CherrySTONES — Restaurant in Bar Harbor

Let me start off by saying I'm not one to write reviews like this, but after my experience at Cherrystones in Bar Harbor, I needed to share one of the worst dinning experiences with everyone. My wife and I arrived in Bar Harbor after a very long drive and were HUNGRY. We were lured by the bright patio lights of Cherrystones, before looking at reviews, BIG MISTAKE! After being seated by our less than enthusiastic hostess, we were promptly greeted by our server, Julia, who was the only bright spot in this horrible experience.

We ordered the calamari for a starter. We both commented on how it was not warm and was kind of tasteless. We let our server know and she said it wasn't the first time she's received complaints over the calamari. She apologized and asked us for more details so she could "try to get to the bottom of it".

Soon after our entrees arrived but were also just slightly warm to the touch, in addition, the filet I had ordered medium was way overlooked and dry. When our server checked In on us again to see how our food was, we politely let her know and asked if we could speak to a manager. She said that she would let him know but promptly returned to tell us we would need to see the manager at the bar after our meal. Julia returned once we had finished our meals and said that she had spoken to the manager and he had "adjusted our check". Which meant he took $10 off a $130 check. I told our server that was not the point but thanked her and that us wanting to speak to the manager had nothing to do with her or her service, it was the cooks that were letting her down.

After paying our check I went up to the bar and found the manager and the less than unenthusiastic hostess eating at the bar. I apologized for interrupting their meal and told him about the issues with the food and he could not have been more bored and meekly muttered something about letting the cooks know. My wife was standing outside waiting for me and witnessed the hostess staring me down and slaking her head as I walked away. I hope this saves at least a few people from the terrible experience my wife and I had tonight. Please don't just take my word for it, look at the ratings and other reviews ... there is a definite trend here ... there are plenty of good restaurants in Bar Harbor ... I wish I could say this was just a bad night but unfortunately that doesn't appear to...

Bar Harbor downtown is a really nice place. If you go there, don't ever think about going to Cherry Stones. Cherry Stones is a really bad restaurant.

There are a few good things about Cherry Stones though. You don't have to wait to long for a table; it was 6:30 when we asked for a table. By 6:45 we were seated, and this was a Saturday evening. We had planned on going to another restaurant, Galyn's, which seemed to have had a longer wait time for seating. So we decided to go to Cherry Stones instead where were seated on the balcony at Cherry Stones, which was very nice. Also, the food was good. So you would think the restaurant would be highly rated. BUT IT'S NOT.

The bad thing about Cherry Stones is pretty much, all the service. We had to wait 45 minutes before the waitress brought out our bread. Then we saw her bring out some food, which we thought was finally ours. But it was for another table, a table that had been seated AFTER us. The food for the other table was accompanied by questions from the waitress about who ordered what.

Twenty minutes later, our food finally came out. She didn't ask who ordered what. Mom didn't get her entree at all. When we finally asked about the missing entree, the waitress brought it out within minutes. Unfortunately, it was the WRONG dish. What happened was Mom's dish was given to Uncle, and Uncle's dish was the one that was late. But uncle ate all of Mom's halibut. The waitress suggested that Mom's halibut could be redone, but would take about 10 more minutes; but we had already been there for 1 plus hour. No go.

After dinner, we tried to check in with the manager to offer suggestions for better servicing. But the manager didn't give us the time of day. He didn't apologize for the mix up, and the slow, bad service. Instead, he said the waitress is competent and that's all. He had no sympathy for Mom not getting an entree, nor any concerns on the slowness of the service.

This was, by far, the worst restaurant we visited in Bar Harbor. Galyn's would most likely have been much better, given there was a wait to be seated. Food and service there must mean something since Cherry Stones had no wait time. Cherry Stones has no customer service or concerns for the customers. If you go to Bar Harbor, don't go to...

Beware! You may lose more than your appetite, time and a substantial amount of money at Cherrystones Restaurant.

My family has been staying in the Bar Harbor area every summer for the last 17 years. We expect restaurants in Bar Harbor proper, to be high priced but hope to get a meal that is better than just edible.That is not possible at Cherrystones Restaurant..

On 7/21/18 our visiting friends were attracted by their inviting outdoor seating and what appeared to be accommodating staff. But, we were truly fooled. The lobster bisque was like paste. It tasted like over-thickened canned soup. From the starter course to the main meal our hopes were consistently dashed.

But what happened after the meal sealed my opinion. I realized I left my favorite jacket on the back of my chair while we were waiting for our Ferry to Winter Harbor. When I called Cherrstones, the hostess confirmed that they found it. He insisted that it would be securely kept for me until I make another trip to town if I didn't want to rush back before the ferry arrived.

When I got back to camp that evening I called to explain that I made plans to retrieve my jacket on 7/25 and asked them if that was OK. The employee reassured me time and time again that it was not a problem and my jacket was safe w/ them.

As I approached town that morning I called the restauraunt to let them know I was coming to town for that purpose only and would be in a hurry. The hostess said she could not find the jacket in the lost and found and said it was probably locked in the managers office and could not be accessed till late afternoon.

I could not wait around all day so I asked if they'd be willing to place it in a pre-posted and addressed envelope that I'd provide. They agreed to do so as soon after the office was unlocked. Again, I got every assurance that it was safe and secure there and would be on it's way back to me soon.

Even though my return packet included a letter of thanks and my phone number, I did not get a call or my jacket. After over 3 weeks of waiting I called again and spoke to the manager.

She told me it was left on a peg somewhere and wasn't there anymore. Jessica also said I shouldn't have left it there if I cherished it and they were not responsible for items left in their...