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

Winding downhill through a boatyard, this truly hidden gem juts into Somes Sound, delightfully so as the place hums on summer nights: adults grab a drink from the outside bar, families play cornhole, kids and dogs romp, and folks angle to watch lobsters steam in seawater over an outdoor wood fire before eating at picnic tables on the sloping lawn or heading in to the window-lined mid-century wood-walled dining room with views from every table. The one-page menu is easy to digest when you want to relax and enjoy the view. Another page lists inventive craft cocktails, including the bartender’s choice of the day.

Though tucked back on a residential street, folks find Fogtown and its slew of beers (made with Maine-grown hops, grains, and malts) and locally sourced brewpub menu. On the lower level of an old brick warehouse, the tasting room nestles between the brewery and a big, inviting beer garden; warming things up in cool weather are space heaters, firepits, and a brick wood-fired oven that cooks up pizzas with seasonal toppings and chili-crisp shishito peppers. The 15 tap lines at the Ellsworth brewpub flow with the four flagship beers and experimental and seasonal brews as well as Fogtown-made wines and hard ciders. There's also a location in Bar Harbor.

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 scrumptious "creative comfort food" like fish tacos and burgers (there's a handful of entrées, too). Outdoor and indoor dining spaces, one anchored by a horseshoe bar, flow together; exposed brick and a cork wall and ceiling warm up the welcoming, family-friendly vibe. The main restaurant and The Annex (no lunch) have the same menu until 9 pm, when the former closes and The Annex offers simpler fare for its final hour. Flanking Side Street and The Annex are the establishment’s two sister businesses: Thrive Juice Bar & Kitchen, serving breakfast and lunch (you can eat at tables in The Annex), and Side Treats Bar Harbor, a frozen yogurt place with self-serve toppings.

Glass walls let you take in the action at this busy brewpub before you enter, and when you do, you may want to head up—there’s an outdoor deck off the second floor. Order a flight or glass of beer to pair with food like soups, sandwiches, and appetizers. Founded in Bar Harbor in 1991, Atlantic Brewing's farmstead brewery outside of town has a tasting room and Mainely Meat BBQ and gives tours. A few miles beyond the causeway onto Mount Desert Island is the company's Bar Harbor Cellars, with a tasting room in an old barn as well as outdoor seating.

Watch lobstermen and fishermen haul their catch and pleasure craft come and go at this working pier with a large restaurant that's big on lobster, clams, and other seafood but also sells burgers, chicken sandwiches, and hot dogs for the kids. There’s open and covered patio seating, the latter with a bar; waterside bar tables for two along a covered pier walkway; and indoor dining (upper level). Fried, seared, and blackened seafood choices are on the menu, and of course traditional lobster sides like cornbread, corn-on-the-cob, and coleslaw.

Ogling the assorted goodies makes for a fun wait in the often long line—likely running out the door—at this cheeky, old-fashioned candy and ice-cream shop. Most of the candy, including numerous varieties of fine chocolates and fudge, is made right here, as is the ice cream (60-plus flavors) and gelato (8 flavors). Folks congregate, generously scooped cone in hand, by the large "lobster" out front. Be forewarned: kids will clamor for "penny candy" and a cone.

A sign points to this tucked-away breakfast-only spot set back from Mount Desert Street near the Village Green and opening at 6:30 am to catch folks who worked up an appetite savoring sunrise atop Cadillac Mountain; others order a Bloody Mary or whatever from the full bar and enjoy breakfast for lunch (it's open until 1 pm). Art pops on the maroon walls, and there's lots of seating inside and out—the place to be on nice summer mornings.

This large year-round café features coffee from a local coffee roaster, but you can get much more than a cup of joe—for breakfast, grab a breakfast sandwich or avocado toast; for lunch or dinner, a salad, wrap, or taco. In a town without a lot of quick-bite spots, it's a good choice for picking up lunch to enjoy in the park, at your lodging, or at a table inside or, come summer, out front.

Known around town simply as “The Colonel’s” and serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this restaurant offers traditional fare from lobster rolls and fried seafood plates to burgers and pizza; eat in the dining room, at the bar, or out on the deck in the warm months. In front, the bakery turns out delicious bread, rolls, croissants, turnovers, and muffins as well as cookies, cakes, Maine’s famous whoopie pies, and other sumptuous desserts. Try one of the glazed doughnut twists, with or without chocolate drizzled over the top. You can also get an ice cream cone here.

Breakfast and lunch can be full-on carnivore or vegan at this downtown café, also a go-to for coffee, tea, cookies (some are gluten-free), and pastries, including sweet or savory croissants. Breakfast sandwiches have a choice of meat or veggie sausage, while lunch offers soups, salads, and inventive hot and cold sandwiches—the Vietnamese banh mi with pickled vegetables, cilantro, cucumbers, jalapeño aioli, and pork, chicken, or tofu on a demi baguette is popular.

With a big menu that’s big on seafood (pick-your-own lobster tank), this lively establishment—founded in 1974—would be easy to spot even without a lighted moose on the roof. Humor pervades inside: kids' meals come on Frisbees; quirky plastic animals on sticks adorn cocktails and kids' drinks; and old photos, murals, signs, license plates, and other bric-a-brac fill the walls, adding a sense of coziness to a large restaurant with a large bar right in the middle. Harbor views are only available from a few seats up front. You can enter the large lower-level gift shop from the street or the restaurant; either way, the kids will head straight for the treasure chest with free trinkets.

After enjoying the sunrise atop Cadillac Mountain, snuggle into a wooden booth or grab a table at this homey, yellow-walled eatery that opens at 6 am to catch the crowds who flock to the spectacle and serves breakfast until 1 pm. Signature items include homemade oatmeal bread, stuffed French toast, and the Great Maine Breakfast, with three eggs, meat, pancakes, and vegetarian baked beans—the Maine tradition is to eat leftovers from Saturday night's bean supper on Sunday morning. Whatever you order from the extensive breakfast menu, which also includes lobster Benedict and a lobster omelet, the portions will be big.

Many folks come to enjoy tea and the famous popovers with strawberry jam at tables on the lawn—a tradition started in the 1890s in the original Jordan Pond House—but Acadia's only restaurant also has offerings like lobster stew, salads, lobster roll, sandwiches, and entrées such as salmon encrusted with a horseradish soufflé. At the upper level Carriage Road Carry Out you can get to-go items, including baked goods, wraps, sandwiches, and salads. There's also a gift shop and, on the upper level, an observation deck. Parking lots fill up fast in high season; consider biking or taking the free Island Explorer bus.

A fisherman’s wife owns this popular lunch establishment, which buys lobster right off the boat and has umbrella tables spread out on a wharf overlooking Corea Harbor's quintessential Maine setting. Along with seafood choices like chowders, steamed clams, boiled lobster with a side, and lobster or crab grilled cheese, there are plenty of non-seafood options, including pulled pork, burgers, quesadillas, and PBJ. Though rain doesn’t usually shut this place down, it's best to call first if the weather is inclement, especially as the inside dining space is tiny.

Madagascar Vanilla Bean has specks from beans scraped from vanilla pods—just one example of the prep work that goes into creating these heralded artisanal ice creams (there are also a few sorbets) at a nearby production facility using as many local ingredients as possible. The shop's French doors open along the sidewalk, welcoming passersby right in; grab a seat or head across the street to the Village Green to savor every bite.

In a standout art deco storefront whose arched recessed window has earthy pink trim, this restaurant’s elongated original 1930s interior also impresses, with a vaulted ceiling and red swivel seats at the bar, and booths and mirrors with matching decorative wood framing. Provender earned a strong regional reputation soon after the chef and his wife opened it in 2017, serving up meals and small plates that embrace the season, food from area farms and producers, and the "chef's whim." 

Most of the tables here are on a large patio within spitting distance of the water, though you can also enjoy quintessential views of working Bass Harbor through large windows in the cheery establishment's dining room and adjoining Tide Room. Lobster—served not only boiled with a choice of sides but in dishes such as baked seafood casserole—is purchased fresh off the boat from the lobsterman next door. Many folks eat at this family-owned and run restaurant before or after watching the sunset at nearby Bass Harbor Head Light in Acadia National Park. The lunch and dinner menus are available all day.