Havana — Latin-inspired / American, Bar Harbor
Havana has been Bar Harbor's most discussed restaurant for decades — a Latin-inspired kitchen in a coastal Maine village that applies Cuban and Caribbean flavors to the extraordinary cold-water seafood of the Gulf of Maine. The combination shouldn't work as well as it does.
The Maine lobster ceviche — the island's signature protein in a preparation that the Caribbean tradition brought to New England — is the kitchen's signature and the dish that most clearly expresses what Havana has been doing: applying heat to cold-water seafood in ways that honor both.
The cocktail program draws on Latin spirits with genuine knowledge — the mojito program, the rum selections, and the seasonal preparations that use Maine's berries and botanicals in Caribbean-inspired formats.
The century-old building, the summer-season intensity, and the year-round commitment of the kitchen produce a restaurant that justifies the planning it requires to visit.
Best Occasion: Perfect for Proposals
Bar Harbor's most creative kitchen in a century-old building with the village's most atmospheric dining room. Maine lobster ceviche and a mojito at the restaurant that the island's summer reserves for special occasions.
Best Occasion: Best for Impressing Clients
The most creative kitchen in Bar Harbor, a Latin-Maine fusion that visitors don't expect, and the Acadia National Park setting as context. The client experience that signals taste beyond the obvious.