Thurston's Lobster Pound

Hands down the best place for seafood near Acadia national Park. Was sent here by a local and will be coming back and recommending this place to everyone. Don't forget, you can't leave here without having dessert! It's homemade by the owner and the best. We don't normally do dessert but actually got to talking to the owner at the bar and she convinced us and we weren't disappointed. The rhubarb pie was spectacular (first time having rhubarb) ????

I have one word for this restaurant, exceptional! It was my first time eating lobster and I am not a seafood kind of person. However, I felt completely in love with their lobster, I ate a whole lobster and the corn. IoI The little cute bib is a plus.

A new "tradition" now on Mt. Desert Island in Maine is to go to Thurston's Lobster Pound for a seafood feast. Once there you are able to choose the size of lobster you want--and after an appropriate length of time, it is brought to your table for your enjoyment--perfectly steamed and ready for eating. There are other items on the menu as well, and I am a particular fan of their steamed mussels. The restaurant is rustic and practical in its decor, but the setting is ideal because it sits on the water overlooking beautiful Bass Harbor--still pretty much a working lobster fishermen''s harbor on an island that has given way to pleasure yachts of all sizes and descriptions. The loss of a star is because the tables can be close together and sometimes the Maine chill penetrates the dining areas--so on colder/cooler days, come prepared with a jacket or coat.

Wait wasn’t crazy on a Saturday. The gals at the register were helpful (it was our first time) and the food was great!!! Wonderful place to eat fresh lobster on the water! We were even lucky enough to grab a table by their fireplace!

We were staying in Bar Harbor, so it was a little bit of a drive to get to Thurston's, but it was Worth It! We tried a basket of steamed clams, a bowl of the lobster soup, two rolls, two jumbo lobster rolls, and one blueberry spice cake. I thought the soup honestly just tasted like milk, but the rolls were fluffy, fresh, and delicious, and were great dipped in it. We struggled with the steamed clams as amateur seafood eaters, but the little water cup to clean out the grit was very thoughtful. And honestly, there aren't words for how good the lobster was. I've waited my entire life to eat a Maine lobster roll, and I'll never forget it that experience. The lobster was sweet and buttery and cooked to absolute perfection. It was tender and flavorful, which was a nice texture contrast to the toasted bun/roll. And there were no additives or nonsense, just incredible lobster.

The restaurant also appears to be situated on a working fishing pier, so the atmosphere was awesome.