All the rave. The location is great, as you're right at the docks next to the lobster boats. Typical, order your food up front and wait for quick delivery. In all honesty, the lobster rolls were just okay... generous lobster, but that's it, no butter, kind of cold & dry. Side order of corn was great ( and it came with butter). There are better options for me. read more

Ok so you can't beat these views. Can you get any more Maine than eating lobster while overlooking the bay and admiring the lobster boats?? This place is first come first serve for seating so you first order at the counter and then find a seat. We didn't have a hard time finding the perfect spot and I could've stayed here for hours! The crab cakes and the lobster dip were perfect appetizers before we chowed into our lobster dinners, bibs and all! If I wasn't so full, I definitely would've wanted to order more but sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I'll be back! read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - Can't beat this view - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

Beal's or Thurston's - you can't go wrong! This is a lil' more touristy but it's fun you can see them throw the lobster in and take them out while you walk in for dinner. We were lucky with no lines, as I hear this place can get busy. I love the view - completely what I think of Maine! Easy parking around the pier and fast service - the food came fairly quick and was hot. Great drinks - the special was a Hot Honey Margarita- it was spicy good! Wow! Fun place, definitely would eat here again. read more

See all

This place was recommended by a friend who knew we were coming to visit the area. I'm so glad we tried it. The lobster rolls were so good. My daughter loved the crab dip and I loved the blueberry cake too. Excellent service, atmosphere, and very friendly people. I would highly recommend. read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - Family enjoying lobster rolls. - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

Dinner was FANTASTIC! Lobster was amazing. Love the experience. The place is divey. Don't be dressing too fancy ladies, you might make a mess! Pick your lobster from the tanks up front. Get a bottle of coke or sprite. And please for the love of god, get the crab cakes... they are to die for!! I was also surprised how much I loved the coke slaw. Could have easily taken a bucket of it home. Service was thankfully easy to understand and they were SO nice! Not sure how to eat a lobster?? They have a step by step guide! Then take a number. They bring your food. When done, take your trash and plates to the marked station to help them cleanup if you are willing and able. read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - 2# Lobster, crab cakes, coke slaw, & chips - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

Amazing! This deserves 5 stars and more! Awesome location right on the water with the area giving you the whole lobster pound experience. I had a lobster roll that came with a pickle and chips and my family got cheeseburgers. My lobster roll was delicious although I did regretting not getting the live lobster like I did the night before at another restaurant! For drinks, I got a blueberry soda and my son got a craft ginger beer. He loved it! For dessert, we got 2 whoopie pies and blueberry spice cake with vanilla ice cream. Everything was awesome! The whole ambiance was perfect and service was great as well. You order at a window with live lobsters there to greet you and then you grab a number and they bring it out to you. The busses are always clearing tables for the next guests to be able to enjoy their food in a timely fashion. Love, love, love this place! read more

See all

The thing about being a restaurant so wildly popular that you have long lines, is that you have to deliver at a higher level than your area competitors. I've never eaten there, but I know people wait in long lines for brisket at Franklin BBQ in Texas. I've never heard of somebody saying Franklin's brisket wasn't up there with the greats though. According to my camera roll, I took my first picture from the end of the Thurston's Lobster Pound line at 4:47 p.m. on Tuesday August 3rd. When I was the next person to order, I snapped a pic of the lobsters next to the cash register at 5:37. So I waited in line a bit longer than 50 minutes. Thurston's handed me my takeout order around 6. If Thurston's produced a uniquely special meal, I could live with that kind of wait. Unfortunately, my meal, which is obviously colored to some extent by the long wait, was my third favorite out of three meals involving lobster on the "Quiet Side" of Mount Desert Island this week. I have absolutely no issues with Thurston's service. I can't blame Thurston's for being so popular that they have a long line. Good for them! The cashier was friendly. The person in the takeout area that spoke with me the most was attentive and great. The bartender who served me my "waiting around IPA" was awesome. Service was as good as as it could be given that many people all wanted Thurston's food at the same time. But it's not fun to wait that long, especially when you're trying a place for the first time and you don't know how long the line will take. Also, Thurston's location is awesome. It's on the water and there are all sorts of boats floating nearby. It would be a cool place to hang out and eat for sure. Thurston's food was generally very good, but there were a couple of hiccups, and their lobster rolls were not better than the lobster-related items I had at other places this week. To be clear, Thurston's lobster roll, which comes only cold with a bit of mayo to tie it together, was very good. It had quality lobster and there was a good amount of it. The roll was well grilled. However, the other lobster I had this week seemed a bit better in terms of flavor and consistency. Also, the other two places offered both cold lobster rolls and hot buttered lobster rolls, which is important in my family. (Pro Tip - Thurston's will make a cold lobster roll without any mayo, and give you a side of melted butter for self-assembly. That's what I ordered for my wife). I also ordered crab cakes. They were pretty good, but not up there with my favorites. They were a little heavy on outer breading and thin strands of crab meat, and a little light on finesse and lumps of crab meat. In terms of the food hiccups, both my wife and I thought Thurston's corn on the cob was overcooked, whereas the corn we had at another place this week was perfect. Also, I ordered a medium-well cheeseburger for my 9 year old son, who is a picky eater. I sliced the burger in half before giving it to him, and it was maybe medium rare. That would have been great for me, but that's not a battle I'm going to pick with him. I will not return to Thurston's during the busy Mount Desert Island season in light of the long lines, and other area options that are at least as good without similarly long lines. I would give Thurston's food about 4 Stars, but factoring in the very long wait and other area options, it's hard to call this a 4 Star experience. Let's say Thurston's gets 3.5 Stars overall and I'll round up to 4 Stars. read more

See all

This is our favorite place to go for lobster! Choice of sizes and a great location overlooking Bass Harbor. read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - Bass Harrbor lobster boats. - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

See all

Lovely local place, not a tourist trap like at Bar Harbor. Great service and staff. Great food. Great location. No imitation lobster here! read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - Lobster - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

I only wish I had a picture to do the whole lobster justice. It was a triumphant experience. You eat it and feel like a winner. Also great bartender which matters read more

Thurston's was a unique spot that is perfect for those seeking the traditional Maine seafood experience. I arrived around 1:30 pm and there was a small line, but it moved fast. The staff at the order counter was helpful and provided instructions since it was my first visit. There's tons of covered patio seating and it's right on the water so the view is great. I got a lobster melt, coleslaw, and corn on the cob. Definitely come hungry because the lobster melt was great, but very heavy. It was pricy but included tons of lobster so it felt worth it. The corn on the cob was exceptional and fresh. Overall, I recommend it for the food and view! read more

See all

I don't even like lobster that much, but I had to have this authentic Maine lobster experience! PARKING/LINE: There is a lot at the end of Thurston Road that has a decent amount of parking. We came right around 5pm on a Tuesday and the line was long as expected. The bar is open if someone in your party wants to grab drinks while you wait in line. It ended up taking us exactly an hour to get up to the counter to order. They have the live lobsters right in front of you! FOOD: You order at the counter, get a number, and then you just find any open table upstairs or downstairs. It took about 10mins to receive our food. I got a pound and a quarter "Plain Dinner," which included a lobster, dinner roll, corn on the cob, coleslaw, and blueberry spice cake. This was the freshest lobster I had on the trip. It was sweet and not fishy at all! My family saved the cake for the plane ride home and decided to get a slice of blueberry pie with blueberry ice cream for dessert. There's a separate dessert window upstairs if you don't order dessert with dinner. Eating the lobster was very messy, but a great way to end our trip to Maine! read more

See all

A seasonal lobster pound that deserves all the great reviews. I was here in the summer and feasted on some lobster, chowder, corn and delicious fixings...the smell of seafood, the fresh fresh lobsters all bring back some great memories. I'd definitely recommend stopping here, although do be aware that you'll probably wait in line for at least 1/2hr no matter what time you come. They do have socially distanced markers during COVID time. I found the lobster boiled perfectly. Each piece of meat melted like butter in my mouth (even without the accompanying butter). It was so damn good, I'm dreaming of it again as winter approaches in Buffalo. Hopefully next summer! read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - Soft shelled lobster - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

See all

I was reluctant to have much lobster in Bar Harbor because I knew places like Thurstons were out there and I'm glad I waited! The view from the deck is awesome. The setup--order at counter and sit anywhere--is very relaxed. Staff were kind and welcoming. Toddler-resistant tableware means parents don't have to stress. Digging out the lobster meat was fun! The mussels were delightfully sea-salty. Slaw is perfect and blueberry cake is eggy and filling. Great value. read more

Lobster was good and they have great potato salad. My husband had the mussels and said they were small and overcooked. Nothing about the food was impressive. It was just OK. The reason you go is for the view from the deck. read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - Lobster - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

See all

Thurstons is a great place if you want a true lobster shack experience. They catch everything locally and you'll get to see them pull the lobster from the tank in the counter while you order. It's a nice scenic spot to eat your lobster while overlooking the bay. I will warn people this place is not for the delicate, there are some strong fishy smells due to the lobster cages and you have to be comfortable watching people eating whole lobster which entails a lot of shell cracking, ripping of lobster tails from bodies, and/or cooked lobster poop oozing from its GI tract (think shrimp with that vein in their back). It's not the most refined dining experience but it's sure authentic including the bib with your meal to protect you from lobster and butter splatters. I'd recommend getting a lobster roll if you're not into the whole lobster dismemberment experience. A tip for first timers is that the table numbers are collected after guests leave but the staff only do so periodically so if you see a perfect table that looks otherwise empty except for a number, you can likely snag it. We got a few lobster dinners and a jumbo lobster roll. The meals come with a whole cob of corn, a massive blueberry spice cake, a roll, and butter for dipping of course. The whole lobster comes freshly boiled without any seasoning or anything, you get to enjoy the unadulterated lightly sweet flavor of the meat with butter adding some richness to each bite. The lobster roll comes equally plain on a lightly butter French toast bun, a single leaf of lettuce, and heaping amounts of lobster. There is no mayo or fancy aioli of the trendier places. The sandwich only comes with a bag of Vickie's sea salt chips so is definitely a lighter meal. We did also get some local mussels to share which ere just simply boiled without any accompaniment as well. Overall I think Thurston's caters to seafood purists who don't want any fluff. Their food is super fresh, simply boiled, and served without any pretense. You seat yourself, bus your own table, get your own water, etc. This place does have a certain charm to it and might tick what you consider an authentic Maine lobster experience. read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - 2.7 lb lobster, mussels, and a jumbo lobster roll - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

See all

the service was horrible, i had to say "hello" 3 times before they greeted me. Then the cashiers started having a conversation and ignored me while they were talking about random things. Way too overpriced also for the quality of food. read more

Another top of the line, order your food, lobster restaurant. They are right off the boats and they know how to cook them. We stopped in just for an appetizer and got the lobster spread with crackers. Fabulous !! Loved the feel and the friendly atmosphere. read more

See all

Best lobster we had on our Maine trip Nice views and atmosphere by the lohbster boats I recommend getting the steamed lobsters over the lobster rolls read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

We stopped here recommended by a friend and wow the food was incredible! We ordered the 1 1/4 LB lobster Mussel Dinner and it was delicious. Tried the Maine lemonade but wasnt a fan personally because it was sparkling. We spent $70 for two lobster dinners and drinks. Very friendly staff. Self sitting cans sit indoors or outdoors. Highly recommend! They also had a blueberry cinnamon bread that was very yummy we took that home and had with some coffee. read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - 1 1/4 lb lobster Mussel Dinner - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

Outstanding lunch! Freshest lobster had all week on Mt Desert island. Service was pleasant but limited. Order, seat yourself, and wait for them to bring it. Bartender was excellent. Nice to sit and eat overlooking the water. read more

Food was amazing! Atmosphere was top notch! Views incredible! Genuine lobster eating experience!

This was my favorite lobster on our trip and it so much more affordable than the restaurants in the town of Bar Harbor. It's definitely worth the drive out of town for much better prices. I like counter service and they had fun sodas. Their lobster was so flavorful and tender. We didn't get any side dishes but did try dessert. We enjoyed the blueberry crisp with strawberry ice cream. The blueberry cake was pretty good too. I took it back to the hotel to microwave it to make it warm. read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - Soft shell lobster - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

See all

Excellent fresh lobster for everyone. Right on the water with great views. Grilled cheese lobster was one of faves of the week. If you're going to Pound, go to this one. read more

Fresh lobster served plainly. Thurston's is all about the lobster. When you walk in, there are about 40 live lobsters resting sedately in water. If you order a whole lobster, the cashier plucks out your lobster and weighs it to determine the cost of your meal. You order your food at the counter, and the staff bring it out to your number when your food is ready. The chairs and tables are plastic, the floor is green, and you sit under a yellow, tented roof. I ordered the lobster roll for myself and tried some of my wife's lobster dinner. My lobster roll was piled high with lobster but was plain otherwise. My wife's lobster was also plain, and the buttery dipping sauce paired with the lobster was standard. The coleslaw and corn were about as good as possible. Overall, I appreciated the freshness of the lobster at Thurston's, but I would have preferred a bit more flavor in the food. read more

This place is highly recommended by our innkeeper when we mentioned that we will be visiting the Harbor lighthouse. We were not disappointed. There was a short line when we stopped by. We picked our lobster weight and size ( more than a pound is recommended) and shell kind ( soft or hard) . We were told to pick our dining spot and food will be delivered shortly. Of course we picked outside dining because of the view. The view is magnificent. Calm and relaxing. The food is delicious. Lobster was cooked to perfection. The package pricing is very affordable. I haven't seen my husband so excited eating shellfish on his entire life. My lobster roll was overflowing with meat... very unlikely to other lobster roll I tried before to other places especially to where we com. Blueberry cake complimented our meal. Customers are more welcome to further enjoy the coastal view on the lounge chair set up at their private dock . My husband enjoyed taking photographs of the scenery. It's worth staying on this place. A plus on the restaurant location is the public dock area nearby wherein we witnessed lobstermen unloading their catch for the day. It was an amazing experience. Highly recommended to dine on this place. read more

See all

They let us hold a lobster and take a picture with it. Food was good, atmosphere was great. Great!

We stopped by here at 5 p.m. thinking that we would beat the crowd and were surprised to find that the second floor was already packed. There is ample street parking. We went downstairs, where they have a larger seating area. You order at the counter as you enter. They will give you a stand with your number and bring the food to your table. The lobster steamer is a complete meal, which includes a whole lobster, corn on the cob, steamed clams. Be aware that the clams have some sand grit, which you dip in the small cup of water to remove before eating. If you are a seasoned lobster eater that can take apart an entire lobster to get every bit of meat, then I highly recommend ordering a larger steamed lobster and salad. Skip all the extras and go for what they are known for. A 3.5 lb cooked lobster cost a little over $50 before tip and was well worth it. However, if you don't want to get too dirty, there are other options for lobster salads and rolls. Keep in mind that by early October some of the lobster pounds close. Thurston's had a line of 20 people outside the door when we left at 7 on a Tuesday night. This place doesn't rich you out the door, so my suggestion is to order something to start, then feel free to go back for another lobster. Our family of 3 started off with a lobster salad and a 2 lb. lobster steamer. Because we don't get to Maine often, we followed that up wit read more

See all

So yummy with fresh stream lobsters and lobster stew , the dog can sit in lower level. read more

See all

Outstanding! We ate here 3 days in a row for lunch, lobster and lobster rolls. Food is excellent, atmosphere (on the water) is amazing and service friendly and fast. This place is consistently great! read more

We got some carry out items here since we saw the great reviews and had to try them out. In a nutshell, they're overpriced and slightly overrated in my opinion. Everything was decent to good, but nothing was spectacular. We ordered steamed clams, corn on the cob, haddock chowder, crab dip, and blueberry pie. I didn't eat the clams, but my family enjoyed them. They were sweet and flavorful. The haddock chowder was tasty, but my mom wished it was the creamy style chowder instead of the watery kind. The crab dip turned out to last longer than I thought it would (considering it was in a little plastic cup) and contained a good amount of lump crab meat in it - there was not much filler, which is good, considering I paid $13.99 for it. The corn on the cob was sweet and delicious, but the kernels were really small and shallow...bummer that it wasn't meatier. And the blueberry pie, which I've seen rave reviews on while scrolling through Yelp, was nothing out of the ordinary. The crust was pretty basic and bland, although the filling had good, sweet Maine blueberries in it. I'm glad we were able to check it out to see for ourselves how everything was, but this is not a place I'd say is a must visit. read more

See all

I stopped by here earlier today with my wife for lunch. We arrived to Thurston's Lobster Pound at around 1:30 PM and found the place to be pretty full. Parking wise we had to drive around a few bends in the road to find an open spot. What was cool about this is that it allowed us to see some lobster boats off loading their catch onto a seafood truck. Thurston's itself is in a fantastic location which overlooks Bass harbor and all of the boats coming in and out. It's the type of place where you order at the counter, they weigh the lobsters in front of you and then you pay by the pound. You get a number and are able to choose from a number of different seats, all overlooking the harbor. We choose the covered and screened patio which had nice breezes and the shade which I love. For lunch on this day I decided to go with the 1 1/4ish lb lobster and standard dinner which consisted of butter, corn, a roll and most importantly a piece of blueberry cake and my wife did the same. Our lobsters came out within a reasonable time period and we both dug in. The lobster here was cooked nicely and I was easily able to get the meat out of the tail, knuckles, claws and even most of the legs. It was sweet and tasted really good in the butter. The coleslaw was lightly dressed which my wife enjoyed but I wished that it had a bit more dressing. Our corn tasted good as it was sweet and cooked well. Last but certainly not least was the spiced blueberry cake. The spicing on it was spot on and I loved the flavor but holy moly, it was as dry as the Sahara! The bottom line for me is that I would come back here again in the future. I loved all of my food, minus the dryness of the cake, and the setting can't be beat! read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - Standard lobster dinner - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

The manager of the inn we were staying at recommended Thurston's Lobster Pound & we are glad she did! It was a fun culinary experience in Maine & we loved the scenery around the restaurant. She suggested we be there by no later than 4:30PM to "get in the dinner line" & we made it just in time. You order at the counter, take a number & your food is brought to you by a runner. The menu had lots of fun options, but we went for a classic lobster roll with slaw & chips on the side. I also ordered a Maine whoopie pie & a bluemonade cocktail! I was surprised that the lobster meat was cold, unseasoned & not buttered, but I've only ever had a lobster roll in tropical places where it is hot & flavorful. I was told that the naked roll is the New England way to do it. I added some salt, pepper & mayo to mine because I needed a little more, but I must say that the meal itself was fresh, fat, & delicious. The slaw was also bare, so I dressed it up as well. What can I say, southern women have expectations about seasoning. LOL The cocktail was made with a fresh blueberry puree, lemon, mint & vodka. It was refreshing & went well with my meal. The real star for me, though, was the classic whoopie pie! It was HUGE & tasted like a supersized Oreo cookie. The baked part was a little crunchy on the outside but super moist on the inside & the icing in the middle was incredible. I would go back just for that pie! The area surrounding the restaurant was GORGEOUS. We are definitely glad we made the drive to experience this local favorite. Next time I would order lobster by the pound knowing that it comes hot & buttered. read more

See all

Freshest lobster in a quaint and beautiful setting. Wished we had time for another dinner here!!! read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

See all

They for sure know what they are doing with Lobster :). We are on an East coast tour and trying all kinds of lobster, and this has been the best so far per my boyfriends thoughts on whole lobster. I would rate it pretty high myself, as I've been sticking to lobster rolls. We did have to wait outside but was worth it! It's like a lunch room line. You wait in line to place your order, pay and then go sit. It was a fast process. The food: The meat is sweet, tender (not chewy at all) and fresh. The meal came with a roll, butter, corn, slaw, and clams..and dessert!! The lobster roll was great too! They give ample amount of meat, big chunks. I like to ask for extra butter to pour on top. A little mayo is mixed in but you don't really taste it. I like a roll to be more of a mixture i.e. mayo/celery/garlic butter etc, than just meat only, so I wish they gave that option. The roll comes with chips. For dessert I got the whoopie pie, also delish! *They do have non seafood items for those who do not eat seafood. The seating is indoor, covered with roll down curtain/windows. This is the first week of October so it's a little chilly. Wish they had some type of heat as I was a little uncomfortable with being so cold inside. But I bet having these windows up in the summer time is amazing! Great view!! They have upstairs, downstairs and a bar area. read more

See all

We arrived here later than anticipated at 6pm, which led to an expected lengthy wait. After about an hour though, we did finally get to order and sit down. We tried both the lobster role and crab roll. The crab roll was huge a stuffed with crab, but we found the lobster roll to be not the most flavorful. Of the 10 rolls I had on my trip, this was actually one of the lower rated ones we tried. I'd probably suggest sticking to the lobster dinners, though the crab roll is also worth it. Views are great though! read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

Delicious. Great service. Totally amazing lobsters, lobster rolls, and steamers. Burgers good too. Would give more than 5 stars, if I could.

Worth the drive from Bar Harbor. Had steamers, Lobster stew and Lobster roll. All was delicious. Restaurant overlooks harbor with beautiful views. Not to be missed! read more

See all

Excellent food and great service from Hayllie! Great lobster cold drinks and beautiful view read more

Thurston's Lobster Pound - William holding up a 1.5 pound lobster - Seafood Near Me - Bernard, Maine

See all

Came here around 4pm, and there was absolutely no wait! Thank goodness my boyfriend and I eat dinner early! As we were eating, the place started filling up by around 5pm. I can only imagine after 6pm. This must be when the line starts! Ordered pound and a half lobsters, and they were amazing! One of them was soft-shelled, the other was hard-shelled, and peeling the hard-shelled lobster was so hard! The meat was definitely thicker in the hard-shelled lobster, but it was still super sweet! The mussels were nothing spectacular. They were good, but we definitely have had better. The cooked mussels were relatively dry, and they only gave us the same dipping butter as they did for the lobster. The scenic views while you eat is amazing! It's located right by the water. Lots of little boats are docked near the restaurant. We even saw some kayakers in the water. Super cool! Go earlier if you don't want to wait in a super long line! I didn't wait in line, and the food came out in about 15-20 minutes. read more

See all