Reading Room Restaurant at The Bar Harbor Inn

Overpriced food for unfortunately poor service. Only thing worthy of a 5 star are the crab cakes. Was recommended to us. Very overpriced and underwhelming.

Our waitress started off distracted and inattentive but we noticed a toddler had fallen off his chair. Once she regrouped, the service was as wonderful as the food. Morgan, Maryellen, Lee and the “piano man” definitely added to the experience

Never a disappointment! Great service, delicious meal and ambiance is so relaxing and romantic. Live pianist is always there also!

Anniversary

Well, I dont recall her name but the server was one of the best we have ever had!
food was good - we forgot it got dark so there was no exterior view when we were there.
a guy was playing the piano and that was pleasant. Overall, I am glad we went!

Great view, live piano player, good service, food was OK

Really great bartender, great server, live piano music. Had great views and a great time.

Food and service was amazing!! We loved the piano player. It's so great to have live music like that. Our waitress and all staff were amazing!

Excellent restaurant for a really nice dinner. Located in a hotel right downtown Bar Harbor on the water. We had great service. The Lobster a good size and the meat was sweet and moist. The sea bass was cooked excellent. Decadent deserts.

We had great service, Maryellen and other staff were attentive, gave great suggestions, timed everything to be served well, and very personable. I had seen previous reviews stating service wasn't great and maybe a bit rude. No one was rude, maybe sort of straight to the point which might come off as a bit blunt but we didn't see an issue with it. And it certainly didn't lessen the capabilities of providing great service. We spent a couple hours here and really enjoyed the pianist (acoustics were great) and atmosphere, the windows and little library nook were lovely, and we explored the lobby a bit afterwards. The wall art they had up was really neat with some old coins and notes, newspaper clippings, etc. The food was good, not the best we've had but overall still delicious. Oysters and the bloody mary mignonette were wonderful! Scallop appetizer was really good- cooked perfectly and seasoned well except I didn't love the puree it came with. A bit sweet for my taste. The side greens in the cheese tuile cup were a nice accompaniment. We ordered the lamb which was also cooked perfectly and seasoned well. I wish they had cut off the bottom a little more since they were very connected by bone and it was difficult to cut through to separate the chops. But the sauce was really nice, it came with garlic potatoes instead of the cheddar potatoes as listed on the menu but I preferred the garlic either way. Good sized portion of everything including the veggies. Veggies were a bit under seasoned but still tasty and cooked well. The filet mignon and lobster tail were also cooked perfectly and seasoned well. Good drink selection. Oh and the blueberry sorbet as a palate cleanser between apps and entrees was HEAVEN. Would go back just for a cup of it. Unfortunately, we don't know the source of the sorbet even though we asked. If anyone knows, please share! We were too full to have dessert but everything sounded great.

The Reading Room is about the only place that we feel safe inside a restaurant. Ventilation is good, ceilings are high, and tables are spaced nicely. The service and the food is excellent.

Anniversary

We were in Bar Harbor to celebrate our 30th anniversary. Cathy was so accommodating when we needed to add our friends to the reservation. Our waitress was friendly and funny! Food was delicious and served promptly. Highly recommend!

We enjoyed our meals. Great service. Delicious food. Great experience overall. We shared our main course for a small upcharge the kitchen did split our surf and turf and it was perfect!

Poor service. Rack of lamb and filet were average at best. Wedding food.

Food was excellent - especially the beet salad and the bouillabaisse! Desserts were average. Our server was very nice and attentive!

Beautiful!! Food was delicious.

We loved the Reading Rooms ambiance and the live piano music. The food and service were great with gorgeous views

Very friendly staff. Live music. Gorgeous view.

Husband and I ate here one night as part of our honeymoon; hostess and servers were all so sweet and took great care of us!! Our food was delicious and came promptly. There was lovely live piano music as well. When we ordered dessert, “Happy Honeymoon” was written in chocolate on the plate and our server even took a picture of us :) We look forward to coming back!!

It was fantastic!

The absolute best food we had while we visited bar harbor and we went to all recommended restaurants and highly rated restaurants while there.
The Reading Room was so much better than all of them. Highly recommend!

We go to Bar Harbor at least once every year and we always spend one evening at the Reading Room. It is very special with a wonderful view of sunset over the bay. We love the piano. The food and service is always first rate.

Everything was wonderful, except no decent decanter for our nice bottle of wine.

Wonderful Restaurant!

Excellent food and piano music

beautiful view, lovely ambiance but the duck breast was fatty and overcooked.
i was so looking forward to this dinner but overall was a bit disappointing especailly for the price. my husband had the lobster bisque which was the smallest cup of soup i have ever seen with a large crouton in the center to take up even more space from the small amount of bisque. i would give the quality of food 2 stars.

I came here with 6 members of my family and my now husband after we eloped in Acadia. What a wonderful dining experience! It was perfect for our needs, and we felt treated with such attention and excellence all evening. To cap it all off; there was even a live pianist who played the song that was supposed to be our first dance 🥰

Our first time at the Reading Room Restaurant. Overall it was a good experience, and this may be a bit picky, but you need to train your staff that at these prices, this is a dinning experience, not Applebee's. Before we were even comfortable in our seats, our wait person tried to take our drink and our entrée order together, never mind an appetizer. Then again another attempt before our pre dinner drinks arrived, it wasn't very busy, so what is the rush? Then when dinner was finished, a reminder (from us) that we might want dessert or a coffee, then a long wait for the check at the end. As I said, this may be picky, but this is a fine dinning establishment and it just didn't feel like one. It was also my wife's birthday, but no one picked up on that, or even asked why we selected the Reading Room Restaurant for dinner. This was a lost opportunity to build future return business.

The Reading Room is always wonderful. The atmosphere is elegant, the food delicious and the staff attentive. We make sure we eat here when traveling to Acadia and Bar Harbour. Wouldn’t miss it!

Excellent venue. Always enjoy the service, ambiance and food!

Everything was excellent except the hostess. We arrived early and the bar was full. She told us to wait in the lobby AND THAT SHE WOULD COME AND GET US. We waited until 15 minutes after our reservation and when I went to check there were numerous tables available. I pointed out that we had been waiting for her and she just shrugged. An apology would have been appropriate.

The food and service were great. I had the surf and turf for $42 which was the best I have ever had. Also had the lobster bisque...exceptional. The piano player added to the pleasant atmosphere. Only mild criticism I have is it is very bright in there. All white walls and white table clothes and bright chandelier and lighting. Could have toned that down a bit. Highly recommended!.

Beautiful restaurant, delicious food, attentive waitstaff. Thoroughly enjoyable experience

Great restaurant with the best view. Enjoyed our surf and turf

My husband and I celebrated with a beautiful meal at the Reading Room. We enjoyed the surf and turf which was excellent. The filet was cooked perfectly and the lobster tail was great. There was a pianist that evening with nice dinner music that lifted the spirit. I highly recommend this place.

We made reservations for a nice dinner for our family and was not disappointed. The food was great (Of course we had lobster) and generous proportions. The service was impecable and the atmosphere was very nice but not stuffy. I loved the piano! A wonderful evening.

Had wonderful live piano and striking views of the bay that just accentuated the great food and service

Wonderful experience. Food was fabulous but overpriced but worth it.

Not worth it. So many better spots in BH.