10 Great Restaurants in Bar Harbor

A Bar Harbor staple, Geddy’s keeps locals and visitors coming back with its family-friendly atmosphere, kitschy decor, and wide-ranging menu. The restaurant is located right on Main Street in a cheerful pink and blue building and is decorated with vintage signage and memorabilia.

The menu includes everything you’d expect from a New England seaside pub, including burgers, wood-fired pizza, and the popular lobster bakes. Go for a full bake if you’d like a whole steamed lobster and a mini bake for a lobster roll; both come with clam chowder and a homemade blueberry dessert. The kitchen also offers vegan and vegetarian options and nearly everything on the menu is gluten-free. 

Once upon a time, Galyn’s was a boarding house for seafaring visitors. Today, the charming Victorian-era building is one of Bar Harbor’s most beloved restaurants, serving a traditional Downeast menu that celebrates the local seafood and all things Maine-made.

Five spacious dining rooms over 2 floors are decorated with a private collection of paintings, and some tables have views over the bay. The menu proudly features Maine oysters on the half shell, Peekytoe crab cakes, and Acadia mussels in a mustard and white wine broth. The extensive wine and beer lists include many local options and many of the house cocktails are mixed with Maine blueberries.

Havana serves a Latin-inspired menu of seafood and high-quality meats in a cozy environment downtown. It boasts one of the most extensive drink menus in Bar Harbor, with an affinity for mezcals, whiskeys, port wines, and sherries. Congenial hospitality and a sophisticated menu make it a popular choice for dinner dates.

Much of the menu changes with the seasons, although a few house favorites stick around: an excellent seafood paella and a lobster moqueca with bell peppers and creamy coconut broth. Meat dishes include a grapefruit-glazed pork chop and charbroiled filet mignon topped with habanero blueberry barbeque sauce. 

Everyday Joe’s is a weekday diner serving homestyle meals in a quiet corner of town. Open until 2 pm, the kitchen serves hot breakfast, and salads and sandwiches for lunch. The diner is connected to a mini-market and a gas station, making it an ideal departure point for a day of hiking in Acadia.

Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, blueberry pancakes, and cheesy omelets are the hot breakfast highlights. Coffee is brewed strong with locally roasted beans and served piping hot. Lunch can be ordered to dine-in or take out, with a menu of crowd-pleasers like Reubens, BLTs, and grilled chicken paninis. 

Thirsty Whale Tavern is a friendly pub serving lobster rolls and hearty sandwiches in a relaxed environment. There are over 14 beers on tap, most of these regional or local varieties. Just off the main drag, the tavern opens a charming back garden in the warmer months.

Portions are generous, even for the lobster rolls, which are filled to the brim and served cold. The blackened haddock sandwich gets rave reviews, as does the beef short rib sandwich, which is stuffed with caramelized onions and melty brie. Sunday through Thursday evenings are family dinner nights, featuring meals like linguini with meatballs and pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy. 

Tap & Barrel Tavern offers a concise and varied menu alongside a staggering selection of nearly 200 bourbons and whiskeys. Located down a quiet side street in the busy town center, this spot attracts locals who come to chat with their neighbors or to watch the day’s sports game.

The kitchen cooks up top-notch pub fare with a kick, like the popular smoked chicken wings with gochujang vinaigrette. You’ll find favorites like juicy brisket sandwiches alongside duck tacos and mussels in vermouth cream sauce. Ask the barman for a bourbon tasting or choose from an extensive list of Maine-brewed craft beers.

Blaze is a hip spot serving craft beers and New American dishes in both indoor and outdoor dining spaces. With all the seafood-focused kitchens in Bar Harbor, this spot focuses on meaty entrees and wood-fired pizzas instead. There are more than 2 dozen East Coast draft brews on tap, including farmhouse ales, ciders, milk stouts, sours, and NEPAs. If you can’t make up your mind, order a flight of 4.

Get your kicks with the Jamaican jerk steak tacos or the gloriously messy buttermilk buffalo chicken sandwich. The wild mushroom and ricotta pizza is an earthy-smokey delight, and the super-rich duck burger is topped with a fried egg. 

Sweet Pea’s Farm Kitchen is a rustic farm-to-table eatery serving an ever-changing menu of dishes where vegetables take center stage. Meat is on the menu too, with items like Hawaiian barbeque sliders and sambal steak sandwiches. The restaurant has a snug indoor dining room and wide-open outdoor dining space surrounded by a green field and forest.

The menu consists of a seasonal rotation and daily specials scrawled on a blackboard. Past menus have included red borscht, chicken pot pie, and lasagne bianco layered with zucchini and mushrooms. Choose from wood-fired pizzas topped with bacon and braised kale or build a pizza to your taste. Don’t miss the seasonal cocktail specials, which range from sunny summer shrubs to hot mulled wine. 

Downeast Deli and Boxed Lunch Co. is an unassuming counter-service sandwich spot in downtown Bar Harbor. The deli offers take-out only, so pick up lunch for the road or walk your sandwich across the street to Agamont Park, where you’ll have views of the bay.

This is a great spot for fast and tasty eats at super reasonable prices. The lobster rolls, served classic cold or hot with butter, are nearly half the price of most others in town. Build-your-own deli sandwiches and wraps are filled generously with meats and there are potato salads and fresh fruit salads at the ready. The house lobster stew is a buttery, brothy concoction with chunks of lobster meat and a touch of sherry. 

Side Street Café is a lively neighborhood restaurant serving a menu of comfort foods that has something for the whole family. There are loads of draft beers, addictive cocktails like the blackberry bourbon lemonade, plus blueberry soda and root beer floats for the kids.

The lobster mac and cheese is the most ordered item on the menu, topped with a generous serving of lobster meat. Shareable appetizers include black bean nachos and roasted crab dip with warm pita bread. For your main, go for the broiled haddock sandwich or a lobster roll served with a side of clam chowder. The sugar-crusted blueberry pie is said to be one of the best in town.