So this review is based mainly off the lobster roll. First of all, it costs $30 for their lobster roll! Yes it's meat from 2 whole lobsters but that was a bit of a sticker shock. And quite frankly, you don't need that much lobster for a roll, especially if you were eating by yourself. The lobster roll itself tastes good. Obviously fresh lobster, lightly seasoned and not drenched with mayo or butter. The bread is a nice compliment and vessel for the lobster. We got a side of clam chowder which was merely average at best. Not a ton of flavor to it. We also got the chickpea salad which was also quite good. Nice balance of sweet and savory flavors along with a nice contrast of textures between the greens and chickpeas. All around, this place was good but I just can't get over the price. They should have a single version which is half the price. Meat from 2 whole lobsters is just too much. read more

Side Street Cafe - $30 lobster roll with meat from 2 lobsters. It's A LOT - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

Pleasant staff. Great food. Good beer selection. Would definitely recommend to anyone stopping in area. They typically have a waitlist so go online and add yourself to save time! :) read more

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We passed by this cafe down a random Bar Harbor side alley the day before and it was bustling, so we made a note to check it out the next evening for dinner. If you want a fun atmosphere, stellar staff, and great music - this place is for you! There is a rotational "margarita of the moment," which was blueberry lavender and it was delicious! Then we ordered a bunch of food to try, and ended up having leftovers to take home. If you've been craving veggies like I have, the Baja bowl and veggie salad is for you! Full of hardy, cooked veggies with so much flavor! Also my boyfriend and I couldn't stop raving about the crab dip - chef's kiss!! read more

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Drinks, apps, dinner, service... all were amazing. We had chips/queso, crab dip, lobster Caesar, bacon cheeseburger, blueberry pie (soooo delish!), and margaritas. If you like spicy, try a little jalapeño in your blueberry margarita! Had the bubbles for books - $2 donated to the library with ever drink purchased. Honestly wish we would've gone here sooner than our last night so we could've gone back again during our trip to bar harbor. We ate at the Annex, and it was great from start to finish. Live music too! Our favorite place in Bar Harbor. Seriously... You should go here before any other restaurant so you can go back multiple times. read more

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

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Great, friendly service. The blueberry pie was literally the best pie I've ever had! We ordered one piece, then, two, then our third.

Rarely ever eating lobster I found myself in Bar Harbor, Maine where "Ya totally gotta getta lobsta-roll!" Now I don't have anything against lobster, it's just that I've never really thought it was supremely delicious or supremely terrible. It was just lobster and like me it existed in the universe. So when given the chance to chow down on some fresh lobsta I took the chance and jumped. Side Street Cafe was relatively easy to find overall it looked like a typical crab/lobster/seafood restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. The weather was pretty nice that day, but a bit on the chilly side so we opted to sit indoors. We went around lunch time and the place was busy. We were seated promptly and our server was personable. Apparently the place is owned by a guy that had not one, but four daughters and the walls, tables, menu had references/photos/meals referencing them. The selection of foods on the menu was solid, but the prices seemed a little steep. I may just be a cheapo though and I don't typically eat lobster so I have no reference point to what a good price was. In any event, we were planning on roaming some more around town so amoungst our party of four we decided to just order 2 meals to save room for whatever else Bar Harbor had to offer. We ordered two of the "Our Lobster Roll" which had lobster rolls that supposedly contained the lobster meat of two handpicked lobsters from the depths of the icy cold waters of Bar Harbor below Davey Jones' locker. There'd be four lobsters worth if my math is correct and for four people that should work out. One of the dishes we had with Clam Chowder and the second was Lobster Stew. We also order a side of plain pub fries. Overall the Lobster rolls were delicious. The meat was plentiful, flavorful, hint of sweetness, and the bread was crunchy. Best of all is you didn't have to pry the meat out of the lobster shell. The clam chowder was New England style, chunky, smooth with a rich finish. (sounds like something you'd write for a tobacco ad). The Lobster stew was okay, a bit saltier than we'd like and had nothing in it besides lobster which wasn't really all that much. The consensus of the group was that the clam chowder beat out the lobster stew. Overall the place wasn't bad. Unfortunately we weren't in town for very long and there were other items on the menu I would've liked to have also tried. From the stand point of a non-lobster connoisseur I found the lobster good. read more

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Everyone raved about this restaurant but I just don't see it. The food was average. The turnaround after we ordered was maybe 3 minutes and I think the food was precooked because the potatoes were slightly cold, the eggs looked like they were cooked earlier and simply scooped out of a warmer, the bread was burned. Blueberry pancakes were good, fluffy and moist. I'd compare this place to a Denny's. Not horrible but average. Based on all the other reviews I thought it would be amazing and it was not. The waitress was hospitable and very nice and attentive. read more

Such a cute restaurant in Bar Harbor, with great service and delicious food! Their lobster was very delicious! I also loved the corn pudding. The prices were a little high but they gave a LOT of lobster, so I think the value was fair. read more

Visited on a busy Friday evening with my family. We put ourselves on the wait list and table was ready in about 40 minutes. Service was attentive and friendly. Nice cocktail selection. The halibut was delicious but portion was ridiculously small for the market price of $35. Blueberry pie was very good. read more

Overall, our experience was pretty good. Price-point was more eco-friendly than neighbouring places. The only downside that was with us personally was that there was only 1 vegetarian option, but I understand that we're in Lobster Town, so can't be too strict on this. We ordered take-out in-person at around 8:40pm on a Thursday evening. Called ahead to make sure kitchen was still taking orders, and was told that so long as you arrive before or by 9, your food order will be taken. This is a bar-restaurant with outdoor seating available. The menu is pretty short and clear. We ordered 3 things: The Hometown Burger $12.95 - your protein options are beef, chicken, and black bean. It comes with american cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo in a ciabatta bread, with complimentary potato chips (looks like kettle chips) and a pickle! We chose black bean patty, and it was pretty decent. The black bean isn't crazily seasoned with additives or breaded with anything, so it feels quite healthy while eating it. Black Bean Wrap $11.95 - this one comes with black bean, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and chipotle mayo, and the same chips and pickle as above. This one was a little lacklustre in terms of taste, but the chipotle mayo is delicious, so ask for some on the side to dunk your wrap in this at each bite. Because of not so much fancy additives, this also feels like quite a healthy dish. Pub fries For one $4.95 - they say they seasoned these fries but it didn't look like there were seasonings on it besides salt. Still tasted fine, with medium cut. This comes with the chipotle sauce which adds to the kick. The size is pretty small, so it really is fitting for 1 person only. The workers that evening were quite welcoming and attentive to us despite the crowd. I think also the workers were still wearing masks, which was great. The only thing I wish was available to us was more condiment option for to-go, besides ketchup. Besides this, I'll be back again ordering the burger! read more

Very good, we both had the sirloin tips and fries with side salad, the vinaigrette dressing was very tasty. I would recommend this place to anyone read more

{Overall: 4; Food: 4} Atmosphere: 4 This is based on a take out order. I ate... *Tuna melt: Yum - tons of tuna perfectly melted together with cheese. *Clam chowder: Maybe one of the best ones I'd had over my entire trip in New England! I came by to pick up my order (super efficient - they had them all lined up to grab and go). I overheard that a wait for a table was 3 hours long!!! The atmosphere was super cute and it was definitely a really, really popular place to eat in Bar Harbor. read more

Excellent food here. The lobsta roll was enormous, and delicious! The service was quick and courteous. A great "locals" spot as it is a little out of the way. read more

Cute place, good service, good food. The portions were actually really big. I liked the ribs and Mac as well as the spinach artichoke dip. read more

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

Many different floors and levels to sit on in this crazy restaurant. The burger was pretty good. The Mac and Cheese was just noodles with cheese sauce poured over it. No baking in the oven. The service and waitresses were outstanding. It's just the food quality needs attention. read more

What a great experience! We went for dinner on a Sunday, ordered chips and queso and they arrived at our table before the waiter was even done taking our order! The waiter was so friendly and helpful and on top of any need we had. Ordered steak tips, lobster melt, steak Mac and a grilled lobster special they had available and everyone was happy with their meal. It was very busy and a little loud but it was a comfortable atmosphere and we enjoyed our dinner very much! read more

Yum! As a Mainer I've visited Bar Harbor many times before. I always struggle to find the gummiest lobster roll without falling for the tourist traps. Ironically I arrived to Bar Harbor this time by way of cruise ship from Bermuda. I'd read a couple reviews about Old Bay seasoning being on top of their lobster roll and so I ordered it without. My lobster roll came with a cup of delicious clam chowder and my perfectly buttered hot dog roll was overflowing with fresh and tasty lobster. For $39 it was totally worth it. My dining companions also enjoyed their burgers, fish tacos and haddock Reuben. I'm pretty sure that I was the real winner though with this delight straight from the sea. read more

Side Street Cafe - Lobster roll with no Old Bay seasoning. Highly recommend!!' - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

This place is great in Bar Harbor. Lots of ME places have seafood only... this has seafood, burgers, veggie, vegan options. Cool atmosphere. Great service - very attentive to allergens. Will definitely be back! read more

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Very marginal. Haddock sandwich was the worst meal of our trip. Smelled fishy. Seemed like it was frozen and then just lightly cooked vs. "broiled" as advertised. Very weird, mushy texture. Not appetizing. read more

Very popular eatery in the downtown tourist area. Mt party of three waited about 25 minutes for a table, not bad. We started with the seafood dip, but it took ages for it to arrive. The waitress kept apologizing for the slow kitchen. The seafood dip itself was delicious, but the tortilla chips were disappointing. The not homemade chips were too few and were borderline stale. The main entres saved the night. My oldest daughter's lobster mac and cheese was near perfection. It was cheesy and creamy with plenty of lobster. My cheesy chicken sandwich and fries were above average. The dish of the night belonged to my wife. Her house made and perfectly seasoned haddock cakes were stunning. It was so much better tasting than fried and broiled haddock. The waitress was super nice. Water was refilled promptly. Prices were reasonable for a tourist area. There was no dedicated parking for the restaurant. read more

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side street was the first restaurant we went to during our trip, and it ended up being a favorite. i love that they have a virtual waitlist you can get on through their website, just be sure to put your name down an hour or two before you want to eat because the wait gets quite long on weekends. once we were notified our table was ready we were seated around 7:30 at a great spot outside overlooking the street. for drinks we ordered a blueberry margarita and blackberry bourbon lemonade. i loved the margarita, it was very flavorful and fresh without being too sweet. for food we got the famous lobster mac & cheese and lobster roll, both excellent but if i had to pick a favorite it would be the mac and cheese. even without the delicious lobster on top the mac would be able to hold its own as some of the best i've tried. service was friendly and the vibe was great, will definitely be back again! read more

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Placed an online takeout order (took almost an hour for the food to be ready). Pick up was contactless and food as ready within the time frame given. The pulled pork sandwich was delicious!!!! We substituted the chips for the Jon's pub fries and it was the best decision. Originally we wanted to try their lobster roll but I felt it was way too pricy for a lobster roll ($30) after having one at Bite into Maine for $18.50. The pulled pork sandwich is a must! You won't regret it. read more

My review here is a bit mixed. My girlfriend ordered the crab cakes and really enjoyed them. I tried them and agree they came out great. They were not "bready" at all. I ordered the lobster roll that was very hyped up on Yelp and throughout my research. The menu stated it was filled with the meat of two handpicked lobsters. However, I felt there was not nearly that much meat. The roll tasted good, but was not worth it based on the hype and price ($29.99). read more

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Great restaurant with off street parking which is worth a lot in Bar Harbor. Delicious food with great vegan options. Try their margarita of the week. Mine was apple cider read more

Great food and service. The blueberry pie is amazing. I don't understand why I need to write a long review.

Stumbled upon Side Street Cafe looking for lunch in Bar Harbor! I was with a group of friends, and we were able to get seated immediately. There was both indoor and outdoor seating available, and all waiters were wearing masks. The menu is quite extensive... burgers, tacos, Mac n cheese, etc. We started out with the nachos, they were good but nothing too special. For my main meal I had the small Mac n cheese and it was really large! I liked that you could customize the toppings that went in it, however the meal didn't really wow me. If you're in the area, this isn't a bad option to try! The service was good and people in our party really enjoyed the burgers! read more

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The lobster roll was delicious but pricey, however, in this economy that doesn't surprise me. It was still worth it as a special treat. The service was excellent, especially accommodating a group of 16, including children. We enjoyed our lunch! read more

Sometimes you see such good reviews it seems too good to be true. But this place serves dishes and cocktails that are delicious and beautiful, the setting is lively and has great service. Worth the wait. Even our teenagers liked it. read more

This place is a great laid back place to grab dinner and drinks. If you go you MUST get the lobster stew!! I think it may the best thing I've ever had to date! The mac & cheese itself was a tad bland, but nothing a little salt and pepper couldn't help. The fish cakes were outstanding. read more

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

Fun. Big portions. Worth it. Came here after walking around downtown and it was packed. If you have a large party and/or don't want to sit at the bar, I would call ahead. We, as a party of 3, we're able to sit quickly at a high top but the dining room wait was almost an hour. Servers were super nice and we got all our food and drinks quickly considering how busy it was. Drinks were fun and well mixed. Our food portions were ample and so delicious. We actually came here after happy hour at 59 Cottage and felt disappointed we even went there. This place is so much better! Cooler atmosphere, nicer people, bigger portions. Lobster roll was HUGE. So worth the price because it's basically 2 portions of lobster on one roll. Chowder was good. Serena's "lazy" lobster was a great deal. The surf and turf burger was a cool combo. Oh and the blueberry pie was AMAZING. Warm, big, great topping. Wins my award. Bathrooms also deserve a shoutout for being gender neutral, single stall, floor to ceiling! Great experience. Highly recommend. read more

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Loved the service and ambiance! The food we got was good but not great, we prefer a lil bit more flavor. But for the location and convenience, it's a great choice in bar Harbor read more

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Probably the best and most worth it restaurant in Bar Harbor. Everything was great especially the clam chowder which I thought was the best I had in Maine. Would recommend the crab dip as well. Note that the line is usually long, about 45min to an hour long for dinner and they do not take reservations for small parties so I recommend joining the waitlist on google before going. Customer service was average. read more

Side Street Cafe - Serena's lobster with chipotle mayo sauce ($0.5) for fries - American Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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Amazing food and beautiful setting. Thoroughly enjoyed everything. Service was fantastic.

Got lucky with seats at the bar. At 1:00 on Saturday the place was packed. A little noisy but they really have a lot of room so lots of patrons. We both had the lobster roll and I had fries. He had the chowder and chips. I had their Gin Collins which was tasty. The lobster rolls were loaded with chunks of lobster and little dressing so the flavor was great. Fries plentiful and hot. Service was pretty quick. Only drawback was the price. We had been getting full on lobsters for $30 - their rolls were $40. Pricey but as I said, plenty of lobster. read more

Nice servers. Good spot for quick and straight forward food. Not great but not bad. If you are vegetarian, they have a broccoli and cauliflower dish with beans and rice. Expensive for what you get but at least it is kinda healthy. Drinks were good and there is live music. read more

Sat at the bar, there were many people who shared bartending duty, service was very good. The cocktails they have here are legit. I had the special strawberry watermelon margarita and it wasn't to sweet or sour or boozy, it was very good. Tried the smoked pina and the bloody as well and was pretty impressed all around. Didn't eat but food looked good, people seemed happy. Relaxed vibe, nice staff read more

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

Fun, great food, great service and sister restaurant next door had live music. Excellent- wished we found this spot earlier on our vacation.

Service was great (Josh I think). Clam chowder was alright, but the lobster stew was outstanding. The lobster roll had a ton of lobster and it was succulent and they added just enough mayo to hold the large pieces together. Nice selection of local beers read more

Went for lunch. Good food but really busy. We ordered a lobster roll, salad and fries. The kitchen rolls out food really quickly. I was shocked by how quick it was. We got our food before we got our drinks. They have a dedicated fryer for the fries. Which was awesome to hear considering we have allergies. read more

Two words: CRAB DIP. If there is only one thing you eat there, make sure you eat the crab dip. We could have had literal trash served to us while servers spit in our food in front of our faces, and that would have been OK if it all happened while eating their crab dip. Other than that, I had a tasty burger and my wife enjoyed a BBQ chicken salad. All 4 star-ish dishes, but again, the crab dip. Good service and above average beer menu! Cozy spot and happening. Go there. Eat Crab Dip. read more