Percy’s Store

The staff was friendly and the food was really good. It is really crowded because of the great ice cream. Everything was great until the owner was extremely rude to my wife. He could have approached her nicer but I guess he felt that he didn’t need to because there isn’t any competition around.

Great local beach store. Has everything you need from toilet paper to souvenirs. Everyone on staff is helpful and friendly. They have the best ice cream, make delicious Italians and the fried dough made on Saturday and Sunday mornings is what dreams are made of!

This is the best place in Popham! Friendly service, great food and the best lobster rolls (by far) in mid-​coast Maine! We stay nearby every summer and can’t go a day without eating Percy’s. Highly recommended!

My wife and I popped into Percy’s after spending time at Popham Beach and the fort. We were both hungry, and decided to avoid Spinney’s based on their poor reviews. Since Percy’s is categorized as a store on Unilocal instead of a restaurant, it won’t pop-​up in if you only search «restaurants» in the area. It’s actually a store, a restaurant and a whole lot more.
I didn’t expect much, but I was blown away by the charm of this place. Maybe it was the friendly staff, or perhaps the fishing rods and tackle hanging on the walls, but Percy’s definitely had me at hello. They offer a surprisingly decent selection of wine, and they also have live lobsters and lots of t-​shirts/​souvenirs.
I’d been craving some fried clams, so my wife and I opted to split the $ 16 basket of clams. They were so delicious — perfectly fried with a light hint of fresh ocean brine taste. They have a broad menu that also offers non seafood items, so that could be good for kids or others who don’t like seafood.
They have few tables inside the store facing the beach and picnic tables outside by the water. It’s a self-​serve kind of place, which is fine by me. You can order your food inside at the counter, or there is a take-​out window on the front side of the building, outside. Unfortunately, you can’t drink any alcohol on the premises, so that’s kind of a bummer. I’d love a cold beer with my clams. That’s the only negative thing I can say about the place. I look forward to sampling more menu items in the future.

Everything you need during your stay at Popham Beach.
The owners are so nice. The locals are nice. The store is nice. What else is there to say?

Percy’s has changed very little in the 25+ years I’ve been going there. A previous review had it pretty spot-​on — Percy’s is equal parts grocery/​convenience store, diner/​sandwich shop, fishing tackle store, ice cream stand, local meeting place and souvenir shop. It’s the heart of the village of Popham Beach, aside from the beach itself, of course. I once spotted Paul Newman in here while he was shooting the cinematic classic «Message In A Bottle».
The store’s namesake owner, Mrs. Percy, is sadly no longer with us, but the passive-​aggressive notes she was famous for remain. Back in the 80s, when people were paranoid about candy tampering, a sternly worded sign warned kids that «any candy you touch you must buy». Nowadays the signs simply direct people away from putting fingers in the lobster tank and ask folks to fold t-​shirts they’re putting back.
It’s still the only game in town for groceries, soda, beer and other treats to enjoy back at your cottage or down at the beach. Sure, the beer selection is a D+ on a good day, but any beer tastes good when it’s downed on a cool evening down by the water.
Over the years, Percy’s has expanded their menu slightly. Back in the day it was pretty much just hot dogs, grilled cheese and ice cream cones, but I had a pretty amazing lobster roll there the other day. Though it was a reasonable $ 12 or so, it didn’t come with fries or chips — just a pile of fresh lobster meat. You also get chicken fingers, quesadillas, pizza, and pretty much anything else you’d want to feed a picky eating kid.
Their most famous contribution to the culinary world, however, is their fried dough. Years ago, a relative of Mrs. Percy worked as a baker during the week (or so the story went) and on weekends that person would come down to Percy’s and fry up dough — while supplies lasted. I remember my parents hounding me to get a move on before the dough ran out, and the excited look of my family when I returned on my bike with a bag you could pretty much see through from all the oil. They still do the dough — I believe this year it was Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings while it lasted.
Their beach parking is a steal at $ 7 per car. Sure, there’s free spots at the fort but they’re hard to come by, and the State Park charges $ 4-​$ 7 per person for access to the very eroded far end of the beach.
Is it worth going out of your way to come here? Probably not. But to any Popham Beach regular, we know the area would never be the same without it.

Thank you for letting us sit at your tables to eat our food from Spinney’s! And nice ice cream selection — next time I’m back, I’ll get another scoop of deer tracks and a Moxie.

Charming, quaint, quintessential Maine. My friend (a local) brought me here — STARVING — after a long day at the beach and promised this was the best place to have dinner and was sooo right!
Its a diner /​take-​out /​grocery /​t-​shirt /​souvenir store. I ordered fried clams (I’d already had lobster 3 times that week!), he had a burger (he’s a local.) and we split an order or steamers. The fried clams were insanely tender and delicious, the steamers fresh and briny and even the burger was great. There is inside seating as well as picnic tables outside overlooking the dunes and beach — gorgeous, lovely, peaceful place to eat. The only bummer is you are not allowed to drink any of the adult beverages you may have purchased, on the premises (not a big deal).
Percy’s is such a great place to browse and grab a Popham Beach hoodie (I did), eat fresh, yummy food and enjoy the gorgeousness of Maine in summer!

Best place to go in area … never a dull moment. Type of place needed in a village like this — grab a burger — ice cream or beer! hey if you feel like fishing I saw they sold rod & reels. I wish more of these places in Maine had the stuff Percy’s does. One thing about Popham and State Park & Beach … they offer nothing but an outhouse??? I parked at Percy’s to access beach grabbed lunch — ice for my cooler and some brews … hit the beach in front of store … why can’t State of Maine get a clue?

I knocked off a star. The proprietor chastised us for not folding up the sweatshirts we were looking to buy. The pile of shirts was a train wreck to begin with and and now we were supposed to fold them up for him? We still bought our second $ 40 sweatshirt. I’m not sure why.
I grew up in a tourist town and came to loathe them at times, but I never forgot they were what put clothes on my back and $$ in my pocket.