Side Street Cafe Brings Lobster Mac and Blueberry Pie to Bar Harbor

A slice of blueberry pie arrives with a generous layer of fruit under a lightly crunchy topping of sanding sugar, and it makes a persuasive case for saving room at Side Street Cafe. Served warm with ice cream, it has the comfort-food appeal people hope to find in Maine without turning into a precious dessert.

The cafe sits a little off Bar Harbor’s busiest path, with an easygoing mix of seafood plates, inventive macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, burgers, drinks, and breakfast-style options. It is a useful answer for a table where one person wants lobster, another wants a burger, and somebody else would rather skip seafood altogether.

Maine lobster has a prominent place here, but not in just one familiar form. There are lobster rolls and lobster mac and cheese, along with lobster melts, grilled cheese, quesadillas, and tacos. A return visit can easily become a matter of trying the lobster in a different format.

The lobster roll is known for substantial pieces of lobster and a fresh, generously filled presentation. It is the straightforward choice when the goal is simply to let the lobster do most of the talking.

For a more indulgent route, lobster mac and cheese is one of the cafe’s signature-style orders. It brings the rich, comforting side of the menu together with the seafood focus, making it especially welcome on a cool coastal day.

Macaroni and cheese is not treated as a single side dish with a few optional add-ons. Side Street Cafe has made room for variations built around lobster, shrimp, short rib, and Mexican street corn, with combinations of seafood, meats, vegetables, and sauces that go well beyond the standard bowl.

The short rib version is particularly substantial, with tender rib meat that can be handled with a fork. It has the sort of slow-cooked, fork-tender heft that turns mac and cheese into dinner rather than a supporting player.

Mexican street corn mac and cheese brings a more playful flavor direction, and it has been paired with ribs for a decidedly hearty meal. Shrimp mac and cheese has its own following, too. This is a good menu for ordering a few different plates around the table and comparing notes.

The broader menu keeps the cafe from being pigeonholed as a lobster-only address. Burgers, ribs, Cuban sandwiches, fish tacos, bulgogi lettuce wraps, shrimp appetizers, rice bowls, pancakes, and vegetarian dishes give a mixed group plenty of paths through the meal.

The Nomad Burger combines bacon and cheeseburger territory in one sandwich, with its components arranged to work together rather than compete for attention. It is a solid choice for someone who would rather have a classic hand-held meal than seafood.

Bangin shrimp comes with a flavorful sauce and pita, making it an easy starter to share. Jenni’s Jam takes a different route: rice, cheddar cheese, roasted vegetables, and a creamy topping. The name alone invites a second look on the menu.

Vegetarians and diners avoiding seafood are not left to make do with a side salad. The range of bowls, wraps, vegetable-forward dishes, and comfort-food options gives the table some flexibility.

Side Street Cafe also works for a brunch-style meal. Pancakes come loaded with chocolate chips, and specialty coffee drinks add a more leisurely start to the day than a grab-and-go breakfast.

Later on, cocktails and brewed tea extend the menu beyond lunch and dinner. The tea is a pleasantly simple choice when a full cocktail is not the mood, while the bar area offers another place to settle in over a drink.

Games contribute to the casual tone. There is no need to turn lunch into a tournament, of course, but the detail suits a cafe where people can take their time instead of treating the meal as a quick stop between errands.

The setting is warm, charming, and relaxed rather than formal. Indoor dining, a bar area, and outdoor patio or terrace seating provide a few different ways to take in the meal.

On pleasant days, the patio gives lunch an extra bit of Bar Harbor activity, with room to eat, drink, and watch people pass. Inside, the dining room is clean and organized, keeping the atmosphere comfortable even when the menu is full of loaded plates and saucy comfort food.

Friendly, attentive staff are a notable part of the rhythm here, especially when it comes to sorting through a menu with many directions to choose from. A recommendation can be useful when lobster tacos, a short rib mac, a burger, and pie all sound reasonable at once.

Blueberry pie deserves more than an afterthought. The fruit filling is generous, the sugar topping adds a little crunch, and the warm-with-ice-cream option turns a slice into a proper finish. It has enough pull to justify ordering dessert even after a rich bowl of mac and cheese.

Parking has been available in a lot across the way, though it may be paid. The cafe has often seated diners without much of a wait, while larger parties may need to be fully assembled before being seated.