CIAO food|drink

Recommended by the owner of next door’s bike rental place. Full hit! Roasted scallops with a spicy mayonnaise were really good. Roasted quail was also excellent. So was hanger steak - and, claim to fame, it was medium-rare as ordered. That’s almost a rarity in today’s gastronomy. Wine list by the glass was good and fair value. Service was competent and efficient. A few hundred yards off the beaten path but totally worth the detour.

A decade ago, I ate Tapas for the first time while in Madrid for work. About four years ago, I ate at my first tapas style restaurant in the States. Now tapas style restaurants seem to be increasingly more common.

Typically, they have been a mixed bag for me. I usually end up wishing I had larger portions of a singular dish, or just end up being displeased with everything as they focus on presentation over flavor. At other places, waiters seem to suggest eating more tapas per person in an attempt to force a larger bill.

That was not the case with CIAO. At the suggestion of our waiter, we selected five dishes. Each dish was both beautifully presented and full of flavor. Dessert was likewise excellent. At the end of the meal, we were very satisfied. CIAO is now my favorite restaurant in Bar Harbor, ME.

Very solid tapas restaurant. It's a small restaurant and quite crowded at dinner time. Wait staff is very warm and welcoming. The food was decent, but the presentation is most impressive. Every dish is plated perfectly and looks like a work of art. We ordered an assortment of tapas dishes. The ingredients used, I could tell was very fresh. The grilled hanger steak had very good beefy flavor, but was cooked medium well to well done. The beet and gin cured salmon looked lovely and tasted wonderful. The yogurt sauce paired with it was just right. Anchovy crostini was my favorite. Overall a very good restaurant.

Food is delicious. Portion is small. Recommend 4-5 dishes for 2 adults. The "local" drink is good. Had tuna salad, fried cauliflower, mussels, duck fat potatoes, Sardinia garlic shrimp. Finished up with yummy dessert. Recommend when visiting Bar Harbor. 👍

We had an amazing dinner at Ciao two nights ago. It was by far the best meal we had on our trip to Maine. So much flavor in every bite! We were so busy eating that I didn’t get a picture of every plate but the mushrooms, shrimp, pork… everything was so good! The service was wonderful, too. Great experience all around. This place is special.

The atmosphere was very comfortable and the waitress was friendly and humorous. Food was phenomenal! I would have loved to come back and try more of their dishes. I don't think you can go wrong here.

A tapas-style restaurant, CIAO offers an eclectic selection of small plates to choose from and share. For a party of 3, we ordered 6 plates, and every dish was tasty. Worth particular mention (for me) are the Fried Cauliflower, the Lamb Crostini, and the Crispy Pork Belly. We thought about ordering some more food for the hungrier among us, but opted to go for desserts instead -- of which we ordered 2. The Pain Perdu is quite good!

The service was attentive and friendly, and the staff/kitchen thoughtfully paced out our food order into courses. In terms of drinks, their specialty cocktail "The Local" was refreshing, featuring Maine blueberry vodka and a number of blueberries.

CIAO is a welcome respite from the otherwise touristy bustle of Bar Harbor, where seemingly most restaurants are (over)advertising their lobster dishes as they vie for attention. CIAO, on the other hand, has no lobster on the menu, but arguably provides a more delightful culinary experience with understated authenticity.

Phenomenal experience Kyle chef-owner does amazing work here. They have small plates kind of like tapas. Me and my wife split 4 items and desserts. They recommend between 3-5 items I would say that's on par. Everything here was fresh and delivered as it was finished there was no waiting under heat lamp it was amazing. The beet crostini was spectacular I'm not even a huge beet fan, My wife said be adventurous and oh my that was so good. The duck and mushroom confit were both very decadent and well prepared. Pan roasted shrimp had this amazing sauce very well done. The two desserts of chocolate cake and olive oil cake was the perfect topper. Great service. I would highly recommend and would love to come back.

My wife and I were fortunate enough to visit this small plate restaurant on a date night while in Bar Harbor. We were not disappointed! The food, drink, and ambience were all stellar.

The restaurant itself isn't very big, but the bar is nicely decorated and we easily got a table for 2 without a prior reservation around 5:30pm.

They specialize in small plates, and for the 2 of us, ordered 4, as well as 2 drinks, and dessert. We ordered Shrimp/Chorizo, Duck Ragout, Mushroom Crostini, and Burrata. We went for 2 savory "apps" and 2 protein focused plates.

Everything was nicely seasoned and "dressed," whether with olive oil or Ricotta cheese (crostini).

For dessert we had an Olive Oil Italian cake with whipped topping, atop Maine blueberries/sauce, and orange zest. So good, and a nice finish to the meal.

Definitely recommened this to anyone looking for a fancy date night out, or to elevate your meal and take a break from the routine lobstah rolls.

We had a delicious meal here last night. We ordered 8 small plates for the 4 of us, which was the perfect amount of food. Fan favorites included the grilled feta with olives, the burrata, and the pork belly, but we also enjoyed the roasted carrots, the mushroom crostini, the salmon, the chicken paillote and the hanger steak. It was all perfectly prepared, beautifully presented and delicious. Service was attentive and fast. I highly recommend eating here for a special night out in Bar Harbor.

My husband found this place by accident and it turned out to be our best dinner experience in Bar Harbor. They are newly opened and was not yet on Yelp (at least I couldn’t find it). We ordered French Lobster Roll, Pork Belly taco, mussels and fried cauliflowers. Everything was so delicious. Pork belly taco was our favorite. Highly recommended.

I almost don’t want to share this place 😂 because I don’t want it to get too popular and save this secret gem to myself. The food was AMAZING.

The restaurant is small and we had to wait for about 45 mins to get seated. However the food come out pretty quickly after we ordered.

The portion of the food were small so you are meant to get many plates. I will have to say that it is a bit pricey but well worth it. It was the best meal we had in Bar Harbor.

By far the best place we ate during our stay in Bar Harbor. We love tapas and small plates along with delicious cocktails. Our server, Shane, was amazing. We'll be back again and recommend this to all of our friends.

I would order everything single thing on this menu if given the chance! Everything was superb. And the olive oil lemon blueberry cake? Insanely delicious.

First rate meal and experience, from start to finish. we could not have imagined a better way to celebrate our son's 13th birthday than with hikes at Acadia and a dinner at CIAO! (Note, like most of Bar Harbor, they are open seasonally!)

We should have taken some pics because the presentation was as good as the food! Everything was spot on. My wife and I shared 6 dishes and a dessert. We would not hesitate to order every dish a second time. Thank you for introducing my wife to swordfish! She is not a seafood eater, but now loves swordfish! Yeah! :) We would have gone back the next night, but they were closed on Sunday and Monday. I guess this will be another reason for us to come back to Bar Harbor!

We accidentally found the place when I was looking for walking distance from our hotel. We order 5 plates for 2 of us and a dessert. That was perfect amount for us. The food was impeccable. Every bite bursting with flavor and not overpowering with saltiness nor sweetness. Just we could enjoy flavor of each ingredient and well balanced combinations. 2 days later we went with our daughter who joined us later for the trip. The staff recognized us and he was delightful. We were impressed with food again.

We have been following Chef Kyle for years and have always eaten at his restaurants whenever we can. Ciao is the latest creation and it does not disappoint! It is very hard to choose which small plates to order; they all sound amazing. We finally settled on several and were not disappointed. The presentation is stunning and the flavors top it all! I am eager to return to try items I didn’t have space for this time! I recommend Ciao without reservation. Eat here. You will be so happy that you did.

We were pleasantly surprised to find amazing, nuanced food with fresh ingredients and simple seasonings here in Bar Harbor. It was not easy selecting our favorites but mine had to be the Mushroom Confit and my partner chose the Chorizo Shrimp. These great tapas are complimented by a comfortable atmosphere, and friendly attentive service. If we lived in the area we would be regulars. If we ever vacation here again it will be the first place we eat.

Every once in a while you are lucky enough to wander into the perfect restaurant experience. Every dish is prepared with care. The staff make you feel welcome. The pacing is perfect, matching your mood and never interrupting the conversation. If you want a perfect finding experience, then you have to try Ciao. The owners are in the kitchen and on the floor, obviously obsessed with making the experience perfect. It’s an intimate space, friendly people and it’s so obvious they care about quality. Start with the roasted carrots. Try the Shrimp with Chorizo. The skirt steak should not be missed. We had a great Pinot from Oregon. Just go. Trust me, you’ll love it!