Maine Diner and Gift Shop — Attraction in Wells

August 7, 2025 - “ Stacked & Packed” diner on Rt. 1 in Wells, Maine . . . Serving 1300 to 1400 customers a day in summer ! 😃👍🏼

My wife , her sister, and I enjoyed lunch , only 15 minute wait . Our server Deb moved like the Flash . . . waiting on several tables at once! Can’t get enough fresh seafood , especially from the bowels of Virginia . . . We loaded up on Lobstah rolls, Haddock sandwich, and Half & Half Plate of fried Scallops & Haddock! Maine seafood is the BEST .

Deb started me on a bowl of their award-winning Seafood Chowder. Deb confirms their soup wins the Ogunquit Chowderfest often , I did like it! (I prefer the buttery broth of Dolphin’s Fish Chowder in Harpswell) The flavorful lobster chunks were delicious!

The lunch seafood entrees were all very good! We really liked the potato salad & Cole slaw side dishes too ! My wife loved the fresh corn muffin ! My scallops & fried haddock was excellent! 😃👍🏼 Over all , a very good diner for lunch ! Thank you !

The Maine Diner’s background about Socrates “ Louie” Toton was very interesting. Seems he operated a Boston diner then retired to Maine . Several sources mention different time periods of this transition . . . was it the late 1940’s? Or 1953? Or early 1960’s? Not so sure . Even the diner website mentions 2 different dates.

Eventually Louie started up a garden plot for veggies, then opened his Maine Diner. Over time Dick Henry & wife took over in 1983. By 2018 new owner Jim MacNeill operated the Maine Diner & gift shop.

Note: I guess Google Maps lumps this business into both the Maine Diner & Gift Shop. Should be separate for reviewers. I didn’t visit the gift shop. But my wife did, usual “ Maine Stuff” (Jams, magnets,...

If I'm being honest, if there were a 3.5 option, I would give it, but due to wait times, decent food (not great food), and being ignored for most of the time, we ate didn't make me feel like a happy customer. We started by coming to this restaurant with a recommendation from a family member; At the same time, he was satisfied the many times he came here, and my family didn't have the experience we expected. We arrived at approximately 10:45 in the morning and were told it would be a 25-30 minute wait, so we decided to try this restaurant. After all, they did have cornhole out front while we waited- so at least we could burn off our time. However, the expected wait time was exceeded by a beyond reasonable amount. The wait was just over an hour, and at this point, we were getting a tiny bit grumpy. We kept checking in and made a polite appearance, but the lady with the list of names seemed inattentive, and some people with the same size groups got in before us, which upset us. Not cool, man! After about an hour and fifteen minutes, we finally took a seat where I ordered blueberry pancakes which supposedly were supposed to be good; yet the plate was decent, not what I expected for this much of a long wait. I felt as if I was cheated out of a meal as the wait turned from a late breakfast to lunch. One of my family members agreed that my food wasn't the best; they claimed their food was good, but they didn't appreciate the wait.

If this place isn't busy, I would say it's OK to come here; you wouldn't get sick from the food, but pick your battles- I wouldn't come here if there were a long line.

-Summary-

Long waits OK food Not worth a 10+ min...

I went for breakfast excited by a dinner still open these days hoping to taste the blueberries pancakes but looking at the menu even had my mouth watering to try everything and noticed they served cornbeef hash (one of my favorites), but to be more then disappointed on everything on my plate starting with my Sunnyside up eggs even though that had to be the best tasting of it all along with my fully buttered toast. The eggs white uncooked on top, lower half of yoke over cooked, hash brown was cold and tastes off as if that almost outdated finekine, the pancakes omg look so good with so many blueberries mite as well call them pancake blueberries ya it look that good yum!! But unfortunately I could taste the mix even over all the blueberries and had two small Smuckers syrup containers given with these two very large dry pancakes that couldn't even overcome the batter taste. To all do honesty I didn't even know Smuckers made syrup but for a extra $$ I could get real syrup but even I don't think that would make it much better. The sausage links I'll give a 5 out of 10 maybe because everything else was horrible. To be completely honest Ed the toast being completely buttered was the only highlite and would not recommend going here for breakfast eating cereal at home would be cheaper and better tasting and wouldn't leave a bad taste in your mouth. I can't say anything about lunch or dinner since I haven't tried there or would I ever return to try it. If I was a resident of Wells Maine I be insulted knowing that this dinner takes the good name of Maine in putting it on the sign. Be safe and there are much better breakfast places to eat at even your...