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    The Great Impasta

    3.7 (189 reviews)
    ModerateItalian
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Order The Great Impasta Takeout or Delivery

    The Great Impasta Photos

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    THE GREAT IMPASTA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Aglio Olio with angel hair
    Kim L.

    We needed to try the new Great Impasta, it recently reopened in a new spot & my 90 year old mom and I had heard negative things. We wanted to judge for ourselves. We had a bit of a long wait before our order was taken, and then we waited a long time for our lunch - we thought next time we should maybe have a salad before our main dish. I thought the garlic knots were great, doughy, cheesy - YUM! The portion sizes were just right - I had assumed I would be taking some of the pasta home but ate it all! Mom had a 1/2 Italian BLT and also ate the whole thing. Other than the wait we found the place charming and the upstairs bar (we spotted it on our way out) looked like a place to try!

    Fettuccini Alfredo
    Diana G.

    Great dinner at the Great Impasta this evening. The decor is appropriately Italian themed, but manages to be unique and fun. Our server was very pleasant and attentive. I tried the Sicilian Mama for a cocktail - I highly recommend it! As always, the garlic knots were delicious. My meal of fettuccini with shrimp was also top notch. The kitchen was very slow , but the meal was well worth the wait.

    1st, said it was carbonada. It was their version as I was told of a carbonada. Just an Alfredo sauce with pasta. I'm sorry that is not a carbonada. The bolognese, well must have been their own variation as well. Along with the shrimp scampi. Not quite what we were thinking of. I'm sorry but I beleive Olive Garden had more authentic Italian food. With that said, the food served was not at all terrible. If you have never eaten real Italian food, you would love this restaurant. Waitresses were nice and helpful. Definitely a plus. Also how many authentic Italian restaurants would have imitation parmesan cheeseburger the table. Again, even Olive Garden uses fresh grated cheese. I think the name impasta was meant as imposter.

    One of my favorite Maine brews.
    Terrilynn D.

    A quiet, unassuming restaurant one might not even notice that it's here. A friend took me because it's one of her favorite local spots. We had a late lunch that was absolutely delicious. Service was friendly and timely. Each dish was served in a very nice presentation, and just the right amount of flavorful, wonderfully seasoned food. The buttery rolls with Parmesan were warm and a great way to start while waiting for the food. I highly recommend !

    Sangria
    Claudine R.

    Place was really busy with a long wait, our 15 minutes wait ended up being 45 minutes so expectations were high that food would be phenomenal. However, it felt short of that. First, my sangria was delish. Now, the food. Bread of the garlic knots were not good, had no taste, bruschetta toppings were delicious but again the bread was not. As for the mussels, it was fantastic. For main dinner, I got the seafood pasta with white wine.. fresh and tasty and BF had the steak medallions with cheese risotto and it was HORRIBLE. The meat was so sour from the lemon and with no seasoning whatsoever and the risotto was the most disgusting risotto I've ever tasted. Never in my life we sent a dish back to the kitchen but this was just not edible. Our waitress was nice enough and offered my BF another dish, and he ended up getting the same pasta dish as mine. Service was good, pricing was fair. But some of the dish were below subpar. My BF will never go back to this restaurant and I feel bad because this part of Maine need a really good Italian restaurant. Maybe I'll give it a second chance by trying another pasta dish.

    Mussels in wine, DELICIOUS!!
    Yvonne S.

    Great little restaurant, friendly staff and a wonderful menu. The bread in garlic and butter was to die for I had pasta with pesto sauce and it was wonderful. Make sure you make reservations , the place is small and it fills fast. Can't wait to go back.

    Beautiful summer neal

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    17 days ago

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    4 months ago

    We have a wonderful dining experience every time! Yummy yummy food and nice people! Best place in town!!!

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    9 months ago

    Bad food and bad service. Slow food and outdated interior. Would not recommend, nor will we be coming back.

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    1 year ago

    Food is bland, service is horrible it's a want to be bar/ olive garden. All wait staff are young and need more training

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    Pomelia - Chicken Parmigiana with the spicy sauce

    Pomelia

    4.7(69 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    Went for lunch. Quickly seated. Pleasant waitress. Creative combinations of ingredients to make…read moreItalian inspired dishes. We had bruschetta, and panelle (chickpea fritters with whipped ricotta and hot honey) as appetizers and split a pepperoni pizza and ceaser saled as an entree. Food was exceptional. Felt like an explosion of flavor in your mouth. We were seated in the very front of the restaurant which had a modern simple design. We will definitely return.

    I don't dine in Brunswick very often, since it's a bit of a drive from my home, but I was meeting…read morea friend, and liked the idea of a prix fixe luncheon menu, so we decided to give it a go. Reasonably priced at $25 for an appetizer, main course, and dessert. We both got the garlic Caesar salad, which was tasty, but would've been nothing special without those lovely garlic homemade croutons. For the main course, my friend got the Chicken Parmesan, which in the past she says has been overly spiced with additional red pepper flakes, but this time, at her request, came out with a much better balanced sauce. Based on other Yelp reviews, I decided to get the Marsala Porcini. It was good, but I felt it was also nothing special, and compared to the size of the Chicken Parmesan serving, was considerably smaller - look at the photos. For dessert, we both got the mini cannoli, which was OK as well. Certainly nothing like Boston East End cannolis, which is probably an unfair comparison. Because they are so small, the cannoli shell is much too crispy, and very difficult to eat with a spoon. In the end, I think the food was OK, and the price is reasonable. if I lived in the area, I may return, but I'm certainly not going out of my way.

    Photos
    Pomelia
    Pomelia - Pomelia's Cannoli

    Pomelia's Cannoli

    Pomelia - House made Cannoli

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    House made Cannoli

    Enoteca Athena

    Enoteca Athena

    4.1(134 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    We were delighted to eat out on the back patio on a beautiful evening. Jaxson was our server and…read morehe was top notch. He had wonderful stories about each menu item. We loved the Grecian - a Greek themed mixed appetizer plate with yummy pitas. The only addition that would have been good was a wedge of lemon but we devoured it before asking for one. LOL. We shared the shrimp appetizer- Gamberi e Agrumi- which was cooked perfectly but honestly it was the sauce that stole the show! Pistachio orange honey sauce - mmmm- so good. Then we shared Keftedes which was nice - half vegetarian for me and half lamb/beef. They were good but we couldn't stop thinking about the shrimp sauce. I had some Greek red wine which was fabulous!! We made a note to ourselves to be sure and stop here anytime we are in Brunswick.

    Served here is an eclectic mix of Greek and Italian food. Not just the same tired old standards…read more(Parmigiana, Bolognese, Gyros), though they have these as well. The menu is pretty small and the dishes are not fancy, but this is more than made up for by the bold, fresh flavors, less-common ingredients, artful presentation, and generous portions. And equally importantly, creativity. Take the parmigiana, for example. Rather than boring, dry chicken breast theirs are made with boneless thighs, a much more interesting choice. In the carbonara, where you might expect bacon, something better: guanciale. Decorative herbs? Not the common parsley sprigs, instead beautiful purple micro-basil. The pastas: every one is made fresh in house, not dried. Excellent service as well. My waiter, Lucas, could not have been better, in every way. As for the bartender, Russell, the specialty cocktails are his own creations, with whimsical names, ingredients many of which I've never heard of, and the two I tried were fantastic. And he seemed genuinely pleased when I complimented him on this as I was leaving. The only service flaw - minor - was a delay in getting my first drink, which arrived after my appetizer. Appetizer was Arancini. Crunchy coating, and inside a risotto-style rice, al dente, along with asparagus, guanciale, and two cheeses for added interest. A beautiful presentation, artfully drizzled with lemon aioli (the lemon too subtle) and purple micro-basil. Two large pieces, and because I was dining solo I took one home for breakfast - along with half the generously-sized dessert cake. My cocktails: Eve's Temptation: Caraway-thyme infused vodka, Oloroso sherry, Dolin dry vermouth, apple, lemon. Hattan Bow Tie: Basil Hayden bourbon, Cocchi Barolo Chinato, Pernod Absinthe Superiore, flamed orange. Wish I could have tried every one! There's also a very interesting-sounding wine list including a red sparking Lambrusco dessert wine, served chilled, that I wanted to try but didn't. Lucas recommended the special pasta of the day, a simple dish of house-made spaghetti, romano, Calabrian chilis, garlic (lots and lots of it!), parsley, and bread crumbs. I don't normally go for pasta entrees, especially simple ones like this, but in this case it sounded interesting and I trusted his recommendation - after adding the optional grilled shrimp and guanciale. These additions raised the price considerably, but it was so worth it. The fresh pasta was perfectly cooked and the cheeses and bread crumbs added body without making it too heavy. The shrimps were very large, not overcooked, fresh, and loaded with more garlic flavor. The tails were not removed, which always slightly annoys me. The guanciale added smokiness and textural interest. More purple micro-basil for garnish. Pretty to be sure but disappointing to see it again; they used that on the arancini. As for the heat: it was more than mild from the chilis but by no means hot. The most assertive flavor was the garlic, much of it raw. Maybe a bit excessive but I'd rather have too much than too little. A good-sized portion but not huge, just the right amount to feel satisfied but not stuffed. And I left room for dessert! Dessert options were limited, even more so than the entrees. I decided on the pistachio olive oil cake. My take is it's like a pound cake but made with olive oil instead of butter. Olive oil was also drizzled on the plate and over the whipped cream; interesting. Lots of pistachio flavor, in the cake itself and also in the candied pistachios mixed in and sprinkled over the whipped cream which was flavored and firm. I ate one of the two slices and that was enough, taking the rest home. When I opened the box the next day I saw that they had even packed the leftover whipped cream in a small container, and it was still firm, not runny. Impressive. Disappointingly, there are no ice cream or gelato offerings for dessert. Lucas agreed with me that it seems a strange omission for an Italian restaurant. The room is comfortable and attractive, natural wood, old-fashioned cabinets, cork and burlap dominant in the decor. Plant prints, mosaics made from wine corks, an antique dresser in the men's room. The bar, dominant in the room (no TVs - yeah!), is apparently the place to meet and greet in Brunswick. I lost count of the number of hugs exchanged between the many people coming and going over the 90 minutes I was there. No hugs for me but I enjoyed watching the activity.

    Photos
    Enoteca Athena
    Enoteca Athena
    Enoteca Athena

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    Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro - Meatball Margherita Pizza

    Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro

    4.2(678 reviews)
    7.7 mi
    $$

    Great food and upscale restaurant. Service was excellent. Nice bar to sit at as well. Overall…read morehighly recommend

    It's been almost 4 years since my last review and since we have returned a couple of times since, I…read morethought I should update it. I have been adding photos along the way. Check them out! We have consistently had great experiences here. Food is always exactly what we hope for when ordering and in some cases, exceeded expectations. The service is always very good. Pleasant, prompt and fun to interact with. The management and staff at this location, are always so professional and well skilled. They definitely help make it a great experience. The environment hasn't really changed - cozy warm living room feel. Upholstered furniture. Still very nice. It's amazing that it doesn't feel worn out, even after all of these years. In the colder days, the fire place and fire pits are nice. Appetizers have been consistently great. The favorites: fresh bread, crab cakes, calamari and meatball Main dishes - any of the specials they offer are typically great. The most recent one I had was the crab cake and burrata risotto. Any pasta dish is usually amazing and I love ALL of their dinner salads with so many protein options you can add. The desserts - the only one that I know and love is the chocolate cake. ALWAYS consistently good! Parking - street and behind the restaurant there is a lower lot - difficult if you have accessibility needs, as it's an angled driveway. Warning - it's a one way in and one way out lot! There are signs, however, I have seen some people either not see them or ignore them. Drive slowly. Reservations - Easy peasy via the Resy App! I highly recommend reservations even on days you think it might be slow. This place is a main hub for the town and surrounding towns for a nice sit down dinner that isn't too casual.

    Photos
    Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro - Inside

    Inside

    Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro - Short rib over truffle fries.

    Short rib over truffle fries.

    Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro - Cozy

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    Cozy

    Ports of Italy - Fettuccine Verdi Alla Carolina

    Ports of Italy

    4.4(405 reviews)
    17.4 mi
    $$$

    Food: The food here is absolutely amazing! The bread was clearly fresh baked. I got a special…read moreappetizer of truffle risotto that came with freshly grated truffle on top. The flavor was exceptional and I savored every bite. For my main I got their gnocchi dish. These were by far the lightest most fluffy gnocchi I have ever experienced. For desert I got a lemon cake that had a drizzle in the sponge to make sure it stayed moist and delicious. I would happily eat anything that comes out of this kitchen. Service: All of their wait staff was exceptional. They were courteous and went the extra mile to make dinner a fine dining experience. The only weak point was their hostess. I had a reservation but still had to wait ~15 minutes for a table after waiting ~5 minutes for the hostess to show up in the first place. Once the hostess was working again she regularly brushed past customers waiting in their overfilled waiting area and glared at people in her way. I understand her frustration but that is not an excuse to glare at customers. Ambiance: The waiting area was cramped but once we were seated the tables were spaced out enough that it didn't feel congested. There were lots of little nooks and crannies so each table had their own little area.

    Delicious pasta! I got the squid ink spaghetti and it was phenomenal and completely loaded with…read moreclams, mussels, scallops, shrimp and calamari. Also their homemade focaccia was super tender and just melted in the mouth with their olive oil and crushed olives. Service was attentive and fast and of course we had to get two desserts since we couldn't decide and they were both great. The tiramisu was super light and fluffy and the chocolate truffle cheesecake was so flavorful. I'm glad we got both!

    Photos
    Ports of Italy - Bar

    Bar

    Ports of Italy - Truffle

    Truffle

    Ports of Italy - Blueberry, lemoncelleo Marini and a Crown and ginger,

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    Blueberry, lemoncelleo Marini and a Crown and ginger,

    The Great Impasta - italian - Updated May 2026

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