AREA RESTAURANTS

There are hundreds of fine restaurants in the area. These are just a few of our favorites. One caveat: Many restaurants are open only during the season (usually mid-June–September), so if you’re unsure, call first!

Blue Hill

• Arborvine. Elegant dining in a casual atmosphere. Located in an historic New England setting. Fresh, organic, home grown and local vegetables, fresh seafood, and organic, free-range chicken and beef. A real delight. info

• The Blue Moose. Located on Main Street, the Blue Moose is a great lunch spot with fabulous lobster rolls and home-made pies (try the rhubarb). Very friendly service.

• The Fish Net. A drive-up lunch stand with picnic tables. Lobster, fried seafood, old-fashioned onion rings, root beer floats, and ice cream. Wildly popular.

• The Table. Upscale fare in an historic house at the head of the Blue Hill bay. Outdoor cocktails/dining in good weather.

Surry

• The Surry Inn. Located nearly opposite Heron Cove on the other side of Union Bay. Lovely old home tucked in the woods with partial water views. Go here for a leisurely dining experience with excellent food and wine. The décor needs a facelift, but the servers are pros and you won’t find a quieter spot. Recently, the restaurant has gotten some bad reviews.

Ellsworth

• Cleonice. A Mediterranean-style bistro with the best homemade bread anywhere. Enjoy their lamb burgers with mint & feta, fresh pastas, and an impressive wine list. Vintage décor reminiscent of San Francisco; service a bit slow. info

• Union River Lobster Pot. Tucked down a side street on the Union River, this is a popular local favorite. Dine outside on their dock overlooking the water. This is the closest lobster pound to Heron Cove (although our favorites are elsewhere; see the Mt. Desert Island listing).

• Riverside Café. A real old-fashioned lunch counter with homemade desserts and great crab rolls. Extremely popular at lunch.

Bar Harbor

• Galyn’s. Delicious seafood overlooking Bar Harbor’s harbor. Ask for a table on the porch and enjoy the street scene. Crab cakes are divine, as is the Indian pudding (a must-try if you haven’t experienced it).

• The Reading Room at the Bar Harbor Inn. You’ll feel like Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan in this elegant old hotel’s fine dining room. It has the best view of the water in Bar Harbor and abuts the Shore Path, where you can stroll along Frenchman Bay in front of historic mansions. Food is good, service is excellent.

• Geddy’s. If the TV show “Cheers” were located in Maine, Geddy’s would be the set. A fun pub with authentic Maine signs stolen from all over the state. In the off season or on rainy days, head to Geddy’s for the biggest list of “hot toddy” drinks anywhere.

Mt. Desert Island

• Jordan Pond House. A must do. This historic restaurant dates back to the 1880s, when local girls would serve tea and popovers to “rusticators” like John D. Rockefeller, the driving force behind Acadia National Park. The restaurant burned and was rebuilt, but the popovers are still divine, as is the view of Jordan Pond—one of the most beautiful spots in the Park. Jordan Pond House has the best gift shop on the Island, too (not the least bit tacky).

• Thurston’s Lobster Pound. The definitive lobster pound experience on the prettiest working harbor in Maine. Located in Bernard, at the southwestern tip of the island—hard to find, but worth it. The best lobster you’ll ever taste, served on a dock over the water with all the trimmings, including fresh blueberry cake. A good wine list, too. Go at sunset and photograph the lobster boats in the dying light. Thurston’s sets the standard!

• Abel’s Lobster Pound. Another great pound, located on the shore near the head of Somes Sound, the only fijord on the eastern seaboard. Eat outside on picnic tables nestled under towering pines. Beautiful views and setting. After dinner, stroll to the marina and admire the boats owned by the rich and famous. Service is friendly, it’s much closer to Heron Cove, but Thurston’s has lower prices and better food.

• Maine-ly Delight. A combination lunch stand & lobster pound in quaint Bass Harbor, across from the Swan’s Island ferry dock. Great lobster rolls and reasonable prices. Eat on the dock and watch the ferry steam in.

• Town Hill Market. This isn’t a restaurant, but a mom & pop market located at the crossroads in Town Hill. A perfect place to grab fresh-made sandwiches and homemade goodies (great whoopie pies!) when you’re off for a day of adventure on the Island. There’s an old-fashioned ice cream stand, too.

• The Chart Room. Another old-fashioned favorite, set on the water in Hull’s Cove. Great fried seafood platters and upscale fish dishes (seared sushi-grade tuna, etc.). A perfect family spot, with two levels of outside dining. Wildly popular with local residents and summer people.

• Parkadia. Best "real" Italian sandwiches on MDI. Right after you cross the bridge from Trenton to MDI, it's in the Exxon station at the fork.

Blue Hill Peninsula

• Buck's. Located in Brooksville (Buck's Harbor). Jonathan Chase, formerly of the Pilgrim's Inn in Deer Isle Village, has put together a superlative and constantly changing market-based menu strong in local ingredients, starring fresh fish, scallops, duck, and lamb.

• Bagaduce Lunch. Another drive-up lunch stand with great, fresh seafood. Set beside the Bagaduce Falls, where a reversing tide rips up and down its narrow channel at the ebb and flood.

• Brooklin Inn. The Dining Room and Pub (open 7 days in summer, 5 days in winter) very eclectic. Features organic produce and organic Maine-raised beef, lamb and poultry and local seafood. Great wine list. info

Food to Go

• Pectic Seafood, Trenton. Everything from fresh fish and lobsters to pre-prepared gourmet dishes and desserts. The building is deceiving and looks like a pizza joint, but the food inside is gourmet. info

• Downeast Lobster Pound, Trenton. Seafood to go, or on the deck. They have fresh fish and live lobsters for pickup on your way home after a day on MDI. info

SHOPPING

Blue Hill

• Blue Hill Wine Shop. Small but impeccable selection and great atmosphere. They also sell imported coffees and teas. Try the blueberry wine from local Bartlett Winery.

• Northern Lights Bookstore. Good selection of maps, guidebooks, and free area information guides. Also art supplies, stationery, gifts, and a children’s section.

• The Meadow. Delightful home décor and gift shop, with a humorous twist (carries my husband’s favorite cocktail napkins, which say “Cork the Whine”). The owner is extremely friendly and helpful.

• Blue Hill Books. Another great bookstore in Blue Hill. Lots of books by local and regional authors, including Richard Russo, Linda Greenlaw, E.B. White, Tess Garrison, Stephen King, Stuart Woods, and others. info

Ellsworth

• Grasshopper Shop. If you’re here early in the season, get “Grasshopper bucks”— like Monopoly money—to use as cash for future purchases. An eclectic mix of women’s clothes, shoes, and accessories. They also have a great selection of housewares and home décor items, toys, games, music, and gifts.

• J&B Atlantic. My favorite Ellsworth shop. Combined antiques, stylish home décor, and tasteful gifts. The bargain basement is not to be missed.

• Rooster Brothers. The best cooking store ever, with very good prices. Located in an old Victorian house, Rooster’s has three floors or dishes, cookware, linens, gourmet food, wine, teas, coffees, and gifts. A must visit!

• The Big Chicken Barn. If it rains while you’re here, head to the Chicken Barn! Two floors of old books and antiques in a real chicken barn. Unbelievable selection of antiques, collectibles, vintage items, and a collector’s dream of Maine books and first editions. Great prices, too!

• L.L. Bean Outlet. Who needs Freeport? Hit the outlet and save $$. Great selection and low prices on nearly everything Bean’s sells. Who doesn’t love paying $3.00 for a top-quality sweater? (Even if it DOES have someone else’s monogram!)

Bar Harbor

• Island Artisans. Small shop with art-quality handcrafts, including pottery, jewelry, weaving, and paintings.

• The Acadia Shop. A surprisingly non-tacky gift shop. Go here for souvenirs and gifts that won’t be resold on eBay. Columbia and Woolrich clothing, too.

• Cadillac Mountain Sports. Everything for every outdoor pursuit.

• Window Panes. Stylish kitchen wares, linens, and garden accents.

• Sherman’s Books. Smallish selection of books, but lots of books on Maine. Gifts, souvenirs, toys, and NAUTICAL CHARTS.

Mt. Desert Island

• Jordan Pond House. Along with the world-famous popovers and the most beautiful lake on the Island, Jordan Pond House has a substantial gift shop. Lots of Acadiana, Maine books, guide books, maps, Maine-themed handcrafts, sporting gear, toys, and gifts. If you want a book about the Island or Park, go here.