Dining/Lodging
Bar Harbor Inn
Over 150 years ago, Thoreau wrote about “a stroll upon the beach, as near the ocean’s edge as one can go.” This describes the dining experience available at the Bar Harbor Inn, the town’s first hotel following its fateful fire of 1947. Riding your launch to shore, look to your left. Up there on a slight incline, on Newport Drive, you’ll see an inviting terrace with yellow awnings, a place to lunch and dine while observing an active commercial harbor. Many of the vessels in the harbor are lobster boats, and the menu includes the lobsters they deliver.
Chef Lou Kiefer, with over 20 years experience in Maine’s coastal kitchens, considers his menu proof that the Bar Harbor Inn is the place for lobster. Try a traditional Maine lobster bake, or lobsters in a creamy bisque, pie, seafood stew or mixed grill, or with sirloin steak or veal. Other tempting offerings including grilled salmon fillet smoked over an apple wood fire, steak, lamb, or chicken dishes, and a dessert menu almost too sinful to mention. Whether you’re in the mood for a delightful mid-day pause, or an early dinner within sight of your cruise ship, let Chef Kiefer and his staff of 35 culinary professionals pamper you. 207-288-3351 www.barharborinn.com
Bar Harbor Popcorn
Welcome to Bar Harbor Popcorn — a
producer of small batch artisan popcorn! At Bar Harbor Popcorn, they focus on quality to produce the very best classic and Maine flavors.
Their gourmet flavors include Caramel, Maine Maple, Maine Wild Blueberry, Salt-Sweet, Regular and White Cheddar. Their popcorn is all-natural and GMO-free, made fresh daily on-site in small batches — popping 7-days a week for ultimate freshness! You can also cool off during the summer at Bar Harbor Popcorn, with their all-natural fresh squeezed frozen lemonade.
Conveniently located on the corner of Main Street and Mount Desert Street, stop by Bar Harbor Popcorn during your next visit to the Village Green and ask for a free sample. 610-509-0278 www.barharborpopcorn.com
Choco-Latte
Fresh baked goods and egg sandwiches in the morning, the best espresso and coffee, and of course chocolates.
Choco-Latte’s homemade chocolates are high quality chocolates using ingredients that are GMO free, organic, and locally produced. Choco-Latte has a few house specialties on hand at all times, but their offerings do change seasonally, weekly, and daily.
Choco-Latte was founded in 2014 to marry
two of the world’s great flavors – coffee and cacao (chocolate). Organic cacao and coffee is purchased at a fair market price direct from co-ops or the farmers themselves and brought to you here in the United States. The focus at Choco-Latte is not only on where they are getting the chocolate and coffee, but also on how they are preparing it for you at their café. Only the highest quality equipment is used and hours of training is required of their baristas before they are ready to pull a shot of espresso for you.
Come visit Choco-Latte to sample some of the finest chocolate and coffee in the world, direct to you from small, family owned farms. Located at 240 Main Street. 207-801-9179. www.choco-lattecafe.com
Geddy's
Just a half block up Main Street from the town pier, Geddy’s is a Bar Harbor landmark with a long and lively past. This historic building was once home to a dingy waterfront dive avoided by locals, abhorred by the tourist bureau, and frequented by all the shady characters that drifted by. A merchant marine and sailor named “Geddy” Mitchell, who was as tough as the crowd in the bar, transformed it into a mecca of entertainment. Bonnie Raitt, Wynton Marsalis, Taj Mahal, Arlo Guthrie, and Los Lobos were among the performers.
Arthur Davis and Heather Davis purchased Geddy’s in 1987, and they expanded the menu, adding kid’s fare and changing the atmosphere to be family-friendly. World-famous, Geddy’s is still, although considerably safer, a local tradition—if you haven’t been to Geddy’s, you haven’t been to Bar Harbor.
The menu features local produce and seafood, farm-raised beef, and a contemporary mix of regional flavors and around-the-world inspiration. Margaritas, creative cocktails, local beer on tap, hearty food, and friendly servers are all right here in downtown Bar Harbor. There is a lobster tank, and a 24/7 webcam of Main Street.
Check out Geddy’s Down Under for cool stuff, lobster gifts, hoodies, t-shirts, and local souvenirs. Heather started Geddy’s Down Under to share some of her favorite local gifts with restaurant guests, and it has grown to a 2500-square-foot shop filled with take-me-home Geddy’s gear, goofy lobster kitsch, adorable baby clothes, plush toys, hats and caps, jewelry, and a wide range of warm hoodies — perfect for a cool evening on board ship.
Geddy’s is open daily for lunch and dinner, located at 19 Main Street. 207-288-5077
www.geddys.com
Independent Coffee Company
The Independent Coffee Company specializes in providing the highest quality sustainable coffee and espresso drinks available in town. They also offer an extensive all natural whole fruit smoothie menu, various teas, baked goods, and a rotating list of hand crafted specialty drinks – like the Jean Acadia in the summer (an espresso milkshake!), and their special recipe pumpkin pie latte in the fall. Their drip coffee features custom blends developed by The Independent and Coffee by Design, their local coffee roaster.
The Independent is located on 164 Main Street, across from the Village Green. Open 7 days per week from mid-April thru mid-November, this is a treat you should be sure not to miss. 207-801-9324 The Independent on Facebook
Morning Glory Bakery
Nestled just off the main street in the heart of Bar Harbor, the first thing you notice is the Morning Glory’s lush garden and Adirondack benches. The people flowing in and out of the bakery is hard to miss too, this place is super popular with the locals – and it is easy to see why!
With bakers working around the clock using local ingredients you know you’ll be getting fresh quality food. Offering every thing up from coffee, espresso and morning pastries – soups, sandwiches and savory baked goods –with a full line of special occasion cakes, pies, tarts and tortes, there is something for everyone here.
Whether you make this a once a year vacation stop or you come in every day for your usual, you’re sure to feel like a part of the community. The Morning Glory is open 7:00—5:00 Monday through Friday and 8:00—5:00 Saturday and Sunday. Located at 39 Rodick Street. 207-288-3041
Mount Desert Island Ice Cream
Mount Desert Island Ice Cream makes small batch, hand-made gourmet ice cream, sorbets, and cocktail mixes. What makes their products different? They use the finest ingredients: if they make a chocolate, they use Callebaut Chocolate from Belgium, if they make vanilla, they scrape the beans, if they make a sorbet, they use real fruit. MDI ice cream has less air than most ice creams, making it a denser product. Plus a high butterfat content gives it a rich creamy texture.
Come visit Mount Desert Island Ice Cream at 7 Firefly Lane (just off of Main Street, right across from the Village Green, next to the municipal bathrooms and the fire station.) They also have a second location at 325 Main Street. 207-801-4007
www.mdiic.com
Testa’s
The Testa credo, “Pines in the summer, palms in the winter,” symbolizes more than 100 years of family history in the restaurant business. Located at 53 Main Street, and also approachable from Cottage Street through the Bayside Landing, the northern Testa’s opened in downtown Bar Harbor in 1934. The family spends each summer here before returning to their Palm Beach, Florida local for the winter months.
Still delicious, after all these years, Testa’s provides visitors with friendly, efficient service, and the best strawberry pie you’ll ever taste. The menu includes innovative dishes with an Italian flair, fresh seafood, and dessert choices that won’t leave anyone hungry. Testa’s also serves local beers in addition to national favorites, and has a full bar and wine list. Stop into Testa’s for some amazing food, and become a part of Bar Harbor history. 207-288-3327
www.testasrestaurants.com