Havana Restaurant

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

American Fine Dining with a Latin Soul

On Main Street in Bar Harbor, a short walk from Acadia National Park, Havana has been turning locally grown, sustainably sourced ingredients into sophisticated, Latin-inflected American cuisine since 1998. Owners Michael Boland and Deirdre Swords opened the restaurant with a clear conviction: that great food starts long before it reaches the kitchen. More than 25 years on, that conviction hasn't wavered.

A Kitchen Built on Real Relationships

Executive Chef Jan Daniel Cortez Antigua leads a menu that changes weekly — sometimes daily — shaped by what Maine's farms and waters are offering at any given moment. The restaurant sources consistently from producers including Bar Harbor Oyster Company, Tide Mill Organic Farm, Pineland Farms, and Triple Chick Farm, among others, and draws on a rotating cast of seasonal growers like Mandala Farm and Rainbow Farm. All meats are naturally and humanely raised — no steroids, antibiotics, or hormones. Seafood comes primarily from the Gulf of Maine, harvested sustainably. Havana even tends its own organic garden in downtown Bar Harbor.

The result is a seasonal American menu with genuine Latin character: seafood, vegetarian, and meat dishes "flavored with intelligence and respect," as the restaurant puts it. There are two distinct dining experiences — the inside dining room and The Parrilla, an outdoor format with its own slightly smaller menu.

A Wine Program Worth the Trip Alone

Wine Director Billy Kraemer oversees a list drawn from every continent on the planet, built expressly to complement the kitchen's range. The cellar is maintained at careful temperature and humidity to protect the long-term development of each bottle. For a more intimate experience, the private room known as "the Barn" looks directly into the wine cellar. Havana has held the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence continuously from 2011 to 2025 — a distinction shared by only one other restaurant in Maine — which speaks to the seriousness and consistency of this program.

The Atmosphere

The setting is warm and considered, with knowledgeable staff who can guide guests through both the menu and the cellar. Whether you're at a table inside or dining at The Parrilla, the experience reflects a kitchen and front-of-house that have been refining the same vision for nearly three decades — local, organic, Latin-American, and quietly exceptional.