Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro — Restaurant in Freeport

Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro is an Italian restaurant located in Freeport, Maine. This is their only brick and mortar location but they have two sister locations located throughout Maine as well. They specialize their Italian food with fresh seafood, wood fired steaks and pizzas, and scratch pastas all while serving local beers and curated cocktails in an inviting atmosphere. The food here was outstanding and makes me sad we can't try out more of what this place has to offer. The service was also great and was thoughtful and attentive. They pride themselves with their unique atmosphere designed by Nicola's Home, and for good reason! You wouldn't know it driving by but once you step inside you're in a whole different world. Try this place out!

My wife and I were sat right away. We asked for outdoor seating and was given a cute little spot to the side of the restaurant that also had a waterfall in view (check pictures)! I personally love the sound of subtle running water in the distance while eating outside, so that was a nice touch. We were greeted promptly by our server who let us know a bit about the menu and got us our water quickly. I ordered a beer from the menu but was informed that they didn't have it. When our server came back to tell me they didn't have it he had two samples of other beers for me to try that were simar to the one I was going to order. This was over the top because most places would just come back and tell you that they don't have it but the fact that he came back with samples to make sure I liked what I was getting was thoughtful.

My wife and I started by sharing some Baked Focaccia bread which came with house marinara, organic walnut pesto and EVOO and balsamic as dipping sauces. The bread was presented nicely and was already pre cut. It was topped off with some dried Italian herbs and Maldon salt. You don't get the bread for free here but the portion is generous and the dipping sauces are delicious and all for $4. This bread ready started off the meal nicely as it was hot and fresh and cooked to perfection. The marinara was wonderful, the pesto is made fresh and is nice and bright green (reminded me of my pesto from my food truck) and the balsamic and oil was top notch. The oil was not bitter like a lot of restaurants tend to serve and the balsamic was a glaze which was nice and thick and sweet. Don't pass up this bread!

For our meal, we were ordering off the brunch menu as they serve brunch on the weekends. I decided to get the Spicy Tuscan Sandwich which consisted of prosciutto, sopressata, pistachio mortadella, salami, provolone, balsamic aoli, arugula, pickled peppers, sweet basil vinigarette on a toasted brioche bun. I decided to get a side salad instead of the fries that they usually come with. I loved the presentation of this sandwich as it came to the table pilled high with olives and the sandwich was bursting with cheese, greens and meat. The taste of the sandwich was phenomenal and was loaded with flavor from the cured meats, cheeses and spreads. The arugula and peppers gave it a fresh feel and the bun was warm and very soft. Now was it "spicy"? No, not for me anyways. The side salad was good. It came with mixed greens pre tossed in their vinigarette with some peppers, cucumber and onion.

My wife got the caesar salad with chicken. Wish I could write more but Google only allows reviews to be so long so I'm ending it here. This is a must try place!

Food - 4.8 ⭐ Service - 5+ ⭐ Atmosphere - 5 ⭐ Overall - 5 ⭐

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My partner and I ate here for our anniversary last night. We waited for 1.5 hours for a table for two since we did not have a reservation which was fine as we just checked out LL Bean while we waited for the text that our table was ready.

We both ordered cocktails-I got the Daily Peach (black tea infused bourbon with peach puree and lemonade) and my partner got the Twisted Tuscan (amaro, triple sec, lemon juice, sour mix, club soda). Both of our cocktails were too strong and too sweet. we even added water to them to try to cut the overwhelming sugariness but ultimately we were unable to finish them. We noticed a table near ours also did not finish their cocktails which makes me think they were probably too sweet as well.

I ordered the shrimp scampi which only came with 4 shrimp (to be fair the menu did warn me of that but at the same time they were just regular sized shrimp not big ones). I ordered focaccia to come with the pasta but about ten minutes before my dish arrived the manager came by and sort of just threw the bread on the table very hectically. The waiter came over to apologize that it did not come with the pasta as intended and offered to bring me more with my dish which was nice of him. When my dish arrived, the pasta was clearly fresh pasta but was overcooked and mushy. The sauce was too lemony and oily and the pine nut and breadcrumb sprinkle on the top added nothing to the dish. I was quite disappointed. I could have made much better scampi at home and to spend $29 on mushy pasta and a poorly seasoned sauce felt like a travesty.

My partner ordered the steak but subbed in french fries for the mashed potatoes due to a dairy intolerance which they were happy to accommodate. He enjoyed his NY strip but to spend $39 on a strip steak and clearly not homemade french fries again felt like a rip off.

We had multiple people wait on us throughout the night which left a sense of inconsistency and impersonality to the experience. I know many places are understaffed so I don't blame the folks trying their best but at the same time we just didn't feel taken care of like I expect to be when spending over $100 for two people on just 2 drinks and 2 main dishes.

I don't think we will...

EDIT - tried again. This time made researvations and was seated timely. Waitstaff were prompt and efficient. I got the short ribs and gnocchi which were delicious and properly portioned. My companion got the Italian pizza which she said was great. Basil was a little sparse as was the ricotta. Overall much better experience than the 1st. Looking forward to next month for another visit.

It's really too bad the wait person did not pay closer attention. Clearly this is a tourist spot, so maybe they feel they can get away with less than attentive service since most people will not be back. We are relatively local and Freeport is a great halfway meeting spot for both of us so it's too bad we are unlikely to return.

First time visitor. Started out being seated at the bar, despite several empty tables. Upon inquiring, they allowed us to sit at a high top which was across the aisle from the bar pickup. Waitperson was prompt at greeting us. Being so warm out, we ordered mocktails, which we extremely/overly sweet, the meatball appetizer, which was weirdly spicy, despite no ingredients listed on the menu which would make them spicy and 2 salads - the Burrata Caprese and a Caesar, both with grilled chicken. The Caprese was tasty with lots of pesto and nice ripe tomatoes. The Caesar was NOT a Caesar at all. Turns out it was the Bistro salad (unbeknownst to us at the time). We flagged down the waiter and specifically asked where the parm cheese was on this Caesar salad. I can only guess he didn't really listen at all, pointed to the mozzarella balls and said that was the cheese. The other ingredients didn't look right either, but we had asked and was pretty much told this Caesar salad was as it should be. My companion ate the chicken and not much else (roasted red pepper, onions, etc). Then came the bill over $100 (before tip) for what I listed above (and again we didn't get a Caesar salad, it...