An Outdoor Lobster Pound Made for Long Summer Nights

Apr 21

For eight years, the Bar Harbor Lobster Pound sat closed.

Aaron and Krista Jackson reopened it without a background in restaurants. Aaron had spent nearly two decades running a waterfront and pond restoration business in Florida before selling it and shifting his focus north. “At the end of the day, it’s customer service,” he said. “The rest, I could figure out.”

They originally came to Mount Desert Island on vacation. After buying property nearby, Aaron started looking for land in Bar Harbor where he could build cabins. The lobster pound came with it. The restaurant had been there since 1986 but hadn’t operated in years.

“I thought, why not bring it back to life,” he said.

Now in its third season, the place runs at a pace that’s hard to miss. The parking lot fills early. Most people walk past the indoor dining room and head straight for the backyard, where nearly 50 picnic tables are spread out under the trees. By evening, the lights overhead come on and the entire space is full.

The setup is deliberate. There’s cornhole, ring toss, and space for kids to move around while parents sit. “If I came here with my family, how would I want it to be?” Aaron said. “That’s how I built it.”

The menu follows the same thinking. You can order a traditional lobster dinner or a classic roll, but a large share of the kitchen is focused on things you don’t see everywhere else on the island. Lobster nachos and tacos have become some of the most talked-about items, along with a house special lobster roll tossed in a garlic aioli made in-house.

“Everywhere you go, it’s hot or cold lobster,” Aaron said. “I just wanted to make it fun.”

The lobster itself comes directly from fishermen the Jacksons work with through their own wharves Downeast. It’s held and purged before being brought to the restaurant, part of a process Aaron put in place to control quality from the start.

Famous for:
Lobster nachos, house special lobster rolls, and a family-friendly backyard dining setup.

414 ME-3 in Bar Harbor, ME | barharborlobsterpound.com