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    Primo

    4.1 (488 reviews)
    Ultra High-EndMediterranean, Italian, Greek
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:30 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

    Primo Photos

    PRIMO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Classy
    Upscale
    Dressy

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    Recommended Reviews - Primo

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    Reviews With Photos

    Pork Salimbocca
    Andy W.

    Let me preface this review to reflect this visit only. Primo is a 4-5 star restaurant, but the management fell short during this visit. We ate there on a Friday night and all started well: good waiter, delicious appetizers, then... Main courses didn't come for more than an hour. We were told there was a wedding party and they had backed up the kitchen, our orders would arrive shortly. They did not. No apology from host or basket of bread, extra appetizers, nothing. We even had to order bread to tide us over for which we were charged. For an establishment of this caliber, this is not to be expected or tolerated. If they could not accommodate s wedding party and their regular diners, they should not have booked a large party, or not booked tables during this time. They should have made this right with guests, who should not have to wait an hour between courses. I was embarrassed to take my out of town guests to our local fine-dining restaurant and be treated so flippantly. They even charged us for the dessert for one of celebrating their birthday. Shame on them.

    Swordfish
    Danielle V.

    I was so excited to try this restaurant because of everyone raving it but I was a little disappointed. They did some things right but def miss the mark on quite a few things. First off we had a reservation for 7:30 and we didn't get seated till 7:50 and had to wait awkwardly in a small entry space. Then we were seated and it took a while for our server to get our drinks. We got the octopus appetizer and it was just okay, nothing special. We got our entrees and they were very good portion sizes which I like especially for the price. I got the swordfish which was very tasty but still not mind blowing. We got a dessert and they did our happy birthday on it for her but that was it. Even though we did tell the server it was her birthday. Overall I was just expecting more from this place, especially with the price point and it fell short.

    Primo Chicken Cavatelli
    chris c.

    Farm 2 Table and Five Freakin' Stars, y'all. The food was enchanting -- every bite, so savory. Mmm... Nosh, nosh, nosh, mow, mow, mow!!! It's a James Beard award winning restaurant that serves refined culinary dishes that feel like experiences. The chow is artistic; beautiful, even. This is a restaurant that Kristen Kish would probably enjoy chowing down at!!!! Yes! Burp. I LOVED IT HERE!!! Exceptional service. Exquisite atmosphere. Perhaps the freshest entrées ever consumed on planet Earth. My linguini was handmade + homemade!!! It was reminiscent of pasta I've tasted on coastal Italy. They had squashes on display in their foyer. I liked that. Eclectic. Compliments to the kitchen & front of house. Bravo, team! Well done. Oh, also -- if you are nosy -- the restaurant is in a house-setting. But not, like, a haunted house. Just old timey. Marvelous. You'll love Primo.

    Chris C.

    Special occasion tonight so we did a walk in at Primo, no reservation, but early in line so got a nice seat at the bar. Bartender was super friendly and did me a nice Belvedere martini! Primo is always great, certainly one of the best places in the state! I had the Bronzino and my wife had the Saltimbocca, nice dinner, Special place!

    Zeppole
    Megan H.

    We were here for my fiancés birthday and holy moly it was fantastic. We ended up at the counter, which had its own special menu for the night. We tried the chicharrones and foie gras for an appetizer. The chicharrones were salt and vinegar flavored - the vinegar was a bit aggressive but otherwise they were beautifully made. The foie gras was impeccable - I had never had it before. The bread was almost French toast esque. It could've easily been heavy but it was perfect. We had an array of mains & desserts. I had the pork saltimbocca. Everything about it was perfect. I had the zeppole and lemon curd meringue & honey berry jam donut. The zeppole was the lightest fried item I've ever had. The donut mixed with the meringue, curd and jam, went perfectly together. Our waitress was also absolutely incredible. She joked around with us and was so attentive even with having to deal with a private party. Counter chefs Jen and Max were also incredible- answering all our questions and telling us about all the things they do. Cannot recommend this place enough

    Charcoal Grilled Quail with roasted grapes and figs
    Paul A.

    After more than a decade of dining at Primo, I must say that it consistently delivers excellent farm-to-table cuisine in a cozy atmosphere. The chef's passion over the years has driven the restaurant and its' accompanying grounds to deliver more and more of their own product. It is certainly worth the trip, and ask for Ed. He is a true professional waiter, who not only knows where to lead you in terms of the menu, but he seems to always do it with kindness and a desire to please every guest.

    Karen Q.

    Really cool experience in Rockland, ME- totally worth the road trip we made from Portland. We arrived early to check out their farm. They have a few acres right next to the restaurant, with farm animals and garden beds full of vegetables. They are a full circle kitchen and farm to table restaurant. The chef is a two-time James Beard award winner and we loved this meal! The pastas especially are so well done.

    Entry to Primo restaurant.
    Catherine K.

    This is the most delicious meal my husband and I have had while here in Maine! The entire place is amazingly well-run... chef's imagination, kitchen's capability, speed and accuracy, the hostess and waitstaff, the cozy, friendly feel. Rachel served us and was wonderfully knowledgeable, kind and seemed thoroughly unflappable -- a perfect skill set for the role. The food? Delicious imaginative salads to start with clearly garden-to-table ingredients... fresh fennel, escarole, heirloom tomatoes and a creative splash of blueberries. My husband had the saltimbocca and I had the evening special, Squid Ink Pasta topped with an incredibly fresh marinara and crab meat. We didn't skip dessert and were glad of it! Blueberry and plum crostata with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was warm and crusty and absolutely delicious! Make a reservation and go! So well worth it for a great meal in a wonderful setting brought to the table by an incredible set of professionals. My only regret? I didn't take pictures of my food!

    Marc B.

    Primo has been on my list of restaurants to visit for quite some time now due to the fact that the chef has received numerous accolades and they are a farm to table restaurant. To celebrate the holidays with my partner, we decided to finally make it to Primo! My partner and I had made a reservation for 5:45, which I highly suggest doing, as when the doors open, people flood into the restaurant with reservations and others hoping that they can get in without one. Upon observation, the hopefuls without reservations were quickly turned away. In any case, my partner and I got to the venue at 5pm, knowing quite well that we were ahead of our reservation time. We figured we would give it a shot to see if maybe we could grab a drink or hang out somewhere until our table was ready. Once we made it to the host station, we explained that we knew we were early but that we were hoping to grab a drink in the meantime. The host seemed to be a bit dismissive and responded by saying, "Come back during your reservation time, because we are back to back right now." My partner and I slowly turned away and walked back into our car to wait out the time. We reentered the facility at our reservation time, and we were seated in the dining room. I wouldn't say the ambiance of the dining room was anything to be excited about...however, after looking at pictures, it seems like the upstairs has more of a quaint, rustic vibe to it. The dining room was a bit sterile, so if you plan on going, I would ask to be seated upstairs. We were quickly greeted by our waitress, however it was short lived because the server for the table next to us needed to deliver drinks to the table, so our waitress had to move out of the way for him to deliver the drinks, and then she proceeded to take our drink order after he was done. Again, not a HUGE deal...it just felt awkward, especially due to the notoriaty of the establishment. My partner and I received our drinks, which were fine. I got a Primo Martini while my partner got a tequila-based drink, which I forget the name of. As far as the menu, it is pretty expansive with a variety of options. We started with the octopus appetizer, which was large in size and super flavorful! I would highly recommend. My partner and I each ordered the porcini taggliatelle with scallops. Again portion was large...but flavors were very subdued and lacked seasoning. For a dish that was expensive...it unfortunately did not measure up. On top of the food, our service for the rest of the evening was a bit lackluster. We wanted to end the night with a glass of wine, and our waitress had never checked in on us, so we opted for the check. Once we got the check, it took 30 minutes for our waitress to notice that we had been waiting to cash out. Overall, we had a "meh" experience at Primo. Would I potentially go back? Sure? It just wouldn't be on the top of my list.

    Oysters
    Leslie G.

    If you are near this place on your trip through Maine don't miss it! The atmosphere on a Sunday was amazing with a live band. Communal seating was a real perk for all the food recs we got from locals at our table.

    Kristen S.

    Very disappointing visit. Wanted to love this place but it was a miss! After traveling 4 hours to our air bnb we decided to trek another hour to Rockland to eat at this farm to table restaurant. We had a 5:30 reservation that lingered past 8:00-crazy. We ordered the bread service, 4 apps, 2 half orders of pasta, 2 entrees and 2 desserts for the 2 of us. The pork belly special was so chewy it was almost inedible. Loved my salad of red lettuces and gemelli. Up until the pasta course, things were flowing rather quickly out of the kitchen... and then there was some sort of phenomenon where for 45 minutes not one person in the dining room had food. it was crrippling. The server had no idea what happened but it knocked the wind out of our sails....She comped our 2 cappaccinos on our $500 check for the two of us! Like you couldve comped a round of cocktails of the 2 desserts that were $32. Pretentious and unapologetic and the food didnt knock our socks off... Super disappointing!

    Entree
    MB A.

    Had an absolutely amazing dining experience here about a month ago with my significant other The staff was very accommodating to a late night arrival and was attentive to us all the way to the end of dinner with desert and coffe/tea. There is a lot of high brow painted art around the restaurant which we both appreciated. The ambiance was very chill and upbeat with soul music (think Sam Cooke, etc.) Playing in the background. Food was very tasty and unique. A fabulous first dining experience for me in Maine! Loved it so much and we are planning on going back again more together in the fall seasons to come Thanks Primo!

    Two half orders of pasta and Pork Saltimbocca
    Ashley C.

    Visiting Primo was one of the things I was most excited about on our honeymoon, and the only reason we stayed in Rockland for a night. I was expecting to absolutely love the food here, but unfortunately pretty much everything fell short. I will say the salad was lovely, vibrant, and fresh. The fried squash blossoms were very good. But the two pastas and the pork saltimbocca just missed the mark. I was honestly too bummed out to even try dessert. We did order bread service and they charged us $8 - $4 per person. I have never seen a restaurant do this before. Almost seems like a way to nickel and dime customers who are already paying a pretty penny to eat here. The ambiance inside was a little ... strange. It seemed much more casual for the type of magical experience I was expecting. The outdoor area is absolutely gorgeous and I loved being able to see the garden and the chickens. Was just expecting the food to match.

    Seared tuna

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    Ask the Community - Primo

    What do I wear!?

    Maine is a casual dining area so wear appropriate clothing. Casual is fine but don't feel bad if you dress up as the atmosphere can deserve something nicer. There is no dress code so use your judgement and dress for the occasion. Nice jeans on the… Read more

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Opa

    Opa

    4.3
    (157 reviews)
    40.9 mi

    We first tried this place 2 yrs ago- it was good food. When I walked in I kept asking for a menu. I…read moreasked the bartender- a guy - another girl -- nothing. Then I reasked the bar tender and she was too busy - asked a girl again - never came back. Finally a customer grabbed one and handed it to me . We tried it yesterday- absolutely awful - sorry but -- the meat was super fatty - couldn't chew it - show it to my GREEK friend from Astoria Queens cause she couldn't understand- she agreed- way too fatty -- We dumped it - couldn't chew it. We also ordered spanakopita. We opened it up tonight -- Triangle shaped individual with JUST spinach -- the feta cheese was spread out UNDER these triangle spinach thing (4) super tiny like appetizers- not a meal - no salad either like really? This was a dinner? so very very upset over this food. You will say to me it's was Mothers Day - 9 tables isn't very busy for Mother's Day -- a regular dinner crowd. We expected when we drive 1 hr to this restaurant get great food at a place that almost has 5 stars. I can understand we aren't in Astoria Queens NY but come on - this wasn't hard at all. I waited a whole year to drive back & I really wanted to give a great review but the food was just awful. Very are very disappointed . . .

    Opa needs to step it up. The food ranges from beyond excellent and totally delicious to eh. The…read moredrinks need to be taken up a notch and served in glasses bigger than a thimble. The service is exceptional and top notch. The kitchen crew is excellent. I think the issue is the menu. The ambiance is very very nice. The lamb is over priced and not great. The calamari is very good. The specials are usually very good. The olive oil and bread ranks among the best I've ever had. Roast lamb may be a good item to add.

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    Bar
    Bar
    Opa
    Opa

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    Primo - mediterranean - Updated June 2026

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