The Ultimate Food Guide to Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a quaint little town on Mount Desert Island well known for its beauty! This town is the gateway to Acadia National Park. Almost everyone who visits the park has passed through Bar Harbor or probably has seen the town from the summit of Cadillac Mountain. Bar Harbor (and Mount Desert Island in general) has many local gift stores and amazing eateries! I was only able to fit a handful of food joints during my short time there. All the food I had the chance of tasting was delicious. Some dishes are a bit more pricey than others, but it was worth the splurge! Here some restaurants and ice cream parlors I went to that you should definitely check out during your trip!
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Lobster Rolls…
C-Ray Lobster
882 ME-3, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
This family-owned lobster roll joint is located near the entrance of Mount Desert Island. Having lived in New England for almost all of my life, I have had my fair share of lobster rolls. Now with that being said, I think this is one of the best lobster rolls I’ve ever had (definitely in my top 3)! The lobster is mixed in their secret mayo seasoning and then served in a hot brioche bun. The lobster roll comes with a bag of chips. You also have the option of ordering the lobster roll without their special mayo. However, if you do decide to stop by this place, try the lobster roll with their delicious mayo. The lobster tastes extremely fresh and the mayo seasoning adds an extra bit of savory goodness! They have outdoor picnic tables for you to sit on as there is no indoor dining. PLEASE try this- you won’t regret it!
Beal’s Lobster Pier
182 Clark Point Rd, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679
This lobster joint is located on the Southwest Harbor of Mount Desert Island - a 30-minute drive from Bar Harbor. Since it is located by the coast of the harbor, you’re sure to have a beautiful sight during your time here! They have an indoor and a big outdoor dining area on the deck. What’s special about this lobster joint is that they have a good selection of lobster rolls to choose from. The selection includes: classic (touch of mayo), traditional (warmed in Beal’s “buttah”), garlic lover’s (warmed in Beal’s garlic “buttah”), and spicy buffalo (warmed in Beal’s buffalo “buttah”). The lobster roll comes in a toasted brioche bun and is served with their homemade potato chips. I love garlic anything, so of course, I had to get their garlic lover’s lobster roll. Let me tell you... garlic butter and lobster is a match made in heaven! That lobster roll was so delightful and definitely made it to my top 10 list of best lobster rolls!! There was a huuuge line when we got there for dinner (6/7pm) so we opted to order online and ate in our car instead. If you do not want to wait a long time for a table, make your life easier and order online through their website. By doing this you will save so much time to spare for other activities!
Breakfast…
Everyday Joe’s
317 Main St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
This is a family-owned little breakfast joint located in the middle of Bar Harbor. The owners are extremely friendly people and the food is good & fresh! They have an indoor seating area, but this is also a great place for a grab and go meal. The prices are also very reasonable, especially being in a touristy area. I love their grilled blueberry muffins! Yes- GRILLED! When I was looking at their menu I had to do a double-take, because I’ve never heard of grilled muffins before. The muffin also comes with a side of butter and oh my gosh - it was heavenly! The crust of the muffin was crispy from it being grilled, but when you bite into the muffin it felt like you were biting into cotton candy! I did not regret ordering this muffin one bit!! If you’re looking for a quick bite before a hike, be sure to check this place out!
Cafe This Way
14 Mt Desert St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Close by the Village Green of Bar Harbor is a great breakfast joint, Cafe This Way. They have their own parking area so you won’t have to find street parking. Their menu features typical American breakfast food but with a twist! Some of the things on the menu and their specials of the day integrate international flavors. When I went, I had their special of the day which was an egg scramble with grilled chicken, kimchi, scallions, and spinach. The flavors worked extremely well together and I was impressed! They have a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to choose from. If you want a refreshing drink, I recommend their house-brewed iced tea! It’s not overly sweet and you can taste the various aromatic blends of the tea leaves.
Lunch/Dinner…
Testa’s Bar and Grill
53 Main St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Testa’s is located by Agamont Park in Bar Harbor. They serve everything from your typical bar foods to seafood and steak! The restaurant looks small from the outside, but they have a large dining area on the second deck. I enjoyed their mussels in scampi sauce and their seafood alfredo! The alfredo sauce wasn’t overwhelmingly thick, which was great because it didn’t feel like you’re eating 500 calories in one bite lol!! The food here is a bit pricey, but they have an early bird menu that lasts from 3pm to 5:45pm where you can find cheaper entrees.
Galyn’s
17 Main St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Galyn’s is also located in front of Agamont Park. This is one of my favorite restaurants I went to in Bar Harbor. The food here is heavenly! If you are planning to splurge a little on lunch or dinner this is the place to go. My boyfriend and I got the lobster enchiladas and stuffed pork chop. Both dishes were exceptionally good and all the ingredients were fresh! They also have the best house dressing. We ordered some bread and it came with this delicious house dressing on the side. The house dressing is so popular that the restaurant gives out copies of the recipe to their guests!
Side Street Cafe
49 Rodick St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Side Street Cafe is located on a little street in Bar Harbor. They have indoor and outdoor seating areas. They are also able to cater to vegetarian and vegan diets. For our lunch, we ordered the chicken burrito and Jamaican jerk chicken sandwich. Both entrees were good, but the house-brewed iced tea was better!! The tea was refreshing and much needed on a hot day. They also have create-your-own mac and cheese, which looks like a popular hit from the reviews I’ve read on Yelp!
Dessert
Jordan Pond House Restaurant
2928 Park Loop Rd, Seal Harbor, ME 04675
The Jordan Pond House restaurant is well known for its popovers! You can enjoy these popovers while sitting on the lawn taking in the beautiful views of Jordan Pond. The popovers come with a side of butter and strawberry jam. They were fluffy and the strawberry jam pairs nicely with them. The restaurant also carries blueberry soda and blueberry tea. Maine is known for its wild blueberries, hence why you can find blueberry related items on menus of almost every restaurant on Mount Desert Island!
Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium
66 Main St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
This ice cream joint also doubles as a candy store! As soon as you walk in, you can find the biggest collection of sweets in Bar Harbor! Everything from homemade fudge to ice cream… they got it all. They have a TON of ice cream flavors to choose from. The ‘chocolate tsunami’ flavor was extremely delicious!! The cotton candy flavor was also good- this one had pop rocks in them which made it even better! Not only do they have the typical ice cream flavors, but they also have lobster flavored ice cream. Yes, LOBSTER! I personally did not try it because I’m a hardcore chocolate lover, so I can’t vouch for how it tastes. This place is totally worth a visit when you need a sweet fix!
Mt. Desert Island Ice Cream
51 Exchange St, Portland, ME 04101
This is another great ice cream joint in the area. This place serves interesting homemade ice cream flavors that you can’t find anywhere else! I had the ‘brigadeiro’, which was a great blend of Brazillian chocolate and truffles. It was honestly one of the best chocolate ice creams I have ever tasted! The chocolate was decadent and wasn’t extremely sweet. If they sold a bucket of that flavor I would’ve bought one in a heartbeat. An interesting flavor that caught my eye but didn’t get a chance to taste was the ‘chocolate wasabi’. According to their website, it’s made out of the wasabi root, not the green horseradish paste… I will definitely have to try that next time I visit. Take your taste buds on an adventure and check this ice cream joint out!
There are more restaurants and ice cream joints in the area than the ones mentioned above. Although some restaurants serve almost the same things, each of them are different in their own way (especially in the way the food tastes). Also, if you have dietary restrictions, don’t worry because most restaurants will accommodate your needs! I had a great experience dining on this island and was happy with all the food and treats I had the pleasure of enjoying! If you are visiting the area, make sure to at least check out one of these locations for a bite to eat- you won’t be disappointed! Happy eating ~