There are many great dining options in Bar Harbor – almost too many! Since it’s set back from the road behind a charming outdoor seating area, you might overlook McKay’s Public House. To do so would be a mistake – aside from the terrific atmosphere, the location itself is a fascinating piece of Bar Harbor’s history, with ties to the area’s tourism boom in the early 1900s as well as bootlegging and the nearby Criterion Theatre. If you’d like to learn a bit more about the area’s fascinating lore and love great food, you won’t want to miss McKay’s.
The original construction of McKay’s Public House dates to 1895-1896. It was built as part of McKay Cottages, a significant tourist lodging operation with 35 rooms to rent. McKay Cottages was owned by George McKay Sr., who was close friends with Daniel Herlihy. Herlihy is described as the “Rum King” of Prohibition-era Bar Harbor, and George Sr. was one of Bar Harbor’s biggest bootlegging operators. He was convicted at least twice for illegal possession, and wound up serving a year in prison in 1923 for violating the Volstead Act.
When George was released, he worked to establish himself as a respectable member of the community, founding the Criterion Theatre in 1932. The Criterion is a magnificent Art Deco theater that opened with speeches, live music, and vaudeville acts – and just so happened to have another speakeasy in the basement. Perhaps fortunately for George’s legal record, Prohibition ended the following year.
McKay Cottages continued on as a family enterprise run by George McKay Jr. Both the theater and cottages survived the great fire in Bar Harbor in 1947 which destroyed many of the town’s historic buildings. McKay’s Cottages was renamed McKay’s Lodging at some point and continued operating as a bed and breakfast until it was threatened with demolition by the construction of the Bar Harbor Grand Hotel. Fortunately, a local real estate agent had the Queen Anne-style cottage moved 50 feet to thew address where it currently is located.
In 2003, owner Brian Smith opened McKay’s Public House, which serves upscale “Maine-oriented pub/seafood cuisine.” We weren’t sure what to expect when we visited but loved the atmosphere of the outdoor garden seating area, and decided to treat ourselves on the last night of our trip. My wife chose the lobster roll and I went with the seafood risotto. Both of our meals were absolutely fantastic – the best we had on our trip, in fact – and the staff were terrific, indulging my curiosity about the history of the building. It really is an amazing place, and one that I’d highly recommend. It wasn’t just a fun dining experience, but also a unique window into Bar Harbor’s past.
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