Jordan Pond House

Jordan Pond House is a full-service restaurant and tea house at the south end of Jordan Pond, set beside an open lawn with the pond and The Bubbles beyond it. Come for the meal and the long-running popover tradition; if you only want the shoreline or a walk, those are separate attractions and you can skip the dining stop.

Tea and popovers have been served here since the 1890s. There’s table service and a quicker-service option, plus a two-story gift shop next door. The popovers are the signature reason to stop; the exact menu can change.

The house sits in a 42-acre landscape that reaches down to the water. From the lawn or the upstairs deck, the view runs across Jordan Pond to the rounded peaks called The Bubbles. You don’t need a hike to get this classic view, though a gravel path from the house leads down toward the shore.

George and John Jordan acquired the property in 1839, ran a sawmill on the nearby hillsides, built a farmhouse here in 1847, and planted an apple orchard. Remains of the orchard, dam, spillway, pump houses, and old paths still connect the dining stop to its earlier working landscape.

Thomas McIntire took over the business in 1895 and shaped the lawn and plantings to keep the view toward The Bubbles open. John D. Rockefeller Jr. bought the property in 1928 and donated it to the park in 1940. Fire destroyed the earlier restaurant building in 1979; the current restaurant opened in 1982.

The restaurant is seasonal, so check this year’s operating dates and reservation details before planning a meal around it. The fare-free Island Explorer stops at Jordan Pond. Summer afternoons can be congested and the parking lots may fill, so consider another time of day.

The NPS lists public flush restrooms, a bottle-filling station, parking, and an adjoining gift shop. Five marked accessible spaces are in the closest lot, and a ramp and elevator reach the upstairs deck. Some brick paving is uneven, and the restroom entrance may have a small step.