Galyn's — Restaurant in Bar Harbor

Galyn's was an excellent dining experience. We heard about it through a friend who'd visited Maine a week prior, stating that it's tough to get in. During our visit, we stopped by after a ghost tour who had mentioned some cool historical facts about the restaurant, which piqued our interest (think brothel and speakeasy, for starters). When we peeked our heads in, the host told us it's open for lunch so we came back the next day - I would visit during lunch hours because we got a seat immediately. Save dinnertime for the uninformed masses!

The atmosphere is great - you can tell this building has been in Bar Harbor for much longer than its been this restaurant. You can read about the history on their website. The walls are also peppered with local art which all has a nautical/seatown theme, or is directly inspired by Maines' beautiful craggy coasts. Bonus points for the nice view of the park and ocean just outside the tall windows.

Service could not have been better. The waitress was very friendly and attentive without being overbearing. She had a genuine vibe and was patient when we asked her to repeat all the specials she just diligently went over - and I'm glad we did because we both ordered one.

Food was fantastic. For appetizer we had mussels in a lemon garlic sauce. We couldn't eat them fast enough. She had the haddock with a pesto(+something I forget) sauce, and I had the halibut with a roasted red pepper pate. Both served over wild rice and asparagus. Both were excellent, though I'll admit hers was phenomenal. Cooked to perfection, flakey and incredible flavor. For dessert we got blueberry crumble and Indian Pudding. The latter was like the season of Autumn turned into a confection - spiced generously and delicious. Both served with vanilla ice cream and were the perfect conclusion to this meal.

I will issue a couple minor complaints: they don't give you bread for the table - it's an extra charge. Kind of unusual. I mean it's bread. And while I did very much enjoy my dish, it was twice the price of the other dish and I wasn't informed before receiving it. It prob would have steered me to get something else. Nonetheless the bill was rather inexpensive and everything was very fairly priced. Well worth it!!

A final comment regarding COVID: I felt very safe here. The staff took names and numbers for contact tracing, tables were spaced out far enough, and they even give you a little paper bag to put your mask in while you eat. That was a first and definitely liked that - would be cool to see other restaurants follow suit - no one wants their dirty mask sitting next to their food. Plus you were to wear the mask while walking around (eg, going to the bathroom).

All in all this was a top dining experience and highly recommend it to anyone. If you see the pesto haddock, GET IT. Indian Pudding was a unique dessert to try, and be sure to take a lap around the inside to peruse the art. Next time I visit I will need to grab a drink at the bar upstairs which...

We had tickets for a whale-watching tour, so we decided to spend the day wandering around Bar Harbor — strolling the Shore Path, climbing on rocks, and pretending we were in a travel brochure. By lunchtime, we were ready for something delicious, and thank goodness we’d made reservations at Galyn’s.

From the moment we arrived, the service was top-notch — friendly, professional, and genuinely warm. We snagged a spot on their small porch, which came with a great view and prime people-watching. My husband, on his personal mission to try every lobster bisque in Maine, declared this one a strong contender. We shared crab cakes and the fish of the day — grilled haddock with pesto aioli, served with grains, broccolini, and fresh herbs. The haddock was slightly overcooked but still packed with flavor. My Stephen’s Wild Blue Lemonade (blueberry vodka, obviously) was the perfect sidekick.

Just as we were finishing up, we got the dreaded email: whale-watching canceled due to sea levels and wind. Tragic. But, being the resilient travelers we are, we coped the only way possible — with dessert and another round. The Cappuccino Sundae was heavenly, and my second cocktail, a Woodford's Mistress (Woodford Reserve bourbon, white port, spiced cherry bitters, sparkling float, Luxardo cherry), was pure artistry in a glass.

I could’ve happily stayed all afternoon sampling more “research cocktails,” but my responsible side dragged me off to hike instead.

Bottom line: Galyn’s is a must in Bar Harbor — excellent food, killer drinks, and service that makes you feel like a local. Even if your whale tour gets canceled, you’ll still...

So I waited a day to make this review to see if I would reassess. I haven't. We were told about this place by a couple we met in park, and they spoke highly. I did not find this to be the case. The positive I would say is the drinks were good and well prepared, but they were a little on the skimpy side for the cost...which is one of the key themes here. The scallop app, were what would called small scallops. They were properly cooked, but really a disjointed dish. The sweet of the scallop was overpowered by the bacon and sauce. The twin lobster dish was two small tails with a wild and other rices. The Maine combo was a good combo but the portions were quite small, again. So that aside, the bigger issue was that there really was not enough seasoning over all. Have ate at MANY high end restaurants, and all of them have properly seasoned their food. Not over seasoned...properly seasoned. I know there are some chefs that claim no seasoning allows these food to better display. My opinion is that is a cop-out/cover as they don't know how to properly season. We paid well over a hundred dollars, and frankly the portions were really skimped. I understand the idea of having small portions in a super high-end gastro-experience to display the PERFECT flavor profile. This was not that. It was fairly basic dishes served all over town. Disappointing. It is up to you to make your call to go, but I would not go back. Just an FYI the service staff were good, to give credit where...