Best Bar Harbor Lobster Roll
Finding the best lobster roll in Bar Harbor was maybe one of the most enjoyable missions that we’ve ever taken on!
Lobster rolls in Bar Harbor are abundant and we were determined to taste our way through many of them to narrow down the best of the Bar Harbor lobster rolls!
History of the lobster roll:
The history of the lobster roll in Maine is as rich and flavorful as the treat itself. It all began in the 1920s when a seafood shack named Perry's, located in Milford, Connecticut, claimed to have invented this delightful dish. However, it was the fishermen and lobstermen of Maine who truly embraced and perfected the lobster roll, turning it into an iconic New England staple.
Traditionally served on a grilled, buttery hot dog bun, these rolls are generously stuffed with tender, succulent lobster meat, lightly dressed with mayonnaise, and sometimes adorned with a squeeze of lemon. Over the decades, Maine's lobster roll has become synonymous with coastal summer bliss, celebrated at seaside shacks, food trucks, and upscale restaurants alike. Whether enjoyed at a picnic table with an ocean view or at a bustling seafood festival, the Maine lobster roll remains a delicious testament to the state's seafaring heritage and culinary ingenuity.
Hot or Cold?
Here’s a really important thing to factor in to the great debate of the best lobster roll in Bar Harbor - hot or cold?
The traditional Maine lobster roll is served cold with mayonnaise on a buttery warm bun but many locations offer the option of a warm and buttery roll instead. Our personal preference? We love lobster rolls pretty much any way that they come but we just couldn’t get past the incredible flavor of a warm and buttery roll.
Before we tell you our all around favorite, I’ve organized our top contenders into a few categories: Biggest roll, Most affordable roll, and Best all around lobster roll of Bar Harbor.
Biggest Roll: Jordan Pond House
The biggest lobster roll we had in Bar Harbor just happens to also be in the most idealistic setting at Jordan Pond House. After biking through the carriage roads of Acadia, (check out our ultimate Acadia Travel Guide Here) we got to Jordan Pond House ready to eat!
After checking in as a walk-in (make reservations in advance if you can!) we waited just over an hour and half to eat but we didn’t mind much since we were able to wait on the observation deck above the restaurant.
By the time we finally got seated we were eager to get our hands on a Jordan Pond House lobster roll! This was the most expensive lobster roll that we had on our trip so we were hoping it would be good and we weren’t disappointed!
Jordan Pond House only serves traditional cold lobster rolls and while we slightly prefer warm and buttery rolls more, we didn’t mind a bit. It was huge! Easily twice as much lobster than many of the other rolls that we had.
If you’re looking for the biggest lobster roll in Bar Harbor that you can enjoy with impeccable views of Acadia, Jordan Pond House is the place for you!
Most Affordable Lobster Roll in Bar Harbor:
Okay, so this lobster roll isn’t *technically* in Bar Harbor but I couldn’t make this list without mentioning one of our favorite Bar Harbor Lobster Roll experiences.
One day of our trip we took off for the Schoodic Peninsula (which I couldn’t recommend enough! Read more about our Schoodic Peninsula day, here!). As we were nearing Winter Harbor, about an hour outside of Bar Harbor when we started talking about trying to find a place to grab some lunch.
All of sudden we found ourselves driving toward and lobster shack on the side of the road and a sweet older man waving to us with a lobster hat on. It was everything that would ever make me want to stop and I’m so glad that we did!
After some confusion on where to park (behind the building) we ordered a hot lobster roll, homemade blueberry lemonade and a slice of blueberry pie.
The Lobster roll was to die for. Warm and buttery and the lobster had so much flavor (something the owner accounted to his pick of the best lobster every day!). We were surprised when our entire meal cost less than most of the other Bar Harbor lobster rolls did on their own! This lobster roll was just $25, which might shock you if you’re unfamiliar with the average going rate for lobster rolls in bar harbor these days!
We had a really enjoyable lunch, talking with the owners and enjoying the view of the coast right in front of us.
Going to Schoodic Peninsula is already a must, but the addition of being able to stop for this lobster roll on the way makes it even more of an essential day trip!
Best Overall Bar Harbor Lobster Roll: The Travelin’ Lobster
We had read a lot of people recommending The Travelin Lobster so we decided on our last day to finally give it a shot!
We’ve debated this quite a bit and can’t decide if it was good or bad that we waited until our last day to try what we are confident is the best lobster roll in Bar Harbor.
On the one hand, had we gone to The Travelin Lobster sooner, we could have gone back and experienced the lobster rolls again and again and we regretted not being able to go back. However, on the other hand had we gone earlier in our trip, our expectations and standards for lobster rolls would have been so high that I fear we would have been disappointed for the rest of the trip by every other lobster roll.
It was probably for the best that we didn’t experience the best lobster roll in Bar Harbor until our last night but if I were you, I’d head there as soon as I could!
One last point- The Travlin Lobster is the only place we went to that provided multiple options for size and price of lobster rolls- mini, small and large. This was a nice feature as I was able to order a small and Jackson got the large so we were able to save a little money.
Honorable Mention: Lobster Nachos at The Bar Harbor Lobster Pound
Okay okay I know this is all about the best Lobster Roll in Bar Harbor and these are not lobster rolls BUT the lobster nachos at the Bar Harbor Lobster Pound were so absolutely delicious that I needed to share about them somewhere.
The nachos are $40 but easily fed both my husband and I. They are delicious and filling and absolutely worth a stop on your bar harbor lobster roll trek!