It's been a tradition to make Provender a splurge on each trip to the area, often meeting family there, as it's such a reliably top-notch dining experience. This visit was no exception and especially rewarding. After multiple visits through the years, we'd gotten a little too used to our favorite menu options, so it was a happy jolt to see dishes this time that seemed new. Although the menu is not a long one -- it feels like they've winnowed their focus to ensure every item is a gem -- it was so hard to choose from among the very tantalizingly described meals. Everyone ended up with a different dish and we had a great (and delicious!) time sharing bites so we could try everything. Everyone's choice was a winner but I was especially rolling my eyes in ecstasy over the cod and pork dishes. The components are sometimes surprising but consistently amazing choices by the chef. Another thing that made this a definitive 5 stars was my superlative mocktail -- winter holidays and warmth in a glass -- and the lip-smacking reactions of others to their liquor-added cocktails. All had witty names that are evocative of the unique flavor profiles...or just playful for fun's sake. It's unusual to find bar concoctions that aren't just gimmicky but legitimate pleasures, and they nailed it. read more

High end Ellsworth, kind of seems like Irony. Like serving Wagyu beef with macaroni and cheese. Wait. Yep, that's what you get for 47 dollars. ... mmm offer me a choice, please. I'm taking Frites or Garlic mash... but not Mac n cheese... I left the kids at home for a reason. Venison, Pheasant, Cod, all good... though again, high for this area. And 14 dollars for a rum and coke... okay, I guess, my bad for ordering alcohol... my sister used to sneak alcohol into the plane and then download it into her soft drink... I feel like that's where we are in culture now. But I'm just ranting... I mean, no salad, no apps, just our two main courses and drinks.... $170 w tip. Too much for the working class... sorry. Noveau riche nouveau cuisine nouveau ideation... I suppose I simply don't belong here... my bad. read more

What fun! This quaint little downtown Ellsworth Restaurant checks all the boxes! Service was outstanding and the 'Tuna Pizza' as a starter? Yeah - to die for. Scallion crust with seared ahi tuna with some secret sauce with just the right kick. Moved to Scallops, Pheasant and Wagyu cooked rare and finished off with some succulent S'more's Chocolate Moose and Creme Brûlée - OMG. read more

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What a gem in the heart of ellesworth! A cozy relaxing atmosphere, with top notch service and food. The drinks were spot on and unique! The beet salad and burrata were delicious and they paired the flavors well, accentuating each bite...it was literally a party in my mouth. Make reservations!! read more

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My dad and his wife are 90% vegan eaters, and for our "nicer" restaurant meal in Maine we decided to come to Provender Kitchen & Bar as they specifically say on their website they have vegan availability. Some of you Yelpers even posted a vegan menu. Although they did not have one today and the chef mixed up that our party of seven was not coming at 7pm, they were still able to accommodate my dad and his wife. It took a while to get a cocktail that we actually liked although nothing was bad about the several we chose. One tasted like grass which I think they called a Velvet Breeze but we jokingly called the Lawnmower. Even our waitress thought that was funny. My kid also did not care for the I Mean...Cake. What we did like a lot was The Echo of Yesterday which almost was like a Strawberry Daiquiri. Our lager and ale beers also hit the spot. We all went with different foods. Appetizers included octopus, a special of the day lobster roll, tomato salads, and a cheese plate called the Humboldt. For mains, a beautiful steak, halibut, rigatoni, short rib, and my dad shared a noodle dish with spice and vegetables that was fully eaten. We even went with some dessert of peaches with a wonderful cream and shortbread crumble, and bread pudding. We really liked our food. All our service staff were very friendly and attentive. The bathroom is super small and gender neutral. The restaurant itself is long and thin and I felt like we were in a brick tunnel with lots of woodwork. The bar is on one side and huge. The bill came with a "house charge" which I questioned and was told it's for the unknowns of what the chef has planned for the day. Everyone gets the charge. We also were not charged the automatic 20% gratuity as expected since we were more than a party of five. If you want to come to a quite nice restaurant with better than average food and sit-down service, I'd recommend Provender Kitchen & Bar. You should not be disappointed. It was nice to get somewhat dressy for one of our vacation places. $520.75 for seven adults not including tip. About $80 was just on alcohol. read more

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When a restaurant makes you tear up with happiness, it's the best. Provender exceeded expectations. We were seated and there was a card on the table with birthday wishes for my companion. Not expected. We ordered our appetizer, tomatoes and peaches, and were blown away by the simplicity and the mastery. A few minutes later, they brought lobster rolls to our table as a complimentary amuse bouche. Not expected. Dinner was fantastic and priced well. When we finished, we were greeted by management and told Happy Birthday. Not expected. All in all, a fabulous experience, couched by kindness and warmth. We were blown away in the best manner. I am thankful. We will be going back soon. read more

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Let me start by saying the food was delicious, but hugely overpriced for what you receive. This restaurant looks like it can't decide what it wants to be when it grows up. It's a mix of old elegance and modern. Pick a theme. Also, the music selection didn't match the ambience either. It was also much too loud for the space. Now let's talk service...um that was really lacking. We hope the disjointedness is due to summer help. We shall see! Our server didn't even mention any specials to our table, but when the table next to us was seated she explained all the specials in detail. We asked a few questions and no one seemed to know the answers. All of our food though delicious, came out randomly. We were a group of 4. We ordered 2 appetizers. One came out. We ate it. 10 minutes later the other came out! Moving on to entrees...one came out...couple minutes later another...repeat 2 more times until all 4 of us were served! I don't know if the problem was in the kitchen or with the server or both. Either way it wasn't good. Let's talk dessert. 3 of us ordered dessert. When a different server brought out the 2 chocolate mousse, we were trying to let her know who they went to...she put them abruptly on the table and said y'all work it out...I'm going to back away now. She wasn't just rude to us, but she was rude to everyone she "served". Anyway, I had ordered the ice cream with blood orange olive oil. Should be pretty simple...ice cream, drizzle of olive oil, flaked salt and fresh cracked pepper...the other two were almost finished when the ice cream arrived. Come to find out, someone had dropped the first ice cream...no one told us until mine arrived. Completely unacceptable. We will give this place one more shot...to be continued! read more

I had a top notch experience here on a recent vacation to the area. The atmosphere has classic tavern vibes with cozy booths and dark wood. We began our experience with bourbon cocktails garnished in sage. They were perfectly balanced and wonderfully made. For our starter, we got the crab dip, which came served with buttery toasted biscuits. It was amazing. Tons of crab and the biscuit was definitely not a side note but was fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. For my main course, I got the scallops. The favor was spot on with just the right hint of lemon. I usually prefer my scallops with a bit more sear, but that was such a small note as they were so good, it could be overlooked. My dining companion and I shared their brussels sprouts, which were saucy and flavorful. For dessert, we shared the dark chocolate mousse with salted caramel ice cream which was absolutely as mouth-wateringly delicious as it sounds. The service throughout was pitch perfect and the prices are what you'd expect for a superlative dining experience. Get to it! read more

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Food: 50/50 The Venison was in the top 5 best meals I've ever had. Everyone else was also similarly blown away by the food. I got the cocktail made with both gin and drambuie, and it was also incredibly good. Service: 25/25 The service was great and the food arrived fairly quickly, but it took long enough that we knew it was being made fresh. We liked the glass water bottles they brought out. Ambience: 25/25 The place looked great and the bar was fully stocked. Total Score: 100/100 read more

Great atmosphere and friendly staff. I had grilled chicken with a squash puree and my boyfriend had the PK Burger. And let's not forget the desert. We shared the Creme Brule cheesecake that was to die for. A definite place to check out when in Ellsworth. read more

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Cute spot in downtown Ellsworth with an awesome happy hour! Inside is charming with brick and wood details and cozy booths. A small selection of local beers on draft and more in cans, and quality house cocktails. On a Tuesday, seating was easy but I could see it filling up easily on the weekends and during busy season so I would recommend making reservations. Food was absolutely great. We split the dumpling tacos (huge!) and chicken wontons. Unique and delicious, with large portions plenty to share. Lots of other creative options for apps and entrees. If we were locals, this would definitely be a regular weekly stop. read more

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I have only one word to describe Provender and that is incredible from the food to the atmosphere. Reservations are a must here! You can either sit at the bar or get a table. I sat at the bar which was a full service bar. You can order a drink off of their menu or anything that you are in the mood for. I had a lemon drop martini and it was one of the best ones I have ever had. Provender bartenders are truly incredible. Next let's move onto the food. I started with their fig and burrata. It was incredible! Everything tasted fresh and paired nicely together. For my main dish, I had their lamb special and it was everything I needed and more. It was rich and flavorful. Overall Provender is truly an incredible restaurant. The one thing that makes this restaurant amazing is that the chef will deliver your food and talk to you. You can tell that he truly cares about the food that he is creating. Provender menu is always changing too and whatever they add to it, I am sure it will be amazing! read more

Provender Kitchen + Bar - Fig and burrata - New American Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

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We were passing through Ellsworth on our way to Arcadia National Park and we stopped by this place bc it got such great reviews on Yelp. If you are passing through, STOP BY! Hostess greeted us with a smile and quickly seated us. Unfortunately we didn't get one of those cool booths bc we didn't have a reservation, but all good. Food was really good. The Crab Rangoon Hash Browns seemed a bit odd, but it was good. My main course was the duck bolognese..again something I thought that sounded interesting, so I tried it. Duck was cooked well and made with fresh pasta! My wife had the scallops and she loved them (sorry, she was really hungry and started eating as soon as we got our food). Again, if you're ever on your way in or out of Acadia, check this place out. read more

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My last night in town and I asked the boys to pick a spot. What a nice place. The staff were super nice and attentive. Food was delish. Got the burrata and beets app, nice start. I had the charred octopus - absolutely perfect - we also had some duck confit, they said it was good and lastly the charred artic - also got rave review lol Definitely be back when I'm back in the area. read more

The service was great and the drink were very good! However, my pasta was extremely salty and the Caesar salad was... different. I understand the take but the creamy dollops of whatever (cream cheese) was gross. You couldn't even spread it properly. It was an average experience, but not worth the money sadly. The ambience was your usual dark moody and average volume. Not too loud, but not too quiet. read more

Food was fantastic and just the right portions. Short rib, pork chop, and steak were some of the best our group ever had. Sides were tasty. Service was attentive but not bothersome. Server brought out gorgeous crystal wide-rimmed glasses for our sparkling wine that made a birthday celebration even more fun Lovely interior with beautiful woodwork. Booths were private but still part of the whole communal atmosphere. Great place! read more

Great food. Old speak easy type of vibe. Great eclectic cocktails and mocktails. Seasonal menu changes. Highly recommend.

Gorgeous place. Great ambience. Great service. The food was excellent. My wife had cod and I had the pheasant. Wonderfully cooked and tasted great. Definitely give it a try. read more

i want to start off with saying service was attentive and great! ambiance was good as well. our problem lies with the food quality per the price point. my boyfriend and i live in nyc and go to places at a similar price point very often. we were originally excited to try this place out! we found the food across the board to be bland and meh. for the total cost i would say it's bad because it feels like a waste of money. worth a try if you don't get as many dishes and lower your expectations drastically. the ravioli was too oily with no seasoning in sight. the "molten" lava cake was dry and doesn't deserve to have molten in the name. the best part of the duck was the candied orange. read more

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Excellent food and service! I got the halibut and I loved the sauce so much the kind chef named Darren came out and explained to me how to make it which was so kind! a must stop! read more

Food was delicious! Drinks were strong ! The best. The people were super friendly and great bartenders! read more

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First--staff was lovely and knowledgeable, and food was cooked amazingly. However, portions are very small for the price. I think the menu sacrifices aesthetics for clarity--it's not clear what's an "appetizer" and what's an "entree." I know this is a more expensive place, but portions were very small with no sides for the price. For instance, the steak was $40, and listed as including onion rings and green beans. My plate had about four bites of steak, 3 onion rings, and 4 green beans--I was still hungry afterwards. The mussel appetizer was much more food than the steak entree. Great food and atmosphere, but they should either lower prices or increase portions to maintain their reputation. read more

Refined and often local dishes in a unique historical setting reminiscent of Jazz Age decor.

Had to sit at the bar place was crowded Ordered the specials chicken parm it was huge good enough for four people pasta extra but delish and dessert awesome pumpkin cookie with ice cream read more

A small narrow space that has great staff and lots of old world charm. The entrees are creative and flavorful. And our server was very attentive. This would be my go to spot if I lived closer. read more

Very aggressive staff. Food acceptable. Many better choices in the market. Pretense of an upscale restaurant in a dinner environment.

Not recommended. Not wheelchair accessible. Too dark. Food was very average and served luke warm. Drinks were short. Bacon-wrapped Meat loaf had a weird flavor, possibly parmesan cheese. Bacon was limp and cold. Disgusting single bathroom opens right into the seating area. Other bathrooms are down a long, steep flight of stairs. Staff was nice but seemed harried and confused. (Short staffed - surprise!) Owners were hovering and eavesdropping on conversations. Definitely won't be back. read more

Dinner on a Friday night in August. Game on. First impressions. First, there was a refundable fee to make a reservation, $25 pp, so my antenna was up. We live in the Boston area and eat out quite a bit, we only see this at the occasional high demand restaurants. I am now expecting greatness. Second, host who was at the door, note I did not say "who greeted us" looked up from whatever he was reading with a "and what do you want? " look. He was not a welcoming guy. Our servers, however, were really knowledgeable and friendly. Well done. Food was hit and miss. Hits- beet salad and lamb dumplings. Delicious! Miss- the duck. tough and chewy. Likely just a bad piece of duck. Dessert was a hit, chocolate mousse. Creamy, well flavored. Atmosphere is warm and inviting, more casual than formal. Water bottle on the table was a nice touch. Overall very good. read more

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Two stars because building was beautiful. Definitely look at all the 2 star reviews more accurate than all the 5 star. Can't wait to see video eluded to in rebuttal , also neither my wife nor I ever saw or spoke with owner. Went for lunch had fish sandwich $16 wow what a disappointment. My wife had a hamburger it looked like a kids meal also $16 Fries were extra $5 , water in paper cup no charge. Drove from Bar Harbor because of stellar reviews. We were there for lunch so perhaps dinner is better good luck. When I calmly mentioned to our server that it was difficult to find fish in my fish sandwich, she just left. Returned with man who came out in a huff and asked why I dared throw something at his sever. My wife looked at me and laughed she thought what is he talking about. So it was lunch and a show. The building was very old lots of great wood work in dining bar area curved ceiling. Food and customer no service, not so much. Won't be giving them another chance. By the way we paid full price for breading in a bun and left. read more

Absolutely the best meal we had while visiting Bar Harbor! We stayed in Ellsworth and so glad we found this gem in their downtown. ALL OF IT A MUST TRY! Excellent service and great ambiance! Thank you Provender! read more

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It was the best scallop I have ever eaten in my life. It was magnificent. I can't say enough about how delicious it was. read more

A lovely spot for dinner. The kind of food where, when you leave, you don't feel like you have eaten a large quantity, but you are very satisfied. High quality food. I had a fascinating dish that consisted of a hashbrown (like a McDonald's hashbrown, and I mean that in the best way), topped with chorizo, topped with a halibut filet, topped with elote salsa, served with a puddle of green chile sauce on the side. The flavor combos were unexpected and fantastic. Highly recommend! read more

Provender Kitchen + Bar - Halibut - New American Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

My wife and I eat here weekly. They have amazing staff and their cocktail menu is out of this world. Along with the food that has locally sourced ingredients chef Darren does a great job on changing menus to use only the freshest ingredients. But let's be honest, the burger and fries will never be a bad choice. Best burger I've ever had or will ever have, hands down. Great little spot in downtown Ellsworth. read more

Mixed Review (kind of) We sat at the bar and started with two Espresso martini's. Katelyn, the bartender is excellent and mixed a great decaf martini, with 3 decaf beans. Followed that with a shared greens salad-combination of greens, goat cheese and nuts and other delicious ingredients. We were also served by Miriam who was the hostess/server and incredibly pleasant and attentive. The next courses were mains. We ordered the BK burger with truffle fries and turned the muscle app into a main with a side of truffle fries. Excellent! Flavors were fabulous. I've enjoyed all before. Here's the MIXED....it was too hot in the restaurant so much that it detracted from the eating experience. At one point I was lightheaded but I powered through with another martini. That's the only thing that would keep me away. I'll now search other establishments in the area. Come on ownership!! The ceiling fans ain't cutting it. Fix the A/C....or better yet, upgrade. read more

We've been wanting to visit Provender for some time. I've heard really great things and overall, the meal was solid. The ambiance is really great and the fact that you can make reservations is a big plus. The good: -Our appetizer was solid. Definitely get the mushroom tartine if you visit. -Drinks were tasty (something with ablaze in the name) BUT if they crushed up the jalapeño before adding liquids and put in a bit more alcohol, it would be next level. -The risotto was also quite good and very filling. The less good: -The halibut was over cooked and under seasoned. The dish was a bit confusing although on their own, the chowder and hash were tasty. Just not sure of the cohesiveness. Potatoes were a bit confusing as well but still some good flavors! read more

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The food was great and so was the atmosphere! We loved the service here! I def recommend it!

Delicious food! I truly enjoyed my scallop appetizer and chicken entree. Come with an appetite, I didn't finish the chicken but they gave me extra pesto & tomato for it. Great service and different venue. read more

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A-maze-ing. Fantastic job! A couple of the chefs came out to check to see how we liked things. Friends had the pork chops. Loved them. We had scallops and eggplant meat balls. Scallops perfectly cooked, mushrooms and citrus. Eggplant meatballs fun and interesting. Citrusy undertones on a lot of the dishes including brussel sprouts. Not sure if that was the theme that night or their style. Good beer and wine selection. I would take off a 1/2 star for server not knowing much about pairings with beer or wine, but I ran into that a lot in Maine (can't ask so much from seasonal help I guess). And it took a little too long to get food going. But that's being nit-picky. Great job guys! I hope you stick around. read more

Daron and crew crushed it tonight, as usual. It was our first time trying oxtail and we were floored by the flavor. The gravy The queso was excellent and wonderfully enhanced by the homemade chips. Pumpkin curry soup was a delicious precursor to dinner. We chose the evening special- a tagliatelle Bolognese. Glad we saved room for dessert because the chocolate mousse with homemade cream and sea salt gelato was perfection. 10/10 read more

The reviews for this establishment are right on. Chef owned and operated restaurant with a full vegan menu. We're so grateful to have dined here. Easy street parking. Reservations available on OpenTable. Friendly service. Magnificent food! We were seated almost immediately after checking in. I wasn't keen on being seated in a back to back booth during these times, so we asked to be seated outside. The weather was beautiful and they have two heater lamps. Drink menu was concise yet tempting. We ordered two cocktails and they were well balanced and flavorful. I would love to know what local spirits they pour. Full vegan menu available-yeah! Big pasta fans, so we both ordered raviolis. They were homemade and stuffed with Impossible meat. Sauce was garlicky and light. The highlights of our meal were the starter and dessert. Artichoke hearts in the most delicious lemony garlic sauce. Magical. For dessert, we enjoyed an olive oil cake with apple cider sorbet and an apple cider reduction sauce. Light, flaky, and flavorful. Fawn was our server and she was so knowledgeable and kind! Daron, the chef and owner, came out at the end of our meal to thank us for our patronage. We love this restaurant and can't wait to come back! So worth the drive if you are not located in Ellsworth. read more

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