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

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.

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.