The Pickled Wrinkle (Birch Harbor, ME)

Located just outside the Schoodic section of Acadia National Park, The Pickled Wrinkle is a popular, casual restaurant and pub where locals and visitors gather for satisfying food, drinks, and a relaxed coastal atmosphere. Known affectionately as “The PW,” it makes an inviting lunch or dinner stop after hiking, biking, or driving around the Schoodic Peninsula.

The restaurant’s unusual name comes from a traditional Downeast Maine delicacy. “Wrinkles” are large marine snails, or whelks, sometimes found in lobster traps hauled from the ocean floor. Coastal families traditionally pickled them as a practical way to preserve the protein-rich shellfish. The Pickled Wrinkle honors that local food tradition by serving pickled wrinkles when available. Visitors feeling adventurous can try one for an authentic—and memorable—taste of Maine’s maritime heritage.

The menu (VIEW HERE) combines pub favorites with Maine ingredients and creative house-made flavors. Start with soft Bavarian pretzel bites served with smoked Gouda pub cheese or Maine maple mustard, house-brined wings, fried cheese curds, crispy Brussels sprouts, or wild dulse chips made with locally harvested sea vegetables. Flatbread choices include cheeseburger and scallop-and-bacon combinations.

Burgers are flame-grilled and made with Maine Pineland Farms beef. Choices include the classic burger, the bacon-and-bourbon-barbecue Nautica Burger, the mushroom-and-Swiss Mooring Burger, and the Pub Cheese Burger topped with smoked Gouda cheese sauce. When available, the Surf and Turf adds fresh Maine lobster salad to a cheeseburger. The Frazier Point Sandwich features grilled steak tips, horseradish cream, American cheese and red onion.

Pizza selections range from the five-cheese Wicked Fancy Cheese and meat-packed Carnivore to the vegetable-topped Herbivore. Other combinations feature steak and cheese, Italian sausage with blue cheese, or salami and artichoke hearts with garlic-Parmesan sauce. Guests may also build their own pizza, and gluten-free dough, buns and alternative burger choices are available.

Weekly offerings include Thursday Ribeye Steak Night and a Friday all-you-can-eat haddock fish fry, often accompanied by live music. The bar serves craft cocktails and local canned beer, with packaged drinks available to go where permitted. Specials and entertainment may change, so check the restaurant’s website or social media for the latest information.

The Pickled Wrinkle is open year-round and welcomes residents, seasonal visitors, and travelers exploring the Schoodic National Scenic Byway. Its approachable menu, friendly service, and unmistakably local personality make it a memorable part of the Birch Harbor dining scene.

The restaurant is just outside the Schoodic section of Acadia National Park in Birch Harbor, making it a convenient stop before or after driving the park loop and visiting Schoodic Point. Schoodic Point is known for its broad pink-granite ledges, crashing Atlantic waves, seabirds, and views toward Mount Desert Island.

Address: 9 East Schoodic Drive, Birch Harbor, ME 04613

Phone: +1 (207) 963-7916

Hours:

Monday–Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday–Sunday kitchen: Noon–8 p.m.
Wednesday–Sunday bar: Noon–9 p.m.

Links:

Official website
Menu
Facebook
Instagram
Directions

For the latest information, please visit: https://www.thepickledwrinkle.com