Josie's Country Store & Cafe — Restaurant in Ellsworth

As the owner of a small business on the coast of maine I know what it takes to put together a high quality establishment and Josie's is a classic example of a job more than well done by a family obviously dedicated to doing things right. No expense was spared by the current owners in remodeling what was once a rather run down establishment and every detail was obviously given careful thought. The interior is well lit, the display of an incredible variety of snacks, beverages, etc. is painstakingly detailed, and artfully laid out. The bathroom is almost surgically clean and well lit with high quality fixtures.The interior dining area is atractively designed and comfortable but the real attraction is the outdoor dining on the L shaped deck! As with the interior no expense is spared and both design and materials bespeak an almost lavish attention to every detail. For instance the outside railings are constructed of attractive (and expensive!) stainless steel cable like that used for sailboat rigging and presents a rather elegant alternative to the usual slats. Those who love the sun can dine on the open back section of the deck, those opting for shade can choose the roofed side section. Wherever you choose to sit the view is of wild flowers, meadows, and stately white pines, with a beautifully landscaped garden bordering the deck itself. Given all this attention to detail and quality it came as no surprise that the food is delicious! My wife and I have eaten breakfast here on three different occasions and the food has simply been superb! As another reviewer stated the home fries are simply the best I've ever eaten and at age 73 I've eaten a lot of home fries. Ditto the eggs, the bacon, the toast, and the coffee! As with many establisments along the Maine coast they are sometimes a bit short handed when it comes to wait staff but our food has been so delicious, the environment so attractive, and the prices so reasonable that the short waits have passed by quickly. My wife and I live nearby in Trenton and discovered Josie's almost by accident but now that we've found it we have fast become...

Brian likes to withold my doordash orders for 30+ min. Everytime time i take a doordash order at josies while it sits on the counter the whole time just for him to say its not ready yet!!! Then when he decides ive been standing at the register going on an hour at this point, then doesnt go to the kitchen at all just reaches under the shelf where the order has been sitting the whole time just to pull it out when hes ready and says oh your orders ready now lmao!!! All because my girlfriend got a full time job there for a week or two just for them to give her 9 hours a week, so she had to get a different job that actually gives her full time hours!!! But you would think being a military couple, brian would have a little bit of integrity and not try to ruin a doordash job that is still helping him sell his products and make his store money all because they didnt want to give there employee any hours!!! Sounds like a real stand up guy to me lol... I never leave reviews for any business unless they give me good customer service but i feel like the public should know that " an upstanding military man" lowers himself to below ground level just to get back at someone for moving onto a new job that actually gives an outstanding employee the hours they need and want to survive these hard times... The customers ordering food should know that its not the doordash drivers fault that Brian is witholding customers food until it gets cold over a grudge he's holding that didnt even have anything to do with the delivery driver that messes up there delivery rating and also makes the hardworking customer wait that much longer for there food just to get it cold!!! If i was his military captain, i would be ashamed!!! Rant done, just thought the public should know why it takes so long to get there food from me when i take orders from Josies !!! If you read this Brian, because im not an ignorant person i thought leaving a post on here was a little nicer than calling you out in the store in...

While visiting Maine, this became our go-to spot. We came twice for breakfast and once for lunch before having to part with our beloved Josie's. :(

Josie's is an amazing restaurant that is very unassuming. It's attached to a convenience store or, honestly, maybe the convenience store is attached to the restaurant. It deserves to be the main star.

When we first visited, we were unsure where to go to be seated. Once the employees saw we were waiting to be seated, they directed us to go around and find a spot we wanted. Easy enough.

Service was very kind and very efficient. For breakfast, we ordered the FRESHHHHHHHH orange juice and grapefruit juice. Both were to diiiie for, for real. They mean fresh. We love pulp and this did not miss the mark. For food, we ordered the Corned Beef Hash Platter and the Breakfast Platter. I can't say enough good things about the Corned Beef! It was perfectly crispy as you would expect. The home fries were incredible, especially because of the peppers and onions. My wife really enjoyed her breakfast platter as well. 10/10 and we did come back.

When we came for lunch, we ordered the Dill Pickle Fries, the Bacon Bleu Burger, and the Western Burger. All were FIREEEEEEEE! The photo of the Dill Pickle Fries almost didn't get taken. We were halfway through the plate before I remembered the pic. The burgers were huge and we definitely could not finish them but danggggg it did we want to. OMG and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fries that came with the burgers. They were so perfectly crispy and seasoned. chef's kiss

By the time we had to fly back out, we were Josie's regulars. The person who always greeted us and checked us out had great conversation and was so kind to us.

If we are anywhere near the area again, we will 100% make a...