Cellar Bistro

Best happy hour deals in town. We love the cheese and meat board. They’re known for the impressive wine list, but you’ll be equally happy with the rotating selection of half a dozen local beers and cider. Dine in one of the hand carved wooden booths or sit at the bar.

We didn’t have any particular expectations before arriving at the Cellar Bistro, but it would have been a surprise in any event. The restaurant is housed in what was fit out as a restaurant in the 1930’s, except that every detail has been meticulously and carefully preserved. And the details, crafted by some master long forgotten carpenters, are quite beautiful and now quaint.
Fortunately, the food is quite good. C and I assembled a dinner from these items:
— 3 cheese, cheese board. Red Devil was a cheese that we didn’t know but really liked. A creamy cheddar with mustard seeds. Definitely try it! Also, the blue and the manchego were excellent.
— An order of arancinis (3 pcs.)
— A crabcake (1), on a bed of risotto.
— Cannoli (3 pcs.)
Everything was very good, but, sadly, the cannoli were missing the pistachios that traditionally are sprinkled on the ends and the filling was surprisingly less sweet than typical.
Food: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Ambiance: 5 stars

The food is absolutely amazing, and the server was very friendly! Definition try their seafood, you will not regret it.

This place was recommended to us by the local hotel. First, the atmosphere is wonderful. It’s based on a 1937 soda fountain shop. The hand crafted woodwork, warm ambienace and pleasant staff made for an enjoyable evening.
The cheese platter is a must. My colleague made all the selections (pick five cheese/​meats). We had a dozen fresh oysters… delicious! We ordered an aronchoti appetizer (three small balls) and they were drizzled in pesto/​olive oil, incredible. We ordered a nice bottle of wine (½ of bottles of wine on Wednesday night). We were too full for dessert but I’m sure it’s delicious. This will be a regular spot when we visit Ellsworth again!

THEY ARE OPEN FOR LUNCH!
And it’s delicious
Great deals on lunch specials and soup/​salad/​sandwich combos

Just wanted some wine and cheese, but we’re pleasantly surprised by a list of specials. The food was terrific, the combinations were unique. Glad to have found this gem of a restaurant.

The ease of locating this gem is bar none. The menu will suit all types but it was a challenge for me to select what I wanted — because all of the options were so appealing.
The ambiance is quaint and Maine. The staff is friendly and vested in your dining experience.
I was blown away by the cheese board and as an experienced diner– cannot wait to come back with family & friends.
The menu is wonderful the food is absolute high quality and you’re paying a beyond reasonable fare by comparison.
This was an amazing lunch spot– and I hope others explore their options here as well.

Playful flavor combinations make this a fun dining experience! Some fall flat (oregano, bleu cheese, and prosciutto on potato chips — bleck!) but most are very successful. Recommend the crab cakes, or whatever the burger special happens to be (marmalade and bacon changed our life!)

We came in during rainy late 3pm lunch. They were out of alot because they had gotten slammed at lunch time. Food inventive, service attentive and great selection of beer & wine by glass, great historical space, cool history of building. Can we say?, Bacon Marmalade Burger!!! Yum!

Food is good. Share an entrée. Large portions. Service great. You must come here. Add it to your list. Not 5 star because they don’t offer pie.

I’ve eaten here several times and have never been disappointed. I had the burger with bacon marmalade recently and it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. My companions had equally good paninni sandwiches and really awesome shrimp and haddock chowder. They have a good wine selection and espresso too. I will eat here many times on my weekly trip through Ellsworth.

A great find on our midwinter getaway. The service was excellent. Our waitress was attentive, friendly, and accommodating. The kitchen staff obviously knows their business. The herb marinated flank steak was excellent and cooked perfectly. I like my beef rare and it’s surprising how few places can serve a good cut of meat at that temp. It’s either raw or over cooked. The butternut squash raviolis were homemade and the pumpkin-​almond sauce was very tasty.
A very good selection of wines by the glass and, more importantly to me, the beers on tap were not your standard fare but a good selection of microbrews, ranging from light to dark. Something for most palates without any mass produced swill.
All in all a great meal and I would highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area. There’s a distinct possibility we may go back tomorrow night so I can try their bolognese.
Night 2 — The bolognese was great as was the stuffed pork tenderloin!

Great historic vibe, cozy atmosphere but most importantly food is excellent. Stuffed pork was nice and moist, cheese board was some of the best cheese I’ve tried, my wife really enjoyed the oysters and signature drinks. Service couldn’t be better– was attentive but not overbearing! Would recommend!

We ate here on a whim, after a random google search to find a quick lunch spot. It was DELICIOUS and there were so many options that just looked incredible. I ended up with a grilled steak panini with red dragon cheddar spread, baby spinach, and some kind of garlic aioli. Typically, I would just order the «insides» of the sandwich (no bread, as I am gluten-​free) but they had really delicious GF bread that I was able to substitute. Probably the best meal I had in Maine.

We had a great dinner here while on vacation. The menu has a nice balance of starters, salads, small plates, and mains. Portions aren’t huge, but satisfying. They have a lot of wines by the glass, hard to choose just one, so I had the flight: choose any four for $ 12. What a great deal! And a nice way to try several wines.
We had cherrystones to start, followed by a cheeseboard — the two Maine cheeses (Pink peppercorn chèvre and sharp cheddar) are must-​haves, as is the Italian soppressata. We each had a great salad — the mushroom and the spinach/​pear (the honey dressing was really nice). And then we had the ahi tuna special and the pork belly. Both were very good. We ended the evening by sharing the lemon shortbread cake which was AMAZING. The staff are friendly and casual.
Atmosphere is nice, cozy booths with seating for four. (Not sure what happens for larger parties.)
We want to go back — a table near us was having the filet mignon and it looked really good!

Reported that I had an onion allergy but there were onions in the salad. The server was a very pleasant person but he could not find the ice tea, had no idea what salad dressing varieties were available. Management needs to do training for new employees. Food was nothing special.

Great happy hour find! The place is adorable. I came in and had a super glass of white burgandy wine. I also had to try their ½ price cheese plate which was lovely. I took most of that home so I could eat the mussels. The menu was varied. I don’t eat any meat but chicken so I was happy there was a variety. Richie was the manager/​bartender. He was kind and just the right person to make a guest feel welcome. I will be back!

We are First timers and lunch was great — arugula salad and cheese plate with salami, apples, fig & caramelized onion compote. The rest of the menu looks inviting: raw bar, soups & salads and delicious sounding entrees