Ancora Italian Kitchen — Restaurant in Bridgton

I'd really liked to have given this restaurant a higher rating, but everything was just off. The restaurant was highly recommended to us, and reservations for a Saturday night are a requirement. The restaurant has limited hours, and as we don't live in the area, it took many attempts to finally be able to have the opportunity to experience Vivo. The food is prepared to order, is of high quality, flavorful, and pleasantly presented.

Unfortunately, there were more negatives than positives in our experience. The pomegranate martini was almost pure alcohol with but a few drops of pomegranate juice. It took quite a while to find our waitress to correct the drink, and by then it was warm. The cocktail was corrected and returned warm. The crab cakes appetizer was burnt on the exteriors in an effort to heat the center. We couldn't cut the exterior crust with a knife. The spaghetti and meatballs with marinara sauce lacked marinara sauce, and when we requested additional marinara sauce they provided us with a thin watery red sauce instead of the robust marinara sauce.

The restaurant is extremely noisy despite the efforts of the management to provide noise mitigation barriers on the walls and on the ceiling. It's very hard to hold a conversation. Ear plugs are recommended.

Service is extremely slow, probably do to lack of wait staff. Our waitress was very personable, very pleasant, however, we did not see much of her anywhere on the floor. We waited almost a half hour for drinks and to place an order for an appetizer, and over an hour for our main dishes to be prepared. Not until after our meal was finished did the waitress ask if we would like a second drink.

Perhaps it was just a bad night for the restaurant, which would explain why the owner spent a great deal of time talking with known customers in the bar and enjoying a cocktail with them instead of ensuring all her customers were having a good experience.

While we would eat at Vivo again in the belief that our experience is not the norm, we will not go out of our way to eat...

We’ve gone to Vivo for the past two summers and have mixed feelings. This past visit we were quite disappointed. We went in on Friday, and were the first ones in before opening. The hostess was incredibly too pleased in denying us a table, saying they were too full up. We set a reservation for Saturday and went to dine somewhere else. On Saturday we got there promptly at our reservation time and the hostess looked at us like we were foreign. We explained our reservation, she unwillingly got four menus, she looked around the restaurant. She pointed at the table no less than five feet from the desk, smiled at us, and handed US the menus. Thankfully it was summer and there was no cold, winter draft. We sat down, already a bit agitated. The waitress was very nice, she explained that we may want to get our orders in quickly as the place fills up. It was a nice gesture, and it ended up saving us and them time later. Throughout the meal we were so close to the maitre’d that we heard her conversations each time, hearing her deny every person without a reservation, treating them like ‘second class’ and rushed them out the door. We’ve seen her every time we’ve dined here, and are still shocked at her incredibly distasteful attitude. The food was great, it’s fresh and authentic, even if I could hear them hostess talking about our table and when we would leave several times. Our waitress was very nice, but didn’t make up for the lousy and snobby wait staff. They definitely know the tourists from the locals, and you’ll be able to tell in how they treat you. Essentially, they want you out in a strict amount of time, hence the charge for extra bread... But come on, this is an Italian restaurant!

Overall, it was a 3 star experience. If you can manage to get a reservation and nice seat you’re all set. Hopefully the hostess won’t be as much of a problem to you as much as she was to us. After all this trouble, I feel like it’d be less of a hassle to eat somewhere else...

Really good Italian food is hard to miss if using fresh, seasonal ingredients and simple flavor pairings. Hearty meatballs with fresh ricotta in an herb infused marinara sauce. Or the classic chicken parmigiana, tender and lightly breaded chicken breast, covered with melted cheeses and a rustic tomato sauce. And classic Italian combinations like fennel and citrus served on a fresh kale salad with red wine vinaigrette or more adventurous yet well balanced dishes like Pappardelle with Rabbit in a classic sugo. Not overly complicated but simple and perfect. The last ingredient, and the one that elevates a really good Italian kitchen to an exquisite culinary experience is the service. From walking in the door all the way to paying for the bill, Ancora Italian Kitchen in Bridgton, Maine is the exquisite culinary experience that makes all the difference. Unlike the previous incarnations of this restaurant (by another name), Ancora is not overly complicated with too many flavors on one plate, or too many options in one menu. Nor were we made to feel that It was our privilege to eat there. Jamison welcomed us in and made room for us on their new patio, then Tori and the staff delivered excellent service and perfectly executed dishes. Bravo and thank you for what you have built. We hope you thrive and will...