Island Take Out — Restaurant in Bar Harbor

We were exhausted and wanted something easy, casual, and non touristy/ not crowded, on a Saturday night in busy season.

This place had good reviews and seemed casual, so we checked it out. I’ll admit, despite the good reviews, I didn’t have super high hopes. I thought it would be decent but nothing super good. I was wrong. It was pretty delicious!

We rolled up about 5:50p and saw it was connected to the back of the gas station. Hmm okay, different. We parked back there with only one other car- right off Highway 3 off the main road. We ordered and went and sat outside at one of their four green picnic tables under their covered tent. Within a few minutes, tons of people showed up. Some to-go orders, and the rest filled the other three tables. We had just beat the rush. More cars came in but had no where to park. I’m not sure how they do it when they’re busy— and I read it’s busy often.

We ordered the jerk chicken sandwich- delicious! On a bun with onion, tomato, lettuce and It has a pineapple sauce (ask for it if they forget it). Tons of flavor and moist chicken. Simple, flavorful, filling. With a side of ruffle chips.

We also got the island salad: fresh greens, onion, fresh bell pepper, tomato, honey mango dressing. That dressing was so good!! And the veggies were so fresh! We all loved it.

We ordered the appetizer fried calamari w the spicy marinara dipping sauce - pretty good. Flavorful. Not the best I’ve had, but was good.

We Also ordered the pulled pork sandwich. Came on a bun with Cole slaw and ruffle chips. It was good and flavorful.

My son got the side order of Mac and cheese. It was a large portion and super delicious, creamy, twirly noodles that he loves, and we all shared it and loved it. The kids portion would’ve been smaller, but maybe bigger than I thought, and I didn’t expect the side order to be that generous— was great!

We enjoyed sitting outside and they played good music. The service was good and the lady was sweet who brought our food out. It did take awhile, I think due to togo orders prior to us, but we had patience. Mosquitos were going wild but we made the most of it and ate quick to make room for people anyways.

Decent prices for the touristy area. They have a vast menu, from lobster rolls, lobster Mac n cheese, jerk Mac and cheese, creative burgers, many sandwiches, salads, sides, and of course since they’re Jamaican, they have Jamaican jerk chicken, jerk and bbq wings, jerk chicken sandwich, fish, sweet potato mash, and other things. It all sounded good.

For 4 people: the 2 sandwiches $15 each, side Mac $6, small island salad $8.50, and appetizer calamari $16.50, and tax, it came to $79 after our tip (my mom tips well). (Calamari wasn’t cheap, but it’s seafood, so to be expected).

Worth going for pickup or to eat there. Go early or call it in ahead and...

Simply perplexing to find some of the best Cajun seafood hidden behind a random gas station between two busy highways. But here we are.

Drive behind the gas station, uphill, where you'll find some unmarked space for cars and a pop-up canopy with picnic tables. A door propped open with signage for today's specials beckons - Po'Boys? Here? Is this place legal?

Yes, yes, and yes. The offerings at Island Take Out are actually greater than you'd think capable of coming from the small kitchen, but the employees we met seemed unfazed by our bewilderment and were quick to laugh when we asked whether the Po'Boy had oysters. "This isn't Louisiana," they said smiling, quick to recommend the Jamaican jerk style instead.

When in Maine, you get lobster, so we settled on a Lobster Roll and Blackened Haddock and Shrimp Po'Boy (the special of the day), then settled in to wait and get feasted on by mosquitoes outside while we waited ourselves to feast. The neighborhood picnic theme somehow enhances the flavor, trust me.

Time seems to dilate when waiting for that first post-hike meal, and we were ravenous by the time our food arrived. It was all worth the wait from the humble team. This is messy fare, and you'll be wise to keep the napkin box nearby. The lobster and haddock both possessed something so nourishing and soul-warming I almost forgot I was surrounded by Acadia fog. The fries are satisfying in only the way that fried...

We submitted an online order over an hour before they closed. When we arrived to pick up the food, they said they never received our order (their machine was unplugged). That’s whatever, stuff happens. However, the kitchen had already been cleaned for the night and they were no longer accepting orders, so they didn’t honor the online order we submitted. Again, whatever, stuff happens. However, this was the only place nearby that was open around 8:30pm so we’re basically SOL for dinner tonight. Yay!! :)

Edit - 1 day later: my friends wanted to give this place another shot so we submitted an online order again and called afterwards to make sure they received it and were staying open this time (they did & they were). I got a salad with grilled chicken & a lemonade. They didn’t pack the lemonade and parts of the chicken looked very sketchy so I ended up not eating half of it. My friend 1 gave me the remainder of her chicken tenders which was acceptable but nothing amazing. My friend 2 got the lobster mac & cheese and I thought the portion size was small for $30. And I tried my friend 3’s pulled pork which was good, except the bread was so buttery it was soggy (same issue with the garlic bread). Overall very unimpressed and still very annoyed about the entire experience from these...