I was in town to photograph the NYE party at Side Street Cafe for the evening. My second photographer and I decided to treat ourselves to a reservation at McKays for dinner before we had to be to work and I can confidently say it was a great choice as usual! We both sipped on a delicious Hibiscus 75 (new favorite??). Our server was attentive, kind, and soft spoken. We thoroughly enjoyed his service!
For dinner I had the seafood risotto and OH MY was that dish delicious!! Everything was cooked perfectly and I cannot wait to go back again.
Charles
We always have a wonderful experience at the McKay House. The food is outstanding, and so is the service.
Emily
We at at McKay's for New Years Eve and had such a nice experience. The food was great, the restaurant was so quaint, and the staff was exceptional. Highly recommend!
Stacey
Service was odd and lacking any personality. Food was OK. The truffle fries were good and worth getting again. The truffle seafood risotto was underwhelming and bland; scallops were pretty much rare. No truffle. Husband said his burger was mediocre, but wouldn't get again. Maybe because they are closing for the season so everyone was just burnt out and done. Go down the road to Thirsty Whale... food was incredible!
Cricket
The perfect wintery meal on a cold night! From the festive eggnog and the sharply delicious vinaigrette on the house salad, to the rich short ribs and ice cream- it was just perfect. So grateful to have a dependably good restaurant open to celebrate with friends in the holiday season!
Joan
A comfortable local restaurant. Beautiful to eat outside on an autumn evening with lights in trees, small heaters
john
Amazing menu and cocktail options with a fun yet formal atmosphere. Wonderful service and as others have noted from order to service of your entree is extremely fast. Not a bad thing, but a pleasant surprise. Highly recommend.
We had an amazing dinner. This surprised me as my favorite meal in the area. We were blessed with a quiet room on the second level - it may have been a big closet or sitting room at one time (100?). Great service. The volume of music was nice in our quiet corner adding to the ambiance.
Andrea Alegre
Food tasted okay but was very overpriced for the quality—I guess that's to be expected in a touristy place like Bar Harbor. The lobster bisque tasted like cream and not lobster, and the crab dip had waaay too much cheese. The pork chop was very good; they use a heritage New England breed with meat that's flavorful on its own. My partner had the cioppino and it was forgettable. All in all we probably wouldn't go back.
Ambience was nice though. We ate outside but didn't feel too chilly because of the well-placed space heaters. The lighting was romantic. Service was okay, if a bit long.
For what it's worth, the table next to us found some hair in their food.
Great food. Cool place. The duck pasta was unbelievable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dan Veneski
I wanted to like this place because the server and the vibe were really good. Unfortunately the muscle appetizer had half the muscles not fully cooked, the cheese appetizer was smothered in balsamic vinegar instead of drizzled (to the point it was making me cough when I smelled it), and my meatloaf tasted like it came out of a can and was topped with sauce made with gelatin jello (but colored brown). Many of the food issues seemed to be amateur chefs or just low quality control and could be fixed easily, which I hope they do. Really cool place inside though and everyone was very nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Silvia Grabacki
Welcome setting in a nicely restored local house. Oysters were a bit dried and had been shucked sometime earlier. The duck dish had too much cream, same for the risotto. Seafood did not taste fresh. Desserts were delicious ( blueberry pie and toffee pudding) . We went on a Saturday night. Service was helpful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Scott Childress
We decided to come here our last night in bar harbor because it was near our motel and had reservations avaliable same day.
The outdoor area is really cute. Indoors has some cute charm as well. We had a good start with the crab dip and a glass of sauvignon gris. The seafood risotto was pretty good. I was skeptical because risotto is often overcooked at restaurants but nothing else on the menu was calling to me. Luckily, it was cooked well and the flavor was warm and satisfying. Overall a positive experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Andrew Winegarner
came here on a whim, best meal we've had in Bar Harbor which is saying a lot as there lots of good food here. We had the seafood truffle risotto and duck pasta, the whiskey based cocktails also absolutely amazing. We ate everything too quickly to take a picture of it
I was in town to photograph the NYE party at Side Street Cafe for the evening. My second photographer and I decided to treat ourselves to a reservation at McKays for dinner before we had to be to work and I can confidently say it was a great choice as usual! We both sipped on a delicious Hibiscus 75 (new favorite??). Our server was attentive, kind, and soft spoken. We thoroughly enjoyed his service! For dinner I had the seafood risotto and OH MY was that dish delicious!! Everything was cooked perfectly and I cannot wait to go back again.
We always have a wonderful experience at the McKay House. The food is outstanding, and so is the service.
We at at McKay's for New Years Eve and had such a nice experience. The food was great, the restaurant was so quaint, and the staff was exceptional. Highly recommend!
Service was odd and lacking any personality. Food was OK. The truffle fries were good and worth getting again. The truffle seafood risotto was underwhelming and bland; scallops were pretty much rare. No truffle. Husband said his burger was mediocre, but wouldn't get again. Maybe because they are closing for the season so everyone was just burnt out and done. Go down the road to Thirsty Whale... food was incredible!
The perfect wintery meal on a cold night! From the festive eggnog and the sharply delicious vinaigrette on the house salad, to the rich short ribs and ice cream- it was just perfect. So grateful to have a dependably good restaurant open to celebrate with friends in the holiday season!
A comfortable local restaurant. Beautiful to eat outside on an autumn evening with lights in trees, small heaters
Amazing menu and cocktail options with a fun yet formal atmosphere. Wonderful service and as others have noted from order to service of your entree is extremely fast. Not a bad thing, but a pleasant surprise. Highly recommend.
My wife's steak 🥩 wasn't cooked medium, closer to well. Her potatoes were cool. Juliana was professional! All in $200 for two people was not a good value! Time to try another Bar Harbor eatery!
We had an amazing dinner. This surprised me as my favorite meal in the area. We were blessed with a quiet room on the second level - it may have been a big closet or sitting room at one time (100?). Great service. The volume of music was nice in our quiet corner adding to the ambiance.
Food tasted okay but was very overpriced for the quality—I guess that's to be expected in a touristy place like Bar Harbor. The lobster bisque tasted like cream and not lobster, and the crab dip had waaay too much cheese. The pork chop was very good; they use a heritage New England breed with meat that's flavorful on its own. My partner had the cioppino and it was forgettable. All in all we probably wouldn't go back.
Ambience was nice though. We ate outside but didn't feel too chilly because of the well-placed space heaters. The lighting was romantic. Service was okay, if a bit long.
For what it's worth, the table next to us found some hair in their food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food. Cool place. The duck pasta was unbelievable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I wanted to like this place because the server and the vibe were really good. Unfortunately the muscle appetizer had half the muscles not fully cooked, the cheese appetizer was smothered in balsamic vinegar instead of drizzled (to the point it was making me cough when I smelled it), and my meatloaf tasted like it came out of a can and was topped with sauce made with gelatin jello (but colored brown). Many of the food issues seemed to be amateur chefs or just low quality control and could be fixed easily, which I hope they do. Really cool place inside though and everyone was very nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Welcome setting in a nicely restored local house. Oysters were a bit dried and had been shucked sometime earlier. The duck dish had too much cream, same for the risotto. Seafood did not taste fresh. Desserts were delicious ( blueberry pie and toffee pudding) . We went on a Saturday night. Service was helpful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
We decided to come here our last night in bar harbor because it was near our motel and had reservations avaliable same day.
The outdoor area is really cute. Indoors has some cute charm as well. We had a good start with the crab dip and a glass of sauvignon gris. The seafood risotto was pretty good. I was skeptical because risotto is often overcooked at restaurants but nothing else on the menu was calling to me. Luckily, it was cooked well and the flavor was warm and satisfying. Overall a positive experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
came here on a whim, best meal we've had in Bar Harbor which is saying a lot as there lots of good food here. We had the seafood truffle risotto and duck pasta, the whiskey based cocktails also absolutely amazing. We ate everything too quickly to take a picture of it
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Truffled Seafood Risotto
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