The Happy Clam Shack — Restaurant in Bar Harbor

We were in the mood for lobster rolls, and couldn’t decide between here and another place 4 miles down the road, and decided to try here first - buying into the hype about awesome prices, huge portions, and stellar customer service from other previous reviews. Stopped in at 3 pm on a Wednesday afternoon on our way back from Acadia.

Price-wise: at least today, I would not say the price for lobster rolls was cheaper than the place up the road. There’s a sign posted here asking that we don’t post menu photos online so I won’t, but I WILL say that a regular lobster roll w/ coleslaw and chips OR a mini-lobster roll (half-sized) with a cup of chowder or bisque (and chips) were the same price here - and the same price as the most expensive “house special lobster roll” down the road (a standard hot or cold lobster roll is a couple dollars LESS there).

I bought the mini-lobster roll with bisque.

Flavor-wise: it was good, but nothing special. Warm toasted roll filled with a very generous portion of lobster meat and minimal (if any) mayo; no other seasonings I could detect. Lobster tasted fresh. Bisque was hot and creamy, also with generous chunks of lobster in it; a package of oyster crackers was included. The “chips” were a bag of Lay’s potato chips. In contrast: the “house special lobster roll” down the road is made with a lemon garlic aioli, which really compliments the lobster - and comes with fresh handmade chips instead of pre-packaged ones.

Service: today was nothing special. Lady behind the counter was polite/professional, but offered no suggestions/help and wasn’t particularly friendly. Around 3:30 (while we were eating) they put a sign out front saying that they were closing at 4 pm today because of a staffing shortage. So I guess as other reviewers have observed: you may not get service at all if you come at an unlucky time.

The mini-lobster roll here didn’t quite scratch our itch, so we drove 4 miles down the road to try the “house special lobster roll” at the other place, and were much happier with that meal, service,...

As my innkeeper in Bar Harbor advised, "When ordering Lobstah, you pay for location and atmosphereh." She added that all lobsters in the area are caught and cooked the same way and thus pretty much all taste the same. So, you'll pay more for the fancy joint on the dock. Turns out, MUCH more. That's the beauty of a place like the Happy Clam Shack. It's a little off the beaten path, but if it's value you're after, it can't be beat.

Located an easy 15 minute drive from downtown Bar Harbor, this charming eatery serves up delicious seafood at tasty prices. The staff were very friendly helpful with lobster-ordering rookies. The seating is all outdoor picnic tables adjacent to their parking lot. There's some open green space that's great for kids to run around or (in our case) toss a frisbee while waiting for dinner. Dinner was served surprisingly quickly and it exceeded expectations. The lobster was perfectly prepared, fresh, and delicious. The coleslaw side was also very good. They've also got GREAT pies!

Here's the best part: We priced out lobster at various places in and around Bar Harbor. The Happy Clam Shack was literally 75% cheaper than some places in town! It's worth the drive!

We've sent friends here and everyone has been very happy. If you're looking for great lobstah and don't want to break the bank, The Happy Clam Shack is the...

So I stop at the Happy Clam Shack at around 8:15pm on a Tuesday night. The owner tells us she is pretty much out of everything since it's been a busy day. Well the hours of operation are listed as 3:00pm until 9:00pm. Anyway she then let us know that she will be open the next day at 3:00pm and she will have everything available then. We thanked her and told her we will be back at 3pm on Wednesday. Well my family and I worked our schedule around Happy Clam Shack hours. We get there right before 3pm which is their posted opening time. We then walk up to enter at 3pm to find the door locked. 3 workers look at us and turn the other way. So we figured well this is odd but we still sit on their outside picnic tables and wait. After about 10 minutes a worker comes out and I ask him what time are they opening? He answers with I don't have any idea what time we are opening.We were shocked. A few minutes later the owner walks out and tells us we are opening later today enters her vehicle and drives off. That was enough to tell us she didn't need our business. With that said, the food may be good, we will never know. But customer service as well as their bug and fly infested picnic tables...