Mount Desert Island Restaurant and Shopping Guide

Have you ever traveled to a new place and been overwhelmed by the sheer number of restaurant options and stores from which to choose? Yelp and TripAdvisor are helpful, but can also be overwhelming at times. This guide is designed to narrow down some of those options for you. I'll keep it short and sweet. 

Mount Desert Island and Bar Harbor restaurants run the gamut from classic, New England style fare, to much more eclectic, globally inspired options. Price ranges also vary, but food in tourist towns always do tend to trend upward on the price scale. I will list them from most expensive to least, but please feel free to check the price ranges yourself before choosing a location. 

In Bar Harbor, our very favorite restaurant is Havana. Although not a classic Maine restaurant by any means, it is breath of fresh air in terms of variety. Havana has been serving up a blend of Latin and American food in downtown Bar Harbor for over 20 years. Their menu changes, but some of our favorite items so far have been the provoleta appetizer - herb crusted smoked provolone cheese, grilled to perfection served with crisp bread and chimichurri - the ribeye steak and their famous seafood paella.

Salt & Steel comes in as a close second for unique fine-dining in Bar Harbor. Slightly pricier than Havana, Salt & Steel has a seasonally changing menu that highlights all that Maine has to offer. All of their pastas are made in-house and they source as many of their ingredients from local farms and providers as possible. 

Other winning options for dinner include Blaze (an American Gastropub with craft beers and a wood-fire oven), Galyn's and Geddy's (two local favorites offering a variety of seafood options and classic Maine favorites such as crab cakes and lobster in every form along with other pub-fare). 

If you're in Bar Harbor for breakfast, you have to check out Cafe This Way. The blueberry pancakes are bigger than your head and Kit's Burrito will keep you filled up well past lunchtime. We also had an excellent lunch at Side Street Cafe where they serve up specialty mac and cheese, delicious fish tacos, and a large variety of other fresh options. 

As for dessert, Mount Desert Ice Cream Company offers some of the most unique, homemade flavors I've ever tried. You have to try the Butterbeer and Vietnamese coffee flavors. For a more classic ice cream experience, try Ben & Bills. Excellent ice cream with a huge menu also serving up an enormous variety of homemade chocolates and candies. (If you're really feeling adventurous, try the lobster flavor! Our 9-year old is still cringing a bit just thinking about it, but he tried it! Maybe you'll love it!)

Outside of Bar Harbor, I would be remiss if I didn't mention a few of our other favorites. Mainely Meat Barbecue has two locations - one at the Atlantic Brewing Company and one on Dreamhill Road. Dreamhill Road is their main location and has a slightly larger menu, but both offer the same excellent house-smoked meats and casual dishes in a comfortable outdoor environment. Directly next to the Dreamhill Road location is one of our favorite ice cream stores, Udder Heaven. As a person with a nut/peanut allergy, I was super appreciative of their care of me. They took the time to take out a new ice cream container from the back freezer and a new scooper just so they could be sure to not cross-contaminate anything I was going to eat. If your kids have allergies, this is the place to come for ice cream. 

In Southwest Harbor, we love to eat at Hearth & Harbor, a new restaurant with a lot of heart. The owners serve wood-fired food from seasonal sources. Beal's Lobster Pier is one of the two lobster pounds I most highly recommend on Mount Desert Island. Some lobster pounds are inland and may source their lobster from other fisherman around the island, but Beal's brings their catch directly to their pound. The kids love seeing the lobsters in the tanks and picking which one will become their dinner. Set directly on the dock in Southwest Harbor, you can watch the boats coming in and out while you get your hands dirty eating a freshly-cooked lobster with drawn butter. 

I grew up staying at the Claremont Hotel in Southwest Harbor, but I have yet to go back since they changed owners. The newly renovated hotel and restaurant look wonderful, but I will have to reserve my opinion until I get a chance to try it in person.

Our other favorite lobster pound is near Bass Harbor, also on the Quietside of the island. Thurston's Lobster Pound also offers up a wide variety of food options for the non-seafood lovers in your party. I especially love the seating at Thurston's. Set directly over the water, the entire dock is screened in, so you don't have to worry about pesky mosquitoes. 

Aside from food, Mount Desert Island boasts a plethora of fun stores and shops to pop into. In Bar Harbor, our kids number one most favorite shop is Willis' Rock Shop. They can't get enough of all the semi-precious gems, fossils, and rock variations on display. (The website doesn't do this place justice. The owners are wonderfully helpful and kind, and their inventory is vast.) I can't tell you why the kids have attached themselves to this store so much, but they love it. Second to this would be Bark Harbor, where you can find all sorts of unique gifts for your furry friend. Cool As a Moose was my favorite store as a kid, and Spruce & Gussy on Mt. Desert Street has really unique gifts for adults and kids, including my very favorite Maileg Mouse dolls. You have to see them to know. You won't be able to stop yourself. 

Just wander downtown in Bar Harbor for an afternoon and you won't be sorry. You will be sure to find the perfect souvenir from your trip. 

My son would never forgive me if I didn't mention the store Tom Cat Tide in Southwest Harbor. He found his most beloved cat umbrella here and can't say enough good things. 

Shopping in Southwest Harbor and Northeast Harbor has a very different feel from Bar Harbor. You'll find smaller boutiques and more antique stores on other parts of the island away from the big crowds. If you're over in Northeast Harbor, you can also take a stroll through the gorgeous Asticou Azalea Gardens, located next to the historic Asticou Inn.

I hope this post is helpful to those of you who suffer from decision paralysis, as I do when confronted with too many awesome options. No matter where you go or where you eat, you'll be sure to have a great time. The people of MDI are super friendly and helpful. Eat lobster to your heart's content. You've never had it for real until you've eaten it straight off the boat directly from the waters of Maine. Push your kids to try new things. And have fun! 

Until next time, you have kids (or maybe you don't)... now travel!