The Reading Room

Address:	7 Newport Dr, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Phone:	+1 207-288-3351
Site:	barharborinn.com
Rating:	3.6
Working:	5:30–9PM 5:30–9PM 5:30–9PM 5:30–9PM 5:30–9PM 5:30–9PM 5:30–9PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 16

Anysia E.

We stayed at the Bar Harbor Inn for our honeymoon. We had light dinner/drinks in the lounge twice during the week. We also made reservations for a dinner in the Reading Room, and had breakfast there one morning as well. Everything was absolutely top-notch! The atmosphere, food, presentation, and staff are just excellent! For dinner, the Reading Room is pricey, but everything is absolutely delicious and very gourmet. Since we were staying at the inn for a week, the desk staff presented us with coupons for one breakfast and one dinner, which was a great incentive! The live piano music was a nice touch! We had the chance to talk with the pianist and when he found out we were on our honeymoon, he asked what our wedding song was so that he could play it for us! If you want a great meal or if youre celebrating something, definitely go for dinner at the Reading Room or stop by the lounge for some wine and seafood chowder in a bread bowl. You wont be disappointed :-)

Matthew Liptak

I love the inn and stay here every year but skip this place. We opted to eat breakfast here because our favorite place had a long wait. They served a weekend buffet and it was absolutely horrible. It was comparable to bad hospital or airline breakfast with hard scrambled eggs, tasteless home fries, bad blueberry pancakes and inedible danish. Plus there was one too many staff on and they hovered over your tables acting like they were busy. For the price, it was a ripoff, like 15 bucks a person and not worth it at all. I cant imagine what dinner must be like if breakfast was this bad. The place is just old fashioned and stodgy with tux wearing servers and just an all around old style feel to it, needs a serious upgrade. There are so many other places to eat breakfast, do not put yourself through the misery of eating here. Ill stick to the long wait times at other places.

Olivia Kassner

I had read great reviews, so I had high expectations and felt let down. The location is great - you overlook the harbor, so if you eat while its light out it is fantastic. We ate after dark, and it was very busy (Columbus Day Weekend). My fiance and I both had the filet and lobster tail plate. The steak was underseasoned and not cooked very well - not much flavor. The lobster tail was chewy and hard to cut with even a steak knife. Our appetizer - scallops in lemon sauce - was delicious. The dessert - key lime pie - was amazing. All of their desserts looked wonderful. The cheese board - not very impressive - just a few standard cheeses with crackers and fruit. All of the above with a bottle of wine cost $170. I do not feel that it was worth the price.

Duane K

Amazing views if youre seated by the water. We showed up early to our reservation and were able to get in and sat with a water view. I had the filet and lobster tail which was cooked to perfection. My wife had the lobster pie which she absolutely loved. After telling the server it was her birthday that had someone play happy bday to her on the grand piano. It is a must if youre looking for fine dining in bar harbor. Our only complaint was the server. She was very courteous but not as attentive as we would have liked (refills and checking in). I read many reviews and was surprised at the different criticisms of this venue, especially after our great meal. That being said, you wont be disappointed with this dinner choice.

A Private User

The greeting was poor and the sevice was second rate. For example my half full wine glass was knocked over by a waiter and no effort was made to apologise or replenish the glass. The first two courses came one after the other with out an interlude. To be truthfull we paid premium rates for for food that was pre cooked. For example the pasta was very soft and overcooked. We decided to ask for the cheque and leave. My card was snatched away by a very surly female server. Infact it was rude. On the plus side the view and setting were lovely. The food and sevice were the worst I encountered on a 18 day trip round New England. Very disappointed

Adam Machell

Im baffled by the bad reviews. We are staying at the inn which houses the Reading Room and decided to make life easy last night. We started in the bar with two very friendly bartenders who were willing to offer suggestions on things to do. The actual restaurant was amazing. First, ask for Horace to be your server. He was amazing. All of our food was well cooked and hot when it came to us. Desert was also very good. I cant speak for how this place may have been in the past, but last night , 13 June 2017, it was exceptional.

Karen Hausler

if your looking for fine dinning look no further this place had nothing to fault just praises great location views were to die for music with you meal food was remarkable and average priced ask for VALORIE she understand fine dinning and proper service she is the best get the lobster out of the shell for a dollar more no muss the lobster stew wonderful blueberry tini blueberry pie best in the city this restaurant is a do not miss Karen h and howard h

Michael Beales

We dined at the Reading Room for our one year wedding anniversary. The food was very good, the staff were friendly and knowledgeable, and the views of Bar Harbor (especially at dusk) were spectacular. Having a pianist while dining was also a nice touch to the ambience. Not a cheap restaurant, but a good value for the money overall. Highly recommended for special occasions.

donna sunnafrank

Beautiful place. Great ocean views. Wonderful server. Do not order shell fish. Shrimp was like jerky. Scallops were very chewy. That chef does not know how to cook seafood. My husband didnt want to cause a scene. But for the price you expect opaque scallops and shrimp. Very disappointed. Sorry folks, you failed.

yvonne johnson

We enjoyed everything about this dining experience! The service was attentive, the presentation and taste of the food were outstanding, and the atmosphere was fantastic, with a beautiful view of the ocean. All-sound exceptional experience, and we will return on our next visit to Bar Harbor.

Alan Talkington

Excellent dining experience. The food was top notch for the price. The service was good. The pianist was exceptional. We had a great view and couldnt have asked for a better evening.

Ann Kelley

Great staff. Great views. Great Inn. Fantastic Food. Place to stay if you want to relax. Like crushing on RCL, you can be as busy as you want or just relax and enjoy.

Yoni Shalev

Pretentious - portray itself as an upscale seafood restaurant, in reality the food is mediocre at best. And prices definitely makes it even a worse choice.

Julia B

The view is beautiful, the food is absolutely delicious, & the service is very attentive. The lobster dinner is a yearly tradition.

Chris Csatlos

Sat out on the patio and had a great view of the harbour. Good service.

Brian Fox

Great great food and staff