We loved this place so much we came here twice for dinner in the one week we were at Bar Harbor! The space is quite large so the wait time really wasn't so bad, even at peak dinner time. We experienced great, friendly service both times (shoutout to the waiter who went through the trouble of passing along the name of the Spotify playlist). Some highlights of the dishes we tried: - Roasted crab dip: Highly recommend! It paired perfectly with pita. - Lobster stew: My friend enjoyed it but it wasn't really for me. There seemed to be a good amount of lobster but it tasted like I was just drinking spoonfuls of cream if that's your thing. - Seafood Mac (lobster & shrimp): I was actually quite disappointed by this. I saw so many reviews raving about the lobster mac n cheese, but I found it to be quite bland. - Lobster Melt: Now this one caught me by surprise. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I think I liked this melt more than the lobster rolls I had tried throughout the week. There was SO much lobster meat and way more filling than a lobster roll. read more

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Solid lobster, bad mac & cheese. Way more expensive than prices at other restaurants, but I suppose Bar Harbor is expensive. read more

Side Street Cafe - Lobster mac & cheese - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

We visited Side Street Café in Bar Harbor after hearing so many good things, and it absolutely lived up to the hype! We started with the banging shrimp, which came with pita bread that was buttery and soft inside with a crispy outside--so delicious. For drinks, we tried the regular lemonade (refreshing and tasty) and the blackberry bourbon lemonade, which was outstanding. For mains, we had the lobster mac and cheese--rich, sweet, and full of flavor--and the baked haddock, which was perfectly seasoned and very flavorful. To finish, we had the warm blueberry pie, which was light, not overly sweet, and the perfect ending to the meal. The service was extremely friendly and welcoming, and overall the whole experience was fantastic. read more

Great warm lobster roll and fries were delicious, love music tonight was amazing!! Great service. read more

Side Street Cafe - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

This place was absolutely delicious after a full day in the park. I got us on the waitlist while we were parking - I would strongly recommend doing so. You have to be close by when you do it because you have a limited time to show up at the restaurant but don't wait until you can speak with someone upfront - its too busy. We were seated fairly quickly. There is paid parking close-by. The patio outside is dog friendly. Their whole menu is well labeled for gluten free and they have a lot of offerings. They have gluten free mac and cheese, fries, sweet potato fries, clam chowder, and more. I was able to get the mac and cheese and a burger with a gluten free bun. The waiter was also very careful to make sure he got everything correct and safe for me to eat. read more

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Great lobster feast. Crispy Lobster roll and clam chowder and fries. Delicious. Outside and inside seating available. read more

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Excellent spot! So many things that were awesome. We sat in the Annex which has live music from 8-10. Arrived around 7:30 and got perfect seats for the music while we ate dinner. Band was awesome and they had a fiddle which we loved. We ordered blueberry margaritas which were very good. We ordered the bangin shrimp for an appetizer and it was the best appetizer we maybe have ever had! It came with perfectly toasted pita and so much sauce on the shrimp for dipping. We wanted to order the sauce to go... by far our favorite dish of the trip! Dinner was veggie mac and cheese and a burger with a side of mac and cheese. The side mac was a little dry but the main dish was not. Solid burger and thoroughly enjoyed the veggie mac. Would get the veggie mac again but probably not the burger. Food: 4/5 with the bangin shrimp being a 1000/5 Drinks: 5/5 Vibe: 5/5 Value: 4/5 - very reasonable Service: 5/5 - Quinn was attentive yet not pushy and made it a point to say to enjoy the music no rush with the bill. read more

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Side Street Cafe is one of the only spots open outside of the summer season. I was wary we wouldn't find a seat but thankfully they have plenty of tables indoors and outdoors. The menu has plenty of options, from lobster rolls, burgers, quesadillas and mac and cheese. We were hoping to grab lobster rolls from one of the many famous side stores/shacks in Bar Harbor but they were closed for the season. As a foodie...the food lacked flavor. The crab cheese dip came with plenty of pita and the dip was warm. Serena's Lobster came with corn, fries, lobster pieces in butter and clam chowder. The clam chowder tasted exactly like Progresso. The lobster roll is very fresh and has the slightest touch of mayo. I would have preferred more of an aioli. I recognize that the lobster meat itself is the dish, however, the rest of the food could have used some salt and pepper. Of course, the seafood is market price so your bill might be different than expected. I'd highly suggest this spot if you are traveling with a group that has different dietary restrictions and preferences. read more

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We had an amazing experience here! The food was fresh and flavorful (highly recommend the seafood risotto and featured halibut, and the oysters), and the keltsie couldn't have been friendlier or more attentive! Everything came out quickly, and the atmosphere was super welcoming. Would absolutely come back next time we're in Bar Harbor!! read more

Seems to be the crowd favorite. We came on a Fri night around 5:15 and had to wait for table since the place was already full. It was a short wait and we got a table inside. They had Tubular IPA ($10) on tap which is a great start. My bride ordered the Highliner's Quesadilla with Lobster ($26) and she enjoyed it. I went with the Haddock Sandwich ($15) and it hit the spot. Service from bar team was great. read more

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Side Street Café is our favorite place to eat in Bar Harbor. This cafe has really great vibes and the service staff is always attentive and friendly. Their cocktails and mocktails are all superb and the "Born to Rum" cocktail is easily the best rum cocktail I've ever had. My wife and I really appreciate that Side Street Café offers a number of vegetarian and vegan options. These can be hard to come by at other restaurants in the area, but the veggie options here are to-die-for! We always get the Brussel sprouts starter. The maple bourbon glaze is the perfect balance of savory and sweet. We've had the hummus platter a few times and love it as a healthy starter before the meal. My recent go-to has been the Lean Machine veggie burger with a side of the house fries. The fries have a delicious salty seasoning and the burger features a delicious earthy flavor that balances well with the sweet spice of the mustard and the creaminess of the avocado. My wife loves the Emilia wrap. The hummus and basil pesto blend nicely with the fresh vegetables which also contribute to a very aesthetic, colorful meal. Whether you're sitting inside or out on the patio, the Side Street Café is the perfect way to celebrate a successful hike, bike ride, or cap off a day of shopping. If you haven't been to this Bar Harbor staple, you need to add it to your list. read more

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We had lobster, a lobster roll and broiled haddock sandwich. All were very good. The sweet potatoes fries were great and the blueberry pie is the best we've had. read more

Enjoyed the vibe, food and service Second time here and still consistently good Food came on time, generous portions and decent prices read more

Might've been the best dinner we had in Maine! Detailed breakdown below: **Service, 5/5** Our waitress was really friendly and attentive. All the food came out one or two at a time and was perfectly paced. **Decor & cleanliness, 5/5** Great vibes, super clean, and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Music included Bon Jovi and the Beatles, which was a hit for our parents! **Price & portion, 5/5** Portions are gigantic and perfect for sharing family-style! Great for trying tons of new things. **Presentation of the food, 5/5** Huge piles -- delectable. **Taste of the food, 4.5/5** - Nachos, 5/5: A hit at the table. Crispy chips, memlty cheese, and piled high with toppings. - Seafood Mac n cheese, 4/5: The shrimp was cooked SO well and was also seasoned excellently, so I thought that was the star of the dish. The lobster came in nice big chunks. The Mac n cheese itself was a bit bland and I had to season heavily w s&p to enjoy it. - Haddock Reuben, 4/5: Ordered this bc we're in seafood county, but it didn't blow us away. The haddock was tender and the bread was perfectly toasted, but it felt like it was missing something. The chips were great though! - Lobster stew, 5/5: Delicious! Packed full of flavor and had nice big pieces of lobster. - Pitcher of the blueberry margarita, 5/5: Sooo good with the brown sugar rim. Fantastic blueberry flavor, and tasted like juice. It's $19 but is small for a "pitcher." - Fish tacos, 3/5: Pretty good, but the sauce and coleslaw really overpowered the haddock. I wonder if this would've fared better as a fried fish taco. Mexican rice was also a little dry. **Other notes** Restrooms are clean! read more

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Sadly one of the WORST meals we had while in Bar Harbor/Acadia NP. I'm shocked how this place is the #1 restaurant on Yelp in the area. We arrived and were seated immediately which was nice since we expected a wait. You can join the waitlist online, but we kept checking and it said there was no wait and I guess they were right. I ordered a blueberry margarita for a drink. One of the only highlights! Very unique as I've never had a Margarita with blueberries before. We ordered a cup of the clam chowder, lobster stew, fish tacos and a half order of the lobster mac. Once we placed the ordered the food was on our table in no more than 2 minutes (quick service is not always the best thing) and we got our mains before the soups which we thought was odd. Everything we got was below average at best except for the clam chowder! The fish tacos were bland and the fish was dry. The lobster mac was bland. The lobster stew tasted like a bowl of half and half with some grease and 3 chunks of lobster. Lobster was good but everything else about it was so bad. We wanted to order the blueberry pie but without even getting an option for dessert the check was placed on our table. Didn't even get asked if we would like anything else. After contemplating for a while, we decided to ask for a piece of the blueberry pie a la mode since it seemed to be being ordered a lot. Once again, it was on our table less than 1 minute after ordering it, ice cream already half melted (pre-plated?). The filling was good. The crust was RAW and way to sweet. We should have picked up what the waitress was hinting at and called it a night prior to dessert. All in all I would not come back as every other meal we had in the area was incredible. Sad this was our last meal of the trip. read more

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Tried their haddock sandwich and seafood dip. Enjoyed our meal very much! It's on the pricier side but that tends to be the trend in Bar Habor ($30-40 lobster roll is to be expected). Server was nice, ambiance was great (clean, hip, fun). They sold out of most beer which was a bummer but we had a great time! read more

Side Street Cafe - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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Good lobster roll and burgers! We stopped here after doing a hike in Acadia national park, we were at lunch time and was able to get seated right away without waiting. We ordered the lobster roll and the burger. The lobster roll was good as it had big chunks of lobster meat in it. I also loved the chips on the side! However the burger was so good, I would definitely order this next time. It had peppers in it which made it fairly spicy which I loved. I got the blueberry crush drink which I really enjoyed as well. We split the blueberry pie at the end, this was good but I would probably skip this. The crust was a little too sugary for me. read more

Side Street Cafe - Blueberry pie - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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Excellent place to stop after a day of site seeing or shopping. The lobster roll was buttery and very full of lobster. The clam chowder was also fresh and very good. Service was attentive and friendly. Great casual place for a good meal read more

Side Street Cafe - Part of menu - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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Pretty solid first meal in Acadia! Crab cakes - good flavor and enjoyed pairing with pickled red beets but they came out soft with no crispy crust to speak of. Without the contrasting texture just tasted like mushy crab patties.. Salmon salad - good portion, was tasty with an apple cider vinaigrette. Downside is relative lack of toppings listed on menu - don't think we got any caramelized onion and only a few small clumps of goat cheese. The tomato was roasted (or someway cooked) which was a surprise but yummy! Others got salads and chowder and enjoyed those. Very enticed by their margs and lobster Mac n cheese. The staff was really nice and restaurant is spacious. Parking available right across the street! My partner was in fact so enticed by the lobster Mac we drove back for dinner our last night in the area. I'd checked the website for hours and they said open daily but we drove around looking for parking then walked up to a closed restaurant and annex on a Wednesday :( pretty disappointed but may be staff shortage or just seasonal changes? read more

Side Street Cafe - Blackened salmon salad - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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There was some nice live music. The blueberry margarita was delicious. The lobster quesadilla was a fun way to switch up lobster. The Mac n cheese was lackluster. I had specifically asked if the bacon was crispy and was disappointed. I would definitely try something different if I went back. The wait staff was great throughout the night. read more

Side Street Cafe - Create Your Own Mac And Cheese with bacon lobster Quesadilla - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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Super fun place! Only thing about it was they ran out of two of the three items we wanted, but our server was more than happy to help us out with some other menu suggestions. It was our first time trying lobster the "lazy style" and I must admit, I still prefer it with the shells and all. I like chomping on the tail LOL Had the blueberry pie and the warm brownie for dessert, and it was the perfect way to end the meal. read more

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Came here twice in a weekend, both for lunch. Service was pretty quick and they have a good wait-list that you can add yourself to online. I had the Lobster Mac and Cheese the first time and the Cowboy Mac the second time. Loved the noodles and cheese, but the lobster seemed kinda ordinary and the Cowboy Mac had way too much BBQ sauce for my liking. The sweet potato fries were good though. Would probably come back and try a burger next time. read more

Side Street Cafe - Lobster Mac - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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We were told to check this spot out by a local friend of ours and it did not disappoint at all. I'm giving it 4 stars because of the prices, we paid over $100 for 1 pitcher of margaritas and 2 entrees, not including tip. The food was delicious and so were the margaritas. Margaritas were decent in alcohol level. We got the seasonal flavor of strawberry+watermelon. Our server told us it was the last day of them serving it for the season so we had to try it. Glasses served with were moderately small. I got the lobster Mac and cheese and my boyfriend got the lobster roll. The food and drinks were yummy but not worth the price. The ambience is lovely, outdoor and indoor seating available. Dogs welcomed in outside area. There was even bowls of water for them :) awe! Service was great, I didn't get our servers name but she made great recommendations for our drink choice and food. She was very attentive and drinks/food came out quickly. Would recommend visiting and probably will return on my next trip to Maine! read more

Side Street Cafe - Drinks & Views - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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We came here for lunch and it was packed in October. The wait was probably about 25min. We found out later, you could actually add yourself to the waitlist online. Let them know also if you're ok with sitting outside or at the bar, and they can seat you sooner. I got the lobster roll, which came out to $44 including my upgrade to sweet potato fries. Everything was very yummy. My lobster chunks were huge! It wasn't heavily seasoned. The staff was very friendly despite them being understaffed. Overall, we had a pleasant experience. read more

Side Street Cafe - Lobster roll - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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This was a solid meal. We skipped the line to sit at the bar as there was room available. Service at the bar was great and our bartender was very attentive. The food came out within about 15 minutes of our order. The haddock was definitely fresh, however, I wish it was seasoned a little more. The sweet potato fries were excellent. I did not take a picture of it, but I tried the margarita of the moment: lavender lemonade and I loved it. read more

Side Street Cafe - Haddock Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

Fast service on a literal side street location, on the patio. Lobster rolls were delicious: the perfect pre-hike repast. read more

Side Street Cafe - Lobster roll, clam chowder, waffle fries, chips - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

I haven't written a Yelp review in years but after the meal we had at Side Street I sought out my login info just to come here and rave about it. We have been in Bar Harbor a few days and have had some very delicious meals... but the food (and cocktails) we had at SS was IN-CRED-I-BLE. The menu was vast and everything sounded so delicious... initially, my husband and I were going to just have cocktails and head to Main Street for dinner but we decided to stay and order a bunch of apps to share and we are so glad we did. My fave was the lobster quesadilla... honestly I wasn't all that excited to order it but my husband wanted it and DAMN it was soooo good. I had the Banana Bread cocktail- omg, to die for. The atmosphere is awesome, the staff (from host to bartender to server) was 10/10 and the live music was great. Highly recommend. Would absolutely comes back. read more

My family and I stopped here for dinner based on a recommendation. Let's start with the positives: the blueberry pie was the best I've ever had, without a doubt. It wasn't too sweet, and the crust was incredible. I've actually come back a couple of times just to grab a slice to go. I regret not buying an entire pie to take home to NYC! However, the lobster roll dinner was extremely overpriced. We should have been more cautious, especially after seeing signs for much cheaper options at other places. As for my salad, it was decent, but the dressing tasted a little off. The food was mediocre and we weren't impressed. I would only come back for the blueberry pie, if you decided to come here must grab one! read more

Delicious food, nice environment and great service. Definitely coming back. Highly recommended! read more

Side Street Cafe - Lobster sandwich and The Lost Lobster - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

This is a great place to spend with friends and to have a good meal. It's not fancy but the food is very good. Spent a few days visiting Bar Harbor and the location was convenient to my hotel. The restaurant is away from the main street so it was a bit quieter. read more

It's a bit pricey, but so worth it! We came twice in a row, bc everything we ate here was so tasty. We did lobster rolls and lobster Mac. My fav was the Mac. So cheesy and delicious. The fresh lobster is unbeatable. The lobster roll was super good too. It was loaded with lobster and very flavorful. They also do yummy margaritas. Made from all fresh ingredients. They were so good. I highly recommend this place. read more

Side Street Cafe - Lobster roll - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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Three of us had lunch here and all were unimpressed with the taste and quality of the food. Everything looked great on the plate but was not great. Two of us had clam chowder ($6) and 100% the clams were canned. They were hard and chewy and we had to spit them out. Shocking for Maine. Shame on them! I had the veggie burger ($16) and it tasted very 'southwest' for want of a better description. It did not say this was the flavor profile on the menu and I don't care for a pepper flavored burger. It also had a crazy amount of mustard on it which tasted awful with avocado and mushroom. My partner had the burger ($15), and there was so much sauce it was leaking out all over the plate and hard to eat. He also said it was flavorless. My friend ordered a bang bang shrimp type appetizer ($18) and she found it completely inedible. It was greedy and gloopy and completely unappealing. She left it and didn't eat. We were only in Bar Harbor for the day so this was very disappointing, and next time we head over we will choose somewhere else to eat and hope it's better. Note- I gave this 2 stars because our server was nice and the place was cute. read more

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The Loft in Bar Harbor Maine has inconsistency in their food and the staff are highly unprofessionally.   During Friday evening, I ordered the Seafood Linguine with lobster, scallops, and shrimp for $32.After a 50 minute wait for the dish, I politely asked for the manager to show her there was no lobster and only one scallop on this $32 dish.I politely showed the manager there was no lobster and only one scallop in the dish; however, the manager became confrontational and said the cook was under pressure during this busy tourist season. I responded, "If you can not correct this dish according to the menu, I will have no choice but to write a bad review."The manager responded, "You just threatened me, you sound drunk, and I will call the police if you do not immediately leave!"So I immediately departed and informed many locals of my horrible experience at The Loft. read more

This is a great place to dine-in in for lunch or dinner. Their clam chowder is one of the best versions that I've had in the area. We got the grilled halibut and Serena's lobster. You can't go wrong with the grilled halibut dish if you're looking for something substantial but healthy. Not to mention everything on the plate was delicious, from the mushroom risotto to the flaky white fish. You won't be disappointed with this dish! Serena's lobster is a good option too if warm lobster is your preference. I personally like the classic lobster rolls with the cold lobster. read more

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I've visited Side Street Cafe several times over the last ten-ish years. The food is always excellent, and I'd never previously had complaints with the service. Today was a bit different. I'm visiting for the first time with my 11-month old, my mother and my two aunts, all 60+. The website shows no wait when we check ahead, but when we arrive the hostess informs us it will be at least 20 minutes until we can be seated. The restaurant has fully vacant rooms but... okay? Maybe not enough staff? Seems like the waitlist site could use some work. While we wait, another family comes to the hostess stand, with a cute little newborn in a car seat on a stroller. They are turned away, as the restaurant apparently can't accommodate the stroller or the car seat? The hostess came back to us about ten minutes later and tells us the only table available is a bartop, but they had a bartop-height high chair. Ok, not ideal but baby is hungry and we need to eat. We are brought to this table in a tight corner of the bar area a few minutes later, with the high chair already placed. I observe a room full of empty regular tables less than ten feet from where we are being seated. But whatever. We are hungry and not looking to make a scene. I get the baby into the high chair at the end of the table, and our server (the bartender) chooses the exact moment baby's butt hits the seat to tell us the high chair needs to be moved to the corner to not impede traffic in this half-empty restaurant. Not unkindly but he's impatient for sure. FINE. Baby comes out, high chair is moved. I put the baby back in the chair only to find the bar height high chair is missing a strap, and is unable to be latched. Baby has to come out AGAIN, and is getting upset. We flag down a server to get a replacement - the server is unfamiliar with the high chairs and doesn't immediately understand the problem. I finally get baby into the seat and latched into place. Service is rather slow given how quiet the restaurant is, probably because the bartender is pulling double-duty as a server. Because baby's chair has been shoved into a corner, only one person (me of course) can contribute towards the goal of getting a tired, annoyed, and hungry baby fed, but at least I brought my own baby snacks so I didn't have to wait for the food to arrive. I am processing the fact that all of this is happening within ten feet of a perfectly spacious regular height table located in a totally unoccupied room. Because the servers and hostesses are young and probably clueless about child safety, on our way out I swing back by the hostess stand to make sure this high chair with a missing strap is being discarded, because IT IS NOT SAFE. The hostess is definitely clueless, but she will check, she says. I have absolutely no faith that this will actually happened but there is no more that I can do. Babies falling from that height can have serious injuries. Look, nothing egregious happened. There could be a lot of reasons I had the experience I had. But this supposedly child-friendly, accessible restaurant was just an awful place for me to bring my baby today. The staff don't seem knowledgeable or trained on how to address the needs and safety of their young child customers. I'm just not all that interested in returning when there are so many other options where the staff have been amazing with my infant, like Abel's. read more

The 2,200+ Yelp reviews guided us to Side Street Cafe for a late lunch, and it was a solid choice. It had sort of a family-friendly welcoming sports bar/cafe feel. Our server was outgoing, knowledgeable, and attentive; we enjoyed chatting about baseball with him as well. Though I was tempted by the mac & cheese, I selected the summer shrimp salad ($18). It consisted of the melons honeydew and cantaloupe, avocado, cucumbers, shrimp, and honey lime mint dressing. Overall the salad was fine despite the avocado being not quite optimal; however the true standout was the shrimp. They were plump, plentiful, and seasoned perfectly. Yum! The cup of clam chowder ($6) and slice of blueberry pie ($8) were foolproof sides and desserts that rounded out the meal. read more

The hubby and I stopped here while enjoying the vibe of downtown Bar Harbor. Parking was a challenge, so I dropped him off at the door while I found a spot to park. While he waited (it only took me about 15 minutes to park and walk), he ordered a yummy blueberry cocktail (neither of us could remember the name) and a round of Cadillac Nachos, which were fabulous! I love seafood, so the Lobster Roll & Clam chowder was my choice. The market Price during our visit was $46 for the duo. The hubby ordered Cajun pasta (he's not a fan of any seafood). Our meals were great, but those Cadillac Nachos really stole the show. In fact, we seriously contemplated going g back the second night just for them! The bottom line? The food is good, and the service was great--definitely a "must-visit" on our next trip out East. read more

Side Street Cafe - Lobster Roll with Clam Chowder and a blueberry cocktail - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

Wow, I was so pleasantly surprised by the quality of this place! Their multiple kinds of mac and cheese are legendary, and I tried my son's maccy chez and it was awesome. But I had the patty melt with fries which was totally delicious. The burger wasn't overcooked and it was moist and delish all around. The biggest joy was the blueberry pie. With a sugared crust and cinnamon rich Maine blueberries, it was served warm and was incredible. We had their blueberry mint lemonade too, and it was WAY better than the Jordan Pond House's version which was a pleasant surprise. With a funky easygoing vibe, a friendly staff, and reasonable prices, I legit think this is my new favorite in Bar Harbor. read more

Side Street Cafe - Blueberry Pie with a sugar crust - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

We went for their Happy Hour and ordered 2 classic margaritas, blackened shrimp skewers and pretzel bites. All were $6 each which was a pretty good deal. We had really friendly, attentive service and the ambience was cool. To get the Happy Hour, make sure to sit at the bar. We recommend coming here when in Bar Harbor. read more

Side Street Cafe - Classic Margaritas - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

I'm not sure why this place is reviewed so highly, I ordered food for delivery - chicken Caesar salad and haddock sandwich. The sandwich was tasteless and the chicken on the salad was grizzly and borderline inedible. Super disappointed that I spent money on this. read more