Ellsworth's best known little brew pub is also a friendly little place to get the best beer in…read moretown. The food is above average (I recommend the baked potatoes!). Flights of beer in a small cozy setting. Oatmeal stout among the best I've had. Famous for their Red Ale. You really can't find better beer In Ellsworth!

They have traditional Cornish pasties, which my husband says are the best thing he's ever eaten. He…read morealso loves the Steak and Ale Pie. I like the Blackened Haddock Tacos and the pretzel sticks. Pro Tip: get BOTH the "beer cheese" and the "beer mustard" and get extra of both. You might have extra, but you can use the extra on sandwiches tomorrow. The extra mustard is also great with cheese and crackers as a snack. The blueberry cobbler is fantastic! The peanut butter pretzel pie did not impress my husband; he said the pretzels themselves tasted cheap, like grocery store pretzels. I have been trying to get them to add a vegetarian pasty to the menu. They have almost nothing vegetarian in there, and a Greggs style cheese and onion pasty would also be extremely traditional and surely wildly popular. PLEASE ADD A VEGETARIAN PASTY!! And/or a fish pasty, which would also be very traditional. Oooh, what about a Stargazy Pasty with leeks and cream? Now, THAT would be traditional and would certainly get some media attention. I will raise my rating to 5 stars as soon as this place adds a good vegetarian or fish Signature Entree (preferably a pasty!!). That is literally the only reason they're not getting 5 stars, that it's way too oriented towards meat eaters. (They do have a grilled cheese toasty and a vegan garden burger, so I would still go there if you are vegetarian or vegan, but keep your expectations low when it comes to selection.)

Loved the interior as soon as we walked in. A nod to the feel of an old speakeasy, rich wood tones…read moreand a faux brick ceiling, it was fun and right out of a movie. I loved how all of the bartenders and servers seemed to pitch in and help out. There was never the feeling like anyone was focused on just their job. They were all focused on making sure the patrons had what they needed. I was here on a Tuesday evening with my husband and 2 kids, 6 and 10. They don't print a kids menu but readily offer options of burgers, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, pasta with marinara, and pasta with butter and parmesan. My kids had mac and cheese and buttered pasta, which with homemade rigatoni noodles, we packed the leftovers. For cocktails, we had The Balcony is Closed, a delightful gin and lemon cocktail but the honey beer syrup balances it and the chili oil gives it a kick of a finish. I have gin cocktails wherever I go, and I've traveled and eaten far and wide. This is one of my top 3 most memorable gin drinks. We also tried The Assault Continues, smoky and earthy; not my favorite but for my smoky scotch loving husband, it hit the spot. Of course, we had to try the tuna nachos. I feel like so many restaurants try to do tuna nachos and it's been there, done that. But you haven't had THESE tuna nachos. They're spectacular. The ingredients on the menu speak for themselves but they finally got the ratio and presentation just right. It's a work of art. The caprese was also delicious, the stracciatella and pistachios playing nicely off each other. Dinners were rigatoni with short rib, and the halibut. The rigatoni was delicious. The halibut was out of this world. Perfect sear, perfectly cooked halibut in a corn cream sauce or nage, the summer succotash, fresh corn, crisp bacon, salty caviar. I really proverbially licked the plate with my fork. It was special and incredibly well executed. Not to mention the blueberry pie bar and carrot cake were also delicious. Both disappeared in a matter of seconds. We didn't have to fight for or pay through the nose for parking in downtown Bar Harbor for this wonderful dinner. Get the free parking in several lots in town. The city hall parking lot is directly behind the restaurant building. If you like to eat on a budget, this spot may not be for you, but if you enjoy great food and cocktails, I really think the prices are comparable to what you'd pay in other more populated areas. The food is a diamond in the rough.

The appetizers were excellent!…read more We ordered mussels which were tasty and generous, could have been is own meal. If it was served with crusty bread instead of a thick slice of toasted bread, it would have been perfect. The nachos were unique and delicious with generous toppings and ahi tuna... also could have been a meal by itself... chef's kiss to those two items! Our entrees were a dish called Gnudi- which if you don't know what they are(we didn't and when we looked it up, it said it is similar to gnocchi- IT ISN'T!!!) ask before you order, if you've never had it, it's very unique and we didn't care for it at all... there was no recourse given by the restaurant... make sure you know what it is!! Our other entree was rigatoni that was topped with ricotta and short rib sauce, shredded cheese... it was tasty, but very pricey for a bowl of pasta... To make a reservation, you need to give a credit card and if you don't show up, your card is charged $25 per person. The service was friendly until we didn't like the Gnudi... then it was a little weird... It was fine, but not exceptional... Cold bottles of water are given to the table and refreshed as necessary. The restroom is not kept up, could use shine attention, a little elbow grease to clean it. They are on Facebook and offer specials on their burgers.

I asked whether it would be okay to substitute something vegetarian, like some onions and…read moremushrooms, for the bacon. No problem, she said. After I paid, I realized that they had not only charged me full price, they had tacked on not one, but two surcharges for the veggies. Nearly ten bucks for a grilled cheese with American cheese and a few veggies? Plus nearly 8 bucks for the onion rings. When I very politely said that I wasn't happy about the "misunderstanding" about the substitution, she said that it was OKAY to substitute the vegetables, she had never said that it would be the same PRICE. Seriously? They have the right to charge what they want, but the food was nowhere near good enough to pay that much. Not even close. Not going back.

This unassuming spot is for sure a diamond in the rough. It doesn't look like much from the outside…read more(and we almost didn't go in, but we took a chance and are glad we did! The staff is quite friendly and customer focused and the menu is straightforward, but the real joy is in the cooking. It's REALLY good. If you read my other reviews you'll see that I'm not shy about highlighting poor food and bad service. This place was neither of those. It was a little surprised that a place with "roast beef" in its name would be out of roast beef on a Sunday afternoon until the explained that the are closed on Mondays and cook their own roasts (2 a day) and serve until sold out on Sundays so the sandwich meat is fresh when the reopen on Tuesday. Amazing. I had a Baja smash burger and my wife had an Olin smash burger both with caramelized onions. Both were excellent. Fresh - not frozen patties - and it showed. Fries were really good too. I'll be back later in the week to try their roast beef sandwich and see if it lives up to the "legend" name.

Dinner for 6, seated at a corner table in the back of the restaurant with a nice view of a…read moremanicured lawn. Service was attentive and prompt (including a check-in from Josie herself!) Three salads (burrata and ahi) were delicious and so pleasing to the eye in their presentation. Some pretty serious knife skills for the salad chef! Steak, fish and chips and a wrap served the rest of this, and it all was good as plates were clean when done! Truffle fries for an appetizer and many raved about the dipping sauce too! The checkout out front easily accommodated 4 separate checks too! Highly recommend ~ an extensive menu, great staff and good ambiance!

Breakfast burrito was a surprise when brought to the table as it was more of a hay roll in size…read more However, it was very, very tasty. The crispy outside gives an initial flavor of an eggroll but then it lets the breakfast mix inside take over. Every ingredient in the inside complements each other. Breakfast platter was also good with tasty sausages but not comparable to the burrito. Seating is on a porch area behind and around the country store, so you just go through the front and wait to be seated by the cooking area where they have the menus on a table. It can be a bit confusing. Oh, and diner style, when you are done you pay at the front register. Very nice find!

Ok. I'm not going to lie. When I first looked at the menu I actually headed next door to…read moreMargarita's to eat instead. Boy do I regret that decision! We came back the following night for a REAL treat... First of all, Tony was our server. What an absolute sweetheart!! He had nothing but fantastic recommendations for us. He was definitely not your standard "waiter". He spoke to us like we were regulars, which we appreciated, considering we were from Massachusetts. We ordered three of his suggestions: wings, fish and chips and the spicy margarita. Outside of what was recommended we also got the beer cheese and GIANT soft pretzel, bangers and mash and the creme brûlée. First off- this was my first time trying beer cheese, so I was beyond excited. I hate pretzels, however. Guess what?? They were BOTH SOOO GOOD!! The pretzel was the size of my giant head and was so soft & salty. It really paired well with the creamy beer cheese. I'd come back just for this appetizer every time. The wings too, actually! I was a little hesitant because I read the word "dill" on the menu but they really tasted more like Buffalo wings with a note of dill at the very end. I think I might be in love.... On to the main event! The Smithwick's beer battered fish and chips... WOW. It was a little different than I'm used to (which was a great thing in this case). The batter was thick and crispy (I'm used to thinner) and the haddock was super moist. Very fresh! I order this meal wherever I go and this is definitely in my top 3 (out of probably 50 others). I was hoping I could switch out the chips for fries because, well, I've never had traditional chips before! I must say I was pleasantly impressed though! They were the BEST and completed the dish perfectly. My fiancé had the bangers and mashed. He said it was good and very traditional. I did not indulge, so I can't relay that in my review. Last, we ended the meal with a MUST try....the creme brûlée. LEAVE ROOM FOR THIS DESSERT! The top was a hard sugar coating while the rest was truly a creamy dream. I might have to stop back in JUST for this before I head back home! 5 stars. Definitely. 6 stars for service!!

Their Bangers & Mash entree was better than expected. And with about 30 different drafts to choose…read morefrom other than a Guinness, ya can't go wrong at Finn's. The kitchen closes around 8:50pm during the week so keep that in mind. We found out too late in the evening that their jumbo pretzel was sold out. While it's tough to navigate through most every restaurant in the Trenton/Ellsworth/Bar Harbor area without the blitz of seeing t-shirts and beanies for sale, Finn's has their their own Challenge Coin for sale ($8), which was a nice find.

I normally don't write reviews, but I felt dissatisfied with the service we received. My hamburger…read morewas good, but my husband ordered off the brunch menu, and it was mostly potatoes. My daughter had the tuna salad, and she said it was good. Now the service was poor. We waited an hour to get our meal. We were just about to leave, and it came to the table. I know good food takes time, but a salad, burger and eggs/potato should not take an hour. Food was warm not hot! Our waitress never asked if we wanted more water we had to search her down to find out if our food was coming. So if you want food in a timely manner don't go to Masons in Brewer.

The tofu was amazing! The best we've ever had and we eat tofu all the time and have for almost 20…read moreyears so that says a lot! It was crispy, perfectly sized pieces, very flavorful (I think it was teriyaki) and the portion was generous. We had the pizza special of the day (elote) with vegan cheese and it was decent. The breaded cauliflower app would have been better with some salt/flavoring in the breading and the brussel sprouts had great flavor and texture but they burnt them a bit and it took away from making them a 10/10. The environment was a little loud but the view of the river was nice and the server was pleasant even if a little busy and absent at times.

The fish sandwich was delicious. The fries were hot and crispy. The coleslaw was on the creamy…read moreside but excellent.

Great food and friendly service. My car battery died a couple years ago while I was there and the…read moreowner gave me a jump start. He was kind and helpful. Great people.

Was in Bar Harbor for three nights receNyla and ended up in the Midtown location on all three…read morenights! Every single beer was great, but special mention to Cadillac Mountain Stout and Thunder Road Brown. Both amazing! There's not a bad beer on their list!!! Also, JT behind the bar was great

Great service, food, and beer. We tried the blueberry beer mussels and the Korean meatballs both…read morewere amazing. All the beer was delicious too. Ask to be seated at the upstairs rooftop area.

I left extremely stuffed and happy! Food was tasty, super flavorful, visually plated greatly, and…read moredidn't have to wait long. We showed up on a Saturday at 5 o'clock end of August and got right in at Annex which is the same menu and attached. Waiters were helpful and kind, amazing people! Live music was going on at 7 but we left right before, awesome vibes doors to the outside open so it was basically an open air concept since it was a beautiful day. Clam chowder: super delicious and passed the spoon test! (I like my chowders thick so a spoon should float on top) Bangin Shrimp: seasoning and sauce were bangin! Great stuff and the buttery grilled flamed pita added a beautiful touch Cadillac fries: crispy fries with melty cheese, hot sauce, bbq sauce, chipotle mayo and toooed with bacon. We inhaled these. Mac + rac: fall off the bone rips and the Mac was killer. Mixed in with street corn added a great change up and all went so well together. Larger shells cooked perfectly and super cheesy, this was a great dish. Highly recommend, wish I could have tried the Blueberry Pie because that looks insane, was way too full after crushing the other dishes and washed down with a blueberry beer and an extra dirty martini!

After driving the 27-mile loop road of Acadia National Park, we stopped back at our motel and…read morerealized we were too tired to go out to lunch. However, we weren't too tired to eat it, so we had the food delivered from Side Street Cafe. So glad we did it that way cuz it was terrific... and easy to arrange ! My hubby ordered their Cubano sandwich while I ordered a cheeseburger. He loved his Cubano, which came with a side of mac 'n cheese. The mac 'n cheese was light in flavor, I think because of the kind of cheese used. I prefer more flavor, but it wasn't bad either. My( burger was quite large, and it was really tasty... very nicely seasoned beef patty, and it had all the things I like... cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle.... and catsup. I was very happy. It came with fries, but I had my fill of fries with all the lobster rolls I had ordered along the way, so I didn't eat them. Plus, there was a slice of blueberry pie calling out to me, so I wanted to blow my calories with the pie... and so glad I did cuz it was another spectacular piece of blueberry pie. Against my will, I split it with my hubby. Lol. It was a great way to end our meal. (Turns out we never got dinner that night cuz we were so full from such a nice lunch.) Side Street Cafe is definitely going on my radar if we're ever fortunate enough to return to Bar Harbor.

Stopped by this iconic restaurant at the recommendation of the innkeeper where I was staying. It…read morewas packed to the gills (pun intended) with both locals and the hordes of tourists who descend to this part of Maine to visit the Acadia region. The place is apparently famous for its pies, and if course, since it is Maine, fir seafood. A lot of the dishes in the menu are market price, which is understandable. The waitress was Megan and she was all smiles and very friendly, and there's a small army of staff working their tuchis off on Sunday, which is when I dropped by. Super generous portions, which seems to be the standard for this region of Maine. I started with the basic Maine dish of seafood chowder. Helen's seafood chowder is a rich, creamy soup that celebrates the fresh flavors of the area. Tender chunks of haddock, clams, shrimp, and scallops are simmered with potatoes, onions, and celery in a white thickish broth seasoned with butter, herbs, and perhaps a touch of black pepper? Every spoonful was hearty, comforting, and filled with the sweet, briny taste of the sea and packed with chunks of seafood. Definitely Maine style comfort food! Once again, I went for the fish and chips and that was a hit! Flaky, fresh Haddock coated in a light, crispy golden batter and fried to perfection. Served alongside hot, hand-cut fries, this classic favorite of mine was (as usual) accompanied by creamy coleslaw, tangy tartar sauce, and a fresh lemon wedge for the perfect finishing touch. Did I mention that the blueberry pie was out of this world? YUM! And they have military and veterans' discount!

Food of the lowest quality. Worst was the kids menu steak and fries. Two kids ordered it. One was…read morethe flat, overcooked, looked just super gross. Accentuated by the fact that the other kids steak was decent. Fries--there were 7 or 8 per plate. On a little 3-section plate with one section blank that definitely played into the bad cafeteria vibe of the food. Some menu items are highlighted as house recs like the haddock chowder. Broth was watered down skim milk, untouched by anything that might give it flavor like onions, celery, salt. Soggy salad served with packs of Ken's dressing. But it wasn't a loss. Helen's and its saddest steak in the world became a family punchline we used for the rest of our trip and will stay in our lexicon.