I took a 30-minute ferry to a restaurant on an island in Maine. It was worth the trip just for the cocktails.

• I took my family of five, plus some friends, to a restaurant on an unbridged island in Maine.
• The food was delicious, but the drinks were the highlight of our visit.

My family had been trying to visit Crown Jewel the entire summer, but the logistics of our kids' schedules, the ferry schedule, and reservation availability didn't work in our favor. Still, I was able to snag a table for nine on the last day the restaurant, which sits on an unbridged island near Portland, Maine, was open for the season.

The magic of Crown Jewel, beyond its food and service, is that the only way to get in and out is by taking a $10 ferry ride or a water taxi, which costs about $75 for up to six people.

Finally, with a reservation for a late lunch, we packed everyone on the ferry and went off on an adventure. Adults and kids all loved it, and now I can't wait for next summer to visit again. The ambiance was chill and kid-friendly, the food and drinks were delicious, and the whole experience felt like an adventure more than just going out for lunch.

Crown Jewel is a seasonal hot spot in Maine

Located on Great Diamond Island, the restaurant is only open from late May to mid-September, when it's finally nice in Maine. We wanted to celebrate my birthday there, which was on a Thursday, but realized after making all the ferry plans that the restaurant is only open from Friday to Sunday in June. So make sure to triple-check restaurant availability when booking transportation.

Crown Jewel has a small menu, and since we wanted to try basically everything, my group opted to share lots of plates. My highlights were the ceviche and the coconut shrimp. I barely got a bite in because my kids were all over them. In return, I stole some fries from my kids' plates, and they were hands down my favorite french fries ever (and I eat a lot of fries!)

The restaurant is kid-friendly

We visited with friends who have kids the same ages as ours, ranging from 3 to 6 years old. We were a bit worried about bringing five young children to a small restaurant on an island. So many things could go wrong, from missing the ferry and having tantrums to not liking the food options.

That said, the restaurant is super kid-friendly. It has a kid's menu, and no one batted an eye when we showed up with our crew. While the kids were loud, we weren't the only family there, which made us feel less out of place.

At the end of our meal, I bought everyone shaved ice, which was a fun surprise. The trip on a boat made it more of an adventure for the kids than just going out for a meal. They kept asking if we were going to see pirates and if the restaurant was called Crown Jewel because the owners had found a treasure there. The name of the restaurant is actually a nod to the island's name and the location being a hidden gem in Maine.

The drinks were outstanding

While the food was delicious, my favorite part of the experience was the drinks. The restaurant has a huge variety of mixed drinks and also non-alcoholic options ranging from sweet to incredibly spicy.

I tried one delicious mixed drink called "Surfing on Acid," with bourbon, ginger, and peach, and it was basically a mix between a dessert and a cocktail.

My husband had one called "Nightshade" which had mezcal, mole, and passionfruit. While it was delicious, it was too spicy for my Argentine palate. We also all shared the punch. I have no idea what was in it, but the punch was fruity and light in booze, which made it easy to drink.

If you go by ferry, you can get stuck at the restaurant for a couple of hours (like we did) and so they offer drinks to go, including coffee and boozy coffee.

After our meal, with an hour and a half to kill until the next ferry could take us back to the mainland, we walked around the island. We found a playground for the kids to enjoy while the adults rocked in public rocking chairs. By the time we took the ferry, the sun was setting, and we got beautiful views of the Maine coastline painted pink, just like the walls at Crown Jewel.