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  • Reading Room Restaurant at The Bar Harbor Inn

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Reserve at Reading Room Restaurant at The Bar Harbor Inn

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Reading Room Restaurant at The Bar Harbor Inn
Reading Room Restaurant at The Bar Harbor Inn

Reading Room Restaurant at The Bar Harbor Inn Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Elegant
  • Website: http://www.barharborinn.com/
  • Phone: (207) 288-3351
  • Hours of Operation: Breakfast: Daily: 7:00am - 10:30am (April - October); Dinner: Nightly: 5:30pm - 9:30pm (April - November)
  • Payment Options: AMEX, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: Contemporary American
  • Executive Chef: Lou Kiefer
  • Dress Code: Smart Casual
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Entertainment, Farm to Table, Full Bar, Gluten-free Menu, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Entertainment: Live piano nightly from 6-10 p.m.
  • Special Events & Promotions: For special events please contact Nicole Wallace, Group Sales, at 207-288-3351 ext. 317. Thank you!

Getting there

  • Parking: Private Lot
  • Parking Details: valet parking available
A word from Reading Room Restaurant at The Bar Harbor Inn
Refined pleasures await you in the Reading Room Restaurant. You will enjoy a dining experience where the delicious cuisine and attentive service are surpassed only by the breathtaking ocean view. Our menu includes fresh seafood, choice cuts of meat, daily specials and memorable desserts.

…Please note that we are unable to guarantee window tables You can request a window and we will do our very best! Come join us and the nightly live entertainment of grand piano music which provides the perfect ambiance to the fine dining experience. Dinner is served nightly and the dress code is informal.Continued
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Awards voted by OpenTable diners
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Overall
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Ambiance
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Service
Diner Reviews
  • "Very nice setting looking over the harbor, and very friendly attentive staff. But the food was mostly over cooked and bland. We ended up having the Cioppino, the Lobster Pie, and the Lobster without shell. The lobster was over-cooked and tough in all three cases, and the sauces were mostly bland. Made me think of a place my Grandmother would have loved. Nothing horrible, it just didn't live up to expectations."
    Dined on 7/22/2014
  • "This was a great get away from the tourist area of Bar Harbor. The food was refreshing and fantastic. We celebrated our 25th weddin anniversary here. The Teading Room Restaurant lived up to the occasion!"
    Dined on 7/22/2014
  • "First class restaurant with a stunning view of the harbor. The service was great and the food was excellent. We had a very memorable meal with a bottle of wine. The wine prices were all affordable espcecially for such a nice restaurant."
    Dined on 7/19/2014
  • "The experience overall was less upscale than what I expected. The food was good, just not very good or great. Our server was adequate, but obviously apathetic. Plus some overprivileged jerk goes into the lady's room to argue with his wife over their crying baby while my wife was in there."
    Dined on 7/19/2014
  • "The view is lovely especially at sunset. Unfortunately, our waiter mess"
    Dined on 7/18/2014
  • "The view is amazing! The service was fabulous and the food was delicious. It is extremely pricey though. I would save it for a very special occasion."
    Dined on 7/17/2014
  • "We recently ate at the Reading Room for our 25th anniversary celebration. My husband booked the reservation well in advance and asked that we be seated by the window. The food was very good, as was the presentation. Our waiter seemed knowledgeable and experienced. However, he seated us without asking if we wanted a drink to start and needed a reminder to bring our wine with dinner. The view was spectacular however I rated the ambience as "fair" due to our location to a busing station. We were seated next to a "kiosk" where water pitchers, glasses, and other table items were housed. This made for bustle and distraction. On the other hand, the piano music was lovely. We would go again but would not want to be seated in that location."
    Dined on 7/15/2014
  • "Great spot in Bar Harbor. Best view of the harbor and port. We ate dinner at sunset and it was fantastic. We had a table by the window. Food was very good."
    Dined on 7/12/2014
  • "We had dinner at the Reading Room this past Saturday night. The service and view was spectacular. Most of the dishes were delicious, however, the duck confit was a little dry, and the lobster bisque was not as hot as I'd like it to be. The Bananas Foster dessert was delicious as well."
    Dined on 7/12/2014
  • "Food is consistently prepared and is very good, of course including many seafood options as well as meats. Presentation is excellent, service is personal and the view over Frenchman Bay is magnificent. We listened to live piano music while we dined in the evening and it was lovely. Prices are what you would expect for such an experience."
    Dined on 7/7/2014
  • "We had dinner at the Reading Room to celebrate a special birthday during our vacation in Bar Harbor, and it was a highlight of the trip! The service was fantastic--our server seemed to anticipate our every need, the staff helped make the birthday cake a surprise, and the pianist burst into "Happy Birthday to You" just as the lighted cake came out. Thank you, Reading Room, for making someone's day!"
    Dined on 7/6/2014
  • "The Reading Room had excellent food. The service from Wayne was outstanding. It has a great, old-fashioned, feel about it, with a piano player, playing Broadway show tunes. Just fun."
    Dined on 7/6/2014
  • "My love and I are on a New England Tour. We've been to Martha's Vineyard, Bar Harbor, Portsmouth, Gloucester and Boston. The Reading Room was outstanding in every way. Believe it or not it was not overly expensive, which we expected and well worth every penny. The highlight of our dining experience thus far."
    Dined on 6/29/2014
  • "This was a lovely spot (the Reading Room) for a quiet dinner for two. The view was great of the harbor. The service was exceptional as was the food; the open lobster with all the work done in the kitchen was perfect for the more formal dinner. We noted the open patio below for the more casual dinner, and full lobsters, especially nice for families with kids as they could run around on the grounds between courses."
    Dined on 6/23/2014
  • "This will probably be our most memorable restaurant on our Maine vacation. Everything was perfect. I easily modified our reservation on open table just a couple hours before it was to be because we were out longer than expected that day and needed more time to get ready for the evening. Service was pleasant and excellent. The views of the harbor through the panoramic windows were fantastic. The food was delicious. A piano player helped add a special note that Saturday evening. Delightful."
    Dined on 6/21/2014
  • "I wanted something special for our 44th wedding anniversary dinner. We had the filet mignon (melt in your mouth) and the sesame crusted tuna special (great flavor). Wine was waiting for us when we arrived (gift from my daughter). Our table by the window had a terrific view. Dessert (delicious chocolate torte for my wife and outstanding blueberry pie for me) was delivered with a candle in each while the pianist played our wedding song. The Reading Room made our special night that much more special."
    Dined on 6/20/2014
  • "When my son-in-law, a world-traveler, said his clam chowder (a favorite) was the best he'd ever eaten, I knew we were off to a good start. It went uphill from there. My broiled haddock was truly a filet (not just a thin slab) and was also, the best ever. With the exception of the pastry decoration on my daughter's lobster (hard and tasteless) *everything* was superb. We recommended it to Maryland visitors the very next morning."
    Dined on 6/18/2014
  • "We loved it and went back the second night. The view of the bay is wonderful. The food was great and a wonderful presentation. I wou.ld highly recommend the lobster pie"
    Dined on 6/15/2014
  • "This is a wonderful place to dine. The service and food were perfect. For a lovely meal please find this restaurant superb"
    Dined on 6/10/2014
  • "The dining room was wonderful. It made a very romantic spot for our anniversary. The food was decent. I had the special fish with apricot sauce, my husband had their chicken and that was delicious. Their sides were delicious and they had an extensive wine listing which was great."
    Dined on 6/8/2014
  • "It is a hike but the inn is great and so is the restaurant"
    Dined on 6/7/2014
  • "Nice views. Food okay but expensive. Asked to reserve front window table with 6 month notice but didn't get it."
    Dined on 5/31/2014
  • "The food was excellent. We had a lovely evening for our special occasion."
    Dined on 5/31/2014
  • "We went there for my husbands birthday - the dining staff were very accommodating, I called ahead to ask if they have his favorite dessert, tiramisu on their menu. Since they don't normally, they made it for us as their dessert special of the nite. The food was incredible - dining staff were charming and friendly. However...our primary waiter (August was his name) was horrible. He was just downright cranky - he seemed like he was doing us a favor by being our waiter. It was a game by the end of the evening to see if I could make him smile (I couldn't). Everything else about the restaurant was superb, but August stressed out my husband on his birthday with his less-than-stellar attitude. "
    Dined on 5/30/2014
  • "Was hoping the food would be better. I enjoyed many other places while in bar harbor at similar price points - the reading room was by far the least favorite. Wish we would have repeated another restaurant. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant period. Everyone was friendly, but the food just wasn't up to the quality of other restaurants in the area."
    Dined on 5/28/2014
  • "our hotel recommended this restaurant and I was quick to inform them of our great dining experience"
    Dined on 5/21/2014
  • "Nice place with amazing views and great food. Can be a little pricey but well worth it!"
    Dined on 5/21/2014
  • "This restaurant was everything we expected. Being guests at the Bar Harbor Inn was an added bonus. The lobster was awesome and reasonably priced (cheap L.A. standards!!) "
    Dined on 5/20/2014
  • "It's definitely a top ten on our list. Only bad part is we're 1,500 miles away but look forward to returning again someday. Everything was fantastic about this restaurant...menu, service, location, history, atmosphere, view, you name it. An outstanding place to have a romantic dinner that will melt in your mouth."
    Dined on 5/19/2014
  • "Great view, excellent meal, but the service and attention to detail took it over the top. Service without knowing they were even there, all needs meet and an overall excellent experience. "
    Dined on 5/17/2014
  • "After being in the BarHarbor area for a few days during the off season we chose the Reading Room to see the sunset. We couldn't have asked for more... Although the sunset wasn't very spectacular the food and music were. The service was efficient but a little stuffy. The Blueberry Martini was a real treat! Thanks for being open, we will return if ever in Bar Harbor again! "
    Dined on 5/16/2014
  • "Dining next to the ocean is an amazing experience. We ordered the lobster pie and haddock. The food is delicious and well-prepared. What I like most about the service is the attention to detail. Even though you only order the main course, they do those little things such as sample size complimentary chef choice and small sorbet to make it a very enjoyable evening."
    Dined on 5/15/2014
  • "Our late dinner in the Reading Room was delightful. We had essentially the best table in the house to enjoy the evening sun, and sunset. Service was attentive, professional, and friendly. Our meals were consistently excellent - Maine lobster out of the shell and the rack of lamb in particular. Good wine list as well."
    Dined on 5/8/2014
  • "When you combine great food, a wonderful view and an outstanding waiter (Wayne), the results have to be very good. The Reading Room brought all these elements together two nights in a row. Definitely a place for that special occasion!"
    Dined on 4/28/2014
  • "Food was excellent, however, vegetables were cold. Service slow. That's great if in a group or a romantic couple, but I was solo and wanted to eat and get back to my room. "
    Dined on 4/14/2014
  • "Chose this restaurant as it was one of the few seafood places still open in late October and my hotel gave a discount. It was a great meal, definitely more tasty than I expected for the moderate prices. The petit filet might have been the best beef I've ever had! Cooked perfectly, so tender, and minimally seasoned. I can still taste it if I close my eyes! Service was great and, yes, the view is beautiful. I arrived in time to catch the sunset. Would dine again for sure!"
    Dined on 10/29/2013
  • "lovely view, great ambience, very attentive staff, however the food when served the first night was almost cold, the soup was fine , the potatoes were miserable, cold and clumpy, lobster was luke warm , desert was terrific . The second night was a little better but the potatoes were still miserable."
    Dined on 10/28/2013
  • "We stayed in the greater Bar Harbor-Acadia NP area for a week and picked the Reading Room for our anniversary dinner. It did not disappoint and we had a wonderful meal there. The setting is gorgeous, the room is grand, and the service was outstanding. We enjoyed the organic field green salads followed by the Petite Fillet and Maine Lobster Tail. Th wild blueberry pie with ice cream was a wonderful way to finish the meal.The little touches like the complimentary cantaloupe appetizer, the sorbet between courses, the piano player, and the candles in our pie helped make this a memorable meal."
    Dined on 10/25/2013
  • "My wife and I chose this venue for our 30th wedding Anniversary dinner. Such a historic place that dates back to the 1880's leaves you in wonder of all the gents and ladies who have celebrated special events there. Atmosphere is truly elegant. Costly? Yes, but, you don't get to dine in this grand a place every year!"
    Dined on 10/15/2013
  • "We read a review in the New York Times online when looking for somewhere when we arrived in Bar Harbor. The dining room is nice and has views of the harbor/ocean. The choices on the menu & food itself were excellent - great starter, swordfish and blueberry pie! Good wine list. Service was attentive. Live piano music. Hotel has good bar and lounge area too."
    Dined on 10/14/2013
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Diners' Choice Awards
  • Boston / New England Winners
  • Scenic View
  • Maine Winners
  • Best Overall
  • Best Ambiance
  • Best Service
  • Contemporary American
  • Romantic
  • Scenic View
  • Special Occasion
Learn more ›