Sips Cafe

I was in town with 2 friends for the MDI Half Marathon. We needed to fill up our morning since we had some time to kill before we went to pick up our race packets.
We popped in and there was no wait, so we were seated rather quickly. The hostess came off as a bit rude… maybe end of the season doldrums?
Anyway, the visit was pretty uneventful. Food was ordered and it came out pretty quickly. Beware that if you visit Bar Harbor towards the end of their season they may be running low on foodstuffs, so you may not have your first (or second) choice of items.
Food was good, prices were reasonable, and getting in and out wasn’t painfully slow.

We stumbled across this place midday while on a camping trip in Acadia. Came back for dinner on October 5. Great vibe. Locals at the bar. We ordered evening specials, one of which was risotto. Everything cooked fresh. Excellent. Great wine selection, including our favorite, Sancerre. Owner is a chef, and she came around to see customers. Food was interesting and excellent. Loved this place. Excellent value for money.

We ate here both nights during our stay in Southwest Harbor. The locals seem to come here which usually means good food. It is a very small restaurant and had a full crowd each night. The lobster bisque and poached salmon were excellent.

Great breakfast food. Breakfast bagel egg sandwich, eggs and bacon, and crepes were simple and delicious. If I were to go back, I would get the bagel egg sandwich again. The latte was decent, though the coffee was too strong that bitterness was the only flavor that arose.
The service was a little concerning. Our waitress was certainly proficient and, when we managed to flag her down, speedy. But there were several little details that made us feel like she was treating us differently than her other customers. For example, literally all other tables got a saucer that accompanied their espresso drink mugs, whereas we only got a mug, and their checks in a cut glass wine bottle, whereas we got handed our piece of check paper with nothing else.
Because of the service, I would not return to Sips, despite their good food.

Excellent food with excellent service and good wine. I enjoyed the caesar salad with chicken and could also recommend the lobster bisque and salmon fettuccine.
The dinner was accompanied by a couple musicians with guitars. That was a nice accompaniment.
We returned the next day for coffee, which was well worth the repeat trip. Go get it!

delightfully delicious menu and great service.

This place was a great find in the area. There weren’t many breakfast places to choose from, and we thought we would be settling by going to this one. But we were wrong! The breakfast was awesome, as was the coffee. We ordered the breakfast sandwich with sausage and the breakfast combo (eggs, bacon, home fries, toast) which were both fresh and hit the spot. The ambiance was also nice, having a very casual but classy café feel with its setup and décor. Prices were very cheap! Would highly recommend this place to anyone staying in the Seawall/​Southwest Harbor/​Bass Harbor area.

Lots of empty tables at 5:30pm but no room at the inn for me and my family. So … impossible to review. Make a reservation. Had a mediocre dinner at a place across the street instead. Disappointing.

Popped in for lunch. What we loved is its a coffee shop as well as lunch and dinner place. The food was really good. BLT and BLT with lobster and a salad with apple. All really good. Serve could have been better.

This restaurant/​bar was packed on a Friday night due to activities relating to the annual Flamingo Festival for the benefit of Harbor House Community Service Center. The noise level was almost excruciating. Not having an alternative, we grinned and bared it while enjoying glasses of red wine that proved to be a bit better than average. All drinks are ½ priced during the Wed-​Sun happy hour that runs from 4−6PM.

Only came in here for drinks. It’s a cute little restaurant with a small bar that offers sips and glasses of wine.
I would come here again if I was in town. It seemed like a nice quiet spot that I could definitely enjoy dinner and drinks at.
Got a few glasses of wine for a night cap. Would have stayed longer but some obnoxious drunk guy was there and literally did not stop talking to the staff the entire time. I think they all find him amusing because this exchange seemed like a regular occurrence or that they are friends outside of work. Don’t know but he was definitely annoying. **This part did not get factored into my rating. **

Very nice spot for dinner. Good food, pleasant staff. A little on the loud side if you’re looking for a quiet place, and a little crowded, but if that’s not a concern, then this is a great place for a good dinner. We had appetizers, meal, and dessert — all good.

4.5 stars for sure!
I’ve been coming to Sips for many years and I was happy when returned recently to see that little has changed (a good thing) — even the prices are still very reasonable. Risotto (which was always my favorite) is still on the menu only now there are several choices — yum! And the wine selection is still terrific. I was just there for a quick early lunch with a colleague but the experience was still wonderful.
I had a lovely apple and chevre salad. I didn’t love the chunky, apple sauce-​ish dressing, but the dish itself really hit the spot after a long morning. My friend had the same salad but added chicken and it was delicious.
If Sips had even a few outdoor seating spots it would be perfect! Go and enjoy and try the risotto if you have the chance! Breakfast is also fabulous!

Great wine/​beer selection and there is not a a dish on the menu that is a wrong choice. Everything about this place is wicked awesome. A+

We tried Sip’s for the first time this morning for breakfast and it was GREAT! Everything was cooked just as we ordered it and the home fries were wonderful… they are cooked to order… the potatoes are sliced and cooked specifically for your order.
We will definitely be back on our next annual visit!

Well the place the only reason they are getting this high of rating is that the atmosphere and concept is cool. They have a unique and affordable wine list however, if you are going to open a wine bar the make sure you invest in a nitrogen machine to keep the wines lasting along time. I am tired of sending back bad wine and having a new bottle open for me. As Fay for the food it is average at best they want out of Salmon, come on how is a coastal town out of fish? We order chicken ceaser salad and the chicken was bland no seasoning at all. The chowder Had way to many potatoes. The service was poor just name the reasons you have picked them.
So only go hear to have a bottle of wine listen to the music and escape the cold. #sips #bassharbour

Great breakfast, great dinner, great live music on selected nights. Highly recommend.

Place looks like an absolute dump on the outside but you walk in and it’s as if you’re transported to an upscale restaurant. The food was out of this world amazing– let’s start with the app. We got a simple cheese plate that ended up being the most filling thing in the world. There’s 4 types of cheeses, the sweetest apples you’ve ever eaten, other fruit, omg. I don’t even know man. It was just great. My gf had some martini as well. Not too shabby.
The entrees is where it really took off. I figured there must be a reason why ‘meatloaf’ was the first listed menu item and ordered it. NOT disappointed at all. It was the most delicious meatloaf I’ve ever eaten and I’m so happy I gave it a shot. My gf ordered the scallop risotto and this was similarly delicious– the scallop was seared just right and it was tender without being chewy.
Came out of this place looking smug and content. You know a restaurant is good when it leaves you speechless. And I was dead silent all the way to Bar Harbor.

Tired of seafood «this» and seafood «that» on beautiful Mount Desert Island? Well, no worries, that’s exactly why restaurants like Sips exist. There’s just a couple items on Sips’ menu that actually come from the sea.
This place is really three things rolled into one; it’s a coffee house, a restaurant, and a wine bar… all sharing the same large room. There aren’t many sit-​down dining options in the small town of Southwest Harbor so you really only have a choice between Sips, a diner-​like pizza place, and some Mexican food place. Sips might sound like a fancy swank name but it’s actually fairly casual inside.
Table service came across a little lukewarm and indifferent but heck I’m from Connecticut where I think we invented that type of customer service. No complaints with my food. Fish chowder was delish and the hummus was pretty tasty with freshly made pita chips. Their menu contains typical American fare from basic sandwiches to full entrée meals. Not everybody inside was eating big meals, because there were customers at the bar drinking and there was customers sipping coffee while working on their laptops.
Overall, Sips really hit the spot for a fine lunch when venturing out on the more remote southern end of Mount Desert Island.

This review is based on the coffee/​coffee shop experience that I had at Sips.
We stopped in here after a morning of hiking in Acadia National Park and wanted to sit down, sip on a coffee, and read a book. Overall the ambiance was lovely at Sips and I was excited to see the combination of wine bar + coffee shop. The space felt very warm and cozy.
Unfortunately, the coffee shop experience wasn’t that great. It appeared that they were starting to turn their tables for dinner, so we had to get seated at a table instead of just picking a table we wanted. It also felt a bit like we were inconveniencing them for wanting just coffee and we felt a bit guilty sitting there and taking up a table they wanted to use for dinner. Next, I ordered a chai latte and cappuccino. My order got mixed up and my cappuccino ended up being a latte. The drinks themselves were okay, not great.
The coffee experience can easily be improved by having a dedicated seating area for those wanting just coffee and working to improve their coffee drinks a bit. But as it stands currently I probably wouldn’t come back for coffee.

Bonne bouffe de style méditerranéen. Bön service aussi.