Veranda Bar at Balance Rock Inn

This was the best meal I had in Maine, and one of the best meals in my life. I am worried that many people will miss this place since it lies at the end of a secluded side street at the end of a main road, so unless you want to go here on purpose, you will not see it from the street and could easily go about your business never knowing its existence. I found this place by searching for ‘romantic restaurants’ while doing my vacation research, since this was going to be my one nice date night with my husband while we had a babysitter on vacation, and I am so glad we chose this place.

I have never had a tasting menu- but it’s been on my bucket list for a long time. The menu, or Guidebook as they call it, is filled with small one line poems, riddles, and puns. I had a great time thinking about what would be on the next plate, and talked with our lovely server about this. We ordered some wine, but the server couldn't find it anywhere in the restaurant. We ordered a different bottle but she gave it to us for the price of the original one we requested- which was very nice of her. The presentation of each dish was breathtaking. Each choice of plate and bowl were carefully thought out. We had venison, scallops, prawns, truffles, duck, caviar, ice cream, and more. One after the other, more gorgeous and more complex.

The decor of the restaurant was thoughtful and upscale but not intimidating. The bathroom was underneath the stairs- which sounds silly but was beautiful and roomy, with a gold duck faucet! Out back there is a fire pit that you can enjoy, with blankets if you get chilly. We sat out there with our coffee and met and spoke with some other vacationers and had a lovely time.

The place manages to be very high end but not uninviting. It remains refined but not off-putting, which a lot of nicer places can be. You don’t get the imposter feeling dining here, but you do feel super pampered. I wish this place was close so I could visit again, and I wish I had enjoyed the bar on another night.

Next time I am in Maine I will definitely be staying here!

Awesome, we had the tasting menu, although the regular menu looked good too. Really fun for us and our friends. The menu was about 12 courses and laid out as riddles, we had a really good time trying to figure out what was next and only took about 2 hours. We already planned a trip back.
Everything was prepared perfectly and the service and wine pairing was on point.

A Truly intimate and cozy tasting dinner with white-glove service and fine dining experience to boot.
We thoroughly enjoyed our tasting menu with wine pairing as we overheard the ocean.
This place is really the go-to point if you want to experience fine dining while on vacation at Bar Harbor.
All our wines paired perfectly and the dishes complemented each other. Couple that with blanket service after sunset to keep us warm at the veranda and the calming light of the pool behind us added to the overall experience of the vacation.
We will be back to this venue again... someday.

Great outdoor space, pleasant if boring indoors, superb presentation of food, but distinctly average flavors. Sunday service tried hard but didn't know the menu. Better to go simple in Bar Harbor