4 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.

Whether you have a table or a seat at the bar, you’ll feel comfortable at this acclaimed longtime downtown restaurant, where yellow walls, white tablecloths, and the white brick fireplace add lightness and wood ceilings and floors add warmth. Rich with locally sourced foods, the seasonally fine-tuned menu has entrées such as lobster risotto with asparagus and maple-glazed baby back ribs, grilled with crescendo after slowly braising, or choose an inventive burger, perhaps with Red Sky hot sauce; pasta is made in-house.

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.