to see someplace that offers more vegetarian options than a veggie burger and a salad. I travel often for work and been to a few cool places that integrate many creative meat-free dishes alongside the carnivorous options on the menu.
I thought Gov’s had a few options other than those you mention, Veg. lasagna, soups ect. And they have a bunch of fish offerings. I guess a Veg. heavy menu is a costly one to have and to prepare, then dispose of when they don’t sell.Maybe we can get a kitchen put into Blue Seal Feeds & Needs?
Helen’s in Ellsworth offer’s Vegetarian Selections!
Something like vegetarian pulled-pork sandwich, veggie short ribs, vegan brisket? There’s always room for vegetables…right next to the steak!
Hey, they actually have veggie BBQ you know… but not in Ellsworth!!! The stuff I tried was pretty damn good too!
”Our beef now has so many hormones, it’s a member of the transgender community.” — Stephen Colbert
That’s the problem with your steak… hormones, antibiotics, pink slime etc unless you get the organic stuff which the majority of restaurants don’t serve.
I was on Boston.com yesterday & they had a list of about 28 of Boston’s best sandwiches. It’s still on there today. Hit the “lifestyles” button near the top of the homepage, then once you’re on there, scroll 1/2way down the page til you find “food/restaurants”….these look really good
Not sorry to see the Hillfire close. Lousy service and poor selection of food.
Replacing one greasy spoon with another…
I wonder why Olive Garden doesn’t open in Ellsworth as I have never been to one without a waiting line.
I’m surprised we’re getting any new restaurants in Ellsworth, isn’t the town council made up of restaurant owners?
EDITED to acknowledge, clearly I was misinformed!
I don’t think a single one of the city councilors own a restaurant.
I don’t think the City Council has any restaurant owners.
Cause Olive Gardens don’t have cooks…They have microwave chef’s all they do is heat & serve pre-portioned vacuum sealed bags & put it on a plate per corporate specs & looks. At least Govorner’s can grill a burger medium and make FF crispy!
I am fairly certain it is not “Cause Olive Gardens don’t have cooks … They have microwave chef’s …” ;) Regardless how they prepare their food, it is a treat for many people. As I said, I have never been to one where there was not a waiting line, which makes it sound like a profitable endeavor to me.
While I do like Olive Garden on occasion, I will choose a local restaurant over a corporate chain any day of the week.
It will be nice to have a bakery again in town. Pumpernickle bagels, mmmm. Hope they are as good as Larry’s was.
Downtown Ellsworth has become a true dining destination, with a wide variety of options including: Union River Lobster Pot (seasonal), 86 This, Cleonice Mediterranean Bistro, Simone’s, The Riverside Cafe, Finn’s Irish Pub, Charlie’s Pizza, Mainely Meat BBQ, The Mex, The Maine Grind, Morton’s Moo, Angelo’s Pizza, State Street Grocery, Mike’s Country Store, Pepper’s Pub, Rooster Brother, and John Edward’s. In other words, everything from dive bar to James Beard-nominated cuisine, from grab-and-go to casual dining, from Mexican to Italian to Irish to Barbecue to seafood to American comfort food to pizza, and more. So…the next time you’re hungry, come to Ellsworth!