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Mount Desert Island Ice Cream
Category: Food Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt [Edit]
7 Firefly LnBar Harbor, ME 04609
(207) 460-5515
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 10 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Parking:
- Street
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
50 reviews for Mount Desert Island Ice Cream
Review Highlights
"There were some very unique flavors too."
(in 8 reviews)
"Girl Scouts Gone Crazy."
(in 3 reviews)
"I had the Pear Riesling flavor and it was like a sorbet."
(in 8 reviews)
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50 reviews in English
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Review from Jeff K.
Lexington, MA
10/22/2011
Great ice cream flavors!
Tried a few other ice cream shops in town and hands down this is the best one. Why?
1) Variety of flavors - tons of flavors
2) Friendly service - welcomed tasting and didn't rush us
3) Value - Not the cheapest, but they give you plenty
Next time we're in Bar Harbor, we're coming back to this ice cream shop. -
Review from Craig B.
New York, NY
10/16/2011
I have to give a place credit that makes their own ice cream, does a good job, and is creative about it. A lot of times you go out looking for ice cream and it's the same 30 flavors that your find anywhere. Mount Desert Island Ice Cream this week has Blue Cheese and Fig. They have a really excellent Indian Pudding. They have a vanilla ice cream with Doritos, which I won't even go near, but I give them points for trying. I ended up with salted caramel, which was excellent. When the president was here last year he got coconut (when have you seen coconut anywhere?). Sorry that I won't be here longer because I'd like to try a different one each day, and there are a lot to try.
Plan on about $4 for one scoop. -
Review from Helena W.
Fremont, CA
9/16/2011 1 photo
My couchsurfing host recommended MDI as a place to stop before leaving Bar Harbor. After having had their ice cream, I have the same opinion. Besides, any ice cream good enough Obama, is good enough for me.
There are TONS of ice cream flavors to chose from. There are the typical flavors that you would expect from an ice cream shop, but what makes this place fun and exciting are the unexpected flavors. You can taste test flavors to pick the right one for you (dude, wasabi, jicama, http://www.yelp.com/bi...).
I had a scoop of their coffee oreo and blueberry sour cream in a waffle cone. The cone was nothing special, but OMG the ice cream was delicious!! Both flavors were better than I was expecting and the best of all, THERE WAS SO MUCH OF IT. I asked and paid for two scoops in a waffle cone, but I swear the girl packed on at least 3 scoops of total ice cream. Who doesn't love an ice cream shop that isn't stingy?!?!
Be sure to stop by here before even thinking of leaving Bar Harbor, otherwise you'll be missing out! -
Review from Chris B.
Brooksville, ME
1/31/2012
I have nothing but nice things to say about this place. Their ice cream (especially the wasabi chocolate) is out of this world.
Funny anecdote: I was with my girlfriend standing in line at the one on outer Main Street when this couple in their 40s cut us in line and interrogated the guy serving someone else (for quite a while) if they sold chocolate chip ice cream. Being a shop for the more adventurous lot, they didn't. They left in a huff, saying "Let's go to that Debbah's place". -
Review from Serena R.
Jersey City, NJ
8/30/2011
Tried several flavors and what I loved most about all of them is none were too sweet. You're able to taste the intended flavor of the ice cream not just sugar.
Flavors tried:
Danish blue cheese blackberry with balsamic topping. Sooo good. The tang from the blue cheese was subtle and was pefect with the blackberry ice cream. Mixed with the balsamic vinegar topping it almost savory.
Salt caramel: I think it was my first taste of salted caramel. It was saltier than what I was expecting but in a good way. I love the sweet and salty combination.
Chocolate Wasabi: This was fun to eat. When the ice cream hits your tongue all you get is chocolate but aftrer a few seconds, you get a mild wasabi heat. I wouldn't combine this flavor with anything else b/c the other flavors will just get lost.
Blackstrap Banana: Good banana flavor
It's not cheap ice cream but it's great quality so well worth the money. -
Review from diane l.
7/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great little shop, they have two locations another on Main St.
The people who work there are sweet and patient (they let us sample two flavors each).
Salted Caramel - one of the most amazing ice creams I have ever tasted.
Thai Chili - peanut butter ice cream with a kick of chili, provides great contrasting flavors in one bite.
Girl Scouts Gone Crazy (?) - chocolate ice cream with chunks of thin mint cookies.
Cookies and Cream - they even do this classic superbly well.
Grapefruit Sorbet - Tart with great flavor, make sure you have it before anything else that is sweet.
Caramelized Pear - Great unique flavor or grilled pear. It's the end of summer bbq captured in a refreshing manner in your mouth.
The only sad thing was that the second night our bbq ended late and we couldn't go back for more. -
Review from Geula F.
Boca Raton, FL
7/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ok, I seem to be in the minority here. The store itself is very cute, basically a counter with freezers in front. I do love the fact that they have unique flavors, which were great for our five year, always willing to try something different.
I had the Stout with Fudge, as am a huge stout fan and have had some great desserts made with it. It was mostly tasteless, with very little fudge.
Maybe it was just an off day? Our daughter loved hers, and although five, she will not eat bad ice cream. Ever. So they get two stars for making her happy. -
Review from Susan A.
8/19/2011
this place is GOOOOOOOOOOD! Love their unique flavors and the "appropriately" sized servings.
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Review from Lauren C.
9/6/2011
This place is as good as it gets! We stopped in here last week for a quick treat and never expected the breadth of interesting flavors that they offer. I had a scoop of cinnamon cardamom, which was like a spicy chai latte in ice cream form. I love cardamom but it's hard to find in everyday treats. It was a fantastic find! My boyfriend got the malted milk ball, which has to be one of the best ice cream flavors I've ever had. We will definitely be back!
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Review from Brian R.
Reading, PA
7/19/2011
The best ice cream EVER. Bay of Fig, Blackstrap Bananna need I say more.
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Review from Samantha E.
Alexandria, VA
7/14/2011 7 photos
Decent local shop but my candy ice cream was a freezer burned and my mom's salt caramel was a bit too salty and not very sweet. The store is very cute though! There were some very unique flavors too.
Listed in: Summer 2011 Road Trip
Comment from Linda P. of Mount Desert Island Ice Cream 7/19/2011
Hi Samantha, sorry to hear your ice cream had freezer burn!… More » -
Review from Geoffrey G.
Kissimmee, FL
8/14/2011
I can't say that I am an ice cream aficionado but I can say that my daughter is probably as close as you can get. Although there are numerous ice cream establishments in Bar Harbor (all of which looked very nice), this is the one that she always wanted to go back to. You can't go wrong if you choose MDI. At least that is what my 8 year old says.
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Review from Lg M.
Newton, MA
8/21/2011
The best coffee ice cream we've had all summer!!!
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Review from Elizabeth R.
Boston, MA
7/24/2011
I really like this place, I had the Thais Chocolate which was delicious, it wasn't too sweet or heavy. It was perfect actually.
I thought this ice cream shop would be large for some reason, maybe from looking at their webpage, but it's tiny and there is no where to sit. But if it's a nice day and you have a blanket, or towel, you can sit across the street on the common, which is what I did and it was aboslutely lovely, way better than sitting inside.
I would give them 5 stars, but since the all of the flavors are so unique, a little bizarre even, and since I'm really cutting back on ice cream, (this was my ONLY ice cream cone on vacation) I wanted to sample the flavors to make sure I got something I liked. When I ask for a sample of one thing, the staff seemed, well just like, like it was an imposition. At the time, I was the ONLY person there. I would not sample if there was a line. AND, it wasn't even the staff's attitude that takes off a star, I probably would have overlooked that, it was the regular size plastic spoon used for my sample.
I only wanted a tiny taste, they could use little wooden spoons or tiny plastic spoons, or even popsicle sticks! But my sample was a full size plastic spoonfull of ice cream. I'm really trying to use less plastic, I know to many people this seems ridiculous, but I believe every little bit counts and to me, it just seemed really wasteful and not eco friendly at all to use a whole spoon so I could taste something.
Other than that, this ice cream place is awsome and you should go and try one of their delicious and unique flavors. -
Review from pinksparkly s.
Austin, TX
6/27/2011
I would never in my life imagine I'd be writing a rave review over thai chili ice cream, but I am! I highly recommend this place. While on a recent vacation, my husband and I came here three times and were very happy with every flavor of ice cream we tried. :)
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Review from andrew m.
Manhattan, NY
8/7/2011
I tried a different ice cream place every day during a two week visit to Maine, and this place was the best. Start with inventive flavors like blackstrap banana, salted caramel and orange chocolate, all of which were outstanding. And the ice cream itself is transcendent. The peanut butter ice cream is a near religious experience. Let everyone else explore the t-shirt shops in Bar Harbor. Plant yourself here instead.
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Review from Scott B.
Minneapolis, MN
8/5/2011
There were several choices for ice cream in Bar Harbor. This was a tiny little shop just off the main street. Great selection...great flavor.
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Review from Andrea M.
Somerville, MA
9/10/2008 1 photo
Summer night. Late. Just busted my ass on the Precipice Trail and loved it. Ate a slightly-less-than-so-so dinner at Havana, and the evening required a sweet note.
In walks Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, so different, so small, so void of a line of obnoxious tourists. I know it's the right place. it's the local joint with the know-how.
I walk in, and the friendly Mr. Shy and Retiring behind the counter offers me a quick smile and a soft greeting. I scan the menus, quickly and carefully, since our scattered crew is regrouping soon, and it's close to closing time. This is an important decision, without the important time to make it.
Then I see "Scorned Woman" on the menu, and know it's the one. Sadly, I curb my sense of adventure just a smidge by asking what's in it, instead of just going for the gusto. "Mango passionfruit sorbet with chili oil," the man replies, like it's the middle of the day, and we have all the time in the world. "I'll take it, kid size, please."
Let me tell you about this sorbet, and I dare you to tell me that this name isn't spot on. First, you taste the sweet, velvety mango and the sensuous passion fruit, with just a hint of heat, and it lures you in with it's passionate kindness. Then the heat dies down, and it's all sweet notes, dancing on your tongue like a teasing drizzle of honey that makes you giddy... that gets a little warmer... then a little warmer... then BAM! you get hit with the hottest hot heat, and you know you're in for it. And yet, somehow, you can't help but do it all over again, and again, and again until it's gone.
I took my Scorned Woman into the dark summer night, in all it's cool heat and chilled warmth and gustatory mood swings. Someday I'll drive the many hours for another, Mr. Shy and Retiring. Someday... -
Review from Lisa C.
8/11/2010
If it's good enough for Obama, it's good enough for me!
The flavors were unique and delicious - I mean, who doesn't love cinnamon and cardamon? Whose had it as an ice cream? Well, I hadn't until we came here. Also, the Thai Chile was definitely a unique experience - sweet and delicious and them WHAM! A blast of savory right there in your ice cream! -
Review from Kevin B.
Woburn, MA
6/24/2011
After reviewing many, many strange and intriguing flavors, I went the safe route with Salted Caramel - which was delicious -
A little hard to find if you don't know where it is - dim lighting at night -
You won't consider it a bargain, but what in Bar Harbor is??
Next time, I get the four scoop sampler! -
Review from Steve L.
8/19/2008
Unlike the other ice cream places along Main St., they offer some very interesting flavors, such as Indian Pudding, Hot Chili Chocolate, Neato Doritos (made with Doritos), basil, and Girl Scouts Gone Wild. They also have sell their unique flavors of sorbets and water ices.
I ordered Stout with Fudge, which tastes like, Stout with fudge! Deep favor of stout went very well with the sweetness of the fudge.
If you're in the area, check this place out!!Listed in: Brrrr!, Free Tastes Better!
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Review from Lindley E.
Chicago, IL
7/2/2009
In a land where Gifford's and Hershey's and Hood's dominates, it is a genuine pleasure to stop in for a scoop at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream. There's no high-concept, low flavor, low butterfat plonk here. Its all low overrun, all the time, in tasty, creative and exceptionally well-executed flavors. The basics are just as good as the unusual flavors, proving that the minds behind MDIIC aren't just hiding behind novelty.
So skip all those other places. Skip them all. And use up your calories and your small and large change on a scoop or three at MDIIC.
My mother, an ice cream fanatic, has requested that we, on our last day in Maine, drive more than 2 hours round trip for a last ice cream here. I'll oblige, as I loved the thin mint chocolate ice cream - it was truly spectacular - but I'll also make sure she honors my request to stop in at some of the local breweries for beer tastings. Quid pro quo, y'know? -
Review from M J.
Boston, MA
9/11/2007
This place has it going on. Take it from me, I'm not a huge ice cream fan, but I travel with a pack that is. Something about the signage lured us in. Cool sign, cool store??? Yup. The flavors here are outrageous - Dorito's, Stout, Blueberry Basil, "Dentist Please" (6 cookies and 6 candies) - wow. How do you pass those up? Impossible. Just a taste.....
Gorgeous freash flower ice bowls for sale - nice touch! Dog treats too. Avoid the other touristy shops in the heart of town and head up Main St. to this place instead. -
Review from Jeff D.
Waltham, MA
5/31/2011
I was blissfully unaware that this was part of the same location in Portland. I was standing the shop thinking to myself: "Man, these flavors taste familiar and this shop looks familiar." Anywhoo, I was able to get my favorite flavor of all time: salt caramel. I think it's only made by Mt. Desert, so I made sure to get it both nights. The wife got Peanut Butter which was great, and it must be, because all she ever gets at any ice cream place is mint chip. I highly recommend a flight, and if you do, do as I do and get two of the scoops salt caramel. If it we're so melty, I'd have a pint in my freezer now.
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Review from Kristin W.
Montclair, NJ
9/6/2007
Lots of exceptional and creative flavors. There are tons of places to go for ice cream right in Bar Harbor, but we chose this place because it looked a little off-center. The flavors had ale, caramels, kahlua, and lots of fun combinations. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. The staff was very friendly, and they allow tastes.
I had something called Bucketful of (something) - and it was amazing. I just can't remember what it was full of because there was so much. So good!! Another time I had the cookies and cream....mmmmm. One side of the scooping area seems more ice cream oriented and the other seems more gelato/sherbet oriented. Who knows, I was in an ice cream coma. -
Review from Nicole O.
Bar Harbor, ME
6/12/2010
I can't believe I've lived here a year and hadn't tried this ice cream until the other night.
Salted caramel was great but I'm going to try something else the next time I go in. Nice affordable treat on a hot summer night or otherwise. Nice people, good product. Well done! -
Review from Chris H.
Cambridge, MA
5/12/2011
Especially in America, anywhere that you go you can usually find an ice cream place. The vast majority of them are somewhere in the middle of the pack--it's hard to make it noticeably bad or noticeably good. This place was an exception on the positive end of the spectrum. I only went there once, but I still think about it sometimes.
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Review from Maureen C.
Bar Harbor, ME
5/12/2011
Handcrafted deliciousness!!! Crazy unique flavors and super
cool and tolerant staff.....we tasted a bunch of flavors before
ordering great salted caramel ice cream and a very refreshing
sorbet. Can't say enough about how awesome this place is!!! -
Review from Greta K.
8/20/2009
Fabulous ice cream!!! I loved it so much that I went back the very next day. The people who worked at both locations were very friendly and not stuck up in the least. They were happy to give samples and had some very unique flavors of ice cream. I tried salted caramel and Mexican chocolate the first visit and decided on the salted caramel. It was really delicious and perfectly blended. The Mexican chocolate, as well as the Thai Chili Coconut (which I tried the second visit) was just too much for me. I wasn't really into the chili powder or the curry in my ice cream. But some people might really like that, and it is good that they make adventurous flavors.
The second time I went to the location on Main Street, which had some different flavors than the Firefly Lane location. The girl at the counter told me that she could give me a scoop of two flavors because I was indecisive, so I had the chocolate and candy shop ice cream, which was vanilla with m&m's in it. All three flavors I ordered were excellent.
For a small ice cream, with two ample scoops, I paid $4.00. That is expensive, but I think it was worth it, and I definitely didn't miss the Dairy Queen that is down the street from me. -
Review from Summer A.
Bangor, ME
7/20/2010
MDI Ice Cream is amazing. I no longer eat dairy so when I go I lust after the sorbet. My favorites are the cantaloupe and the blueberry basil, though they have many flavors and they change often. They will also blend the sorbet with soda water and fresh mint to make a "chiller", which is a simple and absolutely delightful treat. The price is a bit higher than other places, but the product is way more delicious, so that's not really an issue.
If you want to avoid the screaming kids at any other ice cream shop in town, come to this quiet little hideaway and get the best frozen treats in Bar Harbor. Also, it's conveniently located right near the public restrooms and the park so it's a great place for a break. -
Review from Chew S.
Jersey City, NJ
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Review from Missy G.
Bradenton, FL
4/12/2011
I go to mount desert ice cream whenever I can. They have amazing homemade ice cream! My all time favorite ice cream there is the mint chip, and I think that it is very creative to change from chocolate chips to mint chocolate chips every once in a while.
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Review from Daniel C.
6/9/2010 1 Check-in Here
Like the Kee's Chocolates of New York, the ice cream has imaginative flavors that really taste like whatever the name is. For example, the blackberry basil sorbet has both strong tones of basil and blackberry in good balance. Saw another review saying there was a pear reisling flavor. Wish that was here when I was here.
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Review from Colin B.
Acton, MA
8/25/2010
This is a hidden gem - slightly off of Main St, but well worth looking for! As other reviewers have said, their salted caramel is absolutely amazing! I was lucky enough to steal some of my wifes before she gobbled it down. I had to order 'Dude' - something about ordering a small Dude in a cup just could not be passed up! The creaminess of their ice cream is amazing and the flavors are an incredible mix. Definitely ask to taste their wonderfully tasty combos!
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Review from faylinda k.
Arlington, VA
7/21/2010
I love ice cream, but I don't eat dairy and most sorbets are a disappointing substitute. MDI 's sorbet was truly satisfying. I asked the very helpful counter staff for a flavor that would be intense and ended up with Papaya Heat. Wow - cold, fruity and spicy-hot all at once. I am going to TRY to duplicate it in my kitchen. Husband had "The Dude," a white Russian flavor that was very rich and alcoholicky. I wish we has an MDI ice cream in DC!
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Review from Tiffany D.
Manhattan, NY
9/3/2008
CRAZY flavors!!! I wish I lived closer so I could try them all! I had the Pear Riesling flavor and it was like a sorbet... I wish I tried a creamier one. DEEEEEElicious!!! I'll be visiting everytime I come to Bar Harbor!!!
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Review from pete k.
9/18/2008 2 photos
awesome range of flavors! they had an "ice cream flight" which allows you to sample 4 flavors.. awesome, awesome idea.
hands down, my favorite was the salted caramel. need to go back to sample more.
oh, and dogs are welcome, too. -
Review from G J J.
Boston, MA
7/8/2010
Excellent trendy ice-cream that harkens back to trendy ice-creameries in bigger cities around the country. Pricey!
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Review from aimee m.
Brooklyn, NY
8/10/2010
Do not miss this place! Girl Scout Cookie is to die for.. I dream about it at night...
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Review from Emily A.
Oakland, CA
7/7/2010
Really really great ice cream! Definitely go here and skip over the hundreds of other ice creameries on the main street. They serve interesting flavors of ice cream, but I got smores and it was so great!
