State Lunch — Restaurant in Augusta

This review is primarily focused on the food. I ordered to-go on a Sunday at 2 pm. Upon entering, it was very clearly a bar-focused restaurant, which must be relevant as all recommendations were delivered by friends who were drinking with their meals.

I ordered myself the Spicy Shrimp Shio Ramen, my wife ordered the Shio Ramen, we got extra noodles on the side as we are used to always having broth left-over and extra noodles are the prefect way to finish it off, lastly we got a single Pork Bao Bun.

I'll remind you I ordered to-go, and the first thing that caught my attention was the smell of the bag: sulfuric. I can not tell you what would have made that scent other than the cheap, thin paper bag itself as nothing we ordered smelled that way, but off-putting, to say the least.

Both ramen orders came in singular plastic containers, which is criminal. Never, ever, put your noodles into the same container as hot broth when you do not know how long those noodles are going to sit in that container. Now, as I took this to-go, I was only 7 minutes away. We can round up to 10 minutes before I began eating the meal. I trust this next detail will be redundant to someone who understands noodles: they were slimy. I can blame that on the fact they were in broth for too long, however, remember the extra order of noodles? Also slimy.

While eating the shrimp ramen, thankfully, the shrimp was fine, the jalapeño slices were large, and the cabbage was as expected. With the positives out of the way, I'll move to the second thing I noticed: the mushrooms. Clearly canned. The flavor of which was sharply contrasted with the broth. Canned mushrooms are soaked in either oil or water and can be lightly salted. These were certainly oily and salty. The contrast? The miserable broth. Basically, oily water with red chili flakes.

I had to eat a few bites of my wife's ramen to confirm her review of it, and it only took one to solidify her words. Same issue with the noodles, already addressed in detail. The chicken was thigh meat. Dark, oily, and fatty. In the correct context, prepared properly, can be delicious. Floating in broth that is already oily, and cloudy (shio ramen should have clear broth) is not where I want this kind of meat. The broth wasn't flavorless, but would have been better off if it was. A distinct chicken-noodle-soup-flavor as if it was made with boxed or canned broth, or even bouillon cubes.

Usually, my wife gets full and offers me what is left of her meal, as is custom. This time, she couldn't finish it based on the flavor and experience. Offering it to me meant it went to waste as I certainly wasn't about to eat it.

Lastly, the bao bun, eaten first, reviewed last. Just as expected. No more, no less. Met expectation, didn't experiment, didn't cut cost in obvious ways.

In conclusion, do not order the ramen at this restaurant. I would hope no amount of drinks could convince anyone this dish was made with quality ingredients and care. State Lunch either needs to go back to the recipe book or remove this from the menu. Would I try a different item like a burger or chicken of some kind? Only if I was brought here by a group that predetermined our eating destination and wasn't...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ State Lunch – Augusta, ME • Globally Inspired Gastropub

I visited State Lunch for dinner and was blown away by the creativity and depth of flavor. The meal spanned a range of styles—from ramen to steak to comfort classics—with standout results.

🍜 Shio Pork Ramen A beautifully rich broth topped with house‑made ramen noodles, tender pork‑belly chashu, beansprouts, bamboo, sesame, nori, scallions, and a perfectly half‑cooked egg—each element well balanced and satisfying .

Appetizers & Salad The Buffalo Cauliflower delivered spicy, crispy bites full of tangy punch. The House French Fries, dressed with garlic, parmesan, and parsley, were addictive . The Panzanella Salad with chicken added a vibrant, refreshing counterpoint—bright flavors, crisp vegetables, and juicy chicken pieces made it a standout shareable.

Mains The Porcini‑Rubbed Ribeye stood out: deeply savory, earthy crust, and cooked just right—juicy and tender. The Pork & Beef Bolognese was rich and comforting, coated in a luscious, slow‑cooked sauce over pasta, deeply satisfying.

Desserts Finishing with both chocolate cake and carrot cake was the perfect finale. The chocolate cake was decadent, moist, and deeply chocolatey; the carrot cake—spiced just right with cream‑cheese frosting—felt homemade and comforting.

Service & Atmosphere The ambience has a hip, industrial‑rustic charm—modern, cozy, and unpretentious. Service was attentive and helpful, allowing us to enjoy a relaxed dinner while sampling many menu highlights  .

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✅ Final Thoughts

State Lunch impressed with bold, globally‑inspired dishes—even within a small Maine city setting. Every bite showcased creativity and care, from ramen to ribs to dessert. Great for adventurous diners and foodies looking for big flavors without pretension. Highly...

We came here for lunch and at first glance it's a small, fancy, quaint and expensive pub. The decor is artsy and vibrant and nice to see, they have long green curtains drapping over the bathroom section with a purple light glistening off the bathroom door. The bathroom was clean but it ran out of soap. They have fancy silverware, well, looks fancy to me. They give you a glass of water you can pour into your cups, free water. There is fresh real flowers on your table. Lighting is terrible because it's rather dark but was acceptable. For straws they have cardboard straws which is good for the environment but they get soggy. They have plenty of tables for people but its a small building and kinda all close together.

Now on to the menu. If I was a rude person I probably would have just left but I picked what I thought I would eat. The menu was very small, not a whole lot on it. At first glance it all looks overpriced but the portion size makes up for it. The food was awesome. I got the red curry chicken bowl with extra spice and my husband got a regular cheeseburger with french fries. The burger was medium rare but supposed to be medium well, you saw pink all through it but he ate it anyways. French fries were pretty good, big portion. My curry was absolutely delicious, home made noodles and tons of vegetables and chicken. I added extra spice.

The waitress was a delight, Kailey made sure we got what we wanted and brought me my extra spice for my soup. Friendly and professional. You could tell she wasn't fake like some waitress staff.

Granted it's higher priced then some places but the food is good. The location of the restaurant is hard to see, if your not looking hard you'll never find it. Just use your GPS and keep your eyes...