This was a great place to eat and have cocktails at the counter. We were in Bar Harbor 3 nights and ate there all three nights. The staff, I can’t say enough about and the food was amazing. So many things to try wish we had more time to eat our way through the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pavida Charoen-Rajapark
Merchant & Frye exceeded our expectations in every way! We didn't expect much at first but after our first bite of their crispy brussel sprouts, we knew we were in for a treat. We highly recommend the brussels, fresh pasta, and mussels! Will definitely dine there again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Brussels
Marilyn Joseph
Visiting Bar Harbor for the first time and stumbled upon this gem, located centrally within the city’s main tourist area. Don’t let the location fool you though. The food and service were incredible. Great spot for vegetarians with plenty of delicious options. We started with the Brussels sprouts that were paired with a lemon and a Parmesan aioli. Moved to the beet salad, and the elote pasta. Last, we had a chocolate pudding with liqueur and honeycomb topping. We sat at the chefs table which was great to watch everything made fresh to order as well as the attention to detail for every single plate that was being sent out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Greg Lum
What a marvelous experience! I visited Bar Harbor and Acadia with my cousin and his family, so our party included 3 adults and a 1-year-old. We tried to walk-in on a Tuesday and put our name on the waiting list, but ended up elsewhere due to time (you know, bedtimes). But! We were successful on Wednesday and were somehow seated immediately without a reservation - it was a little earlier, which probably helped.What I'd actually like to highlight is how great the staff and other patrons were with the child in our group. He is a very well-mannered and cute kid, if I may say, but you can imagine that seating a 1yo or sitting near one might be a gamble. Still, the host didn't bat an eye, nor did our waitress. Other guests were wonderful too, which I believe reflects the people that the restaurant attracts.Anyway, if you're curious about the actual food, everything was delicious. We started with the Oyster Flight (tasty and fun to try, though we are admittedly not big oyster folk), the Chicken Wings, and the Fried Brussels. The wings and Brussels were flavorful, not heavy (for being fried), and great portions. I had the Lobster Roll, and my cousins had the Seafood Bolognese and Seared Halibut.Lobster Roll - I'm no expert here either, but it was a really lovely dinner. The cool but not cold lobster meat foiled against the warm, toasted and buttered roll was a great combination, plus the chips on the side were a nice delicately crisp pairing rather than fries which probably would've been heavier.Seafood Bolognese and Seared Halibut - I can't speak much since I only tasted, but I enjoy the bites I did try. The pasta was wonderfully al dente with a rich and savory sauce. The halibut itself was a little plain, but the sauce was smooth and luscious on the tongue.The location is easy to find on one of the main streets, and the restrooms are clean. Parking is easy, though note that parking is more expensive right in downtown compared to a couple blocks out ($4 vs $2/hr!).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: White Chicken Wings
L M
Dined here last night without a reservation and was able to get in within 45 mins. The hostess texts when the table is ready which is nice for anllowing time to grab a drink while you wait. The ambiance is very chic but not too fancy. The food is the gem here. Our server was very attentive and checked on us many times throughout our meal.We started with two cocktails. Both were very flavorful. Not too sweet, not too tangy and fairly strong! We followed the cocktails with an order of mussels. If you like mussels get them! They’re more like a seafood stew in a creamy garlic broth with small chunks of garlic and fresh corn. It was a flavorful masterpiece. We ordered their chicken sausage rigatoni (they make their pasta homemade) and it was also delicious and very rich with Italian flavors. Also ordered the sausage pizza. The dough is homemade, and the sauce was very fresh. Perfectly baked not doughy but not tough either. We didn’t have dessert but only because we ran out of room. Try this place if you’re looking for rich scratch made food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alexis Newman
The food and service here are both excellent. Each dish is well prepared and has a great depth of flavor. The menu looks so good, it’s hard to choose just one thing! The pizzas are large and definitely enough to share between 2-3 people.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amber M
We were pretty disappointed by this place given the amazing reviews. We put down a $20 deposit to reserve a table, arrived on time for our reservation, and were told no tables were ready. We waited at the bar before being moved to a booth, where condensation from the air conditioner dripped down onto the booth. The food & drinks took a while and the waitstaff was overall pretty inattentive. Pizza was good, but the halibut special and seafood bolognese were both a bit plain — not a good sign when you reach for salt and pepper at a restaurant that doesn’t keep it on the table because they feel their food doesn’t need it. The halibut served with corn purée and summer squash as the special felt like the chef trying to get rid of summer produce in October.
Darcie Maranich
Our family of six (including kids) enjoyed a fantastic meal at Merchant & Frye. This was our one and only dinner out whilst in Bar Harbor and we are pleased with the choice. Sloane provided attentive, timely and friendly service and the dishes we ordered were very tasty. Portion sizes were generous, too. Though not advertised (to my knowledge) they did offer happy hour pricing on beer, wine and oysters and it was a great value.We tried oysters, Brussels, two varieties of pizza, the lobster roll and the elote pasta, and all were winners. I highly recommend a meal here while you’re in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hartley Abdekalimi
A chef friend recommended this restaurant. When the only fish entree is the daily special, you know they only serve fresh fish. We had a delicious haddock served with a kind of corn sauce--totally delicious and something I'd never had before. We had it with some lovely wine. I'll be glad to come back in the future.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Patrick Young
Awesome spot to go for happy hour 3-5pm. $2/oysters and $6 drafts which is well below the $40-48/dozen and $10 beers you’d pay elsewhere. We ended up staying for dinner as well, the summer salad was deliciously fresh, the haddock chowder was very flavorful and the fried halibut sandwich was crispy and tasty. Friendly staff and cool decor - place filled up after 5:30pm. Would definitely return.
A good, varied menu with lots of choice. Unfortunately, we waited a long time for a pizza (it came after everybody else had finished their mains), and when we asked if it would be coming soon, our server was quite rude. I understand when it is busy that orders might be backed up however a quick apology would’ve been appreciated. Although all of the food was nice when it arrived, this did leave for an uncomfortable atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Susan Emond
Absolutely delicious. Handcrafted cocktails with all homemade mixers. I especially loved the milk clarified tequila. All locally sourced vegetables and seafood. Our server Jillian was super sweet and recommended the best offerings for what we wanted. Looking forward to another visit next time we are in Bar Harbor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oyster Flight
Jason Harris
Decent place to grab a bite to eat. Nothing crazy special but nothing that would deter me away from coming back again. Favorite dish from my recent visit was the Crab Hush Puppies. Very light yet surprisingly crispy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Christian Felser
We loved the happy hour! The server was excellent. 6 dollar wine pours and beers, great selection. Two dollar oysters!! Awesome atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maria Mentesana
My boyfriend and I came here for dinner last night. The food was incredible!! Highly recommend the elote pasta and white pizza. We sat at the bar in front of the kitchen and Tina, the head chef, was super friendly and personable. She really made our experience memorable!
This was a great place to eat and have cocktails at the counter. We were in Bar Harbor 3 nights and ate there all three nights. The staff, I can’t say enough about and the food was amazing. So many things to try wish we had more time to eat our way through the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Merchant & Frye exceeded our expectations in every way! We didn't expect much at first but after our first bite of their crispy brussel sprouts, we knew we were in for a treat. We highly recommend the brussels, fresh pasta, and mussels! Will definitely dine there again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Brussels
Visiting Bar Harbor for the first time and stumbled upon this gem, located centrally within the city’s main tourist area. Don’t let the location fool you though. The food and service were incredible. Great spot for vegetarians with plenty of delicious options. We started with the Brussels sprouts that were paired with a lemon and a Parmesan aioli. Moved to the beet salad, and the elote pasta. Last, we had a chocolate pudding with liqueur and honeycomb topping. We sat at the chefs table which was great to watch everything made fresh to order as well as the attention to detail for every single plate that was being sent out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
What a marvelous experience! I visited Bar Harbor and Acadia with my cousin and his family, so our party included 3 adults and a 1-year-old. We tried to walk-in on a Tuesday and put our name on the waiting list, but ended up elsewhere due to time (you know, bedtimes). But! We were successful on Wednesday and were somehow seated immediately without a reservation - it was a little earlier, which probably helped.What I'd actually like to highlight is how great the staff and other patrons were with the child in our group. He is a very well-mannered and cute kid, if I may say, but you can imagine that seating a 1yo or sitting near one might be a gamble. Still, the host didn't bat an eye, nor did our waitress. Other guests were wonderful too, which I believe reflects the people that the restaurant attracts.Anyway, if you're curious about the actual food, everything was delicious. We started with the Oyster Flight (tasty and fun to try, though we are admittedly not big oyster folk), the Chicken Wings, and the Fried Brussels. The wings and Brussels were flavorful, not heavy (for being fried), and great portions. I had the Lobster Roll, and my cousins had the Seafood Bolognese and Seared Halibut.Lobster Roll - I'm no expert here either, but it was a really lovely dinner. The cool but not cold lobster meat foiled against the warm, toasted and buttered roll was a great combination, plus the chips on the side were a nice delicately crisp pairing rather than fries which probably would've been heavier.Seafood Bolognese and Seared Halibut - I can't speak much since I only tasted, but I enjoy the bites I did try. The pasta was wonderfully al dente with a rich and savory sauce. The halibut itself was a little plain, but the sauce was smooth and luscious on the tongue.The location is easy to find on one of the main streets, and the restrooms are clean. Parking is easy, though note that parking is more expensive right in downtown compared to a couple blocks out ($4 vs $2/hr!).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: White Chicken Wings
Dined here last night without a reservation and was able to get in within 45 mins. The hostess texts when the table is ready which is nice for anllowing time to grab a drink while you wait. The ambiance is very chic but not too fancy. The food is the gem here. Our server was very attentive and checked on us many times throughout our meal.We started with two cocktails. Both were very flavorful. Not too sweet, not too tangy and fairly strong! We followed the cocktails with an order of mussels. If you like mussels get them! They’re more like a seafood stew in a creamy garlic broth with small chunks of garlic and fresh corn. It was a flavorful masterpiece. We ordered their chicken sausage rigatoni (they make their pasta homemade) and it was also delicious and very rich with Italian flavors. Also ordered the sausage pizza. The dough is homemade, and the sauce was very fresh. Perfectly baked not doughy but not tough either. We didn’t have dessert but only because we ran out of room. Try this place if you’re looking for rich scratch made food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food and service here are both excellent. Each dish is well prepared and has a great depth of flavor. The menu looks so good, it’s hard to choose just one thing! The pizzas are large and definitely enough to share between 2-3 people.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were pretty disappointed by this place given the amazing reviews. We put down a $20 deposit to reserve a table, arrived on time for our reservation, and were told no tables were ready. We waited at the bar before being moved to a booth, where condensation from the air conditioner dripped down onto the booth. The food & drinks took a while and the waitstaff was overall pretty inattentive. Pizza was good, but the halibut special and seafood bolognese were both a bit plain — not a good sign when you reach for salt and pepper at a restaurant that doesn’t keep it on the table because they feel their food doesn’t need it. The halibut served with corn purée and summer squash as the special felt like the chef trying to get rid of summer produce in October.
Our family of six (including kids) enjoyed a fantastic meal at Merchant & Frye. This was our one and only dinner out whilst in Bar Harbor and we are pleased with the choice. Sloane provided attentive, timely and friendly service and the dishes we ordered were very tasty. Portion sizes were generous, too. Though not advertised (to my knowledge) they did offer happy hour pricing on beer, wine and oysters and it was a great value.We tried oysters, Brussels, two varieties of pizza, the lobster roll and the elote pasta, and all were winners. I highly recommend a meal here while you’re in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A chef friend recommended this restaurant. When the only fish entree is the daily special, you know they only serve fresh fish. We had a delicious haddock served with a kind of corn sauce--totally delicious and something I'd never had before. We had it with some lovely wine. I'll be glad to come back in the future.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Awesome spot to go for happy hour 3-5pm. $2/oysters and $6 drafts which is well below the $40-48/dozen and $10 beers you’d pay elsewhere. We ended up staying for dinner as well, the summer salad was deliciously fresh, the haddock chowder was very flavorful and the fried halibut sandwich was crispy and tasty. Friendly staff and cool decor - place filled up after 5:30pm. Would definitely return.
Kid-friendliness: Easy to sit with kids.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Haddock Chowder, Oyster Flight
Restaurantji Recommends
A good, varied menu with lots of choice. Unfortunately, we waited a long time for a pizza (it came after everybody else had finished their mains), and when we asked if it would be coming soon, our server was quite rude. I understand when it is busy that orders might be backed up however a quick apology would’ve been appreciated. Although all of the food was nice when it arrived, this did leave for an uncomfortable atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Absolutely delicious. Handcrafted cocktails with all homemade mixers. I especially loved the milk clarified tequila. All locally sourced vegetables and seafood. Our server Jillian was super sweet and recommended the best offerings for what we wanted. Looking forward to another visit next time we are in Bar Harbor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oyster Flight
Decent place to grab a bite to eat. Nothing crazy special but nothing that would deter me away from coming back again. Favorite dish from my recent visit was the Crab Hush Puppies. Very light yet surprisingly crispy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
We loved the happy hour! The server was excellent. 6 dollar wine pours and beers, great selection. Two dollar oysters!! Awesome atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My boyfriend and I came here for dinner last night. The food was incredible!! Highly recommend the elote pasta and white pizza. We sat at the bar in front of the kitchen and Tina, the head chef, was super friendly and personable. She really made our experience memorable!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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