Eden Vegetarian Cafe

Eden is a can’t miss for vegetarians and vegans visiting Bar Harbor. The food and service is always great.
My only complaint is that they don’t stay open year round!

We enjoyed two great dinners here on a Saturday and sunday night in mid September. Great veggies and tofu/​tempeh. Only thing that would have topped it off was sitting outside on the patio– but it was entering the shoulder season…

This is the type of place that everyone thinks they should offer their own cooking experiences to help uplift the experience. Well, keep it to yourselves. Eden is wonderful. If you are a better vegan chef; shut up and put your money, time, and effort into opening a restaurant. It’s not easy to produce that much good, tasty, and well presented vegan food night after night. The owner chef is inventive and everything was delicious. I do agree the fennel sticks and dip could use a revamp, but I wasn’t there for table snacks. My starter, the Persian Tomato Tartlet was outrageous! Everything about it was perfect. Just hearing and feeling the filo dough crispy crackle was heaven. The Bento Box was excellent too! I came to Maine to taste all of it’s treasures (yes, I admit it! I ate lobster out and around town). If you are a vegan or not, this is a MUST do when in Bar Harbor. We loved the place, the attention to detail, and the thoughtful dishes using local, fresh ingredients. Eden we will be back.

We were lucky enough to notice Eden after arriving in Bar Harbor during the Bike Maine bicycle ride. We had a wonderful dinner there. Very diverse, creative menu. Everything we had was delicious and filling. There were 3 of us. We had 3 beers, one appetizer, 3 entries and 3 desserts for $ 118. Not cheap, but the prices represent the quality-​clearly a gourmet chef. This is one of the very best vegan restaurants we have ever been to.

Great vegetarian food in a nice atmosphere. Alcohol, tea, coffee served. Excellent and friendly service. Make sure you call to make reservations during busy part of the year.

An extraordinary culinary experience! From the marvelous organic gardens where the food is grown, to the kitchens where the food is marvelously prepared, the presentation and amazing staff who care to create a culinary experience…
Definitely worth the effort to find.

Waited upon by gracious co-​owner Lynn Rampacek, my mother and I enjoyed another superlative dinner tonight at Eden. (I was going to write «astonishingly fine» until I realized that the quality of the food at Eden is so consistent that it no longer astonishes, only dazzles.) My mother, age 90 and a notorious foodie, said it was the best meal she’d ever had. «They shouldn’t tell people it’s vegetarian,» she said, so as not to scare off the carnivores.
My mother ordered the Domaine d’Esperance white wine while I, though I almost never consume alcohol, was seduced by the Maine Mojito («Organic Maine Maple Sugar, muddled with Local Organic Mint, Fresh-​Squeezed Lime Juice, Maine-​made Rusticator Rum, & a splash of Soda. .. ayuh!») and regret nothing. We shared appetizers of Chesapeake-​style Vegetable Cakes and Asparagus & Cherry Tomato Tartlet, both divine, and then feasted on Tunisian Yellow Eye Lablaki and Coconut, Lemongrass, & Pickled Chili Noodle Bowl, of which we regretfully set aside half to be packed up for the hotel refrigerator in order to save room for dessert. Although my mother claimed she wanted only a taste of mine, she seemed so distraught when I ordered the pecan pie instead of the almond cake that I took pity on her and insisted we try both. Good call.
Eating at Eden’s made my mother and me very happy. And isn’t that what great cooking is about?

My wife and I were overjoyed with this restaurant. The K.F.C. was incredible (Korean Fried Cauliflower). I loved the tempeh BBQ. We loved the chocolate cheesecake of course. You must try this place!

The service at this place is five stars and the delicious and inviting variety in food is phenomenally five stars too!
Last night while delighting in their complimentary multigrain pita sticks, I too hastily scooped up their unique olive butter. And got oil on my dressy pants! The waitress (maybe the lead/​owner? Was so amazing!!! She knew just what to get me, and now I’ve seen no oil stain!) Anyway, you probably want to know about the food: I had this exquisite laibla, my sister the sumptuous Grilled Seitan Steak, her boyfriend the tastey Coconut, Lemongrass, & Pickled Chili Noodle Bowl .and we had strawberry alcoholic drinks… And we all agreed our meal and experience was top notch in every way :-)

I was so excited to try Eden. My boyfriend and I (both vegans) spent a few days in the lovely Bar Harbor. We were pleasantly surprised with all the vegan options in the town, but mostly looked forward to the all vegan Eden, especially after reading the reviews on Unilocal.I was disappointed.
The starter they served was some kind of crispy chip w fennel and some kind of not so good dipping sauce. The chip (not sure what else to call it) was inedible due to the amount of salt, I think.
The appetizer was ok. I ordered the fried Korean spiced cauliflower. It was pretty good and very filling but It definitely needed some kind of creamy dipping sauce. My boyfriend ordered some kind of toast topped with a creamy sauce and mushrooms. It was very good. He loved it.
He got the barbequed tempeh which was good if you like tempeh. I got the seitan steak and cauliflower mashed potatoes. The marinade on the steak was way too strong. It had to be eaten with the mashed potatoes to be edible. That made it ok. The cauliflower mashed potatoes were amazing and the high light of the meal.
Dessert for me was the chocolate mousse topped cheesecake. Way too much chocolate and the cheesecake was tofutti, I think. I have made better. It was ok. Less chocolate and more cheesecake and crust would be made it good. Boyfriend got a banana bread w cinnamon and ice cream. The ice cream was great. The cake tasted like a Thomas cinnamon raisin bagel. It was ok.
We spent about $ 100. Too expensive for the mediocre meal. I guess I am spoiled with Philadelphia’s Vedge and also Vegan Treats.
I may give Eden another try in the future.

My boyfriend and I visited Bar Harbor, Maine and was so thrilled to learn that there was a vegan restaurant and even more thrilled after experiencing it. Eden’s atmosphere was pleasant. Our waitress was friendly, always had a smile, answered our many questions and helpful in every way. I had the Orecchiette Pasta with Fennel Pesto Cream (Little Ears tossed with Fiddleheads & Fennel, Basil & Pine Nuts Pesto Cream, with Grilled Marinated Tomatoes). It was so delicious! So many Delicate tastes that meld together perfectly. My taste buds felt like they were on a carnival ride. My boyfriend had the Barbeque Tempeh, which he loved. For desert, I had their cheesecake that was topped with chocolate moose, which I enjoyed but since I’m not that into chocolate I didn’t love it. He had the pecan pie topped with ice cream. That was divine. We loved it there so much, we went back for our last night in Bar Harbor, I had the same dish. Just had to have it again. He had the Eden Bento Box (Grilled Marinated Local Tufo with Red Miso & Maple Glaze, Local Alaria Seaweed & Wood Ear Mushroom Salad, Vegetable Maki Roll, Yuzu Ponzu, Gomasio Seasoned Edamame, Seared Local Baby Bok Choi), which he chose since the first time we were there so many of the other diners were eating and raving about it. He wasn’t disappointed. He also raved about it.
So, as you gathered by now, we both say go and eat at Eden. I cannot imagine you being less than thrilled.

This place was perfectly fine, but it didn’t knock my socks off or anything.
Everybody seems to be raving about the fact that this is the only vegan place in Bar Harbor — but actually, my sister (vegan) and I (vegetarian) ate at lots of different restaurants while we were up here, and they ALL had good veggie/​vegan options. My sister was psyched when we went to a breakfast place that had like 3 different tofu scrambles. I don’t want to digress too much, but I want to dispel the myth that this is the only place to go in Bar Harbor for decent veggie food.
My sister got a bento box which was very attractive. She said it was pretty good — she would probably give this place 4 stars. I got a pasta dish with pesto and sun-​dried tomato, and the sun-​dried tomatoes were so salty that they were barely edible. And I am a salt-​loving person here. I was pretty underwhelmed. It’s not exactly challenging to make a vegan pasta dish — just leave off the cheese. It could have been better.
There was an annoying girl sitting behind us who kept talking about politics and government, and at one point she told her (mostly silent) dinner partner: «I think this place (Eden) has so many good reviews because it’s self-​selecting — the Types of People who would give a place like this a bad review just don’t come here.» So to be perfectly honest, I am writing this review partly to spite her. Keep your politics to yourself! My pasta was too salty!
In total fairness, this place is a solid 3.5.

Oh wow this place rocks! Very friendly service, and awesome food! I wish we hadn’t been so full because dessert looked scrumptious.
Here are my tips:
* Make a reservation
* Order the onion rings, if only for the amazing vegan dip that comes with it
* Save room for dessert
* Come back again

We ate at Eden recently on a trip to Bar Harbor. Overall, the place is great and definitely unique.
After eating lobster and other seafood for days on end, it was really nice having a good vegetarian meal. My girlfiend had the Bento Box, which was very filling and had a good assortment of different foods. What I sampled was fantastic. I chose the almond and panko crusted seitan cutlets. This was my first time to try seitan, and I was pleasantly surprised. We did not leave Eden hungry, but also didn’t feel that we ate too much.
My sole complaint about Eden was where we were seated. Instead of sitting on the first floor, we were seated upstairs and were the only ones up there for most of our meal. I felt that we were somewhat forgotten at times and wish we had been seated downstairs instead. Eden was still a very good dining experience, though.

Had dinner here on vacation and it was incredible!
From the jalapeño/​onion ring starter to spicy entrees & delicious desserts, we were happy with every bite.

Named for the original name of the town of Bar Harbor and, yes, the mythical garden (mythical as in, never existed, got it people?), this restaurant is a haven for vegetarians and vegans in seafood-​packed Bar Harbor. The menu is 100% vegan.
Entrees are around $ 15 and the price is worth it. The portion sizes are very generous and super tasty. I loved my bento box of pan-​seared tofu, vegetarian sushi, local Maine seaweed, edamame and bok choi. My various family members also enjoyed their meals, though my brother and dad both felt their spicy noodles could have been spicier (keep in mind we’re Indian, though). Best of all was dessert: chocolate mousse cake in raspberry coulis. In fact, the coulis was so effing good I got it all over myself and had to wash out my shirt later. No joke!

Cozy, classy, amazing food.
I’ve eaten a lot of bad vegan food in my life, and this is nothing like those experiences. Everything is delicious and you don’t feel like you’re missing anything. Not to mention the drink specials are delicious. I love it!

Unfortunately there are not many Vegetarian/​Vegan places to eat in Maine, so it was nice to find this with the help of Unilocal.
Saigon noodles lacked flavor, and were a bit greasy. Go for the fried oyster mushroom, they are divine — it’s the vegetarian fried chicken. The Bento box was fantastic and filling.
Great Beer and Wine selection, from local to global.
We would definitely eat here again!

Insanely good, all-​vegan restaurant in Bar Harbor. Everything my girlfriend and I ordered was superb. I got a seitan cutlet entrée which was breaded and fried to perfection. She got a mushroom pasta dish that was also really good.
The restaurant is a tad upscale and their prices reflect that. We ended up dropping $ 80 (including tip) on our meals. But everything was awesome and they use largely organic ingredients so I wasn’t too bummed out by that. I also felt a bit under dressed in my sea shepherd t-​shirt and cargo shorts so maybe throw on a polo or a button down shirt and some pants and you’ll be fine. Very cozy, home-​style feel to the place too. The upstairs where we ate was dimly lit which was annoying at first but added to the ambiance when I got used to it.
If you’re vegetarian or vegan and reading these reviews on Unilocal trying to figure out where to eat on the island tonight, just stop reading and go. That’s really all there is to it.
Note: They are only open for dinner from 5pm to 9pm so I’d highly recommend making a reservation if you want to eat there as it fills up quickly and it’s not very large.

A recent trip to the new location of Eden Restaurant left me unfulfilled. I admit that it was only the second night of the season in their new space, so perhaps there were some opening-​week jitters in the air.
The space is beautiful. Tables and chairs are light-​colored, blonde wood, and the colors of each dining area are different. We sat in a room that was the color of butternut squash. Other rooms were a fresh, bright green or inviting, bright blue. The service was fine; the server was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu items.
I ordered what was listed as the Green Curry Dragon Noodle Bowl. What arrived at my table was what looked like a clump of plain, white rice noodles. At first glance I saw no vegetables and there was no hint of green curry sauce. After some investigation, I found the veggies hidden under the noodles. However there were few veggies and not much tofu in the entire dish. The noodles did have some curry flavor, but they were white and dry. How they obtained the mild curry flavor remains a mystery.
What is interesting is that a customer at the next table ordered the same dish after I did. Her dish looked quite different. There was a better balance of veggies to noodles, and the veggies and tofu were noticeable on top of the noodles. It seems that the kitchen needs to work on presentation of dishes in a consistent manner.
While it is exciting to find a vegetarian restaurant in a Maine coast resort town, I would not hurry back to Eden. Perhaps with time and some attention to details and consistent presentation of dishes, this could become a restaurant worthy of a repeat visit.