Whale’s Rib Tavern

Menu changes seasonally. Fabulously fresh and innovative cuisine. Fabulous service and amazing views!

I don’t live on Deer Isle, but my family has been vacationing there every year for the past two decades, so at this point I’ve come to know it pretty well, and one thing I can confidently state is that the island is something of a restaurant desert– most establishments on the island are basically fried-​seafood shacks that, although some are serviceable within that niche, one would never call «fine dining.» So the Whale’s Rib constitutes a local treasure, as one of a midget’s handful of high-​end restaurants on the island. The restaurant itself is charmingly rustic (and located on beautiful premises at the Pilgrim’s Inn), the service is friendly, the menu is always interesting, and the food is delicious. I see a few of the previous reviewers have had complaints, but I’ve never been disappointed over a dozen or more meals, and indeed I fondly and distinctly remember many of the occasions (if not the details of the specific dishes I ate) I’ve been there. In comparison, I’ve had many underwhelming meals elsewhere on the island (see above restaurant desert comment).
Although I don’t know how I’d compare the Rib against high-​end restaurants back on the mainland– honestly, I’ve never felt inclined to do so, because one doesn’t go to Deer Isle for mainland amenities– if you happen to be on Deer Isle and are in the mood for a fine meal out, the Rib is your place. Just be sure to call ahead for a reservation, preferably by a few days if it’s summer, because the Rib is basically the only game in town in its niche, and you’ll be competing with many others who are equally eager to land a table there.

So disappointing. We have been coming to WR several times each summer for years (previously the Pilgrim’s Inn). The location is gorgeous, the interior/​ambiance is wonderful. The service has always been good. But the food really comes up short this year. We ate there last night – party of 6. On the plus side, the homemade crackers and chicken liver paté were divine. But the appetizer crab cakes, although very pretty, were completely overwhelmed by the tastes of roasted corn and other seasonings – and they were mushy. The steamer clams as an appetizer were very good, but one of us ordered them instead of an entrée and they were barely warm. Ugh. The cod chowder was full of potatoes and almost no fish. The halibut (ordered by two people) was nicely plated but over cooked and dry. The lamb was also overcooked, even though both diners had ordered it medium rare. The chocolate/​caramel dessert was quite good, but the strawberry-​rhubarb crumble had no texture – no crisp at all. So all in all, very disappointing, and for $ 310 (before a generous tip – the service was first rate), we will not be returning or recommending to others this summer. The menu at Arborvine (in Blue Hill) is not as interesting, but the food preparation is a level of magnitude above that of Whale’s Rib, for comparable prices. Such a shame.

We visit here each summer when we are in Maine. We love that they use local products and that their menu changes seasonally. Great atmosphere and wonderful food… this restaurant never disappoints! A true gem!

We had dinner here while staying at Pilgrim Inn — per their website, best to make reservations, because it is very popular.
The dining room is a cozy place — the gas fireplace was going while we were there. Service is friendly and efficient — wine list decent.
For entrees, we all had the seared halibut with risotto, peas and romescu sauce. It was out of this world — the halibut was prepared perfectly, and practically melted in your mouth.
For dessert we had the apple crisp which also was fantastic.
Highly recommend — if you are on Deer Isle, this is the place to go!

In contrast with the Pilgrim’s Inn, which was excellent, the restaurant was just ok. Mussels and a chocolate dessert were very good, but the pasta entrée was a triumph of quantity over quality. Our server was nice but not well trained at all. She was in way over her head. Not ok at these prices.

We stayed at the Pilgrim’s Inn and made reservations for the Whale’s Rib all three nights. I highly recommend reservations, as they were packed with diners each night we were there. The service was very friendly, quick, and helpful. The food was delicious, local, and there were a lot of great options. The only two reasons for four stars instead of five is that the burger isn’t available in the restaurant and the bar closes early (9pm). All-​in-​all, I highly recommend dining at the Whale’s Rib Tavern if you are in the Deer Isle area. There is no reason to go elsewhere if you’re staying at the Inn — best food and drink around!

We stayed at Pilgrim’s Inn and had dinner reservations here for our second night. See my review for the inn here:
They had a limited menu for dinner because it was Monday night but what we had was very, very good:
~ seared halibut served on lobster risotto with asparagus and little dollops of something called romesco sauce (definitely had a nice roasted red pepper flavor)
~ quinoa & kale cakes with a grilled portobello mushroom cap, spicy mustard, olives & capers
~ chocolate pot de crème (thicker than mousse and not as silky as pudding and REALLY CHOCOLATE-​Y — in the best way)
We would love to try the restaurant another time when they are offering their full menu and it would be fun to see what the bar is like when it’s open — it seemed to be closed both nights we were there (Sunday & Monday). Probably because those are off nights anyway and because mid-​June is still early season for them.

We stayed at the adjoining Pilgrim’s Inn for three nights, and ate at the Whale’s Rib for all three dinners, if that tells you anything. The food was tasty, the portions massive, and the service and ambiance very comfortable. Over the course of our stay, we tried the Deer Isle steamed clams, the seafood stew, the clam chowder, the peekytoe crab cakes, the mixed fried basket, the duck, the cheeseburger, and the steak. You can consider those in descending order of awesomeness. Overall, a fine place to become a regular at.