5 Best Restaurants in Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island, Maine

Located on a nub jutting into Somes Sound a few miles from Northeast Harbor, this place hums on summer nights as adults grab a drink from the outside bar, kids and dogs romp, and folks angle to watch lobsters cook in an open-air kitchen before eating at tables about the sloping lawn; the window-lined mid-century wood-walled dining room has views from every table. There are separate menus for each dining space though there is some overlap including the wood-fired boiled lobster, a lobster roll, fried clams, and the 9-ounce house burger. Mussels steamed with mushrooms, herbs, and cream and served with housemade focaccia bread are a delightful dinner-only appetizer.

An early standout in Maine’s farm-to-table movement, this acclaimed establishment not far from Bar Harbor in tiny Otter Creek sells to-go foods—prepared (including breakfast pastries) and ready-to-cook, all made on-site and largely featuring ingredients from the owners’ extensive gardens. The retail side has a small gardenside outdoor eating area and also sells small-scale wines (natural, organic, and biodynamic) as well as ciders. Seafood has been a specialty of the restaurant, with signature dishes like oven-poached cod and gray sole stuffed with asparagus, pea tendrils, and chevre. To-go items include halibut salad with dill and lemon and smoked salmon.

A lively yet intimate spot on the edge of downtown, Havana serves Latin-inspired dishes like seafood paella and panko-crusted lamb chops with lemon mojo sauce paired with robust wines from an award-winning, passionately curated 73-page wine list. In season, have a bite on “the Parrilla,” the informal no-reservations patio (separate menu); year-round, dine in a pleasant indoor space with a modern aesthetic, featuring clean lines and cheery colors. The menu has staples yet varies with the seasons. Lamb chops might come with cheesy grits and grilled veggies in July and sweet potato puree and ratatouille in September. Seafood paella piles in lobster, mussels, shrimp, scallops, chorizo, tomatoes, peppers, and smoked chicken with saffron rice. You'd do well to finish off your meal with a serving of affogato made with Mount Desert Island vanilla-bean ice cream and something from the also-extensive “Cigars & After Dinner Drinks” menu (yes, cigars are to go).

Whether you have a table in the dining room or a seat at the small bar, you’ll feel comfortable at this longtime fine dining downtown restaurant, where yellow walls, white tablecloths, and the white brick fireplace add lightness and dark wood walls and ceilings and landscape paintings (for sale) add warmth. Along with entrées such as lobster risotto with asparagus and maple-glazed baby back ribs, grilled with crescendo after slowly braising, there’s always a burger on the menu. Appetizers are inventive, like house-made duck and pork sausage with pear, rhubarb, and raspberry chutney. Fine-tuned seasonally, the menu features locally sourced foods, including meat and fish.

On a side street near the Village Green, this place (and its sister arm, The Annex) hops on busy summer evenings as folks line up for its comfort food like fish tacos and burgers. Outdoor and indoor dining spaces, one anchored by a horseshoe bar, flow together and exposed brick, and a cork wall and ceiling, add warmth to the welcoming, modern, family-friendly vibe; friendly dogs are allowed outside. The main restaurant and The Annex (no lunch) serve from the same menu until 9 pm when the former closes and The Annex offers appetizers, desserts, and mac-and-cheese for its final hour.