Carmen Verandah

Nobody would call this fine dining, but we love to go upstairs and watch the tourists on the street. Good selection of Maine beer, get the blueberry brew with the blueberries. They allow dogs, another plus for us.
I don’t go at night. That’s another whole scenario…

Fun bar! I think I was really into it because of their music selection which couldn’t have been any better. It’s super busy and filled with 20-​somethings, probably more on the early 20’s side. They actually had a great patio too although there wasn’t many people out there late-​night. It seemed to be getting a bit sloppy later but I thought it was a fun place overall! I didn’t come for the food and I can’t really imagine doing so but I’m sure it’s different during the day.

For what it is and where you are, it is not a bad place to kick back and have a few drinks with the younger crowd. Day time in Bar Harbor is filled with travelers and families. Good place to meet people as well. Ok dance floor with sometimes fun music. Staff and Bar tenders are quick and very polite.

Great food! Friendly service! Cool atmosphere. We came on a Sunday evening and I would come back in a heartbeat.

Hubby and I were wandering around Bar Harbor yesterday afternoon and wanted to eat there before returning home. We stumbled upon Carmen Verandah and looked at the menu just outside and went up the stairs. The food was delish and the services was great. Our waitress was chatty and very attentive. The food came very fast (granted they weren’t that busy at the time) but other parties came in for dinner and she was awesome and friend, y to all, and their food all came very quickly. Overall I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Only stopped for a happy hour beer and wings which were half-​off. Beer was a local brew – fine, and wings were okay. I asked for them to be cooked extra crispy but they came out the usual soggy skin with the standard buffalo sauce. Sat on the upstairs verandah which was a little dark but nice.

Delicious sandwiches. Chips not so good. Good for vegetarians. Their patio is lovely and overlooks the park. The service leaves a bit to be desired, but overall it was a good experience. I would definitely return.

Came in during «happy hour» for the advertised frozen drink specials on their outdoor chalkboard (my husband likes girly drinks). The bartender said that they didn’t have a happy hour, nor did they have any frozen drink specials. We both got a drink and say in this huge, skeezy looking, empty bar for about 30 minutes before paying in cash (they have a tiny sign saying that they hate plastic, which we found strange and stupid in today’s world). Drinks were nothing special. Bartender was creepy. Place was skeezy. Bathrooms looked like any that you’d find in a seedy bar. Basically, it’s just a seedy bar in a tourist town.

I’ve had the misfortune to go to Carmen Verandah (a lot of people confuse it with Rupe’s downstairs) enough that I really should know better by now.
What to expect:
Loads of baseball-​cap-​wearing broskis attempting to dance to overly-​loud club rap with their screeching nearly-​naked peacocks of girlfriends, sloshed out of their gourds on overpriced drinks served by surly bartenders. I can’t really blame them for being surly, though, because the clientele is a completely vile lot.
If you go there between midnight and one, you’ll see twits throwing beer bottles off the balcony at the sidewalk below, at least six cops outside trying to keep order, more twits falling over each other, fighting and puking up sick on the road, arguing with cops and then going around the corner to the parking lot where they pile into cars and careen home.
I might venture back into Carmen Verandah’s if they were giving away gold doubloons, but that’s about it. The building is nice, but the business inhabiting it is completely lacking in charm, the music is terrible, the clientele a bunch of callow fratboys with nothing better to do than fight and try to pick up women. Plus, their drinks are weak and pricey.
Stay far, far away.

Very amenable staff.
Great service and food.
Individual meatloaf and sauce excellent.
Sweet Potato Fries are the reason to go there.
Walk up a flight and see.

We were looking for a spot to grab drinks and bar food and stumbled upon this gem. We were able to sit outside upstairs that overlooked the park, and the food was definitely the most bang for your buck.
Friendly staff, good selection of drinks, and live bands that play at 9pm.

There’s just no better place to come and get loose in Bar Harbor!
Carmen’s has it all: a great, friendly staff; full range of american/​pub fare with a twist; and a big ‘olé dancefloor with the biggest sound system on the island… And when you order a drink, be it a beer, mixed cocktail or a shot, best believe it will be served cold, quickly and with a smile. And speaking of those mixed drinks and shots: All drinks are served «tall» or in a pint glass for those not in the know. Meanwhile shots are not measured out in stingy little «thimbles» … Oh hell no. Shots are generously served up in four-​ounce shot cups that arrive at least half-​full. Get yours!
In other words, you can’t find more bang for your buck than from Carmen Verandah!

Just watched the World Cup there with my family! Go Spain!
Nice ambiance and good food. We had the mussel, nachos and humus apps that were all very yummy. Beer was good too. They need more tv screens for sports but it was still fun for this rainy day.
I would definitely revisit again!

«Some Days
It’s Too Warm to Fight
A Slow Hot Wind.»
A tropical breeze has swept through the village of Bar Harbor, and that would be The Carmen Verandah. Set in a Victorian-​esque abode, Carmen offers patrons a place to eat, drink, and be merry. And by merry, I mean dance. In celebration of my friend Petra tying the knot, a flock of us city dwellers ascended onto this pub for some lively entertainment.
We did not try any of the food, but the drinks here are served quite strong, and the bartenders are swell. The place has some vintage furnishings throughout, elegant wood carvings and brightly hued stained glass. What really impressed me the most was the dance floor. Situated in a room to the right of the bar is an empty ballroom for dancing. It’s compact, but serviceable. I also really liked the music. The DJ was an audio mixologist. I think it’s the only place to actually go clubbing on the island. The clientele is a good mixture of tourists and townies alike. A nice place to visit is you love the nightlife and got to boogie.

I would rank Carmen’s entertainment factor around 4 stars in a town as small as Bar Harbor. And their food I would give about 2 so they end up with 3.
This restaurant/​bar tries to have a Cuban or Caribbean feel — it seems like the kind of place the Chiquita banana lady would eat at. But, they serve a majority of seafood or traditional stuff like mac n’ cheese. We tried that and a Cuban sandwich and while both were edible, neither was overly desirable.
However, they do have a pool table that we used frequently and a dance floor that we never used at all. On the dance floor though they had a variety of djs each night, including reggae once as well as activities such as karaōke.
Overall, it’s a fairly fun place to check out if you’re in the neighborhood.