We've been a couple times now. Definitely prefer the rooftop but the interior was nice. Food was as good as it can get in Maine. Drinks were also good. Service was excellent. Very pleased overall. read more

Amazing food and service! Went for my birthday and had the roof top in the igloos and it was great from start to finish and can't wait to go back! The only hard part is deciding what to order because it's all amazing and you must get a milkshake for dessert read more

We came here Sunday Brunch after searching for brunch spots in the Bangor area. The interior decor of the restaurant and bar are modern with a moody chic color palette. We decided to do brunch on the rooftop since it was a beautiful day and it was a great call. I was worried it was going to be too chilly but they had all their fireplaces lit and we were seated by one, which made the dining experience warm and comfortable. Our server was young and very friendly, didn't catch her name, but she was handling orders, serving food and bartending all by herself. Service was slow but as expected with one girl handling three roles. For drinks, we ordered a house Bloody Mary which was loaded with a mini grilled cheese, bacon, shrimp, pickle spear, and lemon and lime for garnish. While the presentation was beautiful, my partner said it tasted watered down and did not finish. Not sure if the Bloody Mary mix was off or the ratio of booze to mix was off. I ordered a spiked latte with Jameson which was good except all the booze settled at the bottom of the glass. It would be nice to get a stir stick or some type or straw to mix this so the booze is evenly distributed when drinking. For food, we ordered the fried chicken and waffles and the pork belly Benedict. My fried chicken was good but it was advertised as Korean fried chicken and I could not tell why they called it Korean fried chicken. The gravy was tasty but the waffles were bland. Overall, presentation was nice and the fried chicken was the star of the dish. I would just want the fried chicken minus the waffles. My partner thought the Benedict was good except his pork belly was undercooked. It came with spicy beans which I stole from his plate and ate because they were so darn good! I've never had beans that had a kick of spice and flavor around here. If I could have my ideal dish, I would order the fried chicken with a side of beans but I digress. Overall, this is a good place for casual brunch and rooftop drinks and a romantic dinner in their first floor dining area. read more

See all

Terrible food. Probably the worst I have had in this area and it is not cheap. I would be embarrassed to serve something like this. Salmon just tasted of char and nothing else. Same with the chicken. All around horrible places. I feel like I have been mugged and robbed read more

The cocktails were professionally crafted and the steaks perfectly grilled. Service and ambiance was just what I was looking for, with engaging conversation with managers and staff. I will be back many many more times. read more

This was interesting to find such an upscale location here. The street where you enter looks like a small old town street with closed shops, but inside was nothing but old. There are three floors available with the top floor being rooftop seating. Seating in the roof could consist of regular tables or couch-like seating around fire pits. Overall service was good and generally attentive. The wait for food was what you would expect for a made-to-order establishment. The food itself was tasty, consisting of fresh ingredients. If I were to visit the area again, I would certainly plan to dine here again. read more

I've been here three times in the past five months, and my last visit was enough to make this my new #1 favorite restaurant in the Bangor area. The ambiance is some of the nicest if not the nicest in the area. The staff (host, bartenders, servers) are fantastic, making you feel like a welcome guest without fussing. I've had multiple of their signature mixed drinks, pizza, veggie burger, fries, homemade chips, and pierogies. All of the food is absolutely top notch - unique, creative, flavorful, and served hot in a timely manner. The bar has a huge selection of top notch beers, seltzers, and mix drinks. The homemade kettle style chips are the best free table food in the area (barely beating Miguel's chips and salsa). read more

Grabbed brunch at @283kanu this morning. The interior is a mix of modern and vintage 1920s with statement wallpapers and dark wood furnishings. There's a more formal first floor dining room and then there's the third floor/roof bar and seating area. There's even a small section so you can see the view of Old Town. Service was very attentive. I ordered the sweet cream stuffed French toast (pic. 1) with a hazelnut drizzle. It also came with some home fries. Very decadent and sweet but perfect for someone with an intense craving for sugar. The Korean chicken and waffles (pic. 2) was also a big hit. The cinnamon waffle was topped with perfectly cooked fried chicken, a hot honey drizzle, and gravy. Mimosas were strong and very tasty. Drinks: 8/10 Food: 7.5/10 Ambiance: 7.5/10 Overall Experience: 7.7/10 read more

Kanu - Sweet Cream Stuffed French Toast - New American Near Me - Old Town, Maine

See all

Row, row,row your Boat,right to Kanu! This is a modestly priced restaurant in Old Towne. I loved the feel of this place walking in, and the smell! We sat at the 1st floor bar and could see the chefs cooking. The food is phenomenal, the mussels were so tender and sweet I could've drank the sauce. The chicken was superb, they brine it and smoke it, I loved every bite! I will def be back and sit on the roof top patio next time!! Thanks for a great food journey.....ps get the milkshake! read more

See all

I'd been hesitant to try Kanu due to negative feedback from friends in the area, but wanted to give it a shot. What a mistake. I will say, on a positive note the place is absolutely gorgeous. The ambiance and decor certainly doesn't make up for the overall very poor experience. From the moment we arrived, not much went right. I had a 10am reservation and was unable to add an extra person online, but based on availability when booking earlier that morning it didn't appear that it would be an issue so I called and left a msg to explain the change from 2 to 3 guests. The hostesses really struggled with this change (seems no one checked the voice mail), but they also asked me what my name was several times as I stood there. I even offered that we can sit wherever there's space available as they tried to figure out how to add one more guest to my reservation. We were seated at the 3rd floor bar as per my reservation and were served a bottle of water w a hinged lid. When I went to pour a glass of water, there was an obvious lipstick mark on my glass. My dining companion's glasses were not much better. Fortunately, we're were seated next to a tray of still wet glasses & could choose clearer ones for ourselves wiping them with our cloth napkins. There was also a pile of containers & other odds & ends at the end of the bar, which made it look more like a VFW bar vs a high end classy establishment. When taking our drink order, I asked about the "adult latte" on the menu. She told me she'd "just put some Jameson in it". I requested Bailey's as well, but as per the menu it seemed like there was a weekly special so I was thinking they had a plan vs just put some Jameson in it. Took 30 min to get the latte, a mimosa, and a basic coffee and we overheard the bartender/server calling downstairs for the foamed milk. Looked like coffee w Bailey's & Jameson to me and sloshed into the saucer so it dripped when I drank it. My bf was given 4 sweet & low packets for sugar in his coffee, which had a dirty finger print on them. I was like, um do you have SUGAR? She gave him one tube of organic sugar & 1 in the raw packet. Both crinkled up like they were pulled from the bottom of her purse. When ordering, we inquired about the ingredients in the Lobster Florentine Benedict special as my friend is gluten free. The server literally said, I don't really know what's in it but there are other GF options on the menu AND told us they have 4 options of GF bread, which seemed unlikely. I suggested she could check w the kitchen on those ingredients, which she did and confirmed no gluten in the Florentine. And no GF bread options but was offered a fruit cup instead of the bread, which was a great substitute. Food finally arrived at almost 11:30 (remember 10am reservation?), so almost an hour and a half later. My gluten free friend got a frittata that she didn't order (remember the Florentine question?); one of my poached eggs on the roast beef hash had runny whites - fortunately the other egg was fine. The server told me "that's just how they make em here" (lmao). Roast beef hash was a few cubes of beef w the deep fried potatoes. My boyfriend had the steak (medium) & eggs (over easy) which his medium steak appeared to be torched & over cooked. We also ordered the Banana & Buttered Rum pancakes to share. Be careful, the topping turns hard as a rock if you don't eat it immediately. Our mistake for thinking it could be shared as a dessert after eating our savory food. One a brighter note, the manager was very nice did apologize profusely and comped most of the order. I would not want her job, that's for sure. However, with proper training, most of these issues could be avoided in the future. read more

See all

First time went there was pretty good. Just went there recently and it was literally a disaster. Got there went it opened on a Sunday about 11:00 am. My wife and I ordered coffee literally took a half hour. We had to wait for our kids to come anyways, so I let that one slide. When our meals came out French Toast was hard & cold had to send it back. Everyone else food was not fresh and luke warm at best. Waiter kept saying, how busy they were & there was hardly anyone in there. A few orders, he just completely forgot. Food was not fit for a dog and the Manager to her credit came out and apologized and took French Taost off bill but bill was well over 100 dollars and we got screwed. Sad, because it is a nice building. read more

Everything about Kanù was impressive. Right when you walk in the door the first thing that catches your eyes is the decor. It's tasteful, modern and unique and definitely seems out of place for Old Town but it's fitting for the building. It feels almost as if you've stepped through a portal into a high end new York city restaurant. We made reservations for the counter on the rooftop and when you walk out onto the roof you're immediately struck by the space that surrounds you. It's clear that the every single detail has been considered; from the salt shakers to the tin backsplash on the bar to the unique dishes the food is plated on. We ordered the Buffalo chicken Brule which was served in a puff pastry bowl. After this experience in our estimation most foods should be served in a puff pastry bowl! The dip itself wasn't too spicy and was amazingly smooth and satisfying. It was definitely a 10 out of 10. We also ordered the mussels which were arguably some of the best we've ever had. The flavors were on point and the mussels fresh. The sauce was the type that you want to make sure you mop up every last drop with the foccia bread it's served with! Everything about this dish was impressive. We shared the woodfired wings and barbecue ribs. The ribs were the kind you need to eat with a fork because they're too tender to pick up. The sauce was just right and it was served over a bed of rice and beans and chorizo which paired perfectly with the ribs. The wings were woodfired which lended them a nice subtle Smoky flavor. They were awesomely tender and the Carolina Golden BBQ sauce was incredible. Lastly we ordered the blueberry waffle milkshake which was fantastic but messy! It was an impressive size. Can you describe a milkshake as beautiful without people questioning your sanity because this thing was bordering on a work of art. Everyone on the roof turned and commented to eachother as it was coming across the floor. It was topped with a quarter of a waffle and rimmed with crushed blueberry cake. Surprisingly it wasn't too sweet and the flavors were nicely balanced. The service was noticeably polished. The portions and prices match eachother well. Our only critique is that we had an early reservation and we were kind of surprised to learn they had run out out of all the desserts already. My girlfriend had been looking forward to trying the blueberry cake as the description on the menu made it sound out of this world. We are both really looking forward to returning to kanu again to try more of their menu because this experience was top notch! read more

See all

Food: 10/10 Service: 10/10 Ambiance: 10/10 Chairs: 5/10 for people with hips We will be back soon with friends for that roof top. Today my partner and I got to enjoy each other, great food, and got to watch the chef "meat man" make some beautiful dishes. read more

See all

Where have you been!!! Kanu is my new go-to for fantastic cocktails and an eclectic menu lineup. Did I mention the great, attentive service- Kanu will not disappoint! Joe Bob says, "Check it out!" read more

What a great place. Very comfortable. Our server was super bubbly, nice and helpful with making our choices. We went for brunch. The cocktails were phenomenal. I had the coldest martini ever. I had the hash eggs benedict OMG. Out of this world. The rest of my party loved their meals as well. We actually got a tour of the entire establishment. I hope this place does well. Nothing like it in Old Town. You would probably find a place like this in the Old Port. Do yourself a favor. If you are up for a Umaine hockey game or in Old Town for any reason GO!!! read more

Great service, good, and wonderful atmosphere. The steak was delicious and cooked to perfection

This place is a gem!!!! I haven't lived in Maine for 10 years and went home for a visit. I was looking for a new spot with a good menu and found Kanu. I was impressed that a restaurant of this caliber exists north of Bangor! We sat on the rooftop in a igloo which was perfectly tempered. The entire restaurant is very aesthetically inviting. It reminded me of a restaurant in Boston... hard to believe I was still in Old Town, ME. I was pleased when our waitress brought a basket of house-made chips to the table, they were the perfect snack while we chose our dinner selections. For appetizer we had the truffle Buffalo wings which were fantastic! For dinner I had the camp fire chicken and subbed out the beans for roasted squash, it was flavorful and perfectly cooked. My husband had the autumn harvest salad with pork belly- again perfect. My kids ordered from the kids menu and tried the hot dog, chicken tenders and French Fries (I grabbed a few couldn't resist)... their meals came with fresh berries which they loved! Dessert we shared the funnel cake and ice cream. My only regret is sharing this dessert, it was too good I wanted my own!! This place was a 10/10 and I cannot wait to go back!!! read more

See all

I give 3/5 stars for our first-time visit at Kanu for Brunch. Atmosphere and presentation hit the spot. The items ordered we're definitely lack-luster in flavor and had imperfections. Firstly, you expect a good pancake to be light, airy, and fluffy. The Banana & Rum Butter Pancakes were dense, and as I would describe best as "Protein" pancakes. These pancakes were served with a "garnished" caramelized overlay that quickly hardened to the consistency of taffy-- VERY hard to chew and overly sweet-- tooth ache! Secondly, the Korean fried chicken and waffles were the most disappointing food item ordered. The "Korean chicken" was nothing more than a generic frozen box of fried chicken you'd find in the freezer at Walmart-- bland and served not crisp enough- nothing "Korean" about this. The waffle was soggy in places, and lacked brown sugar & cinnamon (listed on menu). The "hot pepper honey white gravy" was of little amount and again, bland, lacking sweet/savory/ nor spicy. This item was not served with a side of syrup, as I found dry and had to order this myself to moisten to consume. Being a new restaurant, I would recommend some changes to Kanu to improve some of the food items on their menu, overall, lacking flavor in many areas. Again, presentation of food items are A-1, but flavor not there entirely. read more

Kanu - Banana & Rum Butter Pancakes - New American Near Me - Old Town, Maine

See all

Food was pretty good. Service ok too. But I will never make a credit card reservation at the level of a restaurant. Pretty pricey too for old town - you're not in Boston read more

Went in expecting something divine. We made reservations for 1:15 on a Saturday. The place itself is beautiful. Very chic, nice ambiance. We ordered from the small brunch menu. I ordered the eggs Benedict with pork belly, and my dining partner ordered the breakfast platter of eggs, sausage patties, home fried potatoes, and house baked beans. The servers and front of house were great - changed our table from a small cramped, two seater against a wall to a four top in the same room - as there were only two other tables filled at the time. The food came out - and it was plated well enough - nothing fancy, but not unappealing... Sadly... we were so very disappointed. We have been reading great reviews and were excited to try Kanu. The Benedict was "faux" Benedict. The sauce was either boxed, or made by a person with no real training in the mother sauces. It was yellow - but that is where the idea of "Hollandaise" ended. It tasted like flour and egg yolk. No salt, the tiniest hint of lemon (and I mean HARDLY), and just thick. Not even sure that butter was used - there was no sheen or viscous quality... The pork belly was overcooked - to the point that it was difficult to cut, and looked like splintered wood when pulled apart. The home fries were soft, and rubbery. My friend whispered: "This is like the stuff you get at the end of the night at a Vegas buffet - the dregs that have been sitting under a warming light for hours." She was not wrong. The baked beans were SO sweet. Too much sugar, sort of gelatinous and mushy with chunks of red pepper tossed in. I think that if you have a small menu - each item should be top. It was not busy - so the chef should have taken the time to actually make a true Hollandaise. I am a pretty well-traveled eater and a home chef - so my expectations of real, fresh food are high - as they should be for a place that advertises finer dining. I decided that I would not eat it - it just wasn't pleasurable or in any way craveable - not worth the calories for lack of flavor. We told the server that we were not pleased - it was bland, and seemed old. The server was apologetic and gracious. The manager also came out, sat at our table, and asked us to describe our thoughts. She was also apologetic, and personable. We did not eat our plates, and were not charged for the food . We of course, paid for our drinks, and tipped the server on the full cost of the meal had we eaten it. I would like to try the place again - for dinner, during season. Perhaps we had a dud experience. Again - the place is beautiful. The staff was professional and listened to our thoughts. I would hate to write this place off as I have seen such great reviews. My advice: DO NOT try the Benedict during brunch time. I am just suspicious of place that doesn't make a decent version of a basic mother sauce - especially for such a "swanky" looking establishment. If the locals don't like it - how in the hell can they stay afloat when word gets around? In my Maine dining experience - I've had Hollandaise that are slap your mama good (See Waves in Boothbay Harbor) ...and I've had a few duds... This particular time, sadly, was a complete dud. (I'd bet a million bucks that it was a packaged version of the sauce.) And maybe next time - the potatoes would be crisp and steamy - not rubbery little cubes of starch. Even Judy's in Bangor has better home fries - and that's telling! Anyway - we will try again. We wanted SO MUCH to love this place. Will update after our next visit. read more

Good food at a disproportionate value for price offering. Try the ultimate Bloody Mary! Would probably be closer to 4.5 stars so rounding down. read more

Great roof top seating. We went for Sunday brunch. Server was good. We had to and our food back. My eggs Benedict was wrong, I mean one egg didn't even have a yolk. My husbands hash was terrible, no flavor. They ended up comping my meal, that and the outdoor seating is the reason I gave 3 stars read more

Felt like I couldn't order an alcoholic beverage without breaking the bank. almost 40$ for two drinks on their "specials" list, normal drinks are 10-15$, food was meh. read more

Kanu - Over priced drinks - New American Near Me - Old Town, Maine

Went for dinner over the weekend and had an absolutely terrific experience ~ the service was excellent ~ our waitress was delightful and very helpful ~ when asked about a specific wine, she offered a sample and when she discovered the restaurant had run out of that particular wine that evening, she took it upon herself to select another wine that would pair well with my duck entrée and brought a sample ~ she was appropriately attentive and kind with a great personality ~ our meatball appetizer was very good and the homemade potato chips were perfect ~ I thoroughly enjoyed my duck entrée and my sweetheart loved his scallop dinner ~ the lighting, decor and overall ambiance was lovely and made our date night that much more special ~ we will definitely return to try the rest of their delightful menu and will be recommending Kanù to our family and friends! read more

I almost hate to write this review because I will be creating a lot more competition to get a reservation at Kanu in the future. Just moved back to the Old Town, Maine area after 3 years away. My son and his girlfriend took me to Kanu for dinner. Everything about the experience was mind-blowing. The building is stunning--such incredible upscale style and craftsmanship. One definitely feels like you are in a fancy big city restaurant. The performance space looks amazing as well. We got a table on the rooftop patio which was lovely. Some folks were just relaxing having drinks on the couches. We had the Port Side mussels, the Maine salmon, the Korean fried chicken sandwich, and the Firewood Chicken and Basil Parpdelle. Every bite was perfection (only thing that could have been changed is to have smaller bun on the Korean chicken sandwich.) We had a new server who forgot to tell us about the specials, but it was fine because there's such a wealth of choice in the regular menu. She was very friendly and attentive, otherwise. For dessert, we shared the Wild Berry Funnel Cake which was a work of art and had the freshest juicy berries on it. Go to Kanu as soon as you can--it's going to get popular very quickly! read more

Friends of ours wanted to celebrate their wedding anniversary and go here for supper. To be totally honest, based on the reviews I read, I was hesitant to dine here. If you don't read anything else in this post, the take home message is that almost all the reviews are accurate! Except for the planted 5 star garbage that others have posted. Out of the six of us two meals ended up being removed from the check because they were inedible. My pizza, pepperoni and olive, wasn't supposed to be spicy but it was over pepperized and tangy. The scallop risotto was marginal with minimal flavor and the only positive I heard from one of our friends was that the swordfish was good (I did not try it). The drinks were $15 each and my tall Hipster Apocalypse was $15 but tasted different like the tap wasn't working correctly. Definitely better at Mason's. Service wasn't epic either. The house manager came over and talked to us to find out what the issues were and she corrected some of the checks...that is what earned the 2 star instead of a 1 star. For what it's worth, Peppers Landing Restaurant had zero open parking spaces next door. read more

So I this is the third time going. I thought maybe third time is the charm.... Well it wasn't. We had a ten o'clock reservation, to start; our two out of three water glasses had lipstick residue on them, we waited thirty minutes for our drinks, and an hour and a half for our food. I got the wrong dish, and my friends dish wasn't fully cooked. We did get comped their mistakes, and paid for our alcohol. Their excuse for the slow service was they got slammed with a large party; when we walked in there was two tables. Needless to say we will not be going again. If you want to pay for ambience, then this is the place. The food and service is poorly lacking. read more

I ate dinner here a few weeks ago with a friend and the food was not too bad. I decided to go back for dinner again and I'm not sure what changed, maybe some staff or ingredients or something, but it was like night and day. The salmon was undercooked and flavorless, the pasta was bland and ingredients were burnt. The steak was like a brick of char. The atmosphere was beautiful but the tables are crammed so close together it's nearly impossible to enjoy it. I'm not sure who runs the place but they clearly know nothing about high end restaurants. I will not be returning and unless something significant changes I will not be recommending it to anyone I know either. read more

The eggs Benedict was good. But I got it with kale which was too spicy for me. The hash browns were lukewarm. The staff is great!

Maine fine dining at its peak. Creative quality you feel like you could be wearing your slippers but maybe should have worn a tie. Repeat guest, will be back again! read more

Decor and atmosphere was modern and unique. However we were highly disappointed that it took us (2 people) 40 minutes to get our drinks and over an hour to get our food. By 830pm they had run out of all deserts. One of the worst experiences I've had at a restaurant. The sever was very apologetic which was nice but nothing was comped for the awful experience. Food was good, not spectacular. read more

Delicious food and fantastic service! The menu has fantastic options and the wait staff is kind - I got the steak and it was perfectly cooked, the mashed potatoes were amazing, and the blueberry cake for dessert was phenomenal. Will definitely be going back! Our server, Anna, was an excellent waitress, was kind and attentive and checked in on us the perfect amount! read more

From the moment you walk into Kanu the ambience and service is spectacular. I can't emphasize more that this chef is extraordinary! We went for dinner and brunch! Recommendations Brunch: expresso martini with fresh house made expresso, croissant with raspberry purée, salmon eggs Benedict! For dinner: Cherry Bourbon pork Pop's, firewood chicken and basil parpdelle , and raspberry margarita... heaven! The price is incredible for the large portions! read more

ALL NEW MENU from an AMAZING NEW EXECUTIVE CHEF!!!!! Now it's a truly beautiful, fine dining experience!! I had the heritage pork chop with cheddar polenta, rhubarb chutney and sautéed fiddleheads! OMG! Delicious and beautifully presented. Chef JB , thank you!!!! read more

This was the best restaurant I've ever been to. The aesthetic inside was so unique and cozy and the food and drink were amazing. The service was great too!! It is a more expensive restaurant, but I definitely think it's worth it! read more

Tried this place a few times. Beautiful restaurant, great cocktails, but sadly the food is mediocre at best. Both dinner and brunch entrees lack flavor. I do hope the menu improves. It would be a shame to see a beautifully designed restaurant go to waist. read more

atmosphere is incredible, service was so so amazing. we had a party of 10 and our server was so kind and attentive. the presentation of all dishes is beautiful, but with that being said, the taste is unfortunate. i ordered the campfire chicken, lava cake, and s'mores milkshake. my meal was just so-so. nothing great. those around me got burgers (again- so-so). onions that were meant to be caramelized were served raw. my lava cake was very rich in flavor but not exactly a lava cake....just a small cake. the s'mores milkshake has a great presentation yet was way too chocolate but somehow had no flavor. i have some nut allergies and they were great with making sure i did not have any contaminated food. i would not come here again but would still recommend if you're looking for an experience rather than excellent food. read more

Bad experience. Service great but food not so. Won't make a final judgment though as it is fairly new.

Great place fr fr love it there lotta fun food good and the drink nice and beautiful inside

Very excited to take my mom for brunch For her birthday. We ordered Benedicts and The Farm. Disappointed. Benedict was okay, hash browns under seasoned and dry. Eggs in 'The Farm ' were overcooked. Beans too sweet, service not great. Interior design is BEAUTIFUL. Chefs are needed to match the ambience. The bill was $50 for these two dishes and black coffee. read more