Rupununi An American Bar & Grill

Bar Harbor Beer Works formerly Rupununi’s new place new owners, new look double the outside seating with new second floor and outside bar very nice. New menu very good, new servers nice improvements. The atmosphere is very good and great improvement. Local beer choices are excellent cocktails are equally good. The pulled pork with maple baked beans and bacon tacos were excellent. We will return this year for one maybe two more visits. Prices are a little on the high side but it is a touristic land and it is the week before the fourth.

My wife and I came here in the afternoon after craving some Maine blueberry pie. This restaurant did not disappoint. The blueberry pie was warm and delicious. It came with local blueberry ice cream as well which was fantastic. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed it. All in all, a great experience!

Thank you Rupununi for being the only place we could find to eat during a torrential downpour in Bar Harbor in October! It was our first night in town and what began as a hunt for a place to eat some oysters turned into a desperate hunt for food in general! Every place was closing up early and turned us away, but Rupununi was open and let us in from the cold with a warm welcome.
They were out of oysters — sad face — but I ordered the lobster bisque in the bread bowl and it was crazy good. I still think about it sometimes. It definitely ties with the clam chowder at Neptune Oyster in Boston for the best soup I have ever had. :)

Slow service. Sat with empty water glasses and cold food while the waitress chatted with her friends eating at the next table and even sipped their drinks. Im not so sure if she was doing that for quality control. I wished she had done that with my rubbery seafood, that I unfortunately had to cut with a knife, as well as my friend’s cold, rubbery lobster which ironically sat in a hot grilled roll. Not sure what the flavor profile guide is here, but it’s something like, «ethnic twists on old favorites, and I really mean old, and overlooked and overcooked.»

Eating at this place was living the metaphor for why or how America has lapsed into a pallid mediocrity. The shell of greatness still stands but the soul and innards have tarnished and died off. There wasn’t one thing good about this place, except for the location, which is obviously the only way they sustain the business. There are no repeat customers in a place like Bar Harbor, so they can get away with it, which is sad commentary for the nature of a tourist town, leaving a bad final taste in your mouth.
Hamburger: the bun was a shade more ashen than generic-​mega-​market buns (i.e., Wonder Bread) delivered from big factories thousands of miles a way. The patty was recently defrosted to no avail — it would not have made a difference it had been left frozen. The temperature was wrong, onions undercooked, the tomato a slice of Monsanto’s best: genetic mass-​production: the taste of nothing.
The Caesar salad: was iceberg lettuce with some of the worst store bought dressing (it had to be — it wasn’t, this is even more terrifying) I’ve had in a long time.
The popcorn shrimp were barely located in the fetid fossil-​like deep-​fried fructrose-​enhanced oil batter in which they were purported to have resided.
The draft beer was flat to put the final nail in the coffin.
The Price: 55.00 for… this mess,
The humiliation for having spent it? Priceless. If I’d wanted this I would have gone to a Dairy Queen where I wouldn’t have had to drop half a hundred bucks.
The food was left on the plates because no I wouldn’t dare feed it to my two dogs who waited patiently for us to finish. Gordon Ramsey to the rescue.

One star only because I can not give zero. Bartender Darrell White kicked my husband out after complaining it was the «last night of the season» and he was «(explicit) done» with the place after throwing another guests money on the ground. We simply walked up to the bar and asked for a drink and I suppose caught him having a bad night so his response to my husband was «what
am I supposed to drop everything I’m doing because of you? Get the hell out» his actions were completely unprofessional and totally out of line. He refused to give me his real name or manager/​owners name until another employee told me who he was. He then proceeded to call me a (explicit) 4 times and said that I was just mad because he was «telling me how it is» and «just talking to me like no one else had ever before in my spoiled life» and that his «manager would have his back and be proud of what he said» before I walked away. How you run a business like this is beyond me. I have never once reviewed a place but I could not stand to let this one go. That man needs to find another line of profession and the upper management needs to take a look at who they have representing their restaurant.

The pluses, I love the outdoor dining option. It’s always a great addition when your traveling (relaxing feel) the local bar harbor beers on tap with others, awesome. Salads and soups good.
Now the negatives, servers or lack of servers not sure which but there’s time delays on check ups at the tables. Come on, keep the customer happy! I thought the entrees, chicken and steak seemed decent and the lobster ouch! After all it’s lobster country here! Bulk up! In all decent but lobster is skimpy!

Great… not what the reviews had, at all. Excellent Maine craft beers. Local oysters were too notch. Sea food over pasta was excellent. Get the seats on veranda. Jessica, our waitress was great. Get over the sports bar look and the pool table.
Good food and drink overlooking Main Street.

While we are not sports bar fans, we made an exception for this place and stopped in one early evening for a drink after an afternoon strolling around downtown Bar Harbor.
We mostly needed to get off our feet for a spell and saw that there were seats open at the bar. We were lucky enough to get Darrell as a bartender. He not only made a spicy-​good Bloody Mary, but he was a great guy and we had fun chatting with him.
Sitting at the bar is almost always the best thing to do in an unfamiliar place and this was no exception. Things got downright convivial as other patrons joined in our conversation. One of the nicest things about traveling occurred which is connecting with other travelers. As one example, we met a couple who spend life in a big motorhome traveling from state to state, wherever their hearts desire. Such interesting stories!
I have no idea how the food is here; the menu suggests they sell typical bar food type items and it was pretty busy with people sitting at tables eating. But I can vouch for well-​made drinks, attentive bartending service and a relaxed atmosphere.
The bathroom could have been tidier but it wasn’t awful.
As for the unusual name for this place, Rupununi is a river and a region in southern Guyana in South America. How a bar in northern Maine got a moniker like this remains a mystery.
Sometimes a bar stool, a good cocktail, an attentive bartender and friendly fellow bar-​flies make for a very nice time.

What I think: DO NOT COME HERE. There’s nothing worse than footing a $ 46 bill for two people and then traveling to the *delicious* irish pub down the street and paying for a second dinner because the first one at Rupununi was that bad. With three dishes on the table, we somehow only managed to like the chipotle mayo and the cape cod chips. My sister ordered a $ 26 seafood soup that was chewy, overcooked, and had to be cut with a knife (it also simply tasted bad). My friend ordered a hot lobster roll that came fridge cold despite the grill marks on the bread. I ordered a veggie burger that was soggy because it was drowned in so much salsa and my «sweet potato hash» was literally diced up sweet potato, no seasoning, and very undercooked.
Best of all? The service is painfully slow, and our waitress was a complete fail. She never refilled our water for us and was actually sitting with two customers at the table directly to the left of us, with her back turned, sipping two peoples’ alcoholic drinks that were eating there (clearly she knew them). Then when the manager brushed by and we asked for refilled water, she realized that she was in for it and gave us an attitude. Needless to say, we didn’t tip her, because she literally didn’t do anything right… This is the first time I have never tipped anyone.
So, next time you think you want to come here, I highly suggest you hit up the Irish pub instead. They have amazing food and are open late.

Great food! Slightly overpriced, but what isn’t in Bar Harbor? Huge array of menu options (although take note that the sandwiches are NOT available during dinner hours — check the menu, but if I recall, they stopped serving them at 4:30). The beet salad is awesome! As are the crab cakes! Good kid’s menu selections. We had friendly, prompt service and enjoyed the patio seating. Would definitely return!

We went into town a bit late and didn’t expect a majority of the stores to be closed. We were up for having dinner and we figured we would try a place we hadn’t in the past. Mistake.
Was okay, service no so much. We sat out side because we had our dog there. Great perk, but unlike the other places they didn’t offer to bring our dog a bowl of water. There were more people inside watching TV at the bar then eating.
I had the lobster Mac and Cheese. I will say there were huge chunks of lobster in it but the portion was very small for 24.99. I could buy it the Hannaford for a lot less, and it tastes just as good.
My husband had the strip steak and he thought it was ok, but not great. Too expensive of a place to not have good food. I wouldn’t recommend it. There are much better places on Main Street in Bar Harbor.

Ridiculous Tourist Trap!!!
My date and I both ordered the lazy lobster, which was described as «all the meat from a 1−¼ lb lobster for $ 19.95» The claw meat was smaller than the head of a fork. I actually took a picture and will upload if I can find a spot. The waiter knew right what to do when I inquired, so perhaps this is a common occurrence. the manager was summoned, she insisted it was a legal lobster but ‘refused to argue the size’ and took the charge off our tab and the evidence off the table. We promptly left and found a much better deal a few doors down at Geddy’s. My lobster at Geddy’s was 2.4 lbs and $ 23.98

The service was a bit on the slow side, but very polite.
We enjoyed our lobster rolls… traditional, no frills. I think the highlight though was the Isca de Peixe (ees-​ska gee peshee) appetizer. A Brazilian dish that I have never had, so I can’t compare it to anything, but we loved it. The menu says «deep-​fried» nuggets of haddock. They were so light and delicate that they didn’t taste deep-​fried at all. Definitely order this one if you are here.
The outdoor dining area has ample seating, and is a perfect viewing spot for all the downtown Bar Harbor action. Most of the fun is watching locals & tourists jockey for parking spots.

Strolling around Bar Harbor one finds this place right on a corner and in a decent location. Looked at the menu and didn’t seem half bad, figured why the heck not?! The name definitely throws you for a loop, so that’s one bad thing going for them. Service was a bit slow but the food was not half that bad. They had a lot of local brews on tap which is something I like to see. Would I recommend this place? Sure, but don’t expect too much out of it. The décor was just a bit too weird for me as well.

I don’t know how to pronounce the name of this place (look at all those U’s in the name!), but I wanted a larger lobster than the typical pound and a quarter and Rupununi’s delivered. I chose a 2.5 pound lobster and they were nice enough to substitute the standard green beans and rice for fiddlehead ferns and French fries for no up-​charge.
Naturally, my 2.5 pounder had a lot more meat than than your typical 1.25 pounder, but the meat was still sweet and tender.
The fiddleheads were nicely cooked, with a good amount of «crunch» left to them. The fries were pretty ordinary and a little stingy in the amount.
They also have a decent beer selection with about 12 on tap.

If one is looking for the «happenin» place in Bar Harbor, you’re looking at it here at Rupununi. Doubling as both a restaurant and a lounge, this place is one of the only joints that still breathe life along Main St when the clock strikes past 10.
There is undoubtedly touristy feel here. Something tells me the Bar Harbor faithful don’t intentionally make their way here without the need to impress out of town guests with it’s awesome central location and spacious interior. It’s got a lot of the things most people would look for in a bar — solid décor, outside seating, a heck of a happy hour, and a fairly robust menu of local food.
My favorite times here would almost always be during the spring /​summer, sitting outside and enjoying a Maine beer while snacking on one of their fish sandwiches. But somehow I’ve found myself here at night, where the place becomes almost club like, with a hostess in the front checking guestlists and featuring cocktails almost as expensive as NYC (along with most things in Bar Harbor).
But no place is without it’s faults and I think the biggest one is it’s service. In all of my experiences, the wait staff hasn’t been as accommodating as some nearby places and could be a tad friendlier to patrons on a whole. The ventilation is pretty awful during the summer time, those ceiling fans aren’t cutting it when there is a mob of people crowding the bar.
To their credit however, there aren’t too many places along the street (let alone Bar Harbor) that have the setup Rupununi gets to boast on a nightly basis. So come here expecting a mixed bag but hopefully err on the positive side.

July 9^th 8 of us went in, seated right away. 4 kids inside, 4 adults outside. Ordered drinks asked for white sangria, when drinks finally came it was red sangria. Service seemed disorganized and confused. It started to rain and we were outside, the waiter never asked if we wanted to move. My brother in law went to grab one of the umbrellas to put above us, the manager came over and finished putting it up but only covered half our table. We then asked to move under the awning. Let me be clear that my food was really good, got the fried haddock sandwich, pulled pork and nachos. Our bill came and there was $ 30 in extra charges that were not ours. — there were lots of unhappy people there with wrong food, waiting forever etc… We will not be back