Thurston’s Lobster Pound

Go here if you want to get away from the crowd in Bar Harbor and don’t want pay for ungodly expensive food. The restaurant sits on the shore with a beautiful view of the boats and ocean. I had the lobster which was the best I have had on the island. I added corn on the cob, Coleslaw, bread, and a blueberry muffin which were all great. I would recommend bringing a light jacket with you if you plan sitting on the dock.

Jumbo lobster roll + blueberry ale + cool atmosphere and great view = the perfect Maine lobster shack. When a boat full of Coast Guard guys and other locals show up for lunch… you know you found the right spot!

I’ve had lobster rolls all over MDI and I think Thurston’s are the best! The freshest lobster very lightly dressed with mayo in a toasted New England style hot dog roll with a leaf of lettuce just to look pretty. With Lay’s potato chips for the salty taste. Their screened in porch over the harbor is so pleasant to sit on, the are couldn’t get more quaint and picturesque.

Exceptional lobster dinner! Got to choose our own live lobsters from the tanks. Perfectly prepared — and the sides were delicious, as well! Servers were very helpful in teaching us the tricks for eating lobster, where to crack the shell, etc. Gorgeous setting looking over the water and boats. Worth the drive, would love to go back any time!

If you eat one place on MDI, eat here. If you’re staying in Bar Harbor it might seem like a bit of a haul but it is in every way worth it. Super efficient ordering system, friendly staff, amazing lobster, lobster rolls, mussels, and blueberry cake. There’s a reason Thurston’s is known as the best. Skip all the touristy/​fancy-​schmancy places in downtown Bar Harbor and have your lobster here. The only way to eat lobster is at a picnic table looking at lobster boats. «The lobster that you eat today this morning swam in Frenchman’s bay!»

Ate here with a friend & my kids Sunday 6÷12÷16. Both my daughter & friend got sick… Food was what I expected. Not overwhelming by any means. Prices are a bit high but also expected that with a seasonally open business. Place was very busy but it seems to have great word of mouth on MDI… I may try again. I won’t be ordering the lobster dip tho.

This is THE place for huge, fresh lobsters. I mean 2-​pounder, just plucked from the ocean lobsters.
Went with the whole family, and we each got the biggest lobster dinner with a side of clams. The clams were too salty, in my opinion, but the lobsters were perfect. They were tender and sweet, and excellent with the melted butter. However, they were super difficult to eat for a lobster noob like me. Also, 2lbs was way too much for most members of my family, and we took a lot back with us. It tasted just as delish the next day, though!
I also tried the blueberry spice cake, which was tasty but nothing special, and the lobster chowder, which was AMAZING. The lobster stew is creamy and buttery with fresh, generous chunks of lobster in it. I actually preferred this to the whole steamed lobster, as it was much easier to eat.
Y’all gotta come here! Delicious food, cool ambience that’s great for lobster-​happy tourists, and fast service.

YUM!!! As far as picturesque Maine goes this is the place to go. It is a delightful little Lobster pound away from the utter chaos of tourist in Bar Harbor! This was definitely my favorite place as far as view goes. The lobster roll was good but then I went to Red’s and Thurstons went down a little bit. But still five stars for the best location and friendly staff willing to educate you on lobsters!

Expensive lobsters. I can get cheaper lobsters in Connecticut of same quality than here. Small portions. Jumbo lobster sandwich is not really a jumbo.

Although my first experience was not wonderful, I am so glad I came back.
Took my mom for her first Lobster pound experience, they made it such a wonderful experience for her. She loved the food and raved about the lady in the eating area that help educate her on what to eat and what not to eat.

Ok I’m bumping them up a star for now. As I said in my last review, I got terribly sick after eating here. And I don’t think anyone could fault me for being upset about that. Now 2 months later, and I went elsewhere and ate some clam strips and oysters and ended up violently sick again in a very similar fashion. I’ve been trying to figure this out since then. Am I super lucky to get food poisoning twice in 2 months? Perhaps… Or maybe I’m developing an allergy/​reaction to soft shell bivalves, namely steamers? Another possibility. The whole thing is strange since I eat shellfish probably on a weekly basis and never bad problems before, but steamers are more new/​unusual for me. So giving them benefit of the doubt for now.

I doubt many locals come here. Their main client base is definitely tourists so prices reflect that. Especially the drinks, like local beer that they sell for $ 6/​bottle sells for $ 10/​4-​pack at the grocer’s. They even have a staged red truck and building for you to take plenty of touristy photos of, so walk around after eating.
/​/​PARKING\\
Come between dinner and lunch time and you’ll find an easier time parking. Parking lot is really just street parking up on the side (and not the usual kind of street parking you picture).
/​/​ORDERING\\
Cafeteria style ordering. Menu outside and inside. Order at the window, they give you a number, you sit down and wait for them to bring it to you. Plenty of seating upstairs, downstairs, outside, and a bar area.
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I had the lobster roll and steamers. I don’t know if they forgot to purge the steamers that day or what, but no amount of broth rinsing was getting the grit off. First dunk and the whole cup of broth filled with sand, so after that it was just rinsing your sandy clam in yet more sand. Ordered two pounds of steamers and both were like that. I even bit into a shell, so if you’re afraid shelling out for dental work, save ordering steamers for elsewhere.
Other than that, food was decent. From my whole ME trip, I liked the lobster roll here best. Bun lightly buttered and toasted (rather than overwhelmed by it) with good amount of meat and light on the mayo. They also put a leaf of lettuce in your lobster, if that matters to you. Steamed whole lobster was also good. All our orders come with side of Lays chips. Grilled Cheese Lobster comes in between thick slices of bread with plenty of chunks of lobster on top and bottom.
Eat while watching the boat on the opposite dock pull in with the day’s catch. It’s not a bad view.

The best lobster I’ve ever had. I’m not nearly a lobster connoisseur, but this place was amazing! Definitely get the steamed soft-​shell lobster.
My roommate had recently came back from visiting Acadia raving about the lobster and how she’d had lobster every night and it was AMAZING. This was the second recommendation I’d gotten to try this place out, so it was a MUST on my Maine to-​do list and it did not disappoint one bit.
After a hike on the west side of Mt. Desert, we drive up for an early dinner around 4pm. The place is super beautiful – overlooking the water, boats drifting peacefully. There’s a board right outside the place with the menu and all the prices so you can decide before you order. We didn’t know whether or not to get hard-​shell or soft-​shell lobster, but they recommended the soft-​shell, since it’s what Maine is known for, and the lobster tends to be a little sweeter. We ended up getting the ½ lb soft-​shell lobster with a bunch of sides. There’s a nice porch area next to the water to sit and wait for them to bring out the lobster. Super quaint and gorgeous view. Each lobster comes with a cute lobster bib. The atmosphere is super chill and relaxed.
This was definitely one of my most memorable and delicious Maine experiences.

Go to place for lobster!
Always get the ½ lb soft shell and lobster dip. Expensive but worth it!

Guys guys guys– this is THE place to come for Maine lobster (although who am I to say, a visiting tourist, but anyway I thought it was GREAT). All the locals in Bar Harbor had told me to come here, saying it was the best lobster pound on the island. It took me around 30 minutes to drive from Bar Harbor to Thurston’s, but I’m SO glad I did.
Come here for your lobster!!!

I have been to many lobster pounds in my years growing up in CT, RI, NH and ME and Thurston’s has to be the best. :)
It could have been the atmosphere of Bass Harbor which was scattered with beautiful boats and a clean smell of the ocean.
It could have been the ability to see the fishermen dock up and unload their fresh catch of lobsters and fish?!
OH actually, it was the food and how &%#@* fresh it was!!!
Here is what I had (I wen’t twice in one week so don’t judge lol)
Lobster stew: Heavenly creamy and tons of lobster chunks.
Small Cold Lobster roll: fresh fresh lobster mixed with mayo on a soft hot dog roll
Softshell Lobster 1.5 lb: Hot, tender, flavorful, couldn’t ask for better.
Crab cakes: Rich in flavor and the chipotle sauce I dipped it in was nicely spiced.
Fish stew: Why is everything so darn good?! Perfectly done guys.
Lobster Grilled Cheese: On thick toasted white bread with plenty of melting cheese and chunks of lobstah.
The offer plenty to drink but I recommend the Bar Harbor Brewing Company’s beer because it’s as local as you can get and its delicious.
I would go back every week all summer if I lived closer.
Cheers Thurston’s!

Came here for a seafood dinner. Great location, nice set up. You wait in line to order and it moves quickly (they have a great system), when it’s your turn to order you’re in front of all the lobsters and can see your dinner before it’s cooked. My friend ordered steamed soft shelled lobsters and I went for a roll (feeling lazy lol). In hind sight should have just sucked it up one gotten a whole lobster cause my roll came out cold and wasn’t bad, just wasn’t as good as others I’ve had, and compared to the shore lobsters surrounding me I was suffering from lobster envy. The blueberry cake was just ok, tasted like pumpkin cake with all the spices they used. The steamers be careful! They came with alot of gravel and sand in the shells.

Get here before 6 if you can because the dinner lines get murderous. We were total noobs and stood by the door, staring confusedly at the dining area, before someone finally told us how it goes down: you place your order at the cashier, they give you a little numbered card, and you pick a table, put the card in the holder, and they bring the food out to you. Knowing how that process unfolds still didn’t stop me from craning my neck around every time the screen door swung open, though. I had a really big hike, I whispered to myself, as this big, beautiful Maine lobster was laid before me.
As someone who rarely eats lobster, I also admit to fumbling a bit with the bib.
This was my favorite meal in Maine, despite the sudden rainstorm that prompted a mad scramble to get indoors. If I had to choose, the lobster stew would be my favorite. Another reviewer compared it to heated milk but this was one of the greatest things, in a crowd of really great things, that I came across during our trip. I’m not a huge fan of steamers, so I opted for the plain dinner + lobster, which came with corn on the cob, a dinner roll, cole slaw, and a massive mound of the blueberry spiced cake (I ate my boyfriend’s slice too — terrible). I don’t have much to compare Thurston’s lobster too but I don’t think I have ever smiled as hard as when I finally got the lobster tail to wriggle free.
There’s a sink on the same floor as the kitchen to wash the lobster bits off your hands.
Finally, most people drive over but the Island Explorer shuttle also comes to Bernard. There really isn’t much to do around Thurston’s other than a small gift store near the shuttle stop, so if you’re taking the shuttle, I would check the times. We waited around for about 20 minutes and promptly got eaten alive by mosquitoes.
10/​10, would do again.

One of the best lobster pound spots in Maine. All lobsters are freshly caught. It looks like a fish market from the outside. The line is out the door during dinner service. It is not a fancy waiter service place. It is casual, layback style. You order food at the window near the entrance and given a number for your order. Find a seat and there will be a server dropping your food off soon enough. All seafood is cooked as you order.
My party went with the lobster dinner combo which comes with a lobster size of your choice, corn on a cob, cole slaw, choice of a seafood side — we got clams, hot bread roll, and a blueberry cake for dessert. We also tried the clam chowder and lobster bisque. The seafood feast that we had was incredibly. I would opt out of their warm butter because it tasted really watery. Skip the butter and go for natural sea salt taste!

If you’re over this end of the island there isn’t much option for eats other than Thurston’s. It’s right on the pier and so the lobster is as fresh as you like — there’s even a tank right on the counter so you can pick your own if you so wish.
We were just making a quick lunch stop so ordered a couple of lobster rolls. It was a pretty wild day but we managed to secure a table beside the wood burner at the far end, which kept the worst of the cold away.
I thought my lobster roll was a little on the small side compared with other places that we’d tried; however it was certainly the best taste-​wise as the lobster wasn’t smothered in mayo like some places do.
Herself assures me that the clam chowder was the best she’d had too.
I thought it was a little overpriced for what it is, but they’ve certainly managed to carve out a niche for themselves here so all power to them.