Ports of Italy - The Kennebunks

Place had been sold and closed few weeks

The meal was very bland, sauce was like / water probably order something different.
I think the bread & oil was the best part of the meal. My drink I had was very tasty.

Both the bartender and Jennifer the waitress were very accommodating.

Valentine’s Day Spectacular Disaster

1 – First round of drinks takes too long to arrive.
2 – We ordered 2 hot appetizers (meatballs and garlic bread). The bread was ordered because there’s no bread to be seen at any table.
3 - The server brings two perfectly chilled plates. What? For hot appetizers?
4 – A second drink is never offered, even as the appetizers arrive. I finally flag down the server. Sloppy service.
5 – Wife asks: “what are those small paper bags on the tables of other guests?” Oh, that’s bread. But I forgot to bring you some. She brings a small sack of bread. It’s apparent that we’re being subjected to an experience that guests with other servers are not.
6 – The main arrives and is announced: Orecchiette sautéed with Italian sausage, tomato, broccoli rabe & basil. I’m looking at miniature shells, not orecchiette. Pasta is pasta, but why announce what is obviously not true? The broccoli rabe was represented by a few chopped stems. The whole plate is a back-of-the-house failure to deliver.
7 –We eat and laugh at our misfortune.
8 – Plates are arriving for other guests. Rack of Lamb! One of my favorites, and a special for the evening. But we were never told about any specials. Disappointment becomes upset.
8 – Small chocolate cakes arrive at other tables, surrounded by fresh strawberries. Nice!
9 – Would we like to see a dessert menu? Yes, of course. Let’s continue the fun. The feature is the flourless chocolate cake. We naively order that.
10 – The brownie arrives, slopped with half-deflated whipped cream, and a few whole and fresh but FROZEN strawberries. Our server fails again to speak about the specials, and the kitchen delivers frozen fruit as an accompaniment.

$163.00 for dinner. No tip. The experience: unforgettable and unforgivable.

The chef should be dragged from the back to witness the nightmare of abominable service and mediocre food unfolding before the guest’s eyes. Never again.

We meet with friends for a birthday celebration every year.
We were very disappointed with the food quality this time.
Our reservation was for 12:30. They were already out of shrimp for the day. Omelettes very oily and the chef was not at his station most of the time to carve meat. We all felt
It was not close to what we have experienced on our previous trips.

While they had a lot of food out, it just seemed like they've been doing it too long. The meat at the carving station was dry. Tiramasu was good, the cookie was overcooked. Someone told me they were selling the restaurant, so perhaps that's why the vibes weren't good.

We often go for the Sunday buffet. Always enjoy it. Plenty of choices.

The excellent service, ambiance, and fresh pasta all make it worth the visit!

Loved it. Great selection fir a brunch buffet. Fabulous service and atmosphere. We were a bit late in the day for brunch and the only thing I could criticize was wish the fried chicken was hot and would have loved to try some oysters but they were out. But I will be back!

Food was bland not impressed for the money you except more.

One of my favorites! Great culinary and service team!

Went for NYE and the service was great; however, when we made reservations there was nothing stating there was a prix fix menu or that there would be a DJ and strobe lights... could barely hear anyone talk and when asked if he could turn it down he continued to turn it up!

New Years Eve menu was a nice change. The food was really delicious. We had the filet mignon and salmon. Both were fantastic. Our desserts were excellent too. The seafood ceviche was a first time treat. Loved the lime and cilantro on it.

Had a great time at Ports of Italy tonight! The pasta Bolognese was absolutely amazing. We also enjoyed the Caesar salad and the Brussels sprouts. The service was wonderful. Highly recommend!

Hostess was rude. We had a reservation but we’re not seated for over 20 minutes because “we were early” (by 10 min!) and despite the fact that fewer than half the tables were filled.
Meals were ok - not worth the fixed $55. Waitress was excellent despite being v. Busy.
Have been here 3 x in past year and it was always very good. Won’t be back.

I wish they had said they were not serving their regular menu. That would have changed our mind. Instead $65 with a choice of just four entrees. We were looking forward to the regular menu.

The Fruits of the Sea...had a tasteless tomato sauce., rubber calameri, 5 clams, 10 mussels, and 1 shrimp. It is in a Maine shore town and rhe fish dish was sad. The hristmas Cake desert was dry and tasteless.

Spaghetti pasta was under cooked and tuff. Meatball were absolutely terrible - over-processed and no taste. Salmon was so-so. Service was exceptioal to our concerns.

We had a wonderful night there. Great food, great service. Cozy little place. We’d definitely go again if we’re in the area.

It was a great night Good food and Great Friends

it is very difficult to review a place on a Saturday during Prelude. We are pretty much regulars and always enjoy the food and most of the wait staff-they always try to do their best under the circumstances but seriously? to not have garlic bread at one o clock on a notoriously busy Saturday?? very disappointing and the food was just ok but it was extremely busy so that is understandable.

Love Ports of Italy-our go to spot most weeks. Vladimir, Jennifer, Ian and the rest of the staff are fantastic!

The food was tasteless, my seafood fruity di mare, mussels were mostly represented and were extremely small, there were two tiny clams and there was absolutely no taste.
The other dinner was Orichette with broccoli, sausage and sliced tomatoes which is normally not in that dinner. You would think with all those ingredients there would be some taste none whatsoever and what they call Orichette pasta were more like small shell pasta.
They’ll never see us again for sure!

Our waitress, Jennifer, was helpful and patient. We were not rushed at all. The food was outstanding - four dinners, four emptied plates even though the portions were generous. Dessert was excellent and the coffee was worth going back for. We ranged in age from 15 to 73 and all were very happy with our experience.

We have eaten at Ports of Italy several times. The food has always been very good. Our server on Friday night (Jennifer) was outstanding. She made the evening with her attention to detail, knowledge of the menu and knowing how to make her customers feel great about their time at the restaurant. We will be back.

Such a let down,three years ago it was fantastic,now it's a shadow of itself.Quality has dropped,cold salmon,dry cool macaroni & cheese, cocktail shrimp that were limp, undercooked desert's.Well you get the jist.

Worst flavored italian food I have ever paid for. My husbands pasta wasnt cooked all the way and meatballs had fennel seed in them. My fruiti-de-mar was watery and flavorless

Nice cozy atmosphere. Valet parking is a plus as parking is limited. Food and service very good. Wait to go after the tourists have gone; much more enjoyable! Only downside is the seating. The cafe-style chairs are not comfortable at all. We skipped dessert as we couldn't tolerate the seating any longer. Recommend making changes to the seating to provide a more enjoyable experience.

The food is just not good. Service was great and our waiter tried to offset the dinners. I left him a nice tip however it’s just not good.

Maybe it’s just a pizza place
Other diners sent their food back.

Great Pizza and delicious new pasta dishes. And the staff treats you like family! This is a weekly stop for us!

Just incredibly average

Phenomenal food. Incredible waitress—huge, fun personality with in depth knowledge of the food on the menu. We had a fantastic anniversary dinner and are excited to return!

The server had way too many tables to give good service. The food was mediocre at best and the menu selections very small. The bread was the only thing that was excellent and we didn’t get that till after our meal was served. I would not go back.

Jennifer was an outstanding server. We followed her advice and are glad we did. She created a great experience. The pizza great and the wine pours generous. The perfect place to go if you are loberstered out.

Service was excellent and food very very good. Will definitely return.

The server was excellent.
The food was ok but not special. The previous night we had eaten at Ports of Italy in Boothbay Harbor and everything was excellent. It was also very busy so had atmosphere. This one was very quiet with only 2/3 tables occupied.
We were very disappointed.

Only about occupied 7 tables. The server and food runner were running around almost frantic. The food was not at all what I was expecting. The pasta was horribly undercooked in everyone’s dish at the table. Mine was reminiscent of uncooked ramen. Server got me a new dish but no apology or sincerity. Huge disappointment all around for the amount of money we spent.

We arrived for our reservation and were promptly seated. Our server was great! She was professional, knowledgeable, and welcoming. We ordered a bottle of wine , my glass was dirty and she promptly changed it out. We started with a grilled octopus appetizer. The octopus was very tough. My husband had the meatballs and pasta. He said it was okay. I had the duck pasta, it had a very harsh flavor. Overall a mediocre experience.

This was our third time here and it’s not quite as good as I recall. The menu has less offerings but still good, nice wine list and not just the standards by the glass. Bread with oil prior to dinner was very good. Our waitress was very attentive.

Needed a break from seafood. Ordered the Burrata and it was excellent! Ordered the meatballs for my entree but unfortunately had to send them back because they were cold.
The Lemoncello Spritz was excellent