Bar Lola - PortlandSo much flavor in the foodSo much flavor in the food and so well prepared! If you like huge servings of bland food then this is not the spot for you. The food was priced quite well with great value. I would definitely visit again.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMSmall GemThe concept here takes some work at first in that the various menu options require concentration and group decisionmaking for ordering. But the staff is helpful and patient in guiding neophytes. The food itself is interesting, creative and varied, which makes for a fun night out. Our crowd tried the 4 dish prix fixe, together with the wine tasting option - this provided a great variety of dishes and wines, which made for a fun evening of swapping tastes within our foursome. The atmosphere was intimate but not excessively small, lively but not loud. We were there for a major birthday celebration and Lola's turned out to be a perfect spot for the occasion.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMEvery Course a DelightFour of us enjoyed all five of our selections from the menu. My oysters on the half shell appetizer was amazing as was the fried calamari with a piquant roasted pepper and preserved lemon slices. My husband said the slow cooked lamb with roasted tomatoes on pasta was delicious. My arugula salad with fava beans and shredded beets was wonderfully flavorful. The striped bass was cooked perfectly. The panna cotta dessert had a topping with fresh citrus flavors that made it light and entirely satisfying.
The co-owner, Stella always remembers us and makes us feel welcomed and appreciated.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMan outstanding mealWe had a true great dinner. Even the salad was one of the best I have had. Go to this place!5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had our 27th Wedding AnniversaryWe had our 27th Wedding Anniversary dinner here recently. Everything was wonderful from the complimentary Prosecco to the wonderful meal and service. We had the 7 course Feed Me chef's choice dinner. They listened to our requests and brought out 14 spectacular dishes for us to enjoy. We were amazed that we each got different dishes allowing us to taste so much of the menu along with some dishes that were not on the menu. For $44 per person we felt it was an excellent value with just the right amount of food allowing you to enjoy course 1 through course 7. We can't say enough about the service, our waiter made sure every dish met our needs and somehow hit every course perfectly based on our preferences. We'll be back!4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMThis restaurant was one ofThis restaurant was one of the best places I have ever eaten. The service and food was excellent and I will definitely dine here again.4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMFeed me!After many attempts, I was successful in securing a reservation at this tiny restaurant. Our party of four,from the Boston, Massachusetts area, tried the "Feed Me", seven course blind tasting menu. We consider ourselves "foodie people". For each course we were served different dishes for each of us or two of the same. Being good friends, we shared each others courses so we each tasted about 15-20 possible different combinations. Each course was prepared to order, so a little wait time between courses. All combinations were amazing. Waiter was very accommodating and pleasant. The wife half of the husband/chef/wife/G.M. owners visited our table to chat about the food. Try the cocktails - yum!
We'll be back4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMImpressive business dinnerThis is a great spot to have an impressive business dinner with a foodie colleague. We selected the 'feed me' menu option and the seven courses were incredible. Despite hailing from Toronto, a real food mecca, he was blown away by the meal.4/10/2013 12:00:00 AMBar Lola is an exceptionalBar Lola is an exceptional gem in our Munjoy Hill neighborhood, as well as one of the best restaurants in Portland. The food is creative and excellent. We always request the wine pairings and Stella is remarkable with her selections that perfectly complement each course, and our special server, Alex, is fabulous. This is our "go to" spot for a perfect dining experience. How lucky we are that it's a five-minute walk from home.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMThis restaurant is outstanding.This restaurant is outstanding. The food is delicious and very well prepared. The portions are perfect. I highly recommend this restaurant.4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMLovely spot, nice people.Lovely spot, nice people. The food is uneven and often a bit underseasoned. Our table of four had some of us delighted (nice salmon, nice fennel salad!) and some of us less happy (coarse leaves in a Bibb salad, humdrum beef in red wine). There's a delicious steamed lemon pudding.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had the seven-course tastingWe had the seven-course tasting menu, and, unlike any other such menu I have experienced, each of us had a different dish for each course. We thus got to taste fourteen dishes each and a full-range of what the kitchen does. It's also an unusual tasting menu in that some of the portions are generous and none is tiny. And it's extraordinarily fairly priced.
Several of the dishes were outstanding and all were at least very good. Service was excellent after an early delay. The wine pairings were skillful, with the wines pairing well with the food but not perhaps being what one would seek out in a store. This was a terrific dining experience.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMAnother gem on Munjoy Hill.Another gem on Munjoy Hill. Great atmosphere, great food. Didn't rush us. Not terribly noisy. Just right. Food was excellent with good choices of wine.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a blast and the 7-courseWe had a blast and the 7-course tasting with wine pairing was superb!!3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMI have eaten here many times,I have eaten here many times, and the food is always very good. But this night the food was amazing, and the wait staff perfect. Could not have asked for a better dining experience for my Birthday.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMFeed Me is the BestThe "Feed Me" option is one of the most interesting and delicious dining options in Portland, ME. Combined with excellent service and a comfortable ambience, this is a "must have" for any real foodie.3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMA tiny place with great food!Lovely neighborhood restaurant! Small and cramped, but that goes away once you taste their food! There was not a single thing we ate that wasn't absolutely delicious! I had pork, it was tender, cooked perfectly and the flavor was to die for! My friend ordered the beef, which she rarely does, but said it was outstanding and so glad she decided on it! Our waiter was attentive and very helpful! I think my only complaint was that the descriptions of their meals were not easy to comprehend! I don't like having to ask what a meal's description means( especially when there are many of them), and this menu had lots of that. But don't let this stop you, the wait staff is well versed, the place is charming and the food, superb!3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMFirst TimersA Wednesday night visit to this neighborhood, small but not cramped restaurant. Nice decor. Wife owner is front of the house and selects the wines that are served (excellent advice as we were making our selection). Husband is the chef. You can order a la carte or have a 4 course dinner or 7 course meal. A lot of choices for such a small restaurant. Our dinner was delicious, but I would have preferred my dishes to arrive a little warmer. The service was a little slow for us, but on the other hand we were not rushed. We would go back.3/13/2013 12:00:00 AMUtterly charming. We wereUtterly charming. We were made to feel like family, in the best way. Attentive, professional service and truly wonderful, adventurous yet subtle cooking.1/25/2013 12:00:00 AMAs always, Guy and StellaAs always, Guy and Stella hit the nail squarely on the head all the way around. Stella is as gracious a host as one could wish for; the front of the house ran seamlessly. This was a wine dinner featuring Pinot noir. Frankly, Pinot is not my favorite of wines, but these were excellent, and the food pairings made them sing a song I could hum to. Each course was beautifully presented, exactly the right portion, and plate scraping yummy. The pine nut tart is still floating around in my head and has me wondering how I might recreate it at home. Oh, never mind; I will just go back and hope it is still on the menu. Thank you for a lovely evening, again!1/22/2013 12:00:00 AMAbsolutely terrific on allAbsolutely terrific on all counts. Did the prix fixe with the wine pairings — how smart we proved to be!!12/8/2012 12:00:00 AMWe did the blind tasting withWe did the blind tasting with wine pairing and enjoyed every course. Staff was knowledgable and engaged. Wine pairings were unexpected yet perfect.12/7/2012 12:00:00 AMMagicEvery note was on key at this restaurant. The menu and multi-course format complexity would seem impossible for the well trained and personable staff to execute without the help of magic. But performance was complete with the delivery of plate after plate of wonderfully prepared food with a nod to the healthy; neither too rich nor oversized servings.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food. Great wine.Great food. Great wine. Great service. Away from the crowds downtown. Well worth the journey up the hill.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AM