RATS

Incredibly fresh seafood! In fact, the very best «lobstah» we ate during our Bar Harbor vacation. If your accommodations include a kitchen, make the drive to RATS. Good chance you might meet the fisherman himself — if not, one of the family members. Don’t hesitate if you have never cooked lobster, clams or mussels previously. Rats enjoys conversing with visitors; he can also provide preparation advice.
Happy eating!

Sweet drive up to the place, very secluded, I loved it. Awesome products, wicked fresh cannot get any better. Honest prices, you get what you pay for and trust me its good. The owners are some of the friendliest people we encountered at bar harbor and their stories are awesome. They also have the sweetest cat who greets you with love. One rule of thumb, don’t try to bargain for a «better» deal, prices are very good and this is how they make an honest living, so pay what you owe. Go here on your way back home and you won’t regret it.

After making fun of the «rats» sign our first drive by, we decided to stop on by the second time around. So glad we did as it made out weekend. Met «rat» and his lovely wife –I’m refraining from writing their names as you have to meet them yourself– and they immediately shared some of their dinner so we could try what we were buying and it was delicious.
I can’t promise that everyone will have the same experience– Rats is not a sanitized corporate experience where the underpaid employees follow a script. Just a hard working man with some good stories, and damn good seafood.

I’ve visited this spot twice over the course of three years, and its become a bit of a favorite. «RAT» is a nice, talkative, and eccentric fellow who has some great catches to share at a reasonable price. Its a little tough to get to his house, but you’ll be happy you did! Cooking RATs mussels, clams, little necks, and cherry stones by the campfire is a great way to spend a quiet evening at Seawall!

All the good reviews are correct. The best steamers I’ve ever had and with little to no sand. Richard was super helpful and great to talk to. We didn’t want to leave. Great price for steamers fresh out of the water just hours before. The lobsters also excellent and very reasonably priced. Richard called out as we were leaving «Cook em’ (the clams) long and hard!». Next trip I’ll remember to bring him a cold beer. He like’s a dark brew.

Maybe we had a bad batch of seafood because our experience with Rats was not good. The clam was $ 4 a pound, the same price in Down East. But the size was much smaller, and they came in different sizes too. The lobster was 25 cents cheaper than the Down East, but one of the lobsters has black stuff in the head, not sure what was that. Clams and lobster were the only two choices we had that day. The market is actually owner’s front yard, full of mosquito, and we got bitten badly.

Just go. You will understand.

First you read the reviews on Unilocal,then you try to locate the place (it was right down the road from our rental), then you see the handwritten plywood signs leading you on to a dirt road and after a few minutes on that road you start thinking of movies like Cabin In the Woods and every other slasher flick that start out with a car drive on a dirt road in the forest. When you reach the house and see the harried man in rubber boots and tan working clothes you look around to make sure you are at the right place. The man turns out to be the owner and catcher/​harvester of some of the best and freshest seafood you will find on Mt. Desert Isle. He smiles and tells you he has lobsters with claws the size of your hand, true and that he offers the cheapest prices around, also true. We purchased 4 large lobsters for $ 10.00 each, price drop due to the time of season, he explained and 2 pounds of steamer clams.
Note to self: be sure to ask if the clams have been purged of grit and if he tells you he just caught them an hour ago know that you will be eating some sand and no matter how fine the sand is supposed to be, according to the fisherman, its still sand. However, if in this lifetime I ever return to Mt. Desert Isle Rats will be one of my stops for more than one occasion, even is its just talk to the nice fisherman.

Bought steamers and lobster straight from the fisherman. Fresh, sweet and tender. The price is fair and you get cooking advice with your purchase.

The people here were so, so friendly, the prices were cheap, they were willing to answer all of our questions to make sure we got what we wanted, and they even threw in some steamers for free. They are awesome!

Don’t let the name deter you — this place is the real deal. Follow the handpainted signs with only the word «CLAMS» deep into the woods and find yourself at a house belonging to a fisherman and his wife, stocked full of the freshest seafood imaginable. Best steamer clams I have ever had, and the lobster was better than any I had during my week in Bar Harbor. We paid $ 36 for 6 pounds of steamers and over 3 pounds of lobster. If you are looking for a place to pick up some fresh seafood to cook at home, do not pass by this place. Chat up the owners, hear some of their crazy stories (ask the wife about the outhouse) and pet their friendly cat. You won’t regret it.

What a deal on the island!!! If you have a way to cook lobsters yourself, then you have to stop here and get some from Rat’s! He has the various sizes and I think the #3s were only $ 5/​lb and they looked fantastic, he has fresh deliveries from his son every day directly off the boat, so they are fresh as one can get. Unfortunately, we did not have a stove to cook our own, but we talked to Rat for a while and surveyed his supply. Rat himself specializes in clams, but has had lobsters for years as well now. I’ll bring back my Coleman stove on my next trip to Acadia, just to be able cook these babies myself. Don’t get concerned with the dirt road entrance and the climb back to his clam shack, it is worth the drive and experience.

Would highly recommend RATS for Clams and Lobsters. Are friendly and with excellent service and is very knowledgeable about clams, mussels and seafood. Clams, mussels and lobster are the best and on Mount Desert Island.

that clam street sign was hilarious!!! Lots fun finding this place!

We recently went to Maine and made it our goal to eat lobster at least once a day. The lobster (and clams, and mussels) we bought from here was the best, hands down.
The address on the map is wrong — from Bar Harbor, go to rte 102, turn right. Then look for the big hand-​painted sign directing you down the appropriate dirt road, it’s about half a mile past the Mobil station. It’s worth the drive!

This place is off the main road. When we first started down the road i said «I think this is all residential, lets turn back» But then we saw a little white sign that had «CLAMS» with an arrow and kept going. About maybe 2 miles or so up the little gravel road you will find a sign and its on the side of the owners house.
So like all off the beaten path places I was unsure of this place. We arrived there about 4pm and there wasn’t really anyone there. But as we ventured inside the owner/​clam digger came out. He was very nice and friendly. Clams were fresh and we purchased some hard shell lobsters to eat that night and some to take home for family. He even told us how to pack them in the cooler, gave us sea weed, newspaper and bags for the lobster’s trip home with us (the next day and 6 hour drive and they all lived)
Price wise you can’t beat, are clams and lobsters for that night came to about $ 20 (a little under i think) and that was two lobsters and 2.5 lb clams. We even got a little «lobster school» about the difference between soft shell and hard shell lobsters.
Overall it was a fun and tasty trip
Also we had cash not sure if they take plastic.

Best clams and muscles!, we always enjoy the ride up the long back road!
This guy, «RAT», knows his seafood, as he is the main Harvester for all of their product! Need your own kettle though as they only sell live.
A wealth of info for local ins and outs as well!
An adventure to say the least!

RATS is still the best, but come on Unilocal.I broke this place. I had to create an entry on here, and figure out what the address was for a place that advertises with a hand-​scrawled sign by the highway. You would’t know RATS if it weren’t for me, and now look at all the positive reviews it’s gotten. It deserves it, sure, but I deserve some respect for bringing it to the Unilocal!community. I did your dirty work for you, and you cast me aside like yesterday’s clam shells. Free my review, or I just may stop caring.

If you want the best clams on the island to cook yourself rats is the best. His clams are dug that day, and have no sand. Best steamers we’ve ever had. Second year we’ve bought our clams at rats!

Place is simply amazing, we drove by a couple of times while camping on Mt. Desert Island and finally went in, the place is 2 minutes off the big road and you pull into their huge driveway where the sweetest lady will help you get exactly what you want. She has the grestest stories and you know the clams are fresh because «My husband was out at 3am digging these out»
Prices are very decent and supports the fisherman directly.
Don’t forget to pet the cat and to ask about the RATS!
Cherry Stones, steamers, scallops, lobsters etc, they have everything.