Mike's American Diner — Restaurant in Arundel

There was something very weird about our server. She was totally confused & kept making the excuse "I never work lunches." , but she couldn't even handle bringing drinks. I ordered coffee, another employee told her where the freshest coffee was. She went in the opposite direction & brought me a cup of brewed tea. Sent it back, got coffee. Finally got water after asking 3 times.

My chicken salad club arrived, and it turned out to have frozen cranberries in it. The menu in no way specified this. I attempted to send it back (untouched) telling our server that I preferred not to order anything else. She told me to 'eat what I could' & left the plate. Then a manager came out & told me that he wasn't going to let me leave unhappy. He shrugged off my complaint about the cranberries with "Sometimes we make it that way." He stared at me like a slack-jawed yokel when I said they might want to let customers know this.

He was pushy and kept insisting that I order something else. I told him that what would make me happiest was NOT ordering anything else. I actually had to say "NO. I need you to stop asking." in a loud voice. He STILL persisted until I told my companion that I was stepping outside. Then he told me to 'eat what I could' and left the plate. I think they figured they wouldn't have to comp the meal if they got me to eat some of it.

Guys, when someone has asked to send something back twice, take it back! Do not tell me to "eat what I can". Do not hover over me demanding that I order something different when I've said 'no' six times. I did not come to your restaurant to be nagged into eating something I never would've ordered if it'd been described correctly.

HEADS UP TO ALLERGY SUFFERERS- I ordered chicken salad, got chicken salad with frozen cranberries. I wonder if it might've had nuts, as cran/walnut is a common combo. (But I'm gonna guess that they just ran out of celery). Considering that their menu didn't accurately describe my food & our waitress was apparently tripping, I wouldn't trust them...

We arrived at 6:50 p.m. and gave our name and number and was told the wait time would be about 15 minutes and that they would call my phone when a table was ready. So after about an hour of waiting in our vehicle I decided to go in and check on how much longer we were going to have to wait. Mike said, "Oh, no one called you?" and apologized for the mix up and we were seated right away. Our meal started off with hard, rubbery, over microwaved rolls. I sent them back and they were corrected. We ordered the matzorella sticks, which were very good. My friend ordered the turkey dinner, it was a huge portion and was to her liking. However, I, on the other hand, ordered a cup of "Mike's Haddock Chowder." When I started to eat it I noticed that the fish 🐟 in it had a brownish tint to it, (more like tuna than any kind of haddock I'd ever seen) as haddock is white. I, then, asked Mike, "what kind of fish was used to make this (so called) Haddock chowder," he assured me it was haddock. I preceded, to spoon some out onto a plate and he said, "Don't disect it, if you don't like it, I'll just take it off the bill" (a bit of attitude here). He blamed the discoloration on the potatoes and it simply wasn't so. Myself, being native to Maine, a cook, and a former restaurant owner, I begged to differ. I know what haddock chowder is supposed to look like! He did try to make things right, by giving me a bowl to go, from the walk-in so it was cold. I checked this serving out before I took it.. It looked much better with chunks white fish. Quality control is everything when it comes to serving the public. So, two stars for this place, because he comped me the chowder to go, and tried to make things right. ☹ All in all, a very disappointing...

This was my first time at Mike's and I will be back. We were greeted at the door by Dave whose welcoming attitude set the tone for our evening. I have long ties with the Kennebunk area and over the years have eaten at many local restaurants. Mike's was such a pleasant surprise. I wanted comfort food and Mike's menu fit the bill exactly! Debbie, our waitress, was an attentive and excellent server and continued Dave's Down-East welcome. I started with the haddock chowder which was chocked-full of fish and potatoes and had the perfect soup base - not too thick! My mother and I both had the baked haddock with a salad and extra broccoli rather than a potato choice of mashers, fries or baked. The haddock was perfect and the broccoli was firm and not over-cooked. We shared an apple crisp for dessert which was the best crisp I have eaten and I'm very picky about crisps. It was made with fresh apples and tasted even better than my homemade crisp. The menu has something for everyone from yankee pot roast, sea food, salads, to hamburgers. Mikes's does not serve alcohol but you can BYOB - unopened beer, wine, or alcohol. This is a great place to bring the family or a group with many different eating needs - vegetarians have many choices. The local couple sitting next to us said that Mike's was their favorite place to go for the excellent food and the great value. The prices were very reasonable for the quality and hearty portion sizes. Mike's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and I look forward to returning for another great meal before I return to Texas. Thanks again to our...