Distinguished fine dining overlooking Frenchman Bay in downtown Bar Harbor awaits you at the historic Reading Room Restaurant. Serving breakfast and dinner daily, the Reading Room is a one of a kind dining experience. Delectable local Maine cuisine and attentive service are surpassed only by the magnificent panoramic ocean views of Frenchman Bay.
Upscale-casual restaurant at the Bar Harbor Inn, offering seafood, steaks & live piano music. Based on 398 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.4 stars. Price
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ No takeout ✔️ No delivery
Address:
1 Newport Dr, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Phone: (207) 288-3351
Social Profile: 
Hours
| Monday
(Labor Day)
|
7–10:30 AM, 5–9:30 PM
Hours might differ
|
| Tuesday | 7–10:30 AM, 5–9:30 PM |
| Wednesday | 7–10:30 AM, 5–9:30 PM |
| Thursday | 7–10:30 AM, 5–9:30 PM |
| Friday | 7–10:30 AM, 5–9:30 PM |
| Saturday | 7–10:30 AM, 5–9:30 PM |
| Sunday | 7–10:30 AM, 5–9:30 PM |
Menu
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Photo Gallery
Order and Reservations
Reservations: opentable.com
Reviews
Sorah Shin
Wow! What a view and excellent service. Chef Zach has made such a wonderful impact on the menu and the drinks were delicious too! This is a must visit in Bar Harbor and you have to book reservations well in advance for this Bar Harbor classic. It is pricey but not for the quality of the food and service you’ll be getting. I love eating here whenever I’m in Bar Harbor and definitely would recommend it 100%. The deconstructed desserts are delicious too.
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Michele Clark
This is a “DON’T MISS” restaurant. The STAFF was attentive and was not on top of you to eat quickly. They gave great suggestions for the meal when we asked. The piano player was so wonderful. I had told our waitress that we were celebrating my boyfriend’s birthday and when she brought the dessert I heard the piano player from the other room play “happy birthday”, I thought she was so sweet to ask him to do that. The VIEW is amazing to say the least. We made reservations weeks before and I asked for a window seat and was seated at a perfect window seat for the most spectacular sunset. I’m not sure why I read a review that you had to stay in the hotel for a window seat, they never asked where I was staying, so that is not true that you need to stay on property. The MEAL was amazing, I had a lobster bisque because I wanted the scallops for my meal. The scallops were the best I ever had, fresh and seared perfectly. My boyfriend had the steak, medium rare and it was cooked to perfection, I’m saying that because I read reviews that the steak was well done after they asked for it medium rare. We definitely got it medium rare and it was delicious. So much food and not overly priced. Definitely a restaurant you don’t want to miss. From the time you walk, seeing the beautiful lobby with the fireplace, to the gorgeous to restaurant, great piano player, and wonderful waitress and staff. Atmosphere is casual/elegant, romantic and just wonderful. I can’t say enough good things. Definitely make a reservation and don’t miss this place.
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Joe Galindo
Very nice place with fantastic views. The staff was very friendly and the food was good. I had swordfish, which was delicious, and my girlfriend had filet mignon. Our only complaints are: the filet was asked to be cooked medium rare but was actually well done, and our server wasn’t around to refresh our drinks. Overall, we had a great romantic dinner by the shore.
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Patrick D
The view was immaculate and the seared scallops just as good. The staff was timely and courteous, though a bit detached. Unfortunately 2 of our party of 4 received over-cooked lobster tails, and this after I spent a week bragging about how amazing Maine lobster is. The overall experience was above average but the view was the highlight.
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Jackie Zbuska
We loved the piano player! The atmosphere is nice, as is the food presentation, but the food itself was definitely not fine dining. It was just ok. The oysters were delicious, but there were lots of tiny shell shards in them, and all were still attached to the shell. We both got the filet, requesting medium rare and both got well done. Unfortunately, mine was really well done. I got the blueberry lemon drop cocktail, which was ok, not great, and I didn’t finish it because something tasted off as I neared the bottom. I wouldn’t recommend dining here for what you pay.
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Stephanie Lehrer
Very fancy here almost felt under dressed but it was ok. The food was great but we had reservations for 8:30pm which was late and felt like they were closing up already. our server was very slow in getting us drinks, cleaning up, asking us for things and the kids were tired at that point. neat place though. The prices to me were reasonable but we are coming from NY so maybe it’s different.
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Lovin’RetiredLife123abc
We dined at this restaurant two times during our stay at the hotel.
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James Skapars
Food was wonderful. Disappointed to realize since we did not stay at the hotel, our seats were less than ideal even though spots were available.. Even still, chair placement made it uncomfortable for passers by so hoping they figure that easy observation out for future patrons. Definia place where they had an air of not needing to prove their worth. Early October in Bar Harbor so disappointed that the fireplace near us was not lit either as that would have been a viable alternative for lesser atmosphere. Waitress was not very engaging bordrring on monotone when we asked about menu items. Most experiences around the harbor were the complete opposite. View can be spectacular which was the reason we booked a reservation. Since we did not stay, they told us upfront preferred seating was not guaranteed, so be aware! Attire in the restaurant varied widely, so don’t stress. You are on vacation!! Some appetizers are very unique but worth trying for the experience. Namely, pickled watermelon. Strange but memorable in a good way if your palate wants to try something new.
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Jax Gurl
To start, there was some confusion over our reservation. We thought it was one night and Marius thought it was another. Marius ultimately made it correct and did an amazing job of getting us a table of either window. We had the compressed watermelon salad and also the beet salad and both were excellent. Three out of four of us had the swordfish and they all said it was probably the best swordfish they ever had. I had the vegetarian bake that was wrapped in phyllo dough, one of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten. We ended the meal by sharing blueberry pie à la mode, which was fantastic!The presentation was beautiful, the service was excellent. Tyler our waiter was attentive. The whole experience was wonderful for our last night in Bar Harbor.
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Megan Toler
We ate here our first night in Bar Harbor. It was also our anniversary. Whether you just want a nice dinner or something special, the atmosphere is beautiful and the food was some of the best we had in town. And honestly, very reasonable priced for steakhouse type of cuisine. Best lobster bisque we found.
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