Black Moon Public House in Ellsworth

Dec 27

Black Moon Public House sits inside one of Ellsworth’s most recognizable historic buildings, but owner Katina Stanwood has made it feel like a fresh start. She restored the former J.J. Newberry department store with intention, keeping the tin ceiling and original floors, and anchoring the room around a vintage 19th-century bar placed where the lunch counter once drew a steady line of locals. Guests still stop to tell her what they remember. “We all have a memory of J.J. Newberry,” she said. At Black Moon, that nostalgia is part of the welcome, not the whole story.

Stanwood opened a year and a half ago with a name that reads darker than it is. A black moon, she explains, is simply a new moon, the rare kind that shows up twice in a month. It is the moment for “new intentions and new starts.” The idea fit. “It was a new start for me,” she said. “It was a new start building. It was a new start for the bar. It all kind of came together.” She calls the business “my baby,” and speaks plainly about the personal resolve it took to build: after “a lot” of years, she said, she is “coming out on the other side stronger than I ever thought possible.”

What she wanted, she said, was a cocktail bar that Ellsworth didn’t yet have, and a room where people could arrive alone and feel at ease. “I wanted to create a place that was like sitting in your living room having drinks with a friend,” she told me. The feedback has been direct, and repeated often enough to become a refrain: customers say they feel comfortable here. Safe. “When I say every day I have somebody tell me thank you, that’s not an exaggeration,” she said.

That sense of belonging is intentional. Stanwood likes to say Black Moon is “approachable,” and she means it literally: “I want the lawyer to come in and sit down. I want the doctor to come in and sit down… I want the guys to come in wearing their boots and not feel like they can’t.”

The kitchen works without a fryer or grill, reminding the menu to stay focused and smart. Dressings and sauces are made in-house; there are roasted root vegetable salads, shareable boards, and a French dip with a devoted following. Behind the bar, cocktails rotate through the year, built on quality spirits, not shortcuts. There is also Black Moon Ale, a Scottish red brewed in collaboration with Lubec Brewing Company, offered both in Ellsworth and in Lubec.

In a town that can feel like a gateway to somewhere else, Black Moon has become a place worth lingering. Stanwood credits the locals for that. Ellsworth, she said, “supported us so well through the winter that I don’t really have to rely on tourists. It’s good. It’s bonus.” She keeps the calendar busy with live music and events, and on a full night, when the line goes three deep and the staff is still smiling, she looks out and feels it land: her vision, finally, has a room to live in.

Famous For:
Reimagined cocktails, Black Moon Ale, thoughtful food, lively events, and a welcoming atmosphere that brings people of all backgrounds together.

Address:
142 Main St, Ellsworth, ME

Website:
blackmoonpublichouse.com