We rolled up to Side Street after a full day of hiking in Acadia. We joined the online waitlist in…read moreadvance and were seated about 10 minutes after we arrived. Food: I ordered the Bangin' Shrimp Mac as my entree. The shrimp was delicious, however I wish the pasta was just a bit saucier. I cannot emphasize this enough - the blueberry pie here is a must try! It's served piping hot with a side of vanilla ice cream. It 10000% lives up to the hype and I am strongly considering having one shipped to me in LA. Service: The staff here was wonderful! Multiple people came over to check on us and kept our waters topped up throughout the evening. They even put the White Sox game on TV per our request.

On our first night in Bar Harbor, we decided to walk the little town and venture to find a spot to…read moreeat. After walking by a few different spots, we decided to walk into Side Street Cafe and put our name down. We had about a 45 minute wait, which allowed us to walk around a bit more, and got a text less than 40 minutes later that our table was ready. We were sat on the bar side (vs restaurant) but the menu was the same. The server seemed extremely busy and that we sat there for a solid 5 minutes before menus and someone greeting us. She was kind but clearly handling a lot of tables on her own. Given that the menu didn't really speak to a ton of us, we decided to split the lobster roll and buffalo wings! The lobster roll was pretty good for market. There were large pieces of lobster with little mayo and not a lot of butter. It was a bit too much for me without a ton of flavor, so it was not my favorite (especially since I'm not a huge fan of shellfish). The wings were good though. Pretty typical and nothing overly special, but were piping hot and enjoyable! There was a band starting to play, which got really loud, and another reason we decided to leave. But otherwise, I'd try it again.. maybe hope for the restaurant side instead.

Disappointing Experience at The Thirsty Whale…read more We were looking forward to dinner at The Thirsty Whale during our visit to Bar Harbor, but unfortunately, our experience was just mediocre. Our first impression wasn't particularly welcoming, as the hostess was abrupt and unfriendly. Thankfully, our waitress was wonderful--friendly, attentive, and definitely the bright spot of our visit! I ordered the Blackened Fish Sandwich, which arrived with two lonely onion rings, what appeared to be the end slice of a tomato, and a plate overflowing with French fries. The fish itself was somewhat dry and just wasn't particularly flavorful or memorable. Having enjoyed an absolutely delicious fish sandwich at The Oasis in St. Augustine Beach, Florida, I couldn't help but compare the two. Unfortunately, The Thirsty Whale didn't come close. We weren't expecting fine dining, just a good, satisfying meal in a friendly atmosphere. While our waitress delivered excellent service, the food and initial welcome left much to be desired. Overall, not terrible, but certainly nothing we'd go out of our way to experience again.

It was a good thing that we showed up absolutely starving. We hadn't eaten a proper meal since…read morebreakfast about 10-12 hours before, but lo and behold, Yelp and the hotel did not steer us wrong in recommending Thirsty Whale to us for dinner. We polished off the blackened haddock sandwich, the lobster bisque, and a lobster roll (not pictured), in about ten minutes. This was everything we were looking for in a New England meal, loads of seafood, flavor, and the atmosphere to go along with it. Personally I appreciated the size of the blackened haddock sandwich, the picture may not do it justice, but it was massive! Along with a side Cesar salad! We came (very) hungry, and left even happier!

The vibe of this location was lowkey and upper scale for a taproom and pizza house on the main…read morestrip of Bar Harbor. We ordered 2 pizzas for the kids- one cheese and one pepperoni. The pizza was well cooked and delicious. The kids enjoyed it. My wife and I had the surf and turf for two. A perfectly cooked and encrusted tomahawk steak and a split lobster on a bed of potatoes and broccoli florets. All of the food was flavorful and delicious. The service on point and keen to provide input and recommendations all while being aware and attentive to the needs of the customer.

I'm not sure where the poor reviews come from as we had an amazing experience at Blaze... So much…read moreso that we came back 2 days later to have it again. After trying lobster at numerous, highly rated restaurants in the area, we found the fire roasted lobster at Blaze was the best in town & the most lobster for the money. The fig & ricotta pizza was amazing as well. The service was excellent and attentive. We sat on the patio under the heaters & enjoyed the Bob Marley playing over the sound system. Is it cheap? No, but pricing is in line with other restaurants in the area & we greatly enjoyed everything about our experience. A+

We had an amazing dinner at McKay's tonight! Ana, Ashley and the owner were all very personable…read moreand helpful~ and made for a really fun evening! The food was excellent & the outdoor setting was so beautiful! We highly recommend McKays as part of your Bar Harbor experience!! ~The O'Malley's ~ Saratoga Springs, NY

An absolute skip. We were recommended the fish and chips as…read moretheir "specialty". It had the consistency of a sponge. Service was slow. Prices did not equal what we were served. They have nice outdoor seating, but skeeters all over the place.

This place is really a nice restaurant option in a lovely area of Bar Harbor. We ate in the dining…read moreroom and had a super energetic and fun waitress. They were so responsive when we requested a new table because a large party next to us was very loud and we wanted a quieter meal. We enjoyed the Maine oysters a lot. They were nice size and the accompanying sauces were great. The paella was the star of the show though. The scallops were so moist and tender and there was just the right spice level to the rice. There was plenty of shrimp, mussels, lobster chunks, chicken, and sausage. We really enjoyed our meal.

Went here for the Fourth of July 250th, and was not disappointed. I had a large party of 9 and…read morereserved way in advance, and the service was spectacular. Our waiter, HarHar, paid special attention to all of the allergies at our large table, including gluten free, pineapple, almonds, etc. The space is incredibly intimate, with live music. One thing that I would have wished for was more bathrooms, since there was frequently a line for them. However, not so intimate that we were smooshed together like sardines! EVERYTHING on that menu, including the paella, was spectacular. There was not a person in my party that left hungry that night- portions were large, and the food was extraordinary. I would absolutely come here again.

Lobster tacos, halibut dinner and blueberry cheese cake were all so good. The salsa with the…read morelobster tacos was absolutely amazing.

We had the charcoaled ribeye and the ribeye tacos. They were both excellent. The charcoaled ribeye…read morewas mid-rare as requested. We also had the Arancini, which was excellent. The sauce was very good which is surprising for a restaurant. Mari was our server and she was very friendly and knowledgeable and sweet. The ambience was great as we were able to eat while looking at the park and the waterfront. The only downside was, they did not have espresso. Shrug.

Big day of activities in Maine. A big seafood dinner was in order. The Chat Room was a perfect…read morespot. It is right by the water and has outdoor seating. We were seated pretty quick. The drink order was taken first as the family looked over the food menu further. Lots of blueberry themed drinks to fit the Maine theme. I had the Grapefruit & Rosemary Spritz. I liked it, it was a tad too bitter for me. Grapefruit and lime juice together will do that. My brother had the Alfredo dish. He is not a fan of seafood in the slightest. His portion was HUGE. It was a dish that could have been split, instead he had leftovers for a different day. My parents stuck to their goal of having as much Maine Lobster as they could. The lazy lobster option is always appreciated by vacation goers. I went with the halibut. I really like halibut and this was my favorite halibut filet I've had. The carrots were also bigger than most carrots I have had in my life. The fries were an awesome complementary side. I ate everything on my plate and enjoyed every second of the food coma I was in the rest of the night. Our waitress was attentive to our dietary needs. She was very passionate and informative about the seafood offerings. The halibut I had was from the Maine waters, which is a rarer due to the limited time US fishermen can get halibut. Glad I got some! If you have the opportunity to have the halibut, go for it! Awesome spot. I appreciate the gluten free options and the mocktails. The mocktail was the least favorite part of my meal. Hood but more bitter than I anticipated. Overall, amazing. Food, ambience and service. All of it!

Food was great! Oysters were best we've ever had. Lobster stew & clam chowder were great…read more But the man who must have been the manager or owner was highly condescending. We got seated & there were still 2 window tables available. When we asked a gentleman if we could move to one of those, he said 'I have to ask'... the rude man came back and said 'no, that's reserved'. Ok. Just tell us nicely! Tables both remained empty for the hour duration of our meal. One table did have people come in towards the end- to be fair. But the other one didn't. Just can't stand people treating others like less than. Our server was super sweet.

I'm sure at times this place is extremely busy, but we lucked out visiting right after the parade…read morefinished up to enjoy a lunch without a crowd. Now if you are in search of seafood and/or lobster during a visit to Bar Harbor you could throw a stone in any direction and find numerous options. Some family recommended checking out this spot. Both my wife and I started out with a blueberry margarita that was fantastic. Then for food we both decided on the lobster tacos which comes with an order of two. They did not skimp on the lobster at all and this spot created such a tasty taco I would return for them. Granted the appetizer of a lobster poutine sounded delicious too! The ambiance and overall vibes is good, outside they have many picnic tables to enjoy the sights/sounds of Bar Harbor. Inside they have a couple different areas but a welcoming atmosphere overall. Despite the heat and the fact Bar Harbor is busy during the summer, service was quick as well as friendly. Had no complaints for our visit! Great first visit here!

I really really dislike leaving bad reviews. In fact, I typically only leave reviews if they're…read morepositive. However, this restaurant was so so disappointing for the price you pay. We did get food to go, but our hotel was just steps away. So not a long journey from the restaurant to our room. We ordered the lobster nachos. It was not edible and they were so expensive. I was looking forward to getting some lobster, but didn't want a lobster roll and thought this would do it. First of all-- everything was mush. Not even soggy, but like all mush and disintegrated. I can deal with soggy-- it's take out so I don't have high expectations for fresh food. But the chips literally dissolved. There was also no cheese? I don't understand how you can have nachos with no cheese. Also, was advertised with sour cream and there was no sour cream. Lastly, I had lobster earlier today at a different restaurant. It tasted so fresh. This lobster was different. Almost like it was bad or even like a little gamey. I didn't eat but that one piece because I'm afraid I might get food poisoning-- something was just off. I'm not very hard to please and will eat pretty much anything from anywhere. The fact that I wouldn't eat the food (especially after paying $32) says a lot. I literally told my husband I would've rather had McDonald's Giving 2 stars only bc the guy on the phone who took our order was super nice.

Delicious! The patio was great to sit on at night during the warm weather. There are heaters and…read moreblankets available if needed. There was a slight wait so if you are impatient, go early. The dishes come out very quickly so when you are seated you'll eat fast! Everything is meant to be shared family style. Oysters were delicious. They were served on a pile of spice which was nice to dip the oyster in for more flavor. I have not had them this way before. The crab cakes were SO meaty. Almost no filler in these. Really good flavor. Scallops- one of our favorite bites. Seared perfectly. Some crunch with the toppings. Duck tacos- slight hint of spice to these but delicious. Roasted roots- I could eat a thousand of these plates. The golden beets and carrot combination was amazing. The vinaigrette was so well balanced I could not stop dipping in it.

Wow, this place checks all the boxes! Right when we walked in, a couple walking out stopped to…read moretell us the food was outstanding. The atmosphere was very cute and eclectic. We sat out on the front patio. I recommend you try sit there if you can. Our server was super friendly and made us feel like the only patrons there, taking the time to walk us through the menu and help us consider pros and cons of menu items. The food selection was eclectic, with twists on common fare. We ordered the Kale & Brussels, Prosciutto Toast, Scallops, and Octopus all of which had amazing presentation and great taste. Prices were high but it was easily justified by the high quality food and service. If you're in Bar Harbor and want to take a break from chomping on lobster rolls at touristy spots and want an upscale dinner that doesn't disappoint, make Project Social a priority.

Wanted something a little different than spots that speacialize in lobster rolls, so we decided to…read morepop in here. There was a 30-45 min wait, which we were ok with. The service is very friendly. I wanted the Strawberry Fields cocktail, but they didn't have so I settled on The Fuzzy. It is very alcohol forward, which most people will enjoy. Not for me personally, as I would have liked more flavor from the infusions, but that's definitely a personal preference. The Blackened Fish Sandwich with a Small Caesar Salad had very flakey fish. I loved the meld of flavors, and ended up devouring my sandwich! The bun held together well. The caesar salad was a decent size and well dressed. Definitely a cool spot to hit for good food and a great pub vibe!

"The closest Irish Pub to Ireland in the U.S.!" We just landed at Bar Harbor and that was enough to…read moregrab my attention after a long day of traveling. We sat outside and I had what the waitress called a "local Magners cider" and a blackened fish sandwich, which was a nicely blackened cod with tartar sauce and some chips. I ultimately enjoyed it, though admittedly, the Magners did taste better in Ireland. Overall, it was a nice pop in and you could do worse. It's a solid place and I enjoyed it.