UPDATE: The owner has since responded; however, many of the concerns—particularly food quality and the digestive distress that followed—only became apparent after the visit, and repeatedly interrupting a birthday dinner to troubleshoot with management would have further disrupted the celebration.
We hoped for an enjoyable birthday dinner, but the experience fell well short—especially for the price.
Our visit to Blaze Brewing in Blue Hill on December 13 was disappointing and concerning.
Service lacked attention to detail despite the restaurant not being busy. Glasses arrived spotty, and a $14 glass of wine smelled of chlorine. We had to ask for plates for a shared appetizer, as well as salt and pepper for the table.
Food quality was inconsistent. The Caesar salad was soggy, overdressed, and heavy on vinegar. The steak contained a lot of gristle, and the mushroom/beef gravy had the taste and texture of a commercial product rather than something house-made. Fries were overdone and served in a small portion.
Most concerning, all four of us experienced stomach discomfort and digestive distress within a short time after the meal.
At this price point, we expected better execution and greater care. We hope these issues are taken seriously.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Dell Davis-Batt
I had a great time here! Food was fantastic and our server was was great. Highly recommend if you’re in the area.
M Last Name
I had high hopes for this place because Ive tried blaze Bangor and was very satisfied there, so we tried the Blue Hill location. We had poutine and mussels for appetizers. Poutine was okay, the fries were soggy with not much cheese. The mussels were very very acidic and didn't need the tomatoes. The mussels didn't have the beards removed and had many pebbles, I had to spit out several. The lobster chowder was good. The strawberry lemonade was so strong it tasted like straight syrup, bu5 I was able to water it down and it was delicious afterward. The steak frites, I wish I had asked the price before ordering, I did not expect more than $60. The fries were again, limp and sad. I ate a few bites and boxed the rest of it up. Overall, would not return.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Kelly Sullivan
First of all our server sucked!!! She wasn’t pleasant at all! The food was horrible! We all ordered pizzas and they were not done at all. We ordered drinks and the bartender couldn’t even make a Long Island! Then we got dessert and the plates were all chipped so bad we had to wonder if it was in the food. We pointed it out to our server and she could care less. We used to love it but it’s gone down hill bad. We drove an hour to get there and we are sorry we did!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Atalia Reznik
Waited more than an hour for our food, which was ok but not worth the prices. They billed us 20% surcharge even though we were a party of 4 and not 6.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Joseph Bruno
Had another 3 great visits to Blaze on our fall trip to Blue Hill. It was nice to see a lot of the same staff, and the food is still amazing!
I had the opportunity to eat at Blaze many over the past couple of weeks-food was great, service was excellent, beer was great, and the atmosphere had a nice vibe! I think my favorites were the pizzas, the halibut (right from Blue Hill Bay), and the ribs!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth Wolf
Fresh, wonderful food . The pizza is fantastic, and the Brussel Sprouts!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Helena
What a great find. Everything we had was superb. Highly recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Barbara Stone
We have eaten alot of different food at a variety of fine places. We discovered Blaze because we heard about their good beer (the hazy IPA is outstanding). But the BIG surprise was how excellent the food is ! Oysters in the 1/2 shell .. best we've had anywhere ! And the haddock atop the spinach salad ... WOW! Again excellent. There is a chef in this kitchen that really knows how to cook. Highly recommend for an excellent meal !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matt Hillas
Attended a private function downstairs and outside, so your mileage may vary, as we had the place to ourselves long after normal business hours on a Friday night. Nice assortment of cocktails and beer with great food, including a yummy vegetarian pizza, generous Caesar salad with a nice spicy zing to it, roasted Brussels sprouts and lots of wings. Staff was very accommodating, and drinks arrived quickly even though it was pretty crowded at the downstairs bar. Loved the outside area in the back. Would definitely visit again if I'm ever in the area!
Great atmosphere in the beer garden. The old bartender was slow as molasses. All we wanted was a flight of beer. After watching him make a flight of mimosas, hand another customer a bill, and some to go containers to another it had been 15mins. Then at a pace that seemed to turn back time he started making his second flight of mimosas. We decided to leave so we could make it to work tomorrow.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 1
Anne Sorensen
Pizza had a good flavor, but the bottom crust was soggy. The service wasn't very good except for the bartender. Out server never brought my husband's 2nd beer so he went up to get it himself and we had to ask the bartender for a box and our bill, because she was MIA.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 2
Christopher Walsh
Horrible service- bartender (beard) has a mouth on him after you ask to order a second time. Table behind us that came in behind us was enjoying their food before we got to order drinks- at the bar. We ended up walking. Everyone has an off day, but this isn’t Bar Harbor Blaze. That’s for sure.
Danette Bruno
Wonderful staff, reasonable food options, smoked food options are the best!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Tanis
Nice outdoor beer garden, delicious food. I especially enjoyed the fish and chips which which were crispy and hot. Service was a little slow (it was busy) but very friendly and helpful. With a short high season and little competition in the area, prices will reflect that. They even welcomed our dog to the beer garden with a bowl of water. In the evening bring a jacket if you are dining outdoors, as it cools quickly when the sun goes over the hill. A very pleasant dining experience! We will return!
UPDATE: The owner has since responded; however, many of the concerns—particularly food quality and the digestive distress that followed—only became apparent after the visit, and repeatedly interrupting a birthday dinner to troubleshoot with management would have further disrupted the celebration.
We hoped for an enjoyable birthday dinner, but the experience fell well short—especially for the price.
Our visit to Blaze Brewing in Blue Hill on December 13 was disappointing and concerning.
Service lacked attention to detail despite the restaurant not being busy. Glasses arrived spotty, and a $14 glass of wine smelled of chlorine. We had to ask for plates for a shared appetizer, as well as salt and pepper for the table.
Food quality was inconsistent. The Caesar salad was soggy, overdressed, and heavy on vinegar. The steak contained a lot of gristle, and the mushroom/beef gravy had the taste and texture of a commercial product rather than something house-made. Fries were overdone and served in a small portion.
Most concerning, all four of us experienced stomach discomfort and digestive distress within a short time after the meal.
At this price point, we expected better execution and greater care. We hope these issues are taken seriously.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
I had a great time here! Food was fantastic and our server was was great. Highly recommend if you’re in the area.
I had high hopes for this place because Ive tried blaze Bangor and was very satisfied there, so we tried the Blue Hill location.
We had poutine and mussels for appetizers.
Poutine was okay, the fries were soggy with not much cheese. The mussels were very very acidic and didn't need the tomatoes. The mussels didn't have the beards removed and had many pebbles, I had to spit out several. The lobster chowder was good.
The strawberry lemonade was so strong it tasted like straight syrup, bu5 I was able to water it down and it was delicious afterward. The steak frites, I wish I had asked the price before ordering, I did not expect more than $60. The fries were again, limp and sad. I ate a few bites and boxed the rest of it up.
Overall, would not return.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
First of all our server sucked!!! She wasn’t pleasant at all! The food was horrible! We all ordered pizzas and they were not done at all. We ordered drinks and the bartender couldn’t even make a Long Island! Then we got dessert and the plates were all chipped so bad we had to wonder if it was in the food. We pointed it out to our server and she could care less. We used to love it but it’s gone down hill bad. We drove an hour to get there and we are sorry we did!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Waited more than an hour for our food, which was ok but not worth the prices. They billed us 20% surcharge even though we were a party of 4 and not 6.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Had another 3 great visits to Blaze on our fall trip to Blue Hill. It was nice to see a lot of the same staff, and the food is still amazing!
I had the opportunity to eat at Blaze many over the past couple of weeks-food was great, service was excellent, beer was great, and the atmosphere had a nice vibe! I think my favorites were the pizzas, the halibut (right from Blue Hill Bay), and the ribs!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fresh, wonderful food . The pizza is fantastic, and the Brussel Sprouts!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
What a great find. Everything we had was superb. Highly recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We have eaten alot of different food at a variety of fine places. We discovered Blaze because we heard about their good beer (the hazy IPA is outstanding). But the BIG surprise was how excellent the food is ! Oysters in the 1/2 shell .. best we've had anywhere ! And the haddock atop the spinach salad ... WOW! Again excellent. There is a chef in this kitchen that really knows how to cook. Highly recommend for an excellent meal !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Attended a private function downstairs and outside, so your mileage may vary, as we had the place to ourselves long after normal business hours on a Friday night. Nice assortment of cocktails and beer with great food, including a yummy vegetarian pizza, generous Caesar salad with a nice spicy zing to it, roasted Brussels sprouts and lots of wings. Staff was very accommodating, and drinks arrived quickly even though it was pretty crowded at the downstairs bar. Loved the outside area in the back. Would definitely visit again if I'm ever in the area!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great atmosphere in the beer garden. The old bartender was slow as molasses. All we wanted was a flight of beer. After watching him make a flight of mimosas, hand another customer a bill, and some to go containers to another it had been 15mins. Then at a pace that seemed to turn back time he started making his second flight of mimosas. We decided to leave so we could make it to work tomorrow.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 1
Pizza had a good flavor, but the bottom crust was soggy.
The service wasn't very good except for the bartender. Out server never brought my husband's 2nd beer so he went up to get it himself and we had to ask the bartender for a box and our bill, because she was MIA.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 2
Horrible service- bartender (beard) has a mouth on him after you ask to order a second time. Table behind us that came in behind us was enjoying their food before we got to order drinks- at the bar. We ended up walking. Everyone has an off day, but this isn’t Bar Harbor Blaze. That’s for sure.
Wonderful staff, reasonable food options, smoked food options are the best!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nice outdoor beer garden, delicious food. I especially enjoyed the fish and chips which which were crispy and hot. Service was a little slow (it was busy) but very friendly and helpful. With a short high season and little competition in the area, prices will reflect that. They even welcomed our dog to the beer garden with a bowl of water. In the evening bring a jacket if you are dining outdoors, as it cools quickly when the sun goes over the hill. A very pleasant dining experience! We will return!
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