Elevenses — Restaurant in Brunswick

I have been waiting a while to try out Elevenses to give them some time to get their feet under them and I finally went today and was pretty underwhelmed. The decor is pretty and very fun, which is a huge plus! Unfortunately in the 30 minutes we were there we saw two different people almost fall over sitting on chairs or benches that were unsteady. Our table also rocked significantly if anyone even set a hand on it. The door was open, I imagine because it seems they don’t have AC? It was nice to have the fresh air but it was quite warm in there compared to outside. Also because of the open door there were many flies inside which was unappetizing. While standing in line I noticed the barista scoop some mascarpone out of a tub with a spoon and then use her very long artificial nail to push the mascarpone into a cup. That wasn't ideal. For the food/drinks: The iced chai was just a sweet, vaguely spiced glass of milk. And expensive. Unfortunately a lot of coffee shops can’t get their chai right so this isn’t unique to Elevenses.
The tiramisu latte had an impressive presentation but the mascarpone cream on top made for an unpleasant first sip— we mixed it together and it had an okay flavor but didn’t taste very much of coffee. We ended up drinking about 1/3 of both drinks and throwing them away.
The french toast was delicious, no notes! If I go again I’d get that. 
The breakfast sandwich was heavy and greasy. I love a greasy bodega sandwich but the combination of the dense cheese biscuit with the greasy fried egg with the greasy bacon and ALSO the mayo was a bit too much. Especially for the price. We didn’t finish this. They also DEFINITELY need the writing on their chalkboard menu to be much larger or to also be suspended from the ceiling like their drinks menu. The line is long and inefficient because people can't read the menu until they're at the front. Also it's very odd that the pastry case is completely empty? Except for some lembas bread which is just labeled as lembas bread but presumably many people visiting won't know what that is? Maybe they're waiting until they're more established to be filling the case, which isn't unreasonable but does lead to an unfinished look. The cashier and the food runner were both very friendly and efficient! I think the place is super cute and I would love to try again if the drinks/food menu improve. Unfortunately for now it seems like this shop is more of a cheeky instagram/tiktok destination than quality coffee shop but I would love to be wrong one day! Until then I'll keep visiting the other (plentiful and wonderful) coffee shops...

It breaks my heart to only be able give this place two stars, but I have to leave an honest review. My family and I were so excited to come here. We are die hard Lord of the Rings fans and this was the very first stop we had when we got into town. So we had high hopes for Elevensies.

1st off let me say that atmosphere and decor wise, this place hits all the marks. The vibe and decor is incredible and really draws you in. You can tell that so much time and energy was put into the detailing for the decor and they did a phenomenal job. Sadly thats pretty much where the magic ends.

Right away when we got to the counter we were met with a very unenthusiastic employee. Not only did she not seem to give much care for lord of the rings, but she really didnt seem to care much about being there at all. She wasnt very friendly and just seemed very eager to get the order placed and move on. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she was having a bad day, but it still didnt leave a good 1st impression.

Following that was the disappointment of the drinks we ordered. I got the iced tiramisu latte, my husband got their version of the London Fog, and our daughter got the blended apple cider. My latte was blan, the syrups were not well balanced, and the coffee itself was very basic and not memorable. My husbands London Fog was the same, and his cup smelled like an old dishwasher, almost like it was cleaned with a smelly dishrag.

Our daughters cider was good, but we were turned off after realizing that we had spent over $30.00 for just the drinks! There are no prices on the menu, and now we understand why. We ended up going to more coffee shops right across the street the following day, and one had incredible house-made flavors and syrups from scratch and we didnt spend that much.

I cannot speak fully on the food as we didn't order any, but we did try the lembas bread samples at the counter. Sadly they were overpoweringly sweet and stodgy.

Unfortunately the overall experience for us was not the best. This place gets a 10/10 for the vibe and decor, but really misses the mark when it comes to a wholesome, welcoming and tasteful experience that you would expect from a Lord of the Rings cafe. If you are a LOTR fan, this place is fun to experience once and see in person. But for us, the price is not justified in the quality of what you are getting to result in us coming back...

I never thought there'd be a LOTR-inspired cafè in Maine! So I have positives and constructive criticism, but overall we had a great experience! I went with my girlfriend on a Friday afternoon. She ordered a Cinnamon Roll and First Breakfast Sando, I ordered Lembas Bread and Smoked Salmon Bennies, we both got the Bear/Man Iced Honeycomb Latte. ● The coffee, by far, AMAZING! Props to the barista. ● The Cinnamon Roll and Lembas Bread, although both very cold, were tasty! We both believe it would've been so much better heated up. ● The First Breakfast Sando was great, had variety and creativity. Her favorite was the English Muffin as it was different than your usual! ● The Smoked Salmon Bennies I had a hard time with. As tasty each ingredient was, the consistency of the fish and egg tested my limits. But delicious! The atmosphere was cozy and warm. I LOVED the fact that they had fantasy/celtic music playing, the plates were wooden or clay and utensils looked blacksmithed, and that the room was COVERED in LOTR memorabilia! My two favorites were the Hobbit door mural and Bilbo Baggins' contract in the glass table! I think anyone would be entertained on the room alone during their entire stay. They have a really cool large coffee menu, but I would add their food menu next to it OR make it more visible as it's only on a piece of paper next to the cashier. station. We came at a great time! It wasn't super busy but it wasn't empty, so it was enjoyable! The staff that took our order were super friendly, ones that manned the coffee were quick, ones that made the food made it look fancy and tasty, the one who served our food always smiled and personable! One thing we noted was the call-out when the coffee was ready was very quiet, some people had no idea. So maybe serve to the table before the meal since the meal is served to you, just an idea! 🪶 Overall, we loved our trip to Elevenses! It was beautiful, cozy, and comfortable! We'll definitely be going again in the future, and recommend this place to anyone who has a passion for Middle Earth and...