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

The only dining option within Acadia serves lunch, tea, and dinner as well as to-go items like sandwiches and salads. Most folks come for tea and popovers with strawberry jam on the lawn—a tradition started in the 1890s in the original Jordan Pond House—but the menu also includes chowders and entrees like a lobster dinner or the fresh catch of the day. There's also a gift shop and, on the upper level, an observation deck. Parking lots here fill fast in high season; consider biking or taking the free Island Explorer bus.

Tucked away on a lane-like downtown street, this laid-back spot with a bocce court on the shaded patio out front is back in the groove after two sisters, both former employees, took over in 2022. Signature dishes include seared scallops with Korean barbeque sauce, the falafel plate, and the peanut sauce and pita bread (both house-made) appetizer; new are weekly cocktail specials that, say, mix elderflower, blueberry shrub, vodka, and mint to honor a supermoon. You can dine on the patio, in one of two clean-lined dining rooms, or at the L-shape bar.

A fisherman’s wife owns this popular establishment, which buys lobster right off the boat and has covered tables spread about a deck atop a wharf. As stunning as the setting is, folks also come for the excellent food, including boiled lobster with sides; there are plenty of non-seafood choices, too, including pulled pork. There is a very small dining room, and rain doesn’t usually shut this place down, but best to call first if the weather is inclement.

Known around town simply as “The Colonel’s,” this restaurant serves up traditional fare—everything from lobster rolls and fried seafood plates to burgers and pizza—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which can be eaten 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.

Right on Bass Harbor, Thurston's is easy to spot because of the bright yellow awnings covering much of its outdoor-only seating. You can order everything from a grilled-cheese crab sandwich, haddock chowder, or hamburger to a boiled lobster served with clams or mussels. Tables under those can't-miss awnings are on two levels—one has a bar. There’s no indoor dining at this family-friendly establishment, but those outdoor rooms are protected by plastic blinds and propane fireplaces if it’s chilly. Thurston's is also a lobster wholesaler, and you can buy cooked or uncooked lobsters to go.