Ebenezer’s Pub & Restaurant

Good God, I am really struggling here to write something good about this place. I was pumped to visit this bar for the beer selection and left shaking my head in disbelief. I spent a lot of time in New Hampshire before moving to California recently, and made the trek over to Lovell to experience Ebenezer’s first hand. We pulled up to the pub, which is located on a golf course and noted how nice the setting was. It was all downhill from there. We sat down at the not-​so-​busy bar and happened to be sitting next to two blacked-​out hunters who were all over each other. Although their antics were harmless, what really rubbed me the wrong way was the bartender had no problem continuing to serve these two and then letting them stumble out the door, car keys in hand. Needless to say, we waited a while before heading out ourselves to avoid running into them. In regards to the beers, we had two excellent beers (this place has an amazing selection), but the service from the tired bartender was awful. We couldn’t wait to get out of this Twilight Zone of a place so we didn’t try the food.

After reading some of these reviews I was excited to make this my final meal of vacation. This was probably one of the worst places I have been to in a while.
Ambiance: It was dark and crowded. The plastic chairs were difficult to move and bendy. The music was overly loud. People were using their phones to read the menu.
The waitstaff was miserable! The hostess was pleasant and seated us. The next person deposited waters to the table without introduction of any sort. A drop and run situation.
The waitress turned up eventually and we placed a drink order. I am not a beer fan (shhhh I know) so I ordered wine and the Husband ordered a Belgian IPA. The bar drinks took forever and the wine was undrinkable. I asked for a Allegash White instead of the wine. This was delivered just about the end of the meal. The kids finished there sodas before the meal. The waitress said she was getting refills but never brought them. The second beer for the hubby literally came with the check.
Food: Kids got pizza and gave it an «ok». However if would have been better with drinks to wash it down with.
I got Lobster Scampi and it was a major disappointment. I expected a delicious buttery/​garlicky pasta and lobster dish. What I got was a bland bowl of past with a fair amount of overlooked lobster and a sauce that was more lemon than anything else. I asked for a salt shaker to help it out and the waitress disappeared for 20 minutes presumably looking for one. Husband reported fish and chips were really good.
Overall the service was the killer. I could overlook mediocre food if it’s served with a modicum of skill. But crappy wine+blah food+poor service=restaurant doom.
I can only imagine the good reviews come from locals that would have to drive 40 minutes to get any other decent beer.
Nah!

Aweful. I only visit once a year during the Fryeburg fair. I understand that is a busy time of year but… as a customer that is not my problem. I love the beer assortment, it is so awesome and being from Belgium myself, i look forward to that every year.
We came in without a reservation. Of course on a busy night wildly inconvenient. I totally understand. I did not understand, however, why i had to carry my own chair throughout the restaurant to my table.
The waitress practically threw the menu’s on the table and disappeared. Again, completely understand when it is busy. When she came back to take a our drink order, i had some questions about the beer. I was told to read the menu myself because she did not have time to explain all of that and then left. I actually have never gotten such a rude response from a waitress ever. At that point i was about ready to flip a table and school this lady on how it’s done, but i was with my friends who kindly asked me to let it go because they did not want me to cause a scene.
After our meal was kindly thrown on the table, i had to admit the food was great. Nothing wrong with that. We then asked for the check. The check was then again, like everything else that had arrived at our table that night, delicately launched onto the table without a word.
I was livid. My friends had asked me to wait outside while they take care of the check because i was so furious. Again, i completely understand it is stressful on such a busy night. I understand the waitress had a million and one things on her mind to worry about. It happens. It also didn’t help that we didn’t have a reservation. What i do not understand is why on earth it would be my problem, as a paying customer, that you are so busy!!! If she would have taken the time to introduce herself and just explain to us she was super busy and she might need a couple of extra minutes here and there, i would completely understand (well, minus the beer question thing).
I spent my whole night there trying to contain my anger. I did not enjoy my time there but i do want to reiterate that the food and the beer were great. Just the service was far from good, or acceptable even.

«What took us so long to try this place»? That’s what my husband kept saying over and over. While staying in the North Conway area recently we took the drive to Lovell to finally try Ebenezers.
We sat outside on the screened in patio overlooking the golf course of Lake Kezar Country Club. My husband was in heaven as soon as he saw the extensive draft beer list. I asked what they had other than beer. They serve four wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Malbec and another red I don’t remember. I didn’t have big expectations for the Chardonnay but it was pretty good.
Our server was great. He was quick with beer and food suggestions, friendly and efficient.
We started with the boneless Thai wings and they were great. We both opted for burgers, a Ruger (Swiss and mushrooms) for him and a Pliney the Elder (cheddar and bacon) for me. What a great burger! It was juicy, flavorful and everything you want in a good burger. There were a ton of fries served with the burger. They were ok.
We were here in the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday in August. It wasn’t too busy but I can see where this place would get slammed, especially in the colder weather when the outdoor seating isn’t available.
We won’t be strangers anymore. See you soon!

As a craft beer enthusiast, I was really looking forward to visiting Ebenezer’s. My girlfriend and I traveled from PA, anticipating a transcendent experience. Sadly, it was not worth the trip.
First and foremost, their website completely misrepresents how much beer is actually available. I would say at best, ¹⁄₁₀ of the bottles listed are actually available for sale. When we asked why this was, we were told the website was just for reference, to which I would respond, «who cares what beers you ‘might have at some point’?» I only care about what beers are actually there! Also, when we asked about the cellar beers, our waitress said they were not available, and she did not know why. Long story short, everything I was hoping to drink — Cantillon, Hanssens, etc. — were nowhere to be had.
With that said, we soldiered on. The draft list was great. Lots of unique sours, saisons and so on. The problem… actually getting anything. Our service was incredibly slow. It took 20 minutes plus to get our first beer — a $ 14 pour of a Mikkeller blueberry sour. It was about 7 ounces at best. A good beer for sure, but way overpriced for such a scant serving.
The restaurant clearly needs more staff. Over the next 2 – 3 hours, we were constantly sitting with empty glasses as we waited to order our next beer. Our waitress was the only one working, and she could barely keep up with a ½ full restaurant. We also got very little in the way of suggestions or checking in to see how we were doing or if we liked our beer. I’m not normally worried about such things, but when you drop over $ 100 just on beer, you should get more attention and interaction from your server.
The owner did stop and chat for a bit about what special pours they could offer outside of the cellar, but she disappeared later and we couldn’t have followed up even if we wanted to.
Add to all of this that the food is average at best. The frites are not frites and have zero crisp. The Pliny burger was just good. Our «reserved» table was so dark we could barely see. The décor is cliché and a bit dingy. We also had to listen to the staff vacuum the floors as we sat and drank — it was only 9 or 10 PM, and killed any vibe there was.
This place seems to succeed more on reputation than actual experience. They may have one of the best sour festivals in the country, but a restaurant’s true rating should be based on what an average person experiences on any random night. We left feeling mostly as if we had waited too long, spent too much, and were just another number. In my book, «Best Beer Bar in America» should require a lot more… great customer service, a notable setting, and truly rare beers. On this night, Ebenezer’s had none of these things. It’s a place to go for some really good beers, and that’s about it.

We had been to Ebenezer’s a few years ago just for drinks. It was crowded late in the evening, but it was a party atmosphere, we had a few cocktails, and then went on our way, happy with the experience. This week was totally different. The first time we tried to have dinner there, we were told they were too busy and we could not get seated. Okay, no problem. How long is the wait? The very surly hostess said she had no idea. So we left, with plans to return. Everyone can relate to a bad night as a restaurant worker, and she was clearly very busy. The 2^nd time we just wanted to have some drinks at the bar. Same surly service, by the same surly person. We waited forever for our drinks, no big deal. We’re on vacation. After a couple of hours we wanted to eat and once again, were told they had no tables, so we got food to go. After an unreasonably long wait to pay for the food that was getting colder by the minute, our server finally returned and we got to go home. The brie won tons, when we got them home, had ZERO brie. If we thought anyone would pay attention to us we would have returned to the restaurant. They piled fries and coleslaw in the same container. Greaaat. The thai wings were very good, and the pizza was, too. This might be the best beer bar in America, but it has the worst food service we have seen a long, long time. We had heard about locals treating tourists poorly but had never experienced it anywhere in this region, until this visit.

Ok… i finally made it to the best beer pub in the world. Maybe I had bought into the hype and expected too much. Maybe they have begun to believe the hype themselves. Let me begin by saying that our waitress was great. I had my Chinese in laws with me and she was very patient as my wife had to translate the beer and food menu for them. She gave solid recommendations on food and beer (even though my brother in law opted for apple juice). We started of with beer of course. I had the lively Canibas IPA, my wife had the lively rye, and my sister in law had the candy ale. Honestly… the beer was ok. The rye was the highlight, but my IPA was pedestrian. Sam Adams Rebel IPA smokes it, and at $ 8 a draft, I certainly expected better. Food was great. I had the lobster scampi at $ 29, my wife and sister in law had the muscles at $ 16 each, and my brother in law continued to live dangerously by ordering a burger medium well for $ 13. My lobster scampi was great — although at $ 29 it should be. Lots of lobster and a fresh lemony sauce over angle hair with fresh basil and garnesh. I cleaned the plate and swabed up the sauce with my brother in laws french fries. Both my wife and sister in law enjoyed their muscles which were fresh and generous portions. For desert I ordered a homemade hot fudge sunday, and thought to give the Dr dankenstein ipa a chance. Dr dank lived up to its $ 8 price tag but the sundae is what prevented me from giving the fourth star. Is it too much to expect that an $ 8 sundae should have more than one scoop of ice cream which can be inhaled in three bites? Total dinner for four came to $ 156 with tip. Next time, get dinner, skip desert, and get bud light in a bottle :-)

My family has been coming to Lovell since 1970 and we have seen restaurants and stores come and go in this small, rural town. This one has been our «go to» restaurant for at least five years, as the food is good, the beer menu fascinating, and service consistent and warm. My only gripe is that prices seem to have jumped significantly in the last two years, while portion sizes have in some cases decreased. Examples: lobster rolls, steak tips, sundaes – all delicious but surprisingly expensive for what you get.
Nonetheless, the best option in Lovell.

This pub has excellent food and a huge selection of Belgian beers. You can’t go wrong here!

Ebeneezers was the suggestion of a local & I am very pleased to have found it. It is in the middle of nowhere off of Rte 5 & next to a very pristine looking golf course.
I went for dinner & in the dark, Ebeneezers is very charming w the lit street sign & the white lights at the porch/​patio seating area of the barn exterior. This helps point the way as this barn is attached to a residence.
I will note — should you come during the daytime some of this charm might fade due to the location but I dig the barn…
Let’s talk dining room — it’s simple however you should expect this from the exterior. If you’re seeking fancy — this is not going to suit you.
BUT if you’re seeking great pub food & a beer selection to go with it – you’ve entered heaven.
I suggest sitting at the bar. The bartender knows her shit & for the life of me I can’t recall her name. She served up some beer selections sampler style since Belgium beer was new to my guest & upon making a choice ($ 8) — beer was served in a glass that evokes the style of a red wine glass (globe).
Since I am GF — they stock 4 different GF beers (2 of which made be GREENEs) & I believe 2 ciders. I went w vodka ($ 8.50) since they have a full liquor license to take advantage of.
Food — we ordered Fish&Frites & a simple Hamburger (GF buns available) — which was not simple in flavor!
Frites — hand cut & could be a meal on its own. I wish I had some left.
Fish — a fried haddock — 3 big pieces w a plate full of fries… ahem, frites I mean. ($ 12)
Hamburger — served w some pretty spectacular pickles, a nicely melted cheese & cooked the way I like — well done. ($ 10 – 12)
Plenty of interesting things to check out for wall décor along w the gigantic case of bottled selections in the case which is art on its own.
Be sure to check out the beer selection on tap — as there are many & the pulls appear to be blown glass! Very cool!

Ebenezer’s was great!
I have not encountered a Belgian beer selection as amazing as the one at Enenezer’s since I left Philadelphia. The pub has 15+ Belgian style and Belgian imports on draft at any given time.
The food menu is also incredible. Favorites of ours were the pizza (which was stellar), burger (charred and placed between egg washed brioche), steak tips (marinated and super tender), and finally the poutine (salty and super umami — topped with cheese curds).
I give them 5 stars regardless of the few things that I found that were not up to my expectations because the food, beer and service were so over the top amazing. The toilet in the men’s room was out of order for a while. The problem was easily rectified by the 4 very clean porta-john’s right outside. I did inform the bartender about the toilet being «out of order», but an hour later the problem had not been rectified. I was also a little surprised by the dated feel of the dining room and bar.
With that being said… They get 5 stars from me. The food and beer selection was so incredibly top notch that they put all of the restaurants I have been to in Maine (including Portland) to shame.
They are located in the middle of nowhere (Lovell, Maine), adjacent to a pristine golf course. The backyard also has a fire pit, which I’m told occasionally has a fire burning.
It needs to be said again how awesome the food, beer and staff are at this place. Our dinner was made so much better by the courtesy and dedication of the staff that we encountered. Our waiter (young man headed off to his first year of college) and waitress (new girl transitioning from hostess to waitress) did a really great job! They even made our dog happy, by letting him lay outside by our table and giving us a big bowl of water.

Ebenezer’s Pub has a well deserved reputation as one of the best beer bars in the entire world. The owners, Chris and Jen, have a passionate commitment to their craft — and it shows! Their wonderful food and amazing selection of beers makes Ebenezer’s a restaurant we have enjoyed visiting many times during our summers in Maine. This week we took it up a notch with a five course beer dinner. The exquisite food the owners paired with specially selected beers demonstrated just how incredible Ebenezer’s can be its best. If you are anywhere near Lovell, Maine you must try this world famous pub for yourself.

A local pub located off a dirt road behind a golf course. Very interesting beer selection with my favorite being the lemon haze, a beer brewed in their very own brewery. Food is good but not the best. I had the 2 pounds of mussels which is filling and marinated with a bunch of garlic, sundried tomatoes and with their very own lemon haze. Watched the best fireworks on the golf course for the 4^th of July hosted by the owner. Will keep returning to try their updated beer lists!

I’ve been up this area of Maine quite a bit and I finally made it into Ebenezer’s. Obviously, I have heard all sorts of things about how it’s the best beer bar in North America and I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t even have a beer while I was there. (But I probably will next time, and it will probably be a sour ale.)
This review is strictly for food.
I went on a Sunday night around 6 or 7pm. It wasn’t too busy, but there were definitely some folks there have a good time. I sat at the bar and really enjoyed the ambiance. I ordered a Rueben (on a recommendation from someone else) and it was good, despite the fact that it didn’t seem to have a ton of flavor. The corned beef was very tender and easy to eat and I really liked how they put a piece of cheese on both pieces of bread. I wouldn’t say it’s the best I’ve ever had, but also it really did hit the spot after a day of boating.
The beer selection is HUGE. I didn’t see the beer menu, but I imagine it’s completely overwhelming. Someday, I will return and enjoy a few beers.

Was snowmobiling with 5 others and stopped in for lunch. Everyone got a sandwich, I had the fish sandwich. All was very good. Place is small and the sun can beam into your eyes depending on the time of day and where you are sitting. (need shades on windows). Prices are reasonable and they do have a large beer selection, though we didn’t have any this trip. Overall very happy with the food, service and prices. Will go again.

We had high expectations for Ebenezer’s but unfortunately they were not met.
This is mostly due to the service.
When we walked in it was packed with snowmobilers coming off the trail for a bit. With it being lunch time we figured there would be a wait anyways. We stood by the bar waiting for a menu or some sort of attention from an employee but all we got was ‘You can’t order because you can’t stand here.’ After a minute of contemplating our next move the same waitress reminded us again we had to leave the area. We were never offered a table or told the wait time. A nice group of people decided to finish up a little quicker and we sat down. The one waitress working told us it was her 3^rd day there… we should have left right then and there. Total time spent at Ebenezer’s was three hours and we only received one beer each (5 people) 4 salads and a fish sandwich. Do the math, it’s not worth it.
If I was able to try more than one beer I might add another star to this review. But frankly I did not want to spend my entire day waiting for another one. If you’re going to advertise it being ‘The World’s Best Beer Bar’ I would expect to be able to try a few.
Food was decent, portions were extremely small for the price (~17 $ for a salad with 2 steak tips) for that cost it should have at least been a dinner sized portion.
The atmosphere and décor was fitting for the area but all in all a very small restaurant and probably doesn’t welcome large parties. They had a covered outdoor area which I’m sure some of the snowmobilers would have enjoyed but the waitress mentioned they would not have service out there.
I will not be visiting Ebenezer’s again.

So the draft list is okay. Something like 20 beers, a lot of sours, a lot of Belgians, a couple good IPAs. Really pretty decent. Nothing ignorable on draft, but I guess if you’re the world’s best beer bar you don’t need anything forgettable on your lines.
I’m told the bottle selection is hundreds of beers, but we never found out because our server couldn’t find us a bottle list. So they could have a thousand different bottles, but you can’t actually buy any of them.
I was with a pretty big group, but we had a reservation; so even though I expected service to be a bit slower I just wasn’t prepared for how bad it was. It took about 10 minutes just to get us all menus (not beer menus, three of those came later). It took a few more minutes for water. Ten minutes after that our server took a drink order, turns out two of the lines have kicked (and they didn’t feel like changing them, I guess?), and so two people had to make quick decisions on other beers just so that they wouldn’t have to wait another ten minutes to order. Like I said, the list was okay, but if you’re the best beer bar in the world don’t you want to keep all of your lines on all the time?
There’s a little disclaimer on the menu that says «on busy nights, please allow up to an hour and a half for food to come out.» Okay, that’s kind of silly, but we were a big group anyway. Food took an hour forty five to come out, and it was pretty awful. Ever eaten a luke-​warm, unsalted french fry? The burgers were all well done even though everyone asked for medium-​rare. The mussels were so boozy it seemed like they hadn’t really cooked down enough.
At this point we all just wanted to leave, so we asked for the check. Ten minutes later we asked for the check again. And then again. And then again. I know they don’t have a computer system, but a calculator maybe? It shouldn’t take twenty minutes to add up the bill.
My opinion is that this place was probably really great once. Maybe even the best in the world. But they don’t care anymore, and they’re resting on their laurels. The food is whatever, the draft list isn’t really any better than a good beer bar in any city, and the staff are disturbingly apathetic (or bad, but I prefer apathetic).
If you’re in Lovell, ME, go here. If you’re not in Lovell, ME, it’s not worth the trip.

a bunch of us for lunch recently… good beers… good food… whats not to like… we ate on the porch food was very good, beer selection great and got passed around… oh taste this one… really a neat place… service was good ambiance ok… it’s a beer bar right??? great experience!!!

I wanted to like Ebenezers, I really, really did… but after stopping by last Sunday on the way back from Sunday River, I was very disappointing.
— dont sit me in the abandoned upstairs room and make me wait 25 minutes before you take my drink order…
— when I ask questions about a beer, know the answer… I consider ordering the Kasteel Cuvée Du Château and it is described as a blend of 10 year, 3 year, and 1 year old belgian beers. When I ask what type of beers were blended and you tell me your pretty sure they are ales, that pretty much tells me nothing and is just plain not good enough for the «world’s best beer bar»
— When our drinks finally arrive, know which one is which… please dont serve me the Black IPA, and my friend the Quad… this isnt what we ordered… come on, this is something even Applebee’s can do.
I am sorry, but I have been to many better beer bars and I cant figure out how this place got so hyped up. I wont be coming back.

World’s best beer bar pretty much sums up this place.
Chris & Jen Lively (the owners) have a tap and bottle selection that is literally second to none. The tap list is always full of unusual and hard to find selections. I’ve had some amazing beers from Italy, Denmark, and other places that one would not usually associate with outstanding craft beer at Ebenezer’s. If you want to blow a ridiculous amount of money, the bottle selection will not disappoint.
The food menu was different every time we have come up here (we usually visit every 6 months). On our most recent visit (Friday, October 19), I ordered the mussels and my wife ordered the Ruben. Food was excellent as usual, but a piece of garlic bread would have really completed the mussels!
I can’t say enough good things about this place. You just have to experience it yourself. I advise going during the «off» seasons. I love coming here in October as the crowd is generally a bit smaller and the bar is a lot more quiet and cozy.