Most places were closed for winter season in Bar Harbor during our visit on 3-8-24. Jack Russell’s looked welcoming from the road so we stopped in to have dinner. Unfortunately, It was anything but welcoming!The food was below average. My husband’s clam chowder had little to no clams and tasted like a watery/cream broth. It had no clam taste whatsoever. His Haddock was tasteless as well. My filet tips were tough, sitting in tasteless broth with some shredded.fish added. The meatball appetizer and salad were ok. The only thing that we actually liked were the fries.The service wasn’t any better. When we arrived it was slow. Only one table was taken by a small group. The lady told us we could sit anywhere so we walked towards two empty tables by the electric fireplace heater sitting on the ground in the back where it would be warm. As we started to sit, she told us we couldn’t sit there because the people who made reservations will be sitting there. Why couldn’t we sit at the other table across from it? No one sat there the entire time we were there. So we sat at a table blocking the double doors to nowhere with a cold draft, making our experience uncomfortably cold. The two ladies who served our food acted as if we were a burden.I would expect this if we were at a fast food restaurant, but when we are paying upscale prices, the service and food should match.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Gerald Dunn
It is February 2024. Off-season, but luckily for us - they are open on Thursday/Friday/Saturday for dinner!!Excellent in every way. Our entree was a delicious haddock dish with sides of ceasar salad, and red potatoes. They made me a wonderful Blueberry martini.The staff were attentive and pleasant and the ambience was intimate and comfortable. Bar Harbor is the Best!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pretzels with Mustard, Baked Haddock, Caesar Salad
Ronald M.
Service was very good and our server was Maria, nice person in a tuff situation! I had 9 oz. filet mignon for $50.00 and it was tuff to chew It came with fries which I has difficulty chewing since they were very thin. Shrimp cocktail, typically these are colossal 12 to 15 in a pound and are served 7 each with cocktail sauce. Instead I was served 7 shrimp that come 60 in a pound and was charged $17.00 , which I could not believe. We usually go to Jack Russell 4 or 5 times a year and never did we ever experience such an insult as we did tonight. We spent $150.00 tonight and it won't happen again. Won't be back!!!!
Holly Lyons
Husband's lobster was just barley warm. Steak was delicious. Fries had alot to be desired.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Kevin Siska
Lobster is not fresh, Asparagus not fresh, Steak burnt in several area’s even though I got it medium rare. Overpriced underwhelming
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
lindsta
Great dinner combo of the house salad and steak!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pretzels with Mustard
Katrina L.
Absolutely the best!!! We had grilled shrimp, scallops and crab cakes. The best place on Bar Harbor to dine.
Lewis Bennett
Absolute artist of a cocktail bartender and excellent steak. Asparagus was mediocre and onion rings were uninspiring, but the crab cakes and sweet potatoes fries were solid. Martinis were excellent all around. Food and drinks came fast and we were completely done eating 50 minutes after we sat down.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ribeye Butcher
Jessica Napolitano
We had our rehearsal dinner for our wedding here and just WOW!!! Everything was absolutely perfect. The wooden interior was stunning and set the perfect mood. They printed out adorable menus with each of our guests names on them which was a cute personal touch. Each staff members couldn't have been nicer. The bar had literally everything you could have wanted (blueberry martinis are a must!). And the food was the show stopper!! From the steak to the lobster to the blueberry crumble, it was incredible! Highly recommend this place for a special occasion or just dinner!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joseph Stillwell
We stopped here on our first night in Bar Harbor, and were starved after the 10 hour drive that day. There was room in the parking lot, so we pulled in and hoped for the best. What we got was absolutely outstanding food! I will say that this place is very expensive, let’s just get that out of the way. My wife and I each had a drink, along with a crab cake appetizer. I had the New York strip steak and she had the steak tips. The bill was nearly $140 before tip, which was a bit shocking. However, the food was excellent and we were starved so we just had to roll with the punches. If you want to have a nice night out with good steaks, this is a great steak house.
I really had high hopes for this restaurant but should have known that perhaps expecting a great steak in a town best known for lobster might be a stretch. The atmosphere was friendly and the service was great. The biggest disappointment was the beef. Ordered the beef tips rare and it came out well done and tough. My husband’s filet was ordered med rare and it came out medium well. Sauces were just okay but not outstanding.
Robert Markley
I got a to go order for my wife and I. The staff was great! They were very accommodating and welcoming. The food was meh. I got the filet, fries, and vegetable of the day. The filet was overcooked, fries were overcooked, and the vegetable was undercooked. The food was very well portioned but it was nothing to remember which is unfortunate because each plate cost $40 a person.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Chris Riverso
We had one of the worst dinners of our lifetime at Jack Russell’s. While service was excellent, the meal was so poorly cooked it was almost inedible. My wife had the filet, ordered medium, but the inside was so raw it was cold. My lobster was over cooked to the point of having a rubbery texture, and yet was served to me at room temperature. I had to fight hard to keep from gagging and vomiting from the texture. It’s not often that you spend $120+ on a meal and then have to get McDonald’s on the way home to salvage the night, but Jack Russell’s gave us the opportunity to experience it…
Ros Carnaffan
Great service, our waitress was very busy but cheerful and so efficient. The Pupu platter was plenty for 2 with a salad, and was delicious. We went for a quick, early dinner and were very happy with everything.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pretzels with Mustard, Surf and Turf
Henry F Henline
Spritzing tables with disinfectant a few feet from me was Not CoolMy beef tips, $33, arrived barely warm, au jus gelatinous & custard like. Asparagus I would not buy at grocery, let alone serve at restaurant... & limp. Mushrooms never meant to accompany beef, +$3... And tips were overcooked & dry -- Not medium rare as ordered.Onion rings also Not Hot.PPL at next table seated 20 minutes after us, served before us. I assume ordering a lobster was more than kitchen could coordinate... in Maine, in Bar Harbor, that caused rest of MY meal to be rubbish. Over an hour, seated --> to eating. And then bring me cold food??Our server was in training. Bad Food was kitchens fault, not her's -- trainer sucking lemons hovering around her whole time. Server courteous, responsive, attentive.Atmosphere; just too brightly lit for my taste, glaring, hurt my eyes to look around. Decor itself kinda fun - in a 2x4 table leg way. I liked lobster drawings & accents. Nautical knots as light hangings.I would Not recommend eating here. $$ for magazine ad = customers. Good food = Patrons & word of mouth advertising.
Most places were closed for winter season in Bar Harbor during our visit on 3-8-24. Jack Russell’s looked welcoming from the road so we stopped in to have dinner. Unfortunately, It was anything but welcoming!The food was below average. My husband’s clam chowder had little to no clams and tasted like a watery/cream broth. It had no clam taste whatsoever. His Haddock was tasteless as well. My filet tips were tough, sitting in tasteless broth with some shredded.fish added. The meatball appetizer and salad were ok. The only thing that we actually liked were the fries.The service wasn’t any better. When we arrived it was slow. Only one table was taken by a small group. The lady told us we could sit anywhere so we walked towards two empty tables by the electric fireplace heater sitting on the ground in the back where it would be warm. As we started to sit, she told us we couldn’t sit there because the people who made reservations will be sitting there. Why couldn’t we sit at the other table across from it? No one sat there the entire time we were there. So we sat at a table blocking the double doors to nowhere with a cold draft, making our experience uncomfortably cold. The two ladies who served our food acted as if we were a burden.I would expect this if we were at a fast food restaurant, but when we are paying upscale prices, the service and food should match.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
It is February 2024. Off-season, but luckily for us - they are open on Thursday/Friday/Saturday for dinner!!Excellent in every way. Our entree was a delicious haddock dish with sides of ceasar salad, and red potatoes. They made me a wonderful Blueberry martini.The staff were attentive and pleasant and the ambience was intimate and comfortable. Bar Harbor is the Best!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pretzels with Mustard, Baked Haddock, Caesar Salad
Service was very good and our server was Maria, nice person in a tuff situation! I had 9 oz. filet mignon for $50.00 and it was tuff to chew It came with fries which I has difficulty chewing since they were very thin. Shrimp cocktail, typically these are colossal 12 to 15 in a pound and are served 7 each with cocktail sauce. Instead I was served 7 shrimp that come 60 in a pound and was charged $17.00 , which I could not believe. We usually go to Jack Russell 4 or 5 times a year and never did we ever experience such an insult as we did tonight. We spent $150.00 tonight and it won't happen again. Won't be back!!!!
Husband's lobster was just barley warm. Steak was delicious. Fries had alot to be desired.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Lobster is not fresh, Asparagus not fresh, Steak burnt in several area’s even though I got it medium rare. Overpriced underwhelming
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Great dinner combo of the house salad and steak!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pretzels with Mustard
Absolutely the best!!! We had grilled shrimp, scallops and crab cakes. The best place on Bar Harbor to dine.
Absolute artist of a cocktail bartender and excellent steak. Asparagus was mediocre and onion rings were uninspiring, but the crab cakes and sweet potatoes fries were solid. Martinis were excellent all around. Food and drinks came fast and we were completely done eating 50 minutes after we sat down.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ribeye Butcher
We had our rehearsal dinner for our wedding here and just WOW!!! Everything was absolutely perfect. The wooden interior was stunning and set the perfect mood. They printed out adorable menus with each of our guests names on them which was a cute personal touch. Each staff members couldn't have been nicer. The bar had literally everything you could have wanted (blueberry martinis are a must!). And the food was the show stopper!! From the steak to the lobster to the blueberry crumble, it was incredible! Highly recommend this place for a special occasion or just dinner!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We stopped here on our first night in Bar Harbor, and were starved after the 10 hour drive that day. There was room in the parking lot, so we pulled in and hoped for the best. What we got was absolutely outstanding food! I will say that this place is very expensive, let’s just get that out of the way. My wife and I each had a drink, along with a crab cake appetizer. I had the New York strip steak and she had the steak tips. The bill was nearly $140 before tip, which was a bit shocking. However, the food was excellent and we were starved so we just had to roll with the punches. If you want to have a nice night out with good steaks, this is a great steak house.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
I really had high hopes for this restaurant but should have known that perhaps expecting a great steak in a town best known for lobster might be a stretch. The atmosphere was friendly and the service was great. The biggest disappointment was the beef. Ordered the beef tips rare and it came out well done and tough. My husband’s filet was ordered med rare and it came out medium well. Sauces were just okay but not outstanding.
I got a to go order for my wife and I. The staff was great! They were very accommodating and welcoming. The food was meh. I got the filet, fries, and vegetable of the day. The filet was overcooked, fries were overcooked, and the vegetable was undercooked. The food was very well portioned but it was nothing to remember which is unfortunate because each plate cost $40 a person.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
We had one of the worst dinners of our lifetime at Jack Russell’s. While service was excellent, the meal was so poorly cooked it was almost inedible. My wife had the filet, ordered medium, but the inside was so raw it was cold. My lobster was over cooked to the point of having a rubbery texture, and yet was served to me at room temperature. I had to fight hard to keep from gagging and vomiting from the texture. It’s not often that you spend $120+ on a meal and then have to get McDonald’s on the way home to salvage the night, but Jack Russell’s gave us the opportunity to experience it…
Great service, our waitress was very busy but cheerful and so efficient. The Pupu platter was plenty for 2 with a salad, and was delicious. We went for a quick, early dinner and were very happy with everything.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pretzels with Mustard, Surf and Turf
Spritzing tables with disinfectant a few feet from me was Not CoolMy beef tips, $33, arrived barely warm, au jus gelatinous & custard like. Asparagus I would not buy at grocery, let alone serve at restaurant... & limp. Mushrooms never meant to accompany beef, +$3... And tips were overcooked & dry -- Not medium rare as ordered.Onion rings also Not Hot.PPL at next table seated 20 minutes after us, served before us. I assume ordering a lobster was more than kitchen could coordinate... in Maine, in Bar Harbor, that caused rest of MY meal to be rubbish. Over an hour, seated --> to eating. And then bring me cold food??Our server was in training. Bad Food was kitchens fault, not her's -- trainer sucking lemons hovering around her whole time. Server courteous, responsive, attentive.Atmosphere; just too brightly lit for my taste, glaring, hurt my eyes to look around. Decor itself kinda fun - in a 2x4 table leg way. I liked lobster drawings & accents. Nautical knots as light hangings.I would Not recommend eating here. $$ for magazine ad = customers. Good food = Patrons & word of mouth advertising.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4